Minneapolis band to perform in Vermillion

Indie folk rock fans rejoice with excitement for Carolina Smith and the Good Night Sleeps’ debut in Vermillion.

Caroline Smith and the Good Night Sleeps will be playing at the Eagles on Tuesday, April 10. Narrative Feed, a local band, will be opening the concert.

The band consists of four members: drummer Arlen Peiffer, bassist Jesse Schuster and pianist David Earl.

Caroline Smith started out signing solo acts at the 400 bar in Minneapolis. At the 400 Bar, Smith worked on her independent sound using sweet melodies and simple chord structures.

Smith said her gender inspires her music.

“Being a woman and sharing insight I can give on the subject,” Smith said.

Caroline started writing songs when the teenage angst set in.

“One of the biggest compliments I get is people saying my songs helped them through a really hard situation in their life,” Smith said. “And how it was good to hear about someone going through the same thing.”

As Smith continued to work on her solo career she went on to meet Peiffer, Schuster and Earl. The band has released two albums, “The Backyard Tent Set” and “Little Wind.”

The album “Little Wind,” the second of the two, elaborates more on the story telling from the previous album “The Backyard Tent Set.” “Little Wind” tries to emphasize their sound to more of a modern indie rock than the folk sound which was prevalent through “The Backyard Tent Set” album.

Touring is one of Smith’s favorite parts of the job.

“I think it takes a certain type of person to enjoy touring and I lucked out to be able to be in a band full of that type,” Smith said.

Smith sad she is excited for the show and said that the main reason students should go is for the fun atmosphere.

“Especially for the women in the audience,” Smith said. “My band is full of cute boys who will get you dancing.”

Eric Davis, a fan of Caroline Smith and the Good Night Sleeps, is thrilled to have a band of such high quality be brought to Vermillion. Although Eric has never been to one of their shows he has been a big fan ever since the band started out.

“Students should go. It’s an amazing band and not very often that high quality bands are in Vermillion,” Davis said.

Narrative Feed, a Vermillion band with a different sound than Caroline Smith and the Good Night Sleeps, will be the opener. The band is made up of professors Skip Willman, Dennis Sjolie and John Dudley from the University of South Dakota’s English department. The drummer, Jim Batt, teaches biology at Northeast College in Nebraska. The band has played a few places in Vermillion, with their last show being an outdoor gig in August. They have made appearances at Vermillion’s Ribs, Rods and Rock and Roll and the Vermillion Arts Council’s Harvest of the Arts Festival.

Dudley said the band was contacted by Eric Davis, a former student of Willman’s, for the performance.

“We’re always happy to play and this seemed like a great opportunity,” Dudley said.

Reach reporter Kadie Erickson at [email protected].