When I first walked into the Iowa Music Store to attend the Trigger-Fish album release show, I was surprised to say the least. This was the tiniest place I had ever seen to hold as many people as it did.

There were already about 20 people in the room and the first act, Ursa Bones, was onstage. There was a window air conditioner in the back corner of the room close to the buying counter; a little later a fan was added to the mix.

The place didn’t have any smell even though everybody was sweating as soon as they walked in the door. The shape of the room was a little odd as well. When you first walk in, the stage is not at all visible, it is actually around the corner to the right.

The stage was also a bit of a shock. It isn’t a stage per say; it’s at floor level, and is only about 8 feet wide and 5 feet deep. But honestly, none of this really matters when it comes to the value of the performance.

Ursa Bones is a young and quite talented singer-songwriter with almost a very high and sweet voice. The audience really seemed to enjoy her set; one male fan even flirted with her during a break between songs.

Next up was Satellite State. The Iowa Music Store was not ready for this band. I cannot recall who said it, but someone mentioned that the windows should probably be shut before they started playing. Being a connoisseur of rock and metal music, I honestly just thought they were being sissies. They weren’t.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything that loud in my life. Almost everybody in the room quickly went to the counter to buy a pair of earplugs before their eardrums burst. Those that did not held their hands tightly over their ears and tried to enjoy the rest of the set.

I stayed closer to the door where I could only see part of the band, but needless to say, I heard them just fine. The vocals for Satellite State seemed a bit washed out by the loudness of the instruments, but this is a common occurrence even at big arena shows.

A lot of it could also have been where I was standing since sound does bend, and I was around the corner. It could have also been because of the size of the venue. Small venue means the sound has nowhere to go. Then again, the sound might have simply not been adjusted right.

They didn’t sound spectacular due to the aforementioned reasons, but the audience enjoyed them. There was a lot of light head banging to the music as well as a lot of smiles, especially from the slightly older generation. I enjoyed what I heard from the band, but I think I would need to see them again before I could call them amazing or horrible.

Trigger-Fish is a newer band comprised of high school age members. When I found this out, sadly I did get a picture in my mind of how this album release show was going to work, but was quickly proven wrong when they started playing.

The style of music they do in no way sounds like a thing of amateurs. They are considered to be indie-alternative rock which makes sense because there is no specific genre that their music sounded like. It really reminded me of music that would have come out many years ago possibly before they, or I for that matter, were even born.

Their sound is almost jazzy, and they played many longer instrumentals within the songs. This was not a bad thing; it was amazing. Without the still slightly washed vocals, the instrumental sections rang out much more clearly.  

The audience was mainly comprised of other high school aged kids and middle aged adults, likely parents. They all seemed to really love it and danced around or kept time to the music. Additionally, as is the hopes for an album release show, there were many copies of the band’s new album sold that night. Some people were even coming in during Ursa Bones and Satellite State to buy the album.

Overall, I really loved the unique sound of Trigger-Fish. I haven’t heard anything quite like it before, but I would like to hear more.