English experimental rock act black midi’s Monday night show at the Fine Line in downtown Minneapolis was the best way to start a week. (Take that, Garfield.) By the end, I stood dazed, my body abuzz after what felt like an hour-long aural epiphany. I couldn’t help but wonder just what music is supposed to […]
New Power Generation performed four sets in two nights at the recently reopened Dakota this past Thursday and Friday. The second Friday night show was my first time back in the Dakota since my very first experience at the venue, my 21st birthday, in February of 2020. Spending my birthday surrounded by music lovers, incredible […]
Have you ever laid on the ground and felt guitar buzz through you? Maybe you’ve attended a 28-hour Drone Not Drones show at the Cedar. Maybe you’ve taken a nap in a tour van’s backseat. Maybe you attended Square Lake Festival in Stillwater this year, soaking up Low’s heavenly new album Hey What through earthly […]
Water Is Life, the festival held at Bayfront Festival Park in Duluth by Honor the Earth (Winona LaDuke’s arts-associated advocacy group), was about more than music. Ten hours of music; Anishinaabe traditional ceremony; teaching; passionate statements from Native artists and non-Native allies; and performance marked the day. The 5,000 participants danced, sweated in the 90-degree […]
“It’s really intimidating to be back after a year of sadness,” Nadirah McGill confessed from behind the drums on Saturday. “You got it, babe!” yelled someone in the crowd. McGill and their Gully Boys bandmates — Kathy Callahan and Natalie Klemond, plus guest guitarist Mariah Mercedes — headlined the Fine Line for the first time […]
There have been all too many unhappy surprises in 2020, but one of the happy ones was that Bob Dylan released a surprise album: his first studio album of new original songs in eight years. Rough and Rowdy Ways won widespread acclaim, marking yet another chapter in the astonishingly long and successful career of Minnesota’s legendary […]
When I walked up to First Avenue last night, I did the usual. I dug in my wallet and presented my ID. But the doorperson shook their head and just pointed toward my bag, rummaging around and waving me through. As I walked into the building, I realized: All ages. Duh. Lexii Alijai, an incredibly […]
Minnesota winters are magical, if you look in the right places. Icehouse in Minneapolis is one of those hotspots – where late on a Saturday night, you can retreat inside, escaping frigid weather to be warmed by Minnesota sounds. Icehouse is an intimate venue, where friends sip cocktails over candlelit tables, excited for the live […]
