Another catch-up quickie. Sorry, not sorry.

Big Mood is a hip wine bar just across from the Freight House in the Crossroads. It's cozy, chic, happening, and loud. And for some reason it hosts live music. Not downtempo jazz trios, but live rock bands. Sometimes even hardcore shows. While this night wouldn't introduce that level of chaos, each of the acts featured five members, creating different logistical challenges.

Once the stage was set – loading players from front to back – frontman Colin Halliburton gave the signal to the DJ and the night shifted. The Roseline is a long-running Lawrence, Kansas-based project that incorporates elements of heartland rock, Americana, and country. Once the solo project of vocalist/acoustic guitarist Halliburton, he is now surrounded by the murderers' row of Bradley McKellip (lead electric guitar), Heidi Lynne Gluck (keyboards, vocal harmonies), Colin Jones (bass), & Jim Piller (drums). Together the band delivered a nine-song set that reached as far back as 2008, focused on last year's Keystone of the Heart, and looked forward with one new number. The start was bumpy – the PA wasn't configured properly, instruments wouldn't stay in tune, vocalists were unable to hear each other – but by the middle of the set, the act was on fire. The Petty-esque "Joy" sounded amazing bouncing off the brick walls. Finale "Purple Balloon" had the players trading vocal lines and hot licks, each crashing together in exciting ways. Throughout the long set, an audience still padded by their bulky coats stood on the mezzanine drinking in the performance, while downstairs patrons paused their conversations earnestly applauding their evening's soundtrack. I, however, hid behind a pillar, snapping photos in the low light, trying to be as small as possible in a venue that felt foreign.

The bar was approaching capacity at 10pm when Fullbloods began. In the crowd, I spotted a who's who of local musicians. I wondered if they were all regulars at Big Mood, or if they had all come out to see the reawakening of Ross Brown's project. In the studio, Fullbloods is the work of Brown alone. Live performances require the help of usual suspects Konner Ervin (guitar/backing vocals), Kyle Little (keyboards), Kyle Rausch (bass), and Fritz Hutchison (drums). It's a star-studded cast of indie poppers. The act began with current single "Fish in a Bowl" and marched through seven others, all pulled from the band's forthcoming album Playing it Safe, due March 7, 2025. The set was breezy and bright. Brown's compositions sound simple – even when they're not. Todd Rundgren might be a fair comparison. Throughout the set, melodic guitar leads from either Ervin or Brown provided narration while vocal harmonies offered comfort. The latter were particularly reassuring in "White House Dot Com (Blue Websites)." Before the final number, Little announced the musicians as if they were the Kursaal Flyers playing at an amusement pier in 1976. It was a delight. The set ended with "No Hesitation" – another of the pre-release singles and another insistent guitar pop song that had the packed crowd swaying but not dancing.

At some venues, the room empties after the final band plays. That's not the case at Big Mood. Saturday night was just getting started for this crowd. But my head was starting to spin; something didn’t feel right, and so I slipped out the door to catch the streetcar home. I would later realize that the flu followed me home. At least I caught it somewhere classy.