It’s an extremely busy week of live music in Minnesota, and we have Thievery Corporation, Leo Kottke, and Cedric Burnside performing in the Cities.
Wednesday and Friday are both kind of nuts — thanks to a deep list of performances from Pert Near Sandstone, Mae Simpson, Black Market Brass, Obi Original and Gregg Hall.
But read on below for more details on everything already mentioned, as well as shows including Red Eye Ruby, Jo Jo Green, City of the Sun, Nicholas David, Regional Jazz Trio, International Reggae All Stars, the Old Town Tuesday Night Jam, TWINE, Jon Stickley Trio, Dance Attic, the Icehouse Variety Show, People Brothers Band, Modern Joey, Alex Rossi, Clare Doyle, The Jambronies, Locomotion, Hiahli, The Gemstones, Thomas Woytko Collective, Suffrin’ Sam, Shotgun Ragtime Band and Dr. Mambo’s Combo.
Monday, Dec. 1
Only Every Monday is taking the week off.
Geoffrey Fischbein, who organizes the weekly show, moved it to Gluek’s in downtown Minneapolis in recent weeks after a long stretch at The Cabooze’s patio and then the newly reconfigured Red Room.
Stay tuned.
Tuesday, Dec. 2
Red Eye Ruby and Jo Jo Green play 331 Club with no cover (21-plus) at 9:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 3
Thievery Corporation, with the acoustic duo City of the Sun, play an 18-and-over show at Palace Theatre in Saint Paul, with doors at 7 p.m. and music at 8 p.m.
Thievery Corporation’s Jeffrey James Franca, performing as Ethno at Hotel Minnesnowta in January.
PHOTO BY JAVIER SERNA/@jaminthestream
Nicholas David’s St. Nick’s Show & Album Release show at Dakota starts at 8 p.m. (with doors at 6:30 p.m.)
Regional Jazz Trio featuring Anthony Cox, JT Bates and Mike Lewis plays its recurring show at Icehouse on Eat Street in Minneapolis. Doors are at 6 p.m., giving folks a minute to order some of the incredible vittles served up here on Eat Street. The show starts at 8 p.m.
Remember to support venues that support live music in any way you can — and arriving early for a meal at Icehouse is one really delicious way to do that.
Drummer JT Bates is one of the gems of the Minneapolis music scene. Not only is he a renowned jazz drummer but he also books shows for Icehouse. PHOTO BY JAVIER SERNA/@jaminthestream
The International Reggae All Stars play their weekly residency show at Bunkers in North Loop starting at 9:30 p.m. every Tuesday and running until about 1 a.m.
The Old Town Tuesday Night Jam starts at about 10 p.m. every Tuesday at Whitey’s Old Town Saloon in Northeast Minneapolis and can run past 1 a.m.
TWINE is coming in hot off their “TWINEsgiving” show last Wednesday night. I can’t say it enough but they’ve emerged, through a number of lineup changes, as Minneapolis’ hottest jam band, taking jams deep in each of three sets at Bunkers.
TWINEsgiving last week at Bunkers. The residency resumes this Wednesday in North Loop.
PHOTO BY JAVIER SERNA/@jaminthestream
Thursday, Dec. 4
Mississippi blues guitarist Cedric Burnside, the grandson of R.L. Burnside, plays an all ages show at the Parkway Theater in South Minneapolis, with doors at 6:30 p.m., and music at 7:30 p.m.
Icehouse is hosting a variety show featuring FPA, TOMBOYY, by will alone, major sosa and DJS ollo11, Jam.la, and Starthirl with the doors opening at 6 p.m. and show at 8 p.m.
Up in Duluth, Pert Near Sandstone with Jon Stickley Trio and Dance Attic perform a ticketed show at Bent Paddle with doors at 6 p.m. and music starting at 6:30 p.m. Fiddler Erin Aldridge is also a special guest and will be sitting in with the Jon Stickley Trio.
Friday, Dec. 5
The legendary guitarist Leo Kottke, who lives in Minnesota, has a rare appearance here at Saint Paul’s The Ordway with doors at 6:30 p.m. and the show at 7 p.m.
Minneapolis Afropsych band Black Market Brass plays a show featuring Obi Original with Purple Funk Metropolis and BMB DJs at The Cedar. The doors are at 7 p.m. and the show is at 8 p.m.
Black Market Brass and Obi Original, which collaborated on a 7-inch single recently, play The Cedar Friday night. PHOTO PROVIDED BY BLACK MARKET BRASS
BMB and Obi Original recently put out a 45 together on Colemine Records with the singles “If I Do My Own” and “I No Be (Colonizer)”, and they’ll be celebrating the release at this show, which also includes Purple Funk Metropolis.
Mae Simpson headlines a 21+ show with Wisconsin’s People Brothers Band and Modern Joey at the Green Room in Uptown. Doors are at 7 p.m. and show is at 8 p.m.
Pert Near Sandstone brings Jon Stickley Trio along with Clare Doyle for an 18+ show at the First Avenue mainroom. Doors are at 7 p.m.and show is at 8 p.m.
Alex Rossi plays at Bunkers in North Loop starting at 9:30 p.m., and running until about 1 a.m. The show is 21+ and there’s a $10 cover.
The Granada Theater is hosting the 25th Anniversary Tribute To The Music Of O Brother Where Art Thou? It’s put on by Chris Holm and Berek Awend. The doors are 6:30 p.m., and show is at 7:30 p.m.
Up at Duluth’s Caddyshack, The Jambronies and Locomotion play at 8 p.m. (doors are at 7 p.m.). The 21+ event has a $5 cover.
Saturday, Dec. 6
Minneapolis hip-hop act Hiahli plays at 331 Club in Northeast Minneapolis at 10 p.m. There’s no cover.
In Duluth, The Gemstones play a free show at Bent Paddle from 7 to 8:15 p.m. Then Thomas Woytko Collective plays from 8:30 to 10 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 7
Gregg Hall is headlining a show with Saffron’ Sam up at The Listening Room in Cambridge, about an hour’s drive north of Minneapolis. This is an early show, with doors at 1 p.m., and music at 2 p.m.
Every Sunday, Shotgun Ragtime Band play at the Driftwood Char Bar in South Minneapolis, with Phine & Friends kicking things off at 6:30 p.m.
And last but not least, Dr. Mambo’s Combo, which maintain the state’s longest-running weekly residency at Bunkers every Sunday, plays from 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Dr. Mambo’s Combo keeps one of the longest-standing weekly residencies in the country going every Sunday at Bunkers in North Loop. PHOTO BY JAVIER SERNA/@jaminthestream
As always, for more information, including ticket links for any of these shows, head to my Minnesota Music Calendar, which is updated weekly.