Golden Satellite's Colin Johnson loves to play guitar with his teeth. After his band’s set in a crowded Minneapolis garage, when his mouth isn’t otherwise occupied, Johnson tells me, “This was my first night at Como Crib.” Then he adds, “Tonight, I think… euphoric, honestly.”
What started as a frequent house-party spot has quickly become a vital part of the Twin Cities' all-ages DIY venue network, growing largely by word of mouth and a strong Instagram presence. Unfortunately, it could also be Johnson’s last night at the venue.
By the end of August, Como Crib, which burst onto the Minneapolis house-venue scene in the summer of 2023, will close its doors as its owner, Andrea “Aray” Ray, heads to grad school at the University of Michigan.
But not just yet. On a mid-June night, plenty of tattooed punk teens, chains clinking and Doc Martens stomping, are mixed in with a crowd of less picturesque concertgoers.
StoneArk and their jumpy lead singer, Alex Lear, kick off the night with a summer-rock sound typified by their cover of the Romantics’ “What I Like About You.” Then Golden Satellite deny the gloomy weather and kept things sunny—their power-pop cover was “Stacy’s Mom” by Fountains of Wayne. And then Pullstring closed with a setlist heavy on dad-rock originals and Golden Satellite's Johnson as a secret guest performer.
“It’s such a secret that he doesn’t even know,” Pullstring guitarist Joshua Jordan announces just before Johnson is waved in from the crowd.
“Oh, I think I know what you guys are doing!” Johnson hollers once he gets on stage.
A few days later, Aray tells me about the origins of Como Crib. “It started just as a hangout, party idea,” she says. The fresh U of M graduate, lead singer of theneighborhoodfreaks, is also the sole owner and brains behind the venue. In her sophomore year, Aray was a house-party hostess around town while attending gigs at the many DIY house spots in town, particularly Como Backdoor.
After soaking in the scene, Aray finally opened Como Crib almost two years ago. It was an indoor venue then, and its first concert was an aftershow with "this band called Bejalvin,” Aray recalls. She was daunted at first, she says, but adds, “Once I realized I could get a pair of speakers for like $400, I realized that it wasn’t that hard.”
Bejalvin, a band Aray had connected with in high school, sparked a eureka moment when its members told her the only equipment they'd need was a pair of PA speakers. “When they came over to set up sound, that one day, I was just amazed,” she recalls.
With a used sound system from Guitar Center, Como Crib began. Its mission statement? “Really all in that acronym: DIY,” Aray says. “Do it yourself, find a way.”
And true Minneapolis house scene tradition, Aray took raw materials and passion and built her own way. The Crib looks DIY too, with Aray’s paintings splashed on garage walls and cardboard scored from Facebook Marketplace.
Why move from a basement—where the weather wasn’t an issue—to a garage venue under Mother Nature's thumb? “I don’t really need a lot of rambunctious moshers in my home, where my roommates don’t have anything to do with the concerts,” she says.
Though this may be the end of Como Crib, Aray isn't done with house parties. “I plan to carry my energy to the University of Michigan and continue hosting for as long as I can,” she says.
“For those here, I hope that they feel the same inspiration that I did,” she adds. “Work with what you’ve got and make it work.”
