If you were hoping for a week with few options for live, psychedelic music in Minnesota — ya know, to limit the FOMO and also apply less pressure on your wallet — this isn’t the week.
Some of the highlights you’ll read about below include, but are not limited to, Ministry, George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic, The Garcia Project, the International Reggae All-Stars, Danny Frank and The Smoky Gold and the Larry McDonough Quartet.
TUESDAY
Chicago industrial metal legends, Ministry, play a show at The Palace Theatre on Tuesday night, and there were tickets on all levels (GA floor, loge and balcony) available as of Monday night.
It’s good to know that this Chicago-based band led by Al Jourgensen since the 1990s is still tearing it up before larger crowds.
Up in Duluth, I’ll mention that I added the Open Mic that Saltydog’s Gavin St. Clair has been hosting at UMD favorite Sir Benedict’s Tavern. St. Clair, who has been an incredible addition to my favorite Duluth jammers, hosts the open mic, which is mostly music but sometimes standup comedy, every other Tuesday.
Saltydog keyboardist Gavin St. Clair hosts an open mic at Sir Benedict’s in Duluth every other Tuesday. Head over to the residency section of my calendar for more information. PHOTO BY JAVIER SERNA/@jaminthestream
WEDNESDAY
Alpha Consumer, the Minneapolis trio including JT Bates, Jeremy Ylvisaker and Michael Lewis have a gig at Icehouse.
Of course, there’s TWINE’s weekly residency show at Bunkers, and I’ll be happy to be back in the legendary music bar this week after missing last week.
Another residency that I just added is that of Boss Mama and The Jebberhooch, who are playing The Rugged Spruce Golf Club up in Mahtowa every Wednesday this summer starting at 6:30 p.m. The golf course and town are about halfway between Cloquet and Moose Lake, near I-35 and not a long drive from Duluth.
The venue is also hosting what it calls the Blue Umbrella Music Series, which kicks off Saturday, May 31 with Danny Frank and The Smoky Gold. Kids are welcome and attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair. Some of the performers in the series this summer include Buffalo Galaxy, Saltydog, Teague Alexy and The Common Good and Jumpsuit, all of which are listed on my Minnesota Live Music Calendar. You can also find The Rugged Spruce’s full concert lineup here.
THURSDAY
George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic play Minneapolis’ renovated Uptown Theater.
We could go on for days about this band, and its related iterations involving Clinton.
This is P-Funk, not Parliament or Funkadelic, which released the greatest contribution to psychedelic music of any of the three bands, in 1971.
The bands all had slightly different lineups, and it’s probably impossible to fully track them. There’s a separate Wiki page for P-Funk’s membership, which is said to include more than 200 members dating back to the late 1950s. That page notes that 16 members have been inducted into the Rock Hall (the same hall that recently snubbed Phish), though some have gotten in via other projects such Sly Stone and Bobby Womack.
Among the Hall members is the late keyboardist Bernie Worrell, a founding member of P-Funk.
Local legend/music writer Timmy the Freak recently shared a story about an encounter with Worrell, who was also a member of Colonel Claypool’s Bucket of Bernie Brains with Les Claypool, Buckethead and drummer Brain (aka Bryan Mantia).
FRIDAY
The Garcia Project, a Jerry Garcia Band tribute group, plays two nights at Uptown’s beautiful starlit-ceiling Granada Theater starting Friday and Saturday.
The band will be playing music from two different eras of JGB.
While there isn’t a member of the band that was in the original Jerry Garcia Band — or Melvin Seals and JGB — the tribute has gotten much love from surviving members of JGB, including the likes of Buzz Buchanan, who drummed for JGB in the late 70s and Maria Muldaur, who was a vocalist in the band also in the late 70s.
The band actually released a 2020 LP named Spirit, which was produced by Muldaur, who also appeared on JGB’s 1978 LP, Cats Under The Stars. Also appearing on that LP were Peter Rowan (Old & In The Way) and Jacob Jolliff (Yonder), Muldaur and Buchanan.
The Belfast Cowboys play Bunkers Friday starting at 9:30 p.m., with a $10 cover.
SATURDAY
There’s notable options across the state.
In Minneapolis, there’s a pair of brunch options — Jon Miller’s Bluegrass Bingo at The Joint and the Ryan Picone Quartet at Icehouse. They both run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Grateful Dead cover band China Rider plays a free show at Excelsior Brewing out in Excelsior at 7:30 p.m.
The International Reggae All-Stars and Innocent bring that island funk to the Hook and Ladder Theater in South Minneapolis, with the music starting at 7 p.m.
A star-studded local Rush tribute called Phantom Fears (including bassist Chris Bates and vocalist Aby Wolf) play Icehouse at 8 p.m.
Down in Winona, Danny Frank the Smoky Gold play down at the Prairie Island Campground, the site of Boats and Bluegrass, starting at 6 p.m.
Up in Grand Marais, TWINE plays the first of two shows at Up Yonder from 8 to 11 p.m. TWINE frontman also plays a solo set at the associated Gun Flint Tavern rooftop deck from 2 to 5 p.m.
TWINE will take the magic they’ve been wielding at Bunkers up to Grand Marais’ new Up Yonder live music venue. Will Effertz also has a gig on the rooftop of the Gun Flint Tavern Saturday. PHOTO BY JAVIER SERNA/@jaminthestream
SUNDAY
TWINE plays the second of those Up Yonder shows also from 8 to 11 p.m. — taking advantage of the observed Monday off for Memorial Day Weekend.
Back in Minneapolis, the Larry McDonough Quartet will pay tribute to Miles Davis as part of an event that also includes a showing of the movie Miles Ahead at the Parkway Theater, with the doors opening at 6 p.m.
As always, head to my calendar, updated weekly here, for more information and ticket links to the aforementioned shows.