A bigger than typical crowd came out for Shotgun Ragtime Band’s weekly Sunday residency following the news the day before of the passing of the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir. Portraits of both Weir and Renee Nicole Good were placed in front of the stage. PHOTOS BY JAVIER SERNA
It’s certainly an uneasy, scary time in Minnesota thanks to the illegal invasion of our state and execution of Renee Nicole Good.
There is still a lot of live music planned in Minnesota this week, including the three-day Hotel Minnesnowta festival in Plymouth, as well as shows from Chicago’s Terrapin Flyer, Wisconsin’s Horseshoes and Hand Grenades, Charlie Parr’s Sunday residency and Punch Brothers’ Chris Tile.
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Saltydog will be returning to Bent Paddle for a month of Mondays in February.
PHOTOS BY JAVIER SERNA/@jaminthestream
Saltydog, Duluth’s funky psychedelic improvisational sextet, has one of its biggest shows yet this Friday, headlining Turf Club in Saint Paul with Chicago’s jam rockers Hot Like Mars and Duluth duo Between Howls.
Owen Mahon, the band’s singing drummer, chatted with Jam in the Stream via FaceTime Monday about the band’s upcoming plans, which include dropping the band’s third LP at Friday’s show, efforts already underway to plan their next album, and confirmation that the band would be restarting a month of Monday night shows at Duluth’s Bent Paddle Brewing in February.
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Charlie Parr opened the first of four Sundays at the Turf Club with jazz drummer Dave King, and Chicago-based guitarist Eli Winter in support. That show ended with Parr joined by King, Winter and Hüsker Dü bassist Greg Norton. He’s got a pair of guitarists joining in support this week; Keep reading for the details; PHOTOS BY JAVIER SERNA/@jaminthestream
In the aftermath of holidays, there’s still lots of great local music options, despite it being a light week for touring bands coming through Minnesota.
Three highlights include TWINE resuming their weekly Bunkers residency Wednesday night, Saltydog’s headlining spot at Turf Club Friday with Chicago’s Hot Like Mars and Duluth’s Between Howls, and Charlie Parr’s second of four Sundays at the Turf Club.
Listen, there’s a lot of great music coming this week, as I’ll point out, but if you’re not surprised that I led with those three artists, then you just know my taste.
Mentioned below are the following performers or jams: International Reggae All Stars, the Old Town Tuesday Night Jam at Whitey’s Old Town Saloon, Bruce Woodman’s Open Jam at Carmody’s Irish Pub in Duluth, Jay Bee & the Routine, Kung Fu Hippies, Greg Schutte, Katie Gearty, Max Krauth, Jason Dixon Line, Brandyn Lee Tulloch, Poetic Roots, Obi Original, Singing Tony, Jackson Hurst, Chase & Ovation, EFMI, Greater Goods, Sean Anonymous, a David Bowie Tribute featuring Audrey Robinson with Clay Fulton & The Lost 40, Hair of the Dog, Jo Jo Green and Faith Boblett, The Jambronies, The Daily Norm, Ced Ba’Etch’, The Infidels: A Bob Dylan Tribute featuring Dan Isreal, Terry Walsh and Steve Brantseg, Shotgun Ragtime Band, Dr. Mambo’s Combo and the Open Jam at the White Squirrel in Saint Paul.
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The background for the above image is an out-of-focus picture taken from TWINE’s residency at Bunkers.
ALL PICTURES BY JAVIER SERNA/@jaminthestream
All right, I’m wrapping up my most memorable shows from 2025 here in one last post.
I saw a lot of incredible music this past year, hundreds of shows, so it wasn’t easy narrowing down the list to a dozen or so that I found the most memorable. There were many that didn’t make the list that were also quite special.
A reminder, I didn’t rank these — they are simply arranged chronologically.
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Karl Denson is among the most accomplished saxophonists ever to emerge from the jam scene. He, along with his band Tiny Universe, make a rare Minnesota appearance this week. PHOTO PROVIDED
On this Holiday week, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe makes a rare appearance at the Dakota Friday. Troubadour Charlie Parr also kicks off his month of Sundays at Turf Club in Saint Paul.
Otherwise, New Year’s Eve offers some really enticing shows around the state, with TWINE joining Saltydog and Boss Mama at Bent Paddle in Duluth, Dr. Mambo’s Combo playing at Bunker’s in North Loop, Dream of the Wild’s Terrapin Stallion at Zhora Darling in Northeast, The Dylan Salfer Band at Midway Saloon in Saint Paul, and a full day of music at Wesson’s Concert Cafe in Duluth.
Get the details, including for shows from Red Eye Ruby, Sam Licari, Sweet Tease, Mahon Brothers, Greater Goods with Jason Fladager and Jon Ross, Alex Rossi, Twin Citizen, JoJo Green, Pity Party, Sleeping Jesus, Sugar Lads, JT Bates, Chris Castino, Joe Dunn, Beth Supple, Eli Winter, and Shotgun Ragtime Band.
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Counting down from 6 to 1 (or so) shows from 2025
So I’ve been counting down a dozen (or so) of my favorite shows I caught this year around the country and I decided to break this into two parts, just to make it easier to navigate.
Here I’m counting down from 6 to 1.
This post will be active until I get down to 1 — or, as I’ve teased, one last show, completing a Baker’s Dozen — so come back or look for updates on my social media channels at Instagram and Facebook. I’m trying to rap up this countdown by the end of the year.
I tried to be transparent about this list. It is not a ranking of what I thought were the best shows, but it is simply the shows that were most memorable for me personally, and it’s being presented in chronological order.
Herbie Hancock was backed by a high-powered jazz lineup, including trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard, bassist James Genus, guitarist Lionel Loueke, and 27-year-old phenom drummer Jaylen Petinaud.
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Minneapolis jam band Dream of the Wild is led by Jay McKinney, who has the band down at 331 Club Tuesday — and covering Ween and Grateful Dead as “Terrapin Stallion” at Zhora Darling Dec. 31 and at Turf Club Jan. 29. PHOTO BY JAVIER SERNA/@jaminthestream
There’s some solid options for local music around the state even with most venues shut down Wednesday and Thursday for Christmas.
This edition of Weekly Roundup includes shows from Dream of the Wild, Old Town Tuesday Night Jam, Mahon Brothers, TWINE, Mae Simpson, Heatbox, JayBee and The Routine, China Rider, Shoeless Revolution, Caballo Cosmico, Tres Osos, Barefoot Bluegrass, Cats Under the Stars, Shotgun Ragtime Band, Mark Joseph & American Soul with Ryan David Young, and Dr. Mambo’s Combo.
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Jon “The Barber” Gutwillig shreds at The Fillmore Minneapolis Thursday.
PHOTOS BY JAVIER SERNA/@jaminthestream
Check out a photo gallery from The Disco Biscuits show at The Fillmore Minneapolis, Dec. 18, 2025.
Pictures by Jam in the Stream editor Javier Serna.
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The Big Wu at First Avenue on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. PHOTO BY JAVIER SERNA/@jaminthestream
Check out a photo gallery and writeup of The Big Wu’s show at First Avenue on Dec. 13, 2025.
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