A concert was held by Kat and the Hurricane as well as Sad House Guest on March 14 at the Plus in downtown Eau Claire.

The Plus is just starting to get back up and running post-COVID, according to the events coordinator at the Plus, Cullen Ryan.

“We were closed until September,” Ryan said. “The Plus closed down for almost three years because of the pandemic, so we are just getting rolling now.”

The show is one of many events that are hosted at the venue, according to Ryan. The Plus contains all kinds of activities to attend. 

“We do Sunday night bingo, Monday night open mic, Tuesday night karaoke, Wednesday night trivia, Thursday night comedy and Friday and Saturday are live entertainment that varies,” Ryan said. “There is something going on every night of the week.”

The show began with Sad House Guest opening. The band consists of guitar player and vocalist Sam Stein, his brother Ben Stein on the drums and Sam Lakmann on the piano as well as vocals. 

According to Stein, the band hadn’t played together for a while due to COVID. The Plus was a good place to come back to. 

“The last gig we played before COVID was at the Plus three years ago,” Stein said. “So then I heard that they had opened back up and Kat and the Hurricane was like, ‘want to do a show?’ So I was like ‘I know a great place.’ I really wanted to play here again.” 

According to Stein, Sad House Guest is coming back to Eau Claire soon for another show.

“We have a show coming up on St. Patrick’s day at the Mousetrap,” Stein said. “April 14 at the Mousetrap.”

The band Kat and the Hurricane was the headliner that played after Sad House Guest. 

Their music is a variety of indie music, according to drummer Alex Nelson.

“We like to joke that we make sad lesbian music,” Nelson said. “But a lot of our songs are really upbeat. It is a mix of indie-rock, indie-pop and we have some folk influences.”

According to Nelson, the band plays music that aims to be a part of the LGBTQ representation that was previously hidden in the music scene.

“As an all-trans and all-non-binary, queer band, being able to perform music is such a gift,” Nelson said. “That is part of why we like to make music. We just like to rally our community and make sure that people know that they are not alone.”

“It is possible to grow up and to find a profession or hobby that you really enjoy and to be successful at it and to be appreciated for what you do,” Nelson said.

The Plus is a venue open to all performers, according to Ryan. They are welcoming to new musicians. 

“If people are interested in performing we have an open mic and we are more than happy to give the support to new and emerging artists the best we can,” Ryan said. “That is what makes the communities we create worth living in.” 

Becker can be reached at [email protected].