The Current

Great Music Lives Here
Listener-Supported Music
Donate Now
Local Current Blog

Roe Family Singers to celebrate 10 years of Mondays at 331 Club

by Ben Bartenstein

July 23, 2015

The 331 Club expects mustaches galore on Monday, July 27, when the Roe Family Singers perform their annual Mustache Monday show. The night will mark the self-proclaimed "hillbilly" band's 10th anniversary of Mondays at the 331. They missed only three Mondays over that span: two Christmas Eves and one Christmas Day.

The band's Quillan Roe recalls some Mondays along the way where the only people in the venue were him, his wife Kim, and the bartender. "It really feels like we've been along for the same ride," Roe said of the 331, which opened in 2005.

Originally from the Mississippi headwater community of Kirkwood Hollow, the Roe Family Singers combine a reverence for old-time bluegrass with rock and roll charm. Their blend of banjo, autoharp, guitar and washboard has captivated audiences across the country en route to a 2011 McKnight Fellowship for Performing Musicians, the title of "World's Best" at the 29th annual Battle of the Jug Bands and the 2012 Rural Roots Music Commission's Old-Time CD of the Year.

"I'm amazed that people still come and see us," Roe said.

On Monday, Doug Otto & Friends will open (6:30 to 8:30 p.m.) followed by Roe Family Singers (9 to 10:30 p.m.), the mustache contest and a finale performance from Reina del Cid and the Cidizens.

"It's always a thrill to see those mustaches," said Roe. "Especially on the ladies."

For more on the 331, listen to The Current's 331 Club 10th Anniversary Special, which spotlights the Roe Family Singers alongside several other artists who have been closely associated with the venue.

Ben Bartenstein is a student at Macalester College.

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