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Friday Five: Bomba de Luz, Patches and Gretchen, and more new videos

by Andrea Swensson

August 30, 2013

State Fair, State Fair, State Fair. That seems to be all anyone is talking about locally this week (besides, you know, that little gig the Replacements played last weekend), and it's a big part of what we're talking about today at the Current. We're all getting ready to head out to the fairgrounds to celebrate MPR Day and Minnesota Music-on-a-Stick, so naturally this week's Friday Five is kicking off with some fair-related action before moving on to other videos from the local scene.

Enjoy, and hope to see you out at Carousel Park this afternoon or the State Fair Grandstand tonight.

Bomba de Luz

Bomba de Luz added some piano to their already jazz-influenced rock sound during their performance this week at the Current's State Fair booth, which also hosted live sessions with Frankie Lee, Crankshaft, P.O.S., and Pert Near Sandstone. Peruse videos and highlights from all the live sessions in our archive, and check out Bomba's beautiful performance of the song "Starting to Choke II" right here.

Patches & Gretchen

It's no secret that Patches & Gretchen frontwoman Gretchen Seichrist draws inspiration from Bob Dylan—especially his Rolling Thunder Review era—and she spells out that connection pretty plainly in this fun new video, which pans over a photo of Dylan while she sings "I'll take directions from pictures and antiques." But this video also makes it clear that her music is a direct representation of her unique personality, which is represented in everything from her daughter and son, who appear in the video, to images of paintings, dolls, a horse, vivid costumes, face paint, and a persistent, about-to-fall-apart bologna sandwich. Much like her lyrics, this new video struggles to settle on a common theme and yet, when taken in all at once, somehow makes perfect sense.

Mike Dreams & Ashley DuBose

Good things happen when Mike Dreams and Ashley DuBose work together. Case in point: This video for "Still Standing Here," which has already garnered nearly 100,000 views.

Sleep Study

The song won't be released digitally until September 10, but Sleep Study offered up a taste of their new single this week with this video for "Peace and Letting Go." The band says it was recorded in just two takes, and their straightforward approach was inspired by rock anthems like "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and "You Really Got Me."

Longshot

Like Minneapolis's answer to "Same Love," MC Longshot raps about the struggles faced by same-sex couples in his new song "Shine Down," which he says is "intended to inspire and encourage positivity."

 

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This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.