Festival season is truly upon us. This week, take your pick from the Stone Arch Bridge Fest, the new Payne Ave Fest, multiple Juneteenth celebrations, and assorted events offering a ramp up to Pride. (Click here to revisit our feature on the apparent death of the Twin Cities music festival.)
Tuesday, June 13
- Weezer with Modest Mouse and Momma @ Armory—I've always believed that the concept of "aging gracefully" is a bourgeois straitjacket, but Rivers Cuomo makes me think twice about that.
Spaghetti Monetti & the Sauce @ Bryant Square Park
International Reggae Allstars @ Bunkers
- Meshell Ndegeocello @ Dakota—The Dakota's a great room for Ndegeocello, and she'll be here for four shows in two nights. Her days of pop impact long gone, she's matured into a sensitive performer of other peoples' material—2018's Ventriloquism focused heavily on '80s and '90s R&B. She returns to songwriting with The Omnichord Real Book, out this Friday, which features collaborations with top shelf jazz artists, including Jason Moran, Ambrose Akinmusire, Jeff Parker, and Brandee Younger.
St. Dominic’s Trio @ Driftwood
Benson Boone with Nicky Youre @ Fine Line
Rodrigo y Gabriela with Honeybutter @ Fitzgerald Theater
Bit Brigade with Abandon Fest @ Icehouse
Cedar Avenue Big Band Open Rehearsal @ Jazz Central
Nova Jazz Orchestra @ Minnesota Music Cafe
DJ Nanobyte Presents "Byte Nyte" @ Palmer's
Mike's Dead with The Haunt and Kobenz @ 7th St Entry
Conspiracy Series featuring Dilly Dally Alley, Roboslide @ 331 Club
Worker's Playtime, Mumblin' Drew @ 331 Club
- James McMurtry with BettySoo @ Turf Club—Lord do I hope that no one over 20 really believes that reactionary leaders inspire great music anymore, not after the years following 9/11 spewed up American Idiot, "Mosh," and an Enya revival. But the swing toward permanent war and social neglect did tone up James McMurtry’s lyrics. After a decade-plus as a fair-to-good singer/songwriter (and yes, his dad is novelist Larry, if you were wondering), McMurty dug in and came up with “We Can’t Make It Here Anymore,” an unsparing look at the U.S. in decline. He’s kept in that vein since, mixing acute social realism with songs of unrooted, aging love. On “Canola Fields,” the standout track from his 2021 album, The Horses and the Hounds, he hooks up with a woman he’s had a crush on for three decades and observes, “You can’t be young and do that.” Something to look forward to!
Trevor McSpadden & Mary Cutrufello @ White Squirrel
Los Pinches Gueys (Tuesday Residency) @ White Squirrel
Wednesday, June 14
Hunny Bear with Pandelion, Emery Snow, The Flakes @ Amsterdam
- Tyler Childers with Marcus King @ Armory—Stylistically, lyrically, and conceptually, Childers has been an especially ambitious country traditionalist (don’t dare call him Americana!) since he cut his first record at 19. He closed his otherwise instrumental bluegrass album, A Long Violent History, with a title track that addressed the past and present of racism. For his fifth album, he went gospel—and how. Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven? repeats eight songs in three different versions: A “Hallelujah” version recorded with his band the Food Stamps, a "Jubilee" version that brings in horns and strings for a near-Dixieland feel, and a "Joyful Noise" version of remixes that incorporates samples. He doesn’t skimp on the theology either: “The Triune God” gets a titular shout out, and Childers revisits his old track “Purgatory,” where he hopes the Catholics are right that there’s a third option for the afterlife because otherwise he’s bound for Hell. As for the title track, Childers lets some kindly proselytizers know that if he can’t bring his pooches along to the hereafter, that’s a dealbreaker for this hunter. Childers ain't the sort of fella who usually plays rooms this big—thank the unexpected adoption of his 2019 song "All Your’n" by TikTokkers.
13 Arrows @ Como Park Conservatory
Maggie's Wednesdays: Mia Dorr @ Crooners
- Meshell Ndegeocello @ Dakota—See Monday's listings.
The Bad Companions @ Eagles 34
- Hamell on Trial @ Hook and Ladder—For 30 years, Ed Hamell has been hammering away, furiously and unaccompanied, on his 1937 Gibson L-00 acoustic, yammering hilariously and insightfully away in his broad Syracuse, New York, accent. He's a foul-mouthed lefty with a taste for lowlife barroom tales, and we're lucky he swings by The Hook so regularly. If you want a preview of his live show, try The Pandemic Songs, a Facebook-streamed performance from 2020.
Aiden Intro (June Residency) with Zac Khan, Zippo Man, Psylo @ Icehouse
Star of the North Concert Band @ Lake Harriet Bandshell
Monique & Xperience @ Minnesota Music Cafe
Surly Grrly Residency with Virginia's Basement, Identity Crisis, Wing Beaver @ Mortimer's
Colonel Mustard's Mechanical Orchestra @ Palmer's
Leith Ross with Kevin Atwater and Kai Warrior @ 7th St Entry
Harold’s House Party on KFAI with Rina and AJ. (of Steam Machine) @ 331 Club
Jake Manders, Paul Laurence @ 331 Club
The Prizefighters (Album Release) with Lumpy, Loser Magnet, Of Two Lions @ Turf Club
The Favorite Things & Friends @ Underground Music Venue
Lars-Erik Larson & The 2nd Stringers @ White Squirrel
The Briefly Gorgeous with Bloomer, Neighbor Dog @ White Squirrel
Thursday, June 15
The Sunny Era (Album Release) @ Amsterdam
Alicia Thao + Robert Lehmann with 5ifthhouse @ Aster Cafe
Matt Jennings Electric Trio @ Bryant Square Park
Jay Bee & the Routine @ Bunkers
David Singley and Pure Source @ Crooners
Rebecca Aadland (Album Release) @ Crooners
Sue Scott's Island of Discarded Women with Paula Poundstone & Jearlyn Steele @ Crooners
Deb Brown Presents Thing Called Love: Songs of Bonnie Raitt @ Crooners
Spill, Betty and the Rubble, Jealous Brother @ Driftwood
Icewear Vezzo with Tae Supreme, NLU Skeet, Phoreiign @ First Avenue
- Kiss the Tiger, Creeping Charlie @ Mears Park—Proper, functioning cities should rock. With the annual, free, weekly, outdoor Lowertown Sounds program, St. Paul is privy to this in ways Minneapolis could really learn from. When this year’s lineup was announced, organizers noted that over half of the acts are new this summer. Tonight, we’ve got Creeping Charlie, whose youthful take on Pavementy soundz were delightful at Loring Park earlier this month, and ferocious rock ‘n’ rollers Kiss the Tiger, whose glowing Racket profile you can read here. Non-musical offerings include great beer from Utepils and Wabasha Brewing Co., wine from Alexis Bailly Vineyard, and a rotating cast of 20 food trucks.
Tim Casey & the Martyrs @ Minnehaha Bandstand
Olivia Roosa @ Minnesota Music Cafe
Müllet, Popstar, Erik's Iridescent Tent, Floodwater Angel @ Mortimer's
Descendents and Circle Jerks with Adolescents @ Palace Theatre
"Riddim Driven" with DJ I Roach and Friends @ Palmer's
Pansy Division with Bev Rage & The Drinks and Lumari @ 7th St Entry
Cross Pollination: The Gentlemen’s Anti-Temperance League @ 331 Club
Hotel Mira with Josh Sky @ Turf Club
Van Ham x Lewiee Blaze with Gangsta Fun Band,The Dregs, & Welby June @ Underground Music Venue
Molly Brandt, Emmy Woods, and Sammie Jean Cohen @ Uptown VFW
Pig’s Eye Records presents… The Bored, Street Hassle, Roundabouts @ White Squirrel
Friday, June 16
MEET ME @ THE ALTAR with CHLOE LILAC and KID SISTR @ Amsterdam
- Louis Tomlinson with The Snuts + Andrew Cushin @ Armory—Hard to believe that his fake baby is already seven years old.
Billy Johnson & the Hill Cats @ Bunkers
- Payne Ave Fest @ Caydence & The Treasury—Edina-reared lyricist Craig Finn once stated: “Payne Avenue lives up to its name/Some nights it's painful and strange.” Expect cheerier vibes in the St. Paul neighborhood for Payne Ave Fest, the inaugural multi-venue music festival. Over two days, a stacked lineup will perform inside two venues, bringing a 30-act sample platter of genre-spanning live local music. Headliners are homegrown hip-hop star Nur-D (on Friday) and indie rocker Lydia Liza with Big Cats (on Saturday).
The Gated Community @ The Commons
California Dreamin’: The Songs of Laurel Canyon @ Crooners
The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society Presents: Radio Noir @ Crooners
Maggie's Afterglow: Rick Carlson with Colleen Raye @ Crooners
Ladies Of Soul: A Juneteenth Celebration @ Dakota
The Long Honeymoon, Shadow Lake @ Driftwood
90s Preservation Society @ Eagles 34
Dance Yourself Clean @ Fine Line
ELnO and DJ Time Machine @ Hook and Ladder
John R. Miller with Todd Day Waite @ Icehouse
Tori Evans with Jazicality @ KJ’s Hideaway
Kirk Fletcher & Dylan Salfer with Kevin Eubanks @ KJ's Hideaway
Sesay @ Lake Harriet Bandstand
Other Country Ensemble @ Loring Park
Belly Dance Collaborative @ Minnehaha Bandstand
Sumo Seven @ Minnesota Music Cafe
Haters Club, Mad Mojo Jett and High on Stress @ Palmer's
Tori Evans, Katy Tessman and The International Treasures @ Palmer's
Becky Buller + Monroe Crossing: Picking Party on the Home Planet @ Parkway Theater
Billie Marten with Olivia Kaplan @ 7th St Entry
Everyday Trebles, The Gentlemen’s Anti-Temperance League, The Way Back Yard @ 331 Club
Model Citizen with Eleganza! and Big Salt @ Turf Club
Jake Schultz (EP Release) with EverNorth & Virginia's Basement @ Underground Music Venue
Chacko Luv + GardenStreet @ Uptown VFW
Loser Magnet with Wish Wash, Snowshoe @ White Squirrel
Saturday, June 17
Cub Sport with Memory Deluxe @ Amsterdam
Louis Tomlinson with The Snuts + Andrew Cushin @ Armory
The Midnight Choir Social Club @ Aster Cafe
Rapture: A Tribute to the Music of Anita Baker @ Crooners
The Alrio Trio Plus with Peter Vircks @ Crooners
Erin’s Big 52nd Birthday Show with Erin Schwab and Jay Fuchs @ Crooners
Maggie's Afterglow: Rick Carlson with Maurice Jacox @ Crooners
Ranky Tanky with Ms. Lisa Fischer @ Dakota
KYX, the Scarlett Tangerines, Duluth's Indecent Proposal @ Driftwood
The Bill Patton Trio @ Dusty's
American Cream Band, Bermuda Squares, Yoni Yum, Zozotech @ Eagles 34
Temples with Post Animal @ Fine Line
New Orleans Suspects with Kung Fu Hippies @ Hook and Ladder
Tony Cuchetti with Blair Krivaneck @ Icehouse
Neopolitan and Taylor James Donskey @ Icehouse
Levi Schwartzberg @ Jazz Central
Taylor Smith and the Roamin' Jasmine @ KJ’s Hideaway
Organ Donors with Lasse Corson Trio @ KJ's Hideaway
Twin Cities Mobile Jazz Presents: Mississippi (Fusion Jazz) @ Lake Harriet Bandshell
Dirty Snatcha X Dr. Ozi @ The Loft
Jaybee and the Routine @ Minnesota Music Cafe
The Assortment feat. DJ Michael Grey @ Mortimer's
The Blend, Uncle Muskrat @ Palmer's
Armageddon Productions Presents` "SummerTyme '23!" @ Palmer's
Birth Order, Pain Seminar, Klazomaniac @ Pilllar
Eyelids with Muun Bato @ 7th St Entry
- Stone Arch Bridge Fest @ Stone Arch Bridge—Father’s Day weekend means the return of the Stone Arch Bridge Festival, a multi-day event featuring art, food, and music. Two stages of live music will feature mostly local acts, including Guante, Bethany Larson & the Bee’s Knees, Night Jobs, Brasszilla, Dan Israel, and many more.
Valors, Lifestyle Shakes, Super Flasher @ 331 Club
Voltage Controller, Endif, Outcidr @ 331 Club
Liturgy with Big|Brave @ Turf Club
Terra Squad Footwork Company Dance Party @ Underground Music Venue
Beatdown: DJ Czu, DeeJay YB, Yasmeenah, and DJ Clent @ Underground Music Venue
$elfsame presents: FREAK$HOW @ Underground Music Venue
Big Salt with The Muatas, Vulgar Tongue @ White Squirrel
Sunday, June 18
Lyn Lapid with Stephanie Poetri @ Amsterdam
A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie @ Armory
Swing Brunch with Patty & the Buttons @ Aster Cafe
Hot Club Mania Quartet @ Crooners
Ginger Commodore and Friends @ Crooners
Co-MingL Presents: Soul Man, A Father’s Day Special @ Crooners
Phine Friends, Shotgun Ragtime @ Driftwood
Quadeca and quickly, quickly @ Fine Line
Chris Lawrence Band @ Green Room
Dylan Salfer Band @ Hewing Hotel
HEATBOX with Maxaphone, Alex Steele, Reed Grimm, Bubba Love @ Hook and Ladder
- Sophia Kickhofel @ Jazz Central—Kickhofel, a brilliant young saxophonist who's off studying at Juilliard these days, is making the most of her summer return to Minneapolis. In addition to this performance in the cozy Jazz Central basement, she's curating Icehouse's Monday jazz series this month. The set I caught with her quartet two weeks ago was fantastic.
Dr. Jay’s Cabaret Presents: Great Songs of Summer @ KJ's Hideaway
Cantus @ Lake Harriet Bandshell
Really Spicy Opera @ Lake Harriet Bandshell
Splimit, Cat Tales, My Vigilante Superego @ Mortimer's
Cornbread Harris: Church of Cornbread @ Palmer's
West Band Social Club @ Palmer's
THICK with Crooked Teeth and RiGBY @ 7th St. Entry
Trench Size Trio @ White Squirrel
Monday, June 19
A Musical Celebration of Juneteenth – Hosted by T. Mychael Rambo @ Dakota
- Carbon Sound 1st Birthday Party @ Fine Line—When I spoke to Carbon Sound content director Julian Green for my recent profile, he mentioned the lack of local showcases centered on Black music and told me “I’m looking forward to being able to have new unique events that maybe people haven’t thought of.” The DJ-driven lineup for this birthday party, which doubles as a Juneteenth celebration. gives you a hint of what he has in mind. Headlining is Byzzara, the latest alias of queer Afro-Chicanx DJ Cristian Ybarra (previously best known as DIE/Aspora), pan-genre DJ Yhante, self-described “culture rapper” Fanaka Nation, and several others including Green himself, as ech0astral.
- Soul of the Southside 2023: Juneteenth Festival @ Hook and Ladder—There's a deep lineup for this free (with RSVP) event. Powerhouse jazz drummer LA Buckner and his group BiG HOMiE, the ubiquitous and indomitable Nur-D, married R&B duo iLLism, Cedar-Riverside rap-rocker Huhroon, JellyBean Johnson holding it down for the old heads, plus Ricki Monique, Jordan Johnston, Black Velvet Punks, Jada Lynn, Jazicality, the Culture, Brotha Ase, and Tenacity
- Sophia Kickhofel (Monday Residency) with Jada Lynn and Abinnet Berhanu Group @ Icehouse—See Sunday's listings.
Minnesota Freedom Band @ Lake Harriet Bandshell
Auto-Tune Karaoke @ Mortimer’s
American Dream Band @ Nicollet Island
LESLIE, Services, Ghost Kitchen, and Rabeca @ 7th St Entry
The Roe Family Singers @ 331 Club
Matt Arthur Contraption @ 331 Club
Dead Army Takeover Tour @ Underground Music Venue
John Penny & the Virtuals @ Water Works
Sciurus Sequencia: Jazz and/or Creative Music Series @ White Squirrel
