We have a wild week of music planned here in Minnesota.
Ever since it was announced, I’ve been looking forward to Orions Belte’s gig at 7th Street Entry Wednesday night. If you’re unfamiliar, check out my recent interview with guitarist Øyvind Blomstrøm.
There’s many music links in that story, but here is the one song that’s taken up ear-worm status as a result of my reporting.
Don’t sleep on the opener, the very psychedelic Vinyl Williams. The show starts at 7:30 p.m., and there’s more details over at my Minnesota live music calendar, which is updated weekly. I’m linking it here.
Read on below for the many highlights (I’m going to list from here on in chronological order) including but not limited to TWINE, Saltydog, Adrian Younge and a 10-piece orchestra, Feed the Dog’s Shamrock Shakedown and Andy Frasco & the U.N.
But there’s so much more.
MONDAY
One band that has gotten onto my radar as of late that I am quite excited about is Shrimp Olympics, a Minneapolis-based psych rock band with some pretty amazing players.
They are part of a three-band bill tonight at Memory Lanes in Minneapolis’ Seward neighborhood. They are joined by Little Lizard and Glitterpit, two bands I’ll be familiarizing myself with tonight, but the event is billed as Punk Bowling. There is a $10 cover and the music starts at 8 p.m.
Helmet, an alt metal band I got to catch when I was in high school back in the 1990s, is playing Varsity Theater. They will be performing their classic LP Betty, which turned 30 years old this year. Doors open at 6 p.m.
Only Every Monday takes a week off from Green Room in Uptown, but will be performing a private party tonight with a pretty solid lineup, including Geoffrey Fischbein and Brian “Snowman” Powers, and Ditch Pigeon. The rest of the lineup was still being worked out, but anyone interested can get in touch with Fisch at his Facebook page.
TUESDAY
Zen Jam at Palmer’s in Cedar-Riverside features Ruby Blu of Red Eye Ruby with Twine’s Will Effertz, Caley Factorial of Color Chord and Bryce Tuitt of Confucisaurus. Also live painter Bethany Mae. Show is free and runs 8 to 11 p.m.
Mikkel Beckmen (Charlie Parr) and Aaron Kaplan play 331 Club in Northeast from 6 to 8 p.m., followed by the Gentlemen’s Anti-Temperance League at 9:30 p.m.
Mikkel Beckmen, left, has been a long-time Charlie Parr collaborator. Here they are at Parr’s Sunday night January Turf Club residency. PHOTO BY JAVIER SERNA/@jaminthestream
WEDNESDAY
I’ll be high-tailing it to Bunker’s for TWINE’s weekly residency after Orions Belte blows off everybody’s socks.
TWINE has reignited the long tradition of weekly jamband residencies in Minneapolis, and there is a growing number of folks that are lucky enough such as myself to make it every week for a dose of improvisational bliss.
TWINE’s Brian “Snowman” Powers will also be at Only Every Monday tonight, which is being held privately, but reach out to Only Every Monday via Facebook today for an invite. PHOTO BY JAVIER SERNA/@jaminthestream
THURSDAY
There’s a couple of Thursday night residencies you should know about this month.
Lighter Co,, and Saltydog shared a night at 7th Street Entry recently. I know about this amazing band because of their friendship and now a couple of shows that they have done together. PHOTO BY JAVIER SERNA/@jaminthestream
Lighter Co., a badass band that messes with a lot of different styles of psychedelia is also hosting Chapped Lips, The Dregs and Ski Club in this week’s edition at Icehouse on Eat Street. The music starts at 7:30 p.m.
I know them through Duluth’s Saltydog, which is joined by Erik Koskinen and liquid light artist Kathryne Ford at The Zen Arcade/Mission Room, which are part of The Hook and Ladder Theater in South Minneapolis.
If you haven’t caught these guys yet, I highly recommend you do so. Their combination of song writing and improvisation and kind vibes fill me with love every time I see them.
Check out my photo gallery from last week’s opening show featuring TWINE guitarist Will Effertz.
FRIDAY
There’s two amazing shows happening Friday night in Minneapolis, both of them with music starting at 8 p.m.
Feed the Dog’s grassy Shamrock Shakedown at the Green Room in Uptown includes Buffalo Galaxy, which drops their live LP (Don’t Pet the Fluffy Cows - Live: Volume One) that same day (stay tuned here for a review of the LP), Useful Jenkins and Heatbox, who will be the event’s emcee and sort of an artist-at-large for the event.
But if grass isn’t your thing, I’d highly recommend catching Adrian Younge and his 10-piece orchestra at Turf Club. Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest started up Jazz is Dead, which has put on amazing shows and tours of incredible jazz performers such as Cortex, Azymuth and the upcoming Ebo Taylor and Pat Thomas (who will be playing the Fine Line on April 9).
SATURDAY
Feed the Dog’s Jon Miller, my good friend, needs his rest after the Shamrock Shakedown because he has his weekly Bluegrass Bingo game at the Joint Saturday morning. This week he’ll be joined by Feed the Dog fiddler Timmy Mac, Buffalo Galaxy banjoist Zach Tauer and Brotherhood of Birds mandolinist Gavin Haskin. Doors and brunch open at 10 a.m., and the music goes from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“It’s going to be a hell of a marathon for me,” Miller said in a phone chat.
The big show on Saturday is Andy Frasco & The U.N. at Fine Line. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.
Up in Duluth, Jumpsuit and Boss Mama play at Jade Fountain. Music starts at 8 p.m.
Duluth’s Teague Alexy and The Paddy Wagon are at Aster Cafe in Minneapolis, with music starting at 9 p.m.
SUNDAY
Alexy and crew also play at SandRocks in Sandstone at 4 p.m.
Lastly, Icehouse has its monthly Grateful Dead Brunch with JT Bates, Martin Dosh, Javier Trejo, Kevin Dorsey and Chat Whittaker. Bates just played at a festival in Tasmania (YES, DOWN UNDER) with Bonny Light Horseman. Music, served with Icehouse’s great brunch menu, is 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.