It dawns on me every week, when I write this live music column, how lucky Minnesotans are to have for our listening pleasure such an incredible amount of variety, which extends well beyond my own narrow interests. I’m not going to apologize for keeping music discussion here to things of an improvisational and/or psychedelic nature.
I’m actually the one waiting for a light week of music, just so I can better manage my schedule and FOMO.
This isn’t the week.
Forgive me for rambling — below I’ll give details for Eddie Christmas, Dr. Mambo’s Combo, Mikkel Beckmen, the Jones Gang, the TC Gumbo Jam, Confucisaurus, Kung Fu Hippies, Chase & Ovation, JoJo Green, Saltydog, The Big Wu, Dylan Salfer, Boss Mama and The Jebberhooch, and more.
Drummer Eddie Christmas has a busy week planned in Minneapolis following his New Orleans Suspects gig at The Hook and Ladder last weekend. PHOTO BY BOB ADAMEK/ COURTESY OF EDDIE CHRISTMAS
WEDNESDAY
The legendary Dr. Mambo’s Combo will play one of its few shows outside the band’s long-standing Sunday night Bunkers residency to play a birthday show for their brother, the late Prince.
It’s not lost on me that Prince didn’t celebrate birthdays, but that doesn’t stop anybody from throwing a birthday bash in his rememberance.
Forever In My Life: A Birthday tribute to Prince is happening at the Parkway Theater, with the all ages show starting at 7:30 p.m.
Elsewhere in Minneapolis, Mikkel Beckmen, who often accompanies Charlie Parr on washboard, has a gig with Jeff Ray at Icehouse, the show starting at 6 p.m.
Up in Duluth, a trio of acts, including Desperate Electric, Mahon Brothers and Gochujang, play at show at Jade Fountain at 7 p.m.
All this to say nothing of TWINE, which will be having a pair of guests this week in New Orleans Suspects drummer Eddie Christmas and keyboardist John Reinhart of the Jon Sullivan Band.
The band is coming off one of its hottest shows at a private party Saturday and that energy is sure to spill back into their weekly Bunkers residency that has been gaining steam every week since it kicked off in November.
TWINE had a firemost set at a private party this past Saturday. “Go ask Alice. I think she’ll know”
PHOTO BY JAVIER SERNA/@jaminthestream
It’s worth mentioning again Boss Mama and The Jebberhooch and their weekly summer residency at The Rugged Spruce Golf Course up in Mahtowa, which is pert near Moose Lake.
Boss Mama added folk singer Jon Edwards to last week’s gig last second. The Rugged Spruce has a pretty solid lineup of weekend shows in addition to the Wednesday residency — kinda cool for a Northwoods golf club a half hour out of Duluth. Check out the full Blue Umbrella Patio Music Series schedule here.
THURSDAY
The Jones Gang hits the Tuttle’s patio out in Hopkins for a free show starting at 6 p.m. They’ve remained busy following the recent passing of keyboardist John B. Wolfe.
The Jones Gang, which started playing Grateful Dead tunes with Stu Allen on guitar, back in 1996, has a free show in Hopkins Thursday night. PHOTO BY JAVIER SERNA/@jaminthestream
Eddie Christmas is also part of a high powered “TC Gumbo Jam” at The Hook and Ladder, featuring Nicholas David, Maxaphone and others — a pre-party for the block party-style roots and blues festival, which I will get into below. Tickets are even free for advance ticket purchasers of Saturday’s Lake Street Roots, Rock and Deep Blues Festival. But more on that below.
FRIDAY
Kung Fu Hippies have their recurring monthly gig at Bunkers with a $10 cover and the typical 9:30 p.m. start.
Eddie Christmas and JT Bates’ Rhythm Nation open up at 7 p.m. at Icehouse ahead of the McNasty Brass Band’s 8:30 p.m. set. I guarantee Christmas and Bates will be drumming up a storm.
Way up in Grand Marais, JoJo Green starts the first of two gigs at the Gun Flint Tavern rooftop deck, such a wonderful place to catch some music. The band features TWINE bassist Scott Yonke. The music starts at 7 p.m.
TWINE bassist Scott Yonke has the good fortune of playing the Gun Flint Tavern rooftop with two different bands in a two-week period. He’ll be back in Grand Marais with JoJo Green this weekend. PHOTO BY JAVIER SERNA/@jaminthestream
SATURDAY
There’s a new residency that just made my calendar and it’s being put on by Geoffrey Fischbein of Only Every Monday fame. He’s bringing a similar concept to Lake Bde Maka Ska — I won’t utter the other, former name that bigots cling to — where Pimento on the Lake, Pimento’s Jamaican Kitchen’s lakeside location, will be putting on Saturday afternoon music starting at 2 p.m.
Confucisaurus, has the 3 p.m. slot. Fairy Boat kicks it off at 2 p.m. Color Chord, featuring Confucisaurus guitarist Bryce Tuitt, plays at 4 p.m. and Fischbein has the closing set at 5 p.m.
Read more about Confucisaurus here.
Chase & Ovation has its monthly Bunkers gig, also with a 9:30 p.m. start and a $20 cover.
For those that don’t know about this Prince tribute band, it long had the blessing of Prince, himself, and the project has long been associated with one of Prince’s favorite Minneapolis venues: Bunkers, one of the most legendary music bars in the world.
Up in Pine City, two of the finest Minnesota jam bands, The Big Wu and Saltydog are among the musical performers at the 20th Anniversary East Central Minnesota Pride event. The Wu and Salty play at 3 and 1:30 p.m., respectively.
There’s a pair of Minneapolis music fests that I must mention.
Sound Wave 2025 at Broken Clock Brewing Cooperative is free and the music starts at 2 p.m., with a number of bands including Buffalo Galaxy, Guyana, The Confused, Yonder Chutes and DJ JU!ICE.
Buffalo Galaxy is slated for a 7:20 p.m. to 8:10 p.m. set.
Buffalo Galaxy harnesses that improvisational space grass that has inspired jamgrass. Catch’em for free at Broken Clock Brewing Cooperative this Saturday.
And as I mentioned above, the Lake Street Roots, Rock & Deep-Blues Festival is happening in South Minneapolis Saturday. It’s got a legit-ass lineup in Cedric Burnside, Peterson Brothers Band, Hillstomp, The Rising Stars Fife & Drum Band, Kent Burnside and others. It’s somewhat of a block party festival, with stages at The Hook and Ladder Theater, Arbeiter Brewing and the Art Lot at 27th and Lake, with music kicking off at 2 p.m.
There’s different passes available, including an “After 8 p.m.” ticket that is of reduced price, but buy your tickets online before 2 p.m. Saturday to save money.
SUNDAY
On the residency theme, Shotgun Ragtime Band, which was recently described to me as a musical commune by member Kevin Wick, has Grateful Sunday No. 729 this week at the Driftwood in South Minneapolis.
If 700-plus Sundays is any indication, this band that has been dedicated to never allowing the music to stop.
But the music always starts at 6:30 p.m. with Phine and Friends, which has retained that name in tribute and honor of the late drummer Steve Fine, who died last year.
“Just like Billy Sunday,” the Shotgun Ragtime Band has been bringing the Dead vibes to South Minneapolis’ Driftwood for 728 weeks now. PHOTO BY JAVIER SERNA/@jaminthestream
If you need an earlier Sunday Dead fix, head over to Icehouse where “Dead on the Block” is happening with the likes of DOSH, Mango Jam, Caballo Cosmico, Histrionic, The Grateful Gals and Eddie Christmas, who is having quite the busy Minnesota week following the New Orleans Suspects’ gig at The Hook and Ladder last Friday.
Last but not least, Dylan Salfer, who was the last man to hold down the Bunkers Wednesday night slot before TWINE, has a gig down Washington Avenue at the Hewing Hotel Rooftop. The music starts at 7 p.m. and tickets are $35.
And damn does that make this coming Sunday just freaking loaded with options all day — and that’s even before considering Dr. Mambo’s Combo’s regular Sunday night Bunkers gig, which one could still likely catch following Salfer’s show.