As we close out this September's music listings, there remains no shortage of fests, musical and otherwise, as folks enjoy this freaky warm fall weather.
Tuesday, September 24
Shovels & Rope with Al Olender @ Amsterdam
Megadeth with Mudvayne + All That Remains @ Armory
International Reggae All-Stars @ Bunker's
- Global Roots Festival: Ustad Noor Bakhsh, Ramon Chicharron @ Cedar Cultural Center—The Global Roots Festival is the Cedar's opportunity to get even more Cedary than ever. The annual event kicked off on Monday with artists from and Sweden and Catalonia. Tonight Ustad Noor Bakhsh, whose ragas apparently have a West African feel, will wow you on his zither-like Balochi Benju and Colombian bandleader Ramon Chicharron will fuse cumbia, champeta, and dembow.
Will Effertz and Pete Whiteman @ Dark Horse
St. Dominic's Trio @ Driftwood
Karaoke With On Call Entertainment @ Eagles 34
The Wldlfe with Young Culture @ Fine Line
Emerging Artist Night @ The Garage
Explosion Big Band @ Jazz Central
Dirty Shorts Brass Band @ Minnesota Music Cafe
Punk Rock Princess with DJ Hot Topic Fanclub and Dimitry Killstorm @ Mortimer's
Soul Coughing @ Palace Theatre
Former Crush with True Lust @ Pilllar Forum
Noah Floersch with HAFFWAY @ 7th St Entry
Artist Showcase @ Sociable Cider Werks
Industrial Strength with DJ Sin @ Terminal Bar
Southside Aces and The Riffin’ Trio @ Turf Club
September Conspiracy Series featuring Triple Fiddle, Rachel Felicia Calvert @ 331 Club
Candy, Divebomb, Taraneh @ Underground Music Cafe
- The Breeders @ Uptown Theater—The Breeders haven’t exactly retired from recording. They released an album as recently as 2018, All Nerve, and I remember it being worth hearing even if I haven’t replayed it since, oh, early 2019. And Kim Deal has a new solo effort on the horizon. But you’ll be there for the oldies, even if you weren’t around for them back in the ’90s. The show is 15+, and though I doubt the Breeders’ opening stint for Olivia Rodrigo has sucked in too many youngsters, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a bunch of teens and 20-somethings who grew up on their parents’ copies of Last Splash in attendance—with those same parents. That kind of familial bonding will never not seem weird to me (kids should rebel at least a little, just to keep up appearances) but I can’t think of a band I’d rather see bridge the generations. Last time I saw the Breeders was opening for Arcade Fire at the Xcel in 2017; I have never seen a band so winningly casual about playing a hockey arena.
- CupcakKe @ Varsity—“I was so scared, you guys,” the gleefully obscene Chicago rapper told the crowd at St. Paul’s Amsterdam Bar & Hall last summer, recalling the moment when her plane landed at MSP International Airport. “I was like, ‘This is in the middle of nowhere.’” She went on to spit an energetic, foul-mouthed set full of references to bodily fluids and orifices, with a largely femme crowd shouting along to every word. On June’s Dauntless Manifesto, CupcakKe begins by telling you to “suck a dick through a toilet seat” and dubs herself “Whora the Explorer.” I can guarantee pure filth. Or impure filth, I guess. You know what I mean.
The Mary Cutrufello Band @ White Squirrel
Pals with Northern Hammer, Ciao Bello @ White Squirrel
Cigarettes After Sex @ Xcel Energy Center
Calling All Captains, Goalkeepers, Mike Froh & the Bad News @ Zhora Darling
Wednesday, September 25
- Gracie Abrams with Role Model @ Armory—A.O. Scott once called J.J. Abrams "perhaps the most consistent B student in modern popular culture," and though the director's musical kid may not be quite on dad's level of middling adequacy, she may just get there yet.
MN Songwriter Showcase @ Aster Cafe
Retrofizz @ Can Can Wonderland
- Global Roots Festival: Mona Miari, Kobo Town @ Cedar Cultural Center—Global Roots wraps up with Palestinian singer Miari and dancehall/calypso fusionists Kobo Town.
Songwriter's Street, 15 Min of Fame @ Driftwood
Miss Shannon's Swing Night @ Eagles 34
Mavi with Pink Siifu, MESSIAH! and Ahmir @ Fine Line
Rummage! with Eric Mayson + Toby Ramaswamy @ Icehouse
JCS @ JCS: Creative Collaborations @ Jazz Central
Maurice Jacox & the We Still R Band @ Minnesota Music Cafe
Elour & Mortiholics (September Residency) @ Mortimer's
The Matt Arthur Contraption @ Palmer's
Doll Chaser with Ciemme and Hot Bagels @ Pilllar Forum
- Sturgill Simpson @ Roy Wilkins Auditorium—I guess Gracie beat him to the Armory? I just hope this doesn't portend a revival of the Roy.
BZ3 Organ Trio @ Schooner Tavern
Glass Eyed Brother @ Terminal Bar
Harold’s House Party on KFAI with Gullywashers @ 331 Club
Adam Zahler's Sick Eagle, Spaceport, Jump Loop @ Underground Music Venue
Sarah Morris and the Sometimes Guys @ White Squirrel
Nights with Tim @ White Squirrel
Thursday, September 26
Josh Ross with Brandon Wisham @ Amsterdam
Allison Eykholt + Wyatt Avery @ Aster Cafe
Jaybee & the Routine @ Bunker's
The Strum Brothers @ Can Can Wonderland
Tom Paxton and the Don Juans @ Cedar Cultural Center
The Boot R&B, The Rebel Set, Oliver Phibes @ Cloudland
The Jake Baldwin Quartet @ Crooners
The Twin Cities Latin Jazz Orchestra @ Crooners
Airship Caravan, in Plain Air, the Cameras @ Day Block Brewing
LGBTQ+ Twin Cities Latin Dance @ Eagles 34
Karaoke With On-Call Entertainment @ Eagles 34
Jonah Marais with Colin Bracewell and Gina Miles @ Fine Line
Thievery Corporation @ First Avenue
Crash Cuddle, MPLS Drew, Stunt Horse Drama @ The Garage
Snapped Live Band Open Mic @ Green Room
RicX, Lewiee Blaze, Jimmie & Essjay @ Hook and Ladder
Mary Bue (Single Release) with Superior Siren @ Icehouse
Drums of Navarone @ Minnesota Music Cafe
Gothess Presents Male Tears @ Mortimer's
Testament, Creator @ Myth Live
Søndergård, Josefowicz and Ravel @ Orchestra Hall
The Bellrays, Monica LaPlante, and Sparrowhawk @ Palmer's
Eric Julio Carranza @ Peavey Plaza
Tonal Whiplash with Critterthing, 1947 @ Pilllar Forum
Scott Allen & the List, Self Neglecters @ Schooner Tavern
BIG DELICIOUS (Album Release) with Kate Malanaphy, d'Lakes and Greentop @ 7th St Entry
Polaris, blessthefall, Thousand Below, and Nerv @ Skyway Theatre
The Holdup with Noah Richardson and Dylan Reese @ Turf Club
Dashboard Confessional @ Uptown Theater
Fancy Clam Anniversary Party @ White Squirrel
Half Past Midnight @ White Squirrel
Godsmack, Chevelle, Wage War, Nothing More, and Sleep Theory @ Xcel Energy Center
Friday, September 27
The Rare Occasions @ Amsterdam
Matt Caflisch with John Ewing @ Aster Cafe
James Taylor (Vinyl DJ Set) @ Berlin
70s Magic Sunshine Band @ Bunker's
Don’t Kill The Kids, Troll Foot, SweatHeartzzz @ Caydence Records & Coffee
Patti Peterson & Tommy Barbarella @ Crooners
Maggie's Afterglow: Geoff Jones and Rick Carlson @ Crooners
Mick Sterling and the Stud Brothers @ Crooners
Alpha Consumer & Martin Dosh @ Dakota
Afters, Car Microwave, Bryn Battani @ Day Block Brewing
Via, Dead Amsterdam @ Day Block Brewing
Alien Roadtrip with Matthew Email @ Driftwood
Miss Shannon's 4th Friday Sock Hop @ Eagles 34
Griff with Stephen Dawes @ First Avenue
J-RAA, Ninjicky, Liam Goude, sebbyrotten, M0ntazz @ The Garage
Xina, DJ Jupiter, Destiny Spike, ZORA, Euphoria's Room @ Green Room
Belfast Cowboys @ Hook and Ladder
The Mighty Mofos, Fret Rattles, The Silverteens @ Hook and Ladder
Ozone Creations Presents Afrodisia @ Icehouse
The Freier Department @ Jazz Central
Julia Wheaton: Whitney Houston Tribute @ Metronome
R Factor @ Minnesota Music Cafe
Jus Justice, Buried Animals, Arvell Genius, Infinty Suite @ Mortimer's
Søndergård, Josefowicz and Ravel @ Orchestra Hall
Kyu-Young Kim Plays Vivaldi’s Four Seasons @ Ordway
Cloud Cult with David Huckfelt @ Palace Theatre
The Customers, Unattractive Giant Monster, Spit Takes, and Trash Catties @ Palmer's
Junior Choir with Linus And Havana Sleeve @ Pilllar Forum
Hurricane Harold's All Star Review @ Schooner Tavern
- Previous Industries (feat. Open Mike Eagle, STILL RIFT, and Video Dave) with Denmark Vessey @ 7th St Entry—Could underground rap stalwart Mike Eagle and his pals have picked a drabber name for their trio? But don't be dissuaded. Their debut, Service Merchandise, is an old-time hang-out record with juiced-up Middle-School beats—three Chicago transplants in L.A., enjoying the fact they can do this together. And though it's a fairly equal partnership, Mike's the one with the most quotable assertions, including "I like David Lee Roth and not the other guy" and "Indie rappers deserve government subsidies."
Crankdat with Perry Wayne B2B Celo, & Louiejayxx @ Skyway Theatre
Modern Dads, Deep Dark Lake, RRRL @ 331 Club
Hometeam Quarterback @ Terminal Bar
Moon Hooch with Cofresi @ Turf Club
Baumgardner, TV for Dogs, & New Confusion @ Underground Music Cafe
GLORIA, Toilet Rats, Jordan Carr & The Boys, & Portside Dive @ Uptown VFW
Connie Evingson & Mary Louise Knutson @ Woman's Club of Minneapolis
Goodbye Mordecai with Cut Rate Clones, Atomic Lights @ White Squirrel
Madame Reaper, Timisarocker, Rhino Shrine @ Zhora Darling
Saturday, September 28
Porter Robinson with ericdoa @ Armory
Cassandra Cole (Single Release) with Jennifer Marie @ Aster Cafe
Kavyesh Kaviraj & Omar Abdulkarim Present @ Berlin
- Borough Block Party @ Borough—This one’s pretty easy to wrap your head around: For the 11th year, Borough restaurant will shut down the block for a pup- and kiddo-friendly North Loop party—a block party, if you will—that’ll combine food, booze, and live music. You’ll get to hear Private Oates, Lighter Co., Show Me Your Hits, Mae Simpson, and headliners Viva Knievel, a genre-sprawling cover band made up of eight seasoned pros. Make sense? Good! Let’s have fun.—Jay Boller
Shoeless Revolution @ Bunker's
Dark Tranquillity with Amorphis @ Cabooze
Virginia's Basement, Dad Bods, Squirm @ Can Can Wonderland
Call Me Fritz, Nice and Blue, Sidedoors @ Can Can Wonderland
Loadie, Lykoi Fel, Red Vinter @ Caydence Records & Coffee
The Spits, The Urinals, Bermuda Squares, Kapital, and Texture Freq.@ Cedar Cultural Center
Ratas En Zelo, Fierro, Butter Boys @ Cloudland
Maggie's Afterglow: Geoff Jones with Rick Carlson @ Crooners
Love TKO: A Teddy Pendergrass Tribute @ Crooners
Ruthie Foster (Album Release) @ Dakota
Fever Pitch, Bring Your Mom, Nic Open Streets @ Driftwood
Despondant, Jesus Son, Magic Castles @ Dusty's
Hellseher, Son/Boy, Threads Electric @ Eagles 34
Marcos Valle @ Fitzgerald Theater
- Sunny Day Real Estate @ Fillmore—Sunny Day Real Estate get touted as emo forbearers and, sure, things like Jeremy Enigk enunciating “sin-cer-it-y” in four beats on hit track “In Circles” fit the bill. But to me, Diary, the celebrated SDR debut which dropped 30 years ago via Sub Pop, sounds a lot more grunge and alt-rock indebted than the post-hardcore scene that, by the mid-’90s, had spawned emo’s second wave. That’s my extremely roundabout way of saying: Diary is great, and Sunny Day Real Estate have reunited once again to perform it in its entirety on this anniversary tour. You didn’t really have to worry about the Seattle band sticking to the hits, however; they’ve not released an album since 2000’s The Rising Tide. But! This year Enigk & Co. dropped their first new track in a decade, “Novum Vetus,” a soupy, swirling rocker with vocals that recall Zeppelin at their most hobbitty. Seems like Sunny Day Real Estate really are back in business.—Jay Boller
Summer Salt with The Symposium and Harmless @ Fine Line
No Scrubs 90s Dance Party with Mike 2600 @ First Avenue
Waar Party, Moonlit Mushroom, Christmas on Neptune @ The Garage
Adam Paddock, Allison Eide, Colin Bracewell @ Green Room
Nancy Bierma: The Music of Keith Jarrett @ Jazz Central
In a Funk @ Minnesota Music Cafe
DJ Alexis Rose @ Modist Brewing
The Pretty Metal Metal Joe Metal Show @ Modist Brewing
Y2K: Now That's What I Call 2000s with DJ Shannon Blowtorch @ Mortimers
Søndergård, Josefowicz and Ravel @ Orchestra Hall
Glam Jam: A Star-Studded Benefit Concert @ Ordway
Release the Craicen @ Padraigs
Cloud Cult with David Huckfelt @ Palace Theatre
- Palmtoberfest 2024 @ Palmer's—Is this an Oktoberfest? Kinda! The event is put on by Schell’s Brewery, so you can certainly enjoy and celebrate beer at this thing. But really, this is a tribute to tribute bands. And it’s a lotta fun for 20 bucks. During the day and into the night, there will be groups paying homage to Queens of the Stone Age (Monsters in Your Parasol), Thin Lizzie (Jailbreak), the Killers (Smile Like You Mean It), and U2 (Rattle and Hum). Intriguingly, the night closes with a band called (Inside) Skylab, which says it’s a tribute to early ’00s space rockers Manplanet. Yet all four original members will be jamming, making this… a tribute to themselves? What a power move!—Jessica Armbruster
- Do Re #MeToo: Sexist Songs Reclaimed by Righteous Feminists @ Parkway—In 1971, rock critic Ellen Willis set out to prove that Cat Stevens's "Wild World" was more sexist than the Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb" with this One Weird Trick: Ask yourself if you could imagine a woman singing that song to a man. If you couldn’t, that song was sexist. (Or sexist-er, I guess; it’s also entirely possible that Stones die hard Willis was just looking for a way to defend her boys against her most doctrinaire feminist friends.) Well, tonight we'll find out how well Willis’s exercise works as a bunch of the Twin Cities’ most powerful female vocalists tear into some of the nastiest classic songs about women, backed by a band of all women as well. (There are too many big names to list without leaving someone out, but just click on that link above to check 'em out.) It’s a benefit for Abortion Access Front, which could certainly use the help at a moment when women face far greater enemies than even Cat Stevens. (I really do hope they don't play "Wild World.” “Under My Thumb” would rock though.)
New Confusion with Atomic Nun, Headwar, Mold @ Pilllar Forum
Scent Reality, Chemistry Set @ Schooner Tavern
French Police with Wisteria and Ex Lover @ 7th St Entry
- Soulja Boy @ Skyway Theatre—He's gotta be a Soulja Man by now. Someone should tell him!
- 11 Year Anniversary Party @ Sociable Cider Werks—What do Sociable Cider Werks and Millie Bobby Brown’s character in Stranger Things have in common? They’re both eleven! But seriously folks, 11 years is a good run for a brewery (or cidery), and Sociable’s ciders have become a standard during the last decade-plus, while their food trailer has helped launch culinary heavyweights like Union Hmong Kitchen and vegan burger joint Francis. It’s a legacy worth celebrating, which they’ll do this weekend with live music from locals Machinery Hill, Rhino Shrine, Keep for Cheap, and others today.—Em Cassel
Lake Street Dive @ Surly Brewing Festival Field
Meat Raffle Ska @ Terminal Bar
Lords of the Universe, Dog Gamn, Los Pinches Güeys @ 331 Club
La Luz with Mia Joy @ Turf Club
Fog Lake with Foxes in Fiction @ Underground Music Cafe
Ballentine’s Burlesque @ Uptown VFW
Kinda Fonda Wanda with J-Mo On The Beat & The J-Lighters @ White Squirrel
Naptaker with Wish Wash, Grape Whales @ White Squirrel
Sunday, September 29
Emarosa with Laur Elle and Val Astaire @ Amsterdam
Rainbow Kitten Surprise with Ethan Regan @ Armory
Swing Brunch with Patty & the Buttons @ Aster Cafe
- Andrew Broder & PEOPLE (feat. Circuit des Yeux, Dave King, & Effygasm) @ Berlin—Does anyone in the Twin Cities music community have better taste than Andrew Broder? Sure, his projects are often great, but he's just as vital as a catalyst, bringing together unexpected collaborators, and this monthlong Berlin residency will showcase that gift.
Rudy de Anda, the Jack Moves, DJ Miguel Vargas @ Cedar Cultural Center
Dynamic Duos of the 60s @ Crooners
Olivia Newton-John and Anne Murray Tribute @ Crooners
Kate Beahen and Friends @ Crooners
A Tribute to Anita Baker @ Dakota
Phine Friends, Shotgun Ragtime @ Driftwood
New Riverside Ramblers @ Eagles 34
Karaoke with Reina Starr @ Eagles 34
Twin Cities Country Dancers @ Eagles 34
Two Door Cinema Club @ Fillmore
Evan Honer with Thomas Rowland @ Fine Line
Tori Kelly with Maisy Kay @ First Avenue
Nobody's Favorite, Gradience, The Waterworks, Third Degree @ The Garage
Patty Peterson Present Jazz Women All Stars @ Loring Park
Center for Irish Music: Student Session @ Metronome
Rival Sons, Clutch @ Myth Live
A Tribute to Frankie Beverly & Maze @ Papa Legba Lounge
Church of Cornbread @ Palmer's
West Bank Social Club @ Palmer's
Jimmy Webb with Pete Mancini @ Parkway
Cole Chaney with Charlie Overman @ 7th St Entry
Becky Kapell & the Fat 6 @ 331 Club
Little Stranger with Wax, Jarv and Damn Skippy @ Turf Club
Source & Sons of Ra @ Underground Music Cafe
Scott Hefte & The Bury 'Em Deep with Shawn Neary, Aaron James @ White Squirrel
In Solid Air with Galleon, The Grieving Pines @ White Squirrel
Monday, September 30
Shady Baby's Open Mic @ Acadia
Faulty Cognitions, Visual Learner, Hard Feelings @ Cloudland
Tango Desperados Practilonga @ Eagles 34
Point North with Nevertel, elijah and Rivals @ Fine Line
September Mondays with Eli Awada @ Icehouse
MN Hard Bop Collective @ Metronome
Auto-Tune Karaoke @ Mortimer’s
Cowaoke with Ben Moooker @ Palmer's
Metal Monday @ Schooner Tavern
MASS OF THE FERMENTING DREGS with Cam Kahin and Blush @ Turf Club
Watershed & the Comebacks @ Underground Music Cafe
