By: JoAnn Snavely

On  Sep 30, 2022, COIN sold out The Ritz Raleigh, that same day, Hurricane Ian made landfall in Charleston, SC. Regardless of the state of emergency North Carolina was under, with tropical storm and flash flood warnings painted across every billboard throughout the 30-minute drive that it took to get to the venue–live music doesn’t stop for natural disasters, and neither do I! COIN has been on their Uncanny Valley tour since mid-July in celebration of their 5th studio album of the same name. In anticipation of the show, I took advantage of having the school day off and decided to show up at 11:00 am. I quickly learned that the weather would not allow for that early of an arrival, so after a bit of exploring and a quick run to get food and blankets to face the weather, we settled in line at 2:00 pm.

I bought the “VIP experience” and was 6th in line for VIP for reference. The weather was awful, luckily, we were covered from the rain, but the wind chill and low temps were enough to have me bundled under my sweatshirt to try and keep warm. Those two-and-a-half hours until they let VIP in were some of the most grueling hours I have ever experienced, especially considering no one showed up until doors. Nonetheless, I can check going to a concert in a hurricane off of my bucket list. 

The VIP Experience at COIN

After we got checked in for VIP around 4:00 pm, we got to go inside the venue for an exclusive pre-show performance and Q&A. We filled out a form ahead of time, and although the show was running behind, they answered three or so of our questions. The performance was undoubtedly my favorite part of the VIP experience; they played great songs, and there were engaging fan interactions–most importantly, they played my favorite song by them, “Sagittarius Superstar.” We also received our merchandise items that were included in the VIP package and then got sent back out in anticipation of the show.

Miloe

Bob Kabeya (otherwise known as Miloe) was the opener on this leg of the Uncanny Valley tour. The Minnesota-based indie artist has become a staple in the industry with his songs like “Winona” and “elastic”. He has that iconic bedroom-pop sound reminiscent of musicians like Tame Impala and Clairo. He began his music career in 2019 with the release of his song “Space and Time,” and since then has released many singles and is fresh off the release of his 3rd ep, gaps, which was released on 09/16/22.

 

Aside from his musical talent, he was born to perform. Miloe showed up and brought enough energy for the entire venue. His non-stop energy and encouragement to open up multiple mosh circles–and even his crowd-surfing mid-set helped hype the crowd up more than any sunny day could’ve. You could genuinely tell he was passionate about what he was doing and the music he made, and it’s clear that he has a very bright future ahead of him. The crowd was a little lackluster throughout his and COIN’s sets–but the hurricane may have put a dampener on the show’s energy from a crowd standpoint (quite literally). 

COIN

COIN is a four-piece band from Nashville, Tennessee. The band is made up of lead singer Chase Lawrence, guitarist Joe Memmel, drummer Ryan Winnen, and bassist Zachary Dyke, Matt Martin was on tour with the band as well (Wikipedia may have just failed me with my research). Formed in 2012, they met at Belmont College and released two eps titled Saturdays and 1992. After establishing an avid live fanbase, they released their single “Run” in 2015, solidifying them as a band before the release of their debut self-titled album later that same year. Since then, they have released five albums and 1 ep, with their most recent project being the 2022 release Uncanny Valley. They always held that strong fanbase and gained a lot of traction in 2020 when their songs “Talk Too Much” and “Crash My Car” went viral, with “Talk Too Much” being the first of their songs to break Billboard’s Alternative songs list. Since then, it seems all of their hard work is coming to fruition as they are selling out venues throughout the nation and preparing to go on the international leg of their tour in the upcoming weeks.

Similarly to Miloe, COIN is a band best heard live. Their energy live was entirely unmatched. Maybe it’s because they’ve been on tour for a bit, or they’re just generally skilled musicians. They have really gotten into a groove of playing their set and are doing it well. Unlike many bands reaching the end of a long tour, COIN was so full of energy. Even though this show was right before a break in their tour, they didn’t feel tired and burnt out, and instead produced a dynamic performance. COIN had more energy than the crowd did. Lawrence’s ceaseless jumping around during “Let It All Out (10:05)” was something so exciting that it had you on the edge of your seats (figuratively, this was a GA standing show). COIN exceeded every single expectation I had for the show, and it had the potential to be my favorite show of all time and is without a doubt in my top 3 shows of all time. The sheer amount of energy and happiness exuded from the band members is so inspiring. You could tell that this is what they were meant to be doing. From start to finish, there was no dull moment in the show, and if you blinked, you might just have missed one of the night’s greatest moments. Their set was so innovative, with them switching between songs and never playing a song from start to finish (with a few exceptions). With this, they could switch from some of the happiest songs in their discography to earth-shattering songs. They played so many amazing songs like “Let It All Out (10:05)”, “Youuu,” “Malibu 1992”, and “Take The Stairs.” Seeing COIN on tour was genuinely a one-of-a-kind experience and one that you absolutely cannot miss next time they stop by near you!

Alive Through Sound

This is the third installment in the Alive Through Sound series. Check out the last article in the series, ‘ Alive Through Sound: Moss by Maya Hawke.’ Until the next edition of the series, check out everything related to COIN and Miloe with the links below. 

Playlist Links:

Introduction to COIN

Introduction to Miloe

Artists’ Sites:

COIN

Miloe