Local Gig List: August 6-11
August 06, 2013
Tuesday, August 6
Jeremy Messersmith
7th St. Entry, Minneapolis
7:30 p.m., sold out, 18+
With his new record in the can, recent Glassnote Records signee Jeremy Messersmith will showcase some of his new material at the Entry tonight. The album's title and full track listing hasn't been revealed, so the show will offer up one of the first glimpses at an album that has been years in the making. The Starfolk open along with John Mark Nelson, who will play a solo set.
Fury Things
Cause Spirits & Soundbar, Minneapolis
9 p.m., $5, 21+
After delivering a fuzztastic in-studio performance for the Local Show this past Sunday, Fury Things will head back into the club for a gig that also features Dewi Sant (Northfield-based songwriter Michael Morris), Volcano, and HighTV.
Wednesday, August 7
Amsterdam Bar and Hall, St. Paul
9 p.m., free, 21+
For the first week of her month-long residency, White Bear Lake ukulele player and songwriter Katy Vernon will join forces with Duluth's Mary Bue for a night of folk-leaning pop music. Vernon will play two sets, one at 9 p.m. and one at 11, with Bue sandwiched in between.
The Belmore/New Skyway Lounge, Minneapolis
9 p.m., free, 21+
If you caught the all-female episode of the Local Show back in April, you already know that the Anonymous Choir are something special. (If not, you can stream it online here.) Led by Nona Marie Invie of Dark Dark Dark, the dozen-strong choir specializes in beautiful covers, and have sung everything from Leonard Cohen to the Beatles to Kate Bush. At their Belmore show, the Choir will take on the Stax Records catalog backed by soul band the Ventures. With Lonesome Leash and XXXPRESSIONXXX.
Thursday, August 8
Mears Park, St. Paul
6 p.m., free, all ages
Chamber folk group Dark Dark Dark will play their last Twin Cities date of 2013 as part of the Music in Mears series, and it comes just a few days before they head out to Stillwater to perform a live score for a film at the Square Lake Festival. Expect plenty of songs from the band's more pop-oriented and piano driven new album, Who Needs Who, which finds Nona Marie Invie edging closer to the center of the stage and transitioning into a commanding frontwoman. After Dark Dark Dark's set in Mears, the park will screen the Minnesota-made feature film The Giant Spider.
Aster Cafe, Minneapolis
9 p.m., $10, all ages
The Twilight Hours' John Munson and Matt Wilson (see also: the Flops, Trip Shakespeare) wrap up their monthly residency at the Aster Cafe with one last gig, which will find them pulling from their decades-long musical relationship. At this final event, they'll be joined by vibraphonist Steve Roehm, who also plays with Munson in the New Standards and the Wits house band.
Southwire, Christine Hoberg, Bliss, and The Crunchy Bunch
Red Star Lounge, Duluth
10 p.m., free, 21+
While it may look like a contradictory showcase of talent booked at the Red Star Lounge on Thursday, Duluth music fans will recognize the musical undertones connecting these unique acts. Southwire’s enchanted heavy folk features gospel vocals distributed with topical sermons, all backed by a staccato rhythm. A similar Southwire cadence can be heard in the folk influenced hip-hop created by Superior artist Bliss. Christine Hoberg, who has collaborated with both Bliss and DJ collective The Crunchy Bunch, makes a return visit to the Twin Ports from her current home in Brooklyn. It’s Hoberg’s voice that is the star of her solo performances as she creates haunting tales with only a loop pedal and glockenspiel. There is plenty of crossover potential for this show—don’t be surprised if members of each group find a way to be a part of someone else’s set.
Friday, August 9
Turf Club, St. Paul
8 p.m., $10, 21+
It's been quiet on the Peter Wolf Crier front recently, with both Brian Moen and Peter Pisano taking up new residences in far-flung cities, Moen in Oakland and Pisano in Toronto. But with Moen in town to play a pair of Shouting Matches shows last weekend, the boys are getting the band back together to play a rare show and hopefully debut some new material off their third album, which is currently in the works. Opening their Turf show will be Actual Wolf.
Icehouse, Minneapolis
10:30 p.m., $8, 21+
Swaths of synths and cavernous caves of crystalline pop abound on Mosaic, the new album from Hunting Club. Beautiful in its simplicity and ambiance, Mosaic has actually been out online since June, but the band will play a proper release show for it this weekend. Stream it on Bandcamp in advance of Friday night's gig, which will also feature a performance by Fort Wilson Riot.
Somerset Amphitheater, Somserset, WI
3 p.m., various levels of pricing, all ages
A mere 40-minute drive from the Twin Cities, the second annual Summer Set Music & Camping Festival will showcase over a dozen local bands and DJs alongside big-name headliners like Girl Talk and Passion Pit. For Friday night's installment, Poliça and Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles perform sets sandwiched by acts like the Wailers, Big Boi, and Big Gigantic. Full lineup here.
Lake Harriet, Minneapolis
7:30 p.m., free, all ages
For the latest installment of Vita.mn's Music & Movies series at Lake Harriet, Now, Now will perform a free show ahead of a screening of the '80s classic Adventures in Babysitting.
Amazing Grace, Duluth
8 p.m., $5, all ages
Minneapolis vocalist and banjo devotee Ellen Stanley brings her indie-folk band back to Duluth for an all-ages show Friday at Amazing Grace Bakery and Café (which many folks will be happy to hear now serves wine and beer). MoJo (Mother Banjo) recently performed as a duo, along with some special guests including Mary Bue and The Current’s Jim McGuinn, during the Northwoods Music Festival at the Barker’s Island Pavilion in neighboring Superior, WI. Expect to hear songs from the much more rocking new Mother Banjo album, The Devil Hasn’t Won, released earlier this year.
Dan Anderson & His Silk Sheiks
Club Saratoga, Duluth
10 p.m., $5, 21+
If a Duluth-themed dictionary existed, under the word "swank" you would most certainly find a photo of Dan Anderson. Imposingly fashionable in appearance and style, Anderson leads his instrumental lounge band with the cool confidence of a man who knows his own talent and that of the people around him. Anderson handles the melodies on organ, adding quips and anecdotes throughout, while the dapper musicians behind him keep the vibe going all night. The Silk Sheiks will be performing both Friday and Saturday evening at the Canal Park gentleman’s club and jazz hotspot.
Saturday, August 10
Pizza Luce Downtown, Minneapolis
12 p.m., free, all ages
After a one-year hiatus, the Pizza Luce Block Party is back and bigger than ever in a new downtown Minneapolis location. This year's bash will celebrate the pizza chain's 20th anniversary, and they picked quite the eclectic lineup for their party. In order of appearance: Fairfax, AK, Cannons North, Pennyroyal, Martin Devaney, Sean Anonymous, Frankie Lee, Haphduzn, Bloodnstuff, After the Burial, and headliners Motion City Soundtrack.
Somerset Amphitheater, Somserset, WI
1 p.m., various levels of pricing, all ages
A mere 40-minute drive from the Twin Cities, the second annual Summer Set Music & Camping Festival will showcase over a dozen local bands and DJs alongside big-name headliners. For Saturday's installment, Doomtree, MaLLy, and the Chalice will perform sets sandwiched by acts like Passion Pit and Girl Talk. Full lineup here.
Square Lake Film & Music Festival
13359 Partridge Rd. N, Stillwater
2 p.m., $20, all ages
Now in its 11th year, the Square Lake Film & Music Festival is one of the state's most intimate and best-curated, and frequently sells out. So if you'd like to catch Dark Dark Dark, Heavy Deeds, Greg Grease, Crimes, Moors & McCumber, Food Pyramid, Body Omara, Is/Is, and dozens of locally produced animations/independent films in a beautiful farm setting, consider grabbing your tickets in advance.
Smack Shack Crayfest Block Party
Smack Shack, Minneapolis
12 p.m., $40 (includes all-you-can-eat and drink), 21+
It must be a good time of year to eat crayfish. Hot on the heel's of last weekend's Kraftskiva crayfish party at Bachelor Farmer comes this weekend's Crayfest, a new block party happening outside the Smack Shack in Minneapolis's Warehouse District. Musical acts Year of the Horse (featuring Zach Coulter and Adam Hurlburt of Solid Gold), The Devine Collection, and Hard Luck and Tambuca will perform.
Mears Park, St. Paul
2 p.m., free, all ages
Guitar nerds, unite. At this inaugural festival, which was organized with help from McNally Smith College of Music, renowned guitarists like Scott Henderson, Marc Ribot, Greg Koch, and Pat Donohoe will perform on two separate stages. Full lineup and info here.
Sunday, August 11
Somerset Amphitheater, Somserset, WI
1 p.m., various levels of pricing, all ages
A mere 40-minute drive from the Twin Cities, the second annual Summer Set Music & Camping Festival will showcase over a dozen local bands and DJs alongside big-name headliners. For Sunday's installment, Minnesota, Dessa, Big Cats!, and Pert Near Sandstone will perform sets sandwiched by acts like Diplo, Common, and STS9. Full lineup here.
Mont Du Lac Ski and Rec Area
9 a.m. – 7 p.m., $10, all ages
Previously hosted in Holyoke, MN, the Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank have moved venues for their third annual Northern Train Music Festival, which is now held at Mont Du Lac Ski and Rec Area (technically located in Superior, though 17 miles south of Duluth). The festival will host a wealth of Twin Ports talent including Brothers Burn Mountain, Fuzzy Ellis, Bryan Olds Band, Fever Dream, Actual Wolf, and, of course, the Hobo Nephews themselves. This family-friendly event (kids under 13 get in free) includes camping Saturday and Sunday nights as well as kids’ activities, disc golf and live painting by Superior artist Jeredt Runions.
Duluth concert recommendations courtesy of Duluth Local Show host Walt Dizzo.
