This weekend is going to be mayhem in Minneapolis. As Pride spills over into the west half of downtown, Taylor Swift will hold court in the east. (That's not even to mention the big Mexican rap star at Target Center.) Not to be left out, St. Paul will hold the Twin Cities Jazz Festival—it's hardly as hectic an affair, but Lowertown will still hold more musical delights and surprises than any one person can take in.
Tuesday, June 20
International Reggae Allstars @ Bunkers
- Jupiter & Okwess @ Cedar Cultural Center—Jupiter Bokondji's uptempo electric African rock owes more to Nigerian Afrobeat (please note the capital "a" and singular form, Burna Boy fans) as it does to the elegant rumba of his native Congo. But the fusion of styles he presents on Na Kazonga is his alone, more distinctive than any of Fela's sons have achieved. And to assure you that he's not just here for a good time, there are moments of righteous protest (e.g., "You Sold Me a Dream"). Sure to be a sweaty, galvanic night.
St. Dominic’s Trio @ Driftwood
Karaoke with On Call Entertainment @ Eagles 34
EELS with Austin Antoine @ First Avenue
Æther Sound Presents Kindohm & Jesse Whitney, Michael Gallope, alone-a @ Icehouse
Explosion Big Band Open Rehearsal @ Jazz Central
Burning Blue Rain @ KJ's Hideaway
River City Jazz Orchestra @ Minnesota Music Cafe
My Morning Jacket with Wilderado @ Palace Theatre
Divine Sweater with NATL PARK SRVC and easeupkid @ 7th St Entry
Conspiracy Series featuring Dilly Dally Alley, Willow Waters @ 331 Club
Worker's Playtime, The Beavers @ 331 Club
The Blue Stones with The Velveteers and JACK @ Turf Club
Trevor McSpadden & Mary Cutrufello @ White Squirrel
Los Pinches Gueys (Tuesday Residency) @ White Squirrel
Wednesday, June 21
The Long Goodbyes @ Aster Cafe
Ty Pow & the Holy North @ Como Park Conservatory
Maggie's Wednesdays: Lori Dokken @ Crooners
Dodging Potholes, Heebajeeba @ Driftwood
Lena and the Lovekills @ Eagles 34
Reverend Horton Heat with Kinda Fonda Wanda @ Fine Line
Time Room, Splimit, Jeweler, Ice Climber @ Green Room
Aiden Intro (June Residency) with Kwey, Present Company, Parachutes @ Icehouse
JCS: Creative Combinations @ Jazz Central
Kashimana @ Lake Harriet Bandshell
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen @ Minnesota Music Cafe
Surly Grrly Residency with Metal Marty @ Mortimer's
Go Go Boot Camp, Uncle Jesse's Comb, Die Ghost, Wannabianca @ Palmer's
Catie Turner with Sophie Holohan and Baby Fisher @ 7th St Entry
Harold’s House Party on KFAI with Pop Wagner and the Tavern Trio @ 331 Club
Hazelcreak with Aldrich and Ava Levy @ Turf Club
Jacket, Rosie, & Foxby @ Underground Music Venue
Saint Paul Mudsteppers Monthly @ White Squirrel
Thursday, June 22
Taylor Fest! The Eras Tour Pre-Party @ Amsterdam
Jon Weber @ Apostle Social Club
Jenna Graves and the Loons @ Aster Cafe
Meat Raffle Ska @ Bryant Square Park
Jay Bee & the Routine @ Bunkers
TAFKAVince Band @ Can Can Wonderland
Maggie's Afterglow: Dane Stauffer and Rick Carlson @ Crooners
Live From Laurel Canyon @ Dakota
House of Music Band Camp @ Driftwood
Karaoke with On Call Entertainment @ Eagles 34
Hold Your Lady Tight Night @ Eagles 34
The Struts with Mac Saturn @ First Avenue
Scalise (Album Release) with Asparagus & Lily Blue @ Green Room
Nelson Devereux Trio @ Icehouse
Nunnabove + The Culture @ Icehouse
Lucia Sarmiento, Adam Meckler’s Supercell, and Steve Kenny Quintet @ KJ's Hideaway
The Lindsay Pedality Quartet @ Mancini's
- Nur-D, Malanmaya @ 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, a rare chance to catch the reclusive Nur-D, who almost never performs live anymore, along with Afro-Latin crowd-pleasers Malanmaya. 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.
Take That Back @ Metronome Brewery
Janelle & Todd @ Minnehaha Bandstand
Drums of Navarone @ Minnesota Music Cafe
- Chastity Brown, DJ Astrolex @ Minnesota Zoo—Imagine a zoo with nary a child, one where you can sip wine and watch animals do their thing as the sun sets. Impossible, you say? Nope! We’re talking about Wild Nights at the Minnesota Zoo, a summer series for grownups. During these events folks can explore all the trails and exhibits until 8 p.m. Oh, and there's also music—tonight it's Chastity Brown, whose 2022 album Sing to the Walls is a surprisingly lively and hopeful response to our troubled past few years in Minnesota.
The Front Porch Swingin' Liquor Pigs @ Palmer's
The Ya Ya Boys @ Papa Legba Lounge
Skating Polly with bugsy and Surly Grrly @ 7th St Entry
Annie DiRusso @ Sociable Cider Works
Minneapolis Songwriter Round: Samantha Grimes, Juliet Wilhelmi, Matt Hannah, Dave Dvorak @ 331 Club
Author with UNTURNED, tacklebox, and Tricksy @ Turf Club
Spring Term, Zippo Man, Anita Velveeta, & The Orange Goodness @ Underground Music Venue
Supersuckers and the Delta Bombers @ Uptown VFW
K.C. McKee with Loser Magnet, Andrew Kneeland @ White Squirrel
Friday, June 23
- CupcakKe @ Amsterdam—There’s filthy-ass rap, and then there’s CupcakKe. Whether offering far too intimate bedroom play-by-play (“I thought I came but I peed on the dick” and, better yet, “Yellin’ out ‘arf arf arf arf arf arf arf’/Swallowing cum make me barf barf barf barf barf barf barf”) or dishing out disses (“His dick smaller than my toes/I'd rather ride Squidward nose”) Chicago MC Elizabeth Eden Harris earns her porny nom de rap. She could make Blowfly blush, while making generations of male rappers obsessed with their own pee pees sound like naughty little boys. And though she’s got a few collections to her name (I recommend Ephorize, source of two of those previous quotes) she’s the queen of the one-off single—she dropped seven in 2020 alone—and her latest, “H2Hoe,” is, yes, about being wet and how she can “make the pussy stretch like minimum wage.” As I mentioned in my Rico Nasty review recently, Amsterdam has made itself the home of brilliantly foul-mouthed women redefining rap these days, and CupcakKe fits right in there.
Eva Anderson @ Apostle Supper Club
Kenny John James (Album Release) @ Aster Cafe
Nicholas David, Connie Evingson, Dorothy Doring with Jon Weber @ Big River Pizza
Mikel Wright & the Wrongs @ Bunkers
The Burroughs, Sawyer's Dream @ Cedar Cultural Center
Maggie's Afterglow: Lori Dokken @ Crooners
Freier Department, Jazz Central All-Stars Sextet @ Dark Horse
Tribute to New York, Loon Buster, Joe Hagen & Rancor @ Driftwood
duster with Sour Widows @ Fine Line
The Klituation Pride Party with JAX, Dizzy Fae, Maria Isa @ First Avenue
Mat Kearney with Marc Scibilia @ Fitzgerald Theater
Rat Can with Paralot, Peech, and Check Mate @ The Garage
The Taylor Swift Eras Party: Night 1 @ Green Room
Blue Ox Jazz Trio @ Herbie's on the Park
GRRRL SCOUT presents: 10th Annual Summer Camp Pride Party @ Hook and Ladder
Laney Jones + Bathtub Cig + Filthy Kitten @ Icehouse
MN Sifonia @ Lake Harriet Bandstand
The Lindsay Pedality Quartet @ Mancini's
Selby Ave Brass Band, Jack Brass Band @ Mears Park
Katy Tessman & the Turnbuckles @ Minnehaha Bandstand
The Original Westside Band @ Minnesota Music Cafe
Luke Callen and Kelley Smith @ Palmer's
Doug Otto and The Getaways and John Till @ Palmer's
Amy Manette @ Papa Legba's Band
Erin Livingston @ Saint Paul Hotel
Haze Gazer, Burning, Worn Mantle, and Eudaemon @ 7th St Entry
Deep Fakes, Dashed, Dino Panda@ 331 Club
- Creedence Clearwater Replayed: Doug Collins and the Receptionists with Terry Walsh, Mary Cutrufello, Cindy Lawson @ Turf Club—Great local rockers rip through a night of songs by a great American rock band. What's not to recommend?
- Taylor Swift @ U.S. Bank Stadium—Haha, right, what are you, made of money? Even for the nosebleeds, resale tickets are stretching well into the four digits. Meanwhile, the entrepreneur-next-door has just re-re-released (I may be missing a “re-” or two there) her latest, Midnights, which is indeed mid by Swift’s high standards, with a phoned-in Ice Spice feature on “Karma” the supposed value added. But before we get too cynical, here’s a review of Swift’s recent Philly show from my teen niece, whose mom somehow scored some (relatively) reasonably priced tix: “It was the best day of my life.” The Eras Tour not only celebrates a songbook as deep as any 21st century popular musician’s but a series of considerable career achievements. Swift reclaimed mainstream country for women (if ever so briefly), crossed over adeptly into megapop, then relaxed into “indie” songwriter mode. Does it help that she’s a long-legged white woman who comes from two generations of Wall Street bankers? Sure, but even if you’re born on third base, stealing home is an achievement. With girl in red and Gracie Abrams on Friday and girl in red and OWENN on Saturday. Tickets are very sold out.
Ted Hajnasiewicz @ Water Works
The Collaboratory 4th Fridays @ White Squirrel
Saturday, June 24
Nitrowave TC Presents: Atim Opoka, SYM1, Finesse, and d.notive @ Amsterdam
Rick Carlson, Jon Weber, Daniel Rottenberg @ Apostle Supper Club
The Glen Helgeson Trio, Sophia Shorai, Joel Shapira Trio @ Big River Pizza
The Good, the Bad & the Funky @ Bunkers
Walker West's Woman in Jazz Combo and More @ Creators Space
Maggie's Afterglow: Lori Dokken @ Crooners
Peter Asher & Jeremy Clyde @ Dakota
Ginger Commodore, Brandon Commodore & the BZ3 Organ Trio, Mike Gold and Jazz Impact @ Dark Horse
The Disappointments, Dearest, Carrie Bather @ Driftwood
Becky Kapell & the Fat 6 with Boozewater @ Dusty's
Loki's Folly, Prairie Clamor, Carlisle Evans Peck, Friendly Puppy Laboratory @ Eagles 34
Modern Wildlife, Falcon Arrow, Great Went @ Eagles 34
Grrrl Scout Pride Stoplight Party @ Fillmore
Lapdogs, Daphne Jane, she's green, and Emma Jeanne @ Fine Line
Family Pride Celebration and Drag Show @ First Avenue
Flip Phone XXL Pride Edition ft. Luxx Noir London @ First Avenue
Empire Pride Festival @ The Garage
The Taylor Swift Eras Party: Night 2 @ Green Room
Blue Ox Jazz Trio @ Herbie's on the Park
Travis Anderson Trio @ Holman's Table
Black Hearts Burlesque Block Party @ Hook and Ladder
EXTRA AS F*CK presented by DJ Shannon Blowtorch & Elektra Cute @ Hook and Ladder
Cornbread Harris Ensemble @ Icehouse
Soul Friday PRIDE (On Saturday) @ Icehouse
Twin Cities Mobile Jazz Presents: Mississippi (Fusion Jazz) @ Lake Harriet Bandshell
Lee Engele & Reynold Philipsek @ Landmark Center
The Lindsay Pedality Quartet @ Mancini's
- Christian McBride, Davina & the Vagabonds, Patty Peterson Presents the Jazz Woman All-Stars, Kevin Washington & RA Spirit, Youth Performances (Walker West Music Academy & MacPhail Center for Music) @ Mears Park—After a two-night stand at the Dakota in March, McBride returns to Minnesota to headline the second night of the Twin Cities Jazz Festival. He lets his hometown roots show with this pianoless quartet (“jawn” is all-purpose Philly slang for any person, place, or thing), which brings out a slightly wilder side of the bassist than you might be used to hearing. Trumpeter Josh Evans and saxophonist/bass clarinetist Marcus Strickland cut loose up top as McBride locks in with drummer Nasheet Waits. Their second album as a unit, Prime, features compositions from each of the quartet’s members. But it’s the outside material they tackle that’ll give you a sense of their range and style: Larry Young’s “Obsequious,” Ornette Coleman’s “The Good Life,” and Sonny Rollins’s “East Broadway Rundown.”
Maryann and the Money Makers, The New Lowdown Jazz Band, Salsa del Soul @ Mears Park
Midwest Deathfest @ Minnesota Music Cafe
Lucia Newell and Joan Griffith @ Momento
DUG, Porcelain, Ex Nun, Warcake @ Mortimer's
Minniaux Presents Palmer's Patio Pride Party @ Palmer's
Remixer with DJ Jen-E @ Palmer's
Wain McFarlane, Yunior Romero @ Papa Legba Band
Erin Livingston @ Saint Paul Hotel
Spiritual Cramp with Bermuda Squares and BUIO OMEGA @ 7th St Entry
MüLLET, Memory Deluxe, Erik’s Iridescent Tent @ 331 Club
Santa Fe Klan with Snow Tha Product and Tornillo @ Target Center
New Fashioned Honky Tonk with Molly Brandt @ Turf Club
Ben Cook-Feltz @ White Squirrel
Medium Zach with O.D. @ White Squirrel
Blood Driver with Lovely Dark, Full Catholic, Super Flasher @ White Squirrel
Sunday, June 25
Rosie with Dial Tone & The Dalmation Club @ Amsterdam
Charlie Puth with Alexander Stewart @ Armory
Swing Brunch with Patty & the Buttons @ Aster Cafe
Sweet Rhubarb + Barrel Flash @ Aster Cafe
Honky-Tonk Jump: The Texas Swing Music of Bob Wills @ Crooners
Apple Valley High R&B Band @ Crooners
Jones & Bloom's Culture Zoom @ Crooners
Craft Organ: Featuring Katie Craft and Jordan Hedlund @ Crooners
Dennis Curley Sings the Music of John Denver @ Crooners
Peter Asher & Jeremy Clyde @ Dakota
Phine Friends, Shotgun Ragtime @ Driftwood
Benefit for Roady Tate's Mom @ Eagles 34
Twin Cities Country Dancers @ Eagles 34
Karaoke with Reina Starr @ Eagles 34
Johnny Sincerely Orchestra Brunch @ Granada
Kai Brewster's Millions Residency @ Green Room
Vlad Messing and Friends @ Icehouse
Twin Cities Flamenco Collective with La Conja @ Icehouse
Crosstown Open Jam @ KJ's Hideaway
Anda Flamenco @ Lake Harriet Bandshell
Retro Soul and the Westside Horns @ Lake Harriet Bandshell
Cornbread Harris: Church of Cornbread @ Palmer's
Black Widows: Greatest Open Mic Ever @ Palmer's
Arden Jones with Pardyalone @ 7th St. Entry
Adi Oasis with Phillip-Michael Scales @ Turf Club
Lonesome Dan Kase @ White Squirrel
St. Paul Songwriter Rounds @ White Squirrel
Monday, June 26
Wain McFarlane & Jahz @ Dakota
Tango Desperados Practilonga @ Eagles 34
World Music Monthly @ Eagles 34
Sophia Kickhofel (Monday Residency) with Ted Olsen Group and Will Kjeer Group. @ Icehouse
Pan-Handlers Steel Drum Band @ Lake Harriet Bandshell
Love for Emma Trejo Benefit @ Minnesota Music Cafe
Auto-Tune Karaoke @ Mortimer’s
American Dream Band @ Nicollet Island
Cowaoke with Ben Moooker @ Palmer's
Rav with Scuare @ 7th St Entry
The Roe Family Singers @ 331 Club
