Four Gully Boys, Five (Gully?) Guys
Here’s some unexpected news: September is Gully Boys month at Five Guys. The great band is the decent burger chain’s “featured artist” for the month. Who knew that was even a thing?
What it means, apparently, is that the band will be played regularly in Five Guys dining rooms, resulting in some well-deserved exposure for the Boys. In other GB’s news, the hard-travelin’ band just finished a tour with Bad Bad Hats in August, they'll be performing at Blocktoberfest at Dual Citizen on Saturday, and later this month will get back on the road with Nova Twins. They’ll return to town for an Entry show on October 8.
Awful News from Poliça
A band that has already suffered through some terrible medical issues (we all remember singer Channy Leaneagh’s 2019 back-breaking fall) now unfortunately has even worse ones to face. Poliça bassist Chris Bierden will have surgery today to remove a brain tumor discovered earlier this week. “After Chris rushed to the hospital Monday with a debilitating migraine,” the band writes on Instagram, “it was discovered he has a brain tumor on his right parietal lobe.” After surgery, doctors will able to determine Bierden's future course of treatment. In the meantime, Bierden’s family has set up a Caring Bridge page for anyone who wants further information as it becomes available. In the meantime, you can check out some of Bierden’s solo work here. Racket wishes him the best.
Labor Day Bluegrass Fest Persists
Every week, Racket publishes as “complete concert calendar” that, despite my best efforts, doesn’t always entirely live up to its ambitious name. This week’s inexcusable omission: the Laughing Waters Bluegrass Fest, held on Labor Day, now in its 23rd year. This year will be a little different—longtime organizer Alan Jesperson of the Middle Spunk Creek Boys died last in December, meaning his fellow bluegrassers had to step up to keep the festival alive. But I imagine it will soldier on in the same spirit it has for nearly a quarter-century, providing entertainment for bluegrass fans and a folksy little soundtrack to, well, folks spending Labor Day by the Falls. Performers for 2022 include King Wilkie's Dream and the High 48s, No Man's String Band, LaPlant Road, and Steam Machine.
What’s That, You Want Some New Music to Listen to?
Psalm One sure does a lot of stuff. The Chicago-but-we’ll-still-claim-her MC recently released her first book, Her Word Is Bond: Navigating Hip Hop and Relationships in a Culture of Misogyny, and the former Rhymesayers signee knows all about the culture referenced in her subtitle. Today she released Bigg Permm, a new collab album with producer Custom Made, with whom she’s already worked on a series of terrific EPs. As always, her persona is playful but pugnacious, her rhymes tight, and her mix of flows ingenious. Oh also, it happens to be Bandcamp Friday, where the music site forgoes its usual cut and all proceeds go straight to the artists, so if you’ve been hankering to own some local music, now’s that day to do it. Start by exploring Minnesota artists here.
