Even with the Minnesota State Fair concluding today, there’s much live music to catch this week.

I’ll mention: Between Howls’ month-long residency at Bent Paddle on Mondays kicks off with Elmore Fontaine tonight.

Buffalo Galaxy headlines MN String Gathering 3.0 at The Hook and Ladder in Minneapolis Friday, with Brotherhood of Birds and others also on the bill.

Prince tribute Chase and Ovation returns to Bunkers Saturday.

Also Saturday, Teague Alexy meets Woodblind are in the lineup (at 12:15 p.m.) for Lake Superior Harvest Festival at Bayfront Festival Park.

Also included this week are Maygen & The Birdwatcher, L.A. Buckner, the International Reggae All Stars, the Old Town Tuesday Night Jam, TWINE, the Cherry Pit Open Jam, Chroma, Purple Funk Metropolis, Fuchsia, The Way Back Yard, Michael Gay, Kung Fu Hippies, Mary Cutrufellow with Boss Mama and Willow Sowed, Muun Bato, Sunken Planes, Super Haiku, Shotgun Ragtime Band and Dr. Mambo’s Combo.

Dr. Mambo’s Combo, which holds down the longest-running residency in the state, has a big week, with a show at The Hook and Ladder Theater Friday, paying tribute to Sly & the Family Stone and Rufus & Chaka Khan.

The Hook also has a big week, with Will Effertz’ Space Between Jam Tuesday and and the Built to Last Festival, paying tribute to the Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia. The Built to Last All Stars include the likes of The Big Wu’s Tery V, Mark Joseph and Eddie “Hondo” Juntenen of White Iron Band.

Duluth’s Saltydog also kicks off their tour out west just over the border from Moorhead at The Aquarium in Fargo Thursday, with The Forefeathers opening.

Jazz is Dead’s Adrian Younge has The Big Show at Indeed Brewing Saturday.

Included this week are shows from the Old Town Tuesday Night Jam at Whitey’s Old Town Saloon, International Reggae All Stars, Bruce Woodman, Space Monkey Mafia, Fish on Hooks, TWINE, the Cherry Pit Open Jam at Berlin, Nicholas David, Easy Rider, Bigfood County, Debbie Center, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, Aby Wolf, Kavyesh Kaviraj with LSQ, Driftless Revelers, Afflatus, The MoonCats, Shotgun Ragtime Band.

It’s a big week of music around the state of Minnesota.

There’s big events, like the Minnesota Country Club Festival, bringing one of my favoritre jam bands, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, to Saint Paul.

And Jack Johnson has Hermanos Gutierrez opening at Mystic Lake Amphitheater in Shakopee.

But there’s so many local options, including Jumpsuit starting their Mondays in July residency at Bent Paddle in Duluth.

Or the Rhythm on the River Festival in southern Minnesota, featuring the likes of Mikkel Beckmen and Mike Munson, Saltydog, Pear Near Sandstone, Jon Sullivan Band and others.

Plus Brian Ziemniak’s BZ3 Organ Trio has a big record release at the Dakota this week. Ziemniak is also the organist for Dr. Mambo’s Combo, which saw Sonny T bring in friends from Usher’s touring band to Bunker’s last Sunday.

You’ll have to read below to see all who’s performing. I’ve reformatted this post for the sake of time management!

Now that summer is officially here, we have a busy ass week of live music in both the Twin Cities and Duluth, with Dave Matthews playing the freshly minted Mystic Lake Amptheater, jazz virtuoso Stanley Jordan at Dakota, Weird Al Yankovic at AMSOIL Arena and Paw Paw Rod hitting Fine Line Saturday.

But there’s lots of good local music, too with Charlie Parr at 331 Club tonight, Saltydog playing a free summer concert series in Saint Anthony Wednesday, Boxcar’s show at Pier B Resort Wednesday, L.A. Buckner @ BiG HOMiE releasing at single at Dakota Thursday, and Shoeless Revolution hitting Bunkers Saturday.

That’s to say nothing about the many residencies in town, such as Sunday staples Dr. Mambo’s Combo and Shotgun Ragtime Band.

The residency I am personally involved with has a big week, with Tylers aka SOOP Lightshow, bringing his liquid light art to TWINE’s Bunkers residency Wednesday.

It’s a busy week of live music in Minnesota, with some major talent coming through town in the case of Kinga Glyk and Mikaela Davis, and Australia’s Amyl and The Sniffers.

There’s a lot of local music happening this week as well, including the Rock the Bayfront Festival in Duluth, which has the likes of Soul Asylum and Charlie Parr performing.

The full roundup includes Only Every Monday, Teague Alexy, L.A.’s Monday Nights at Icehouse, Only Every Monday on the Cabooze patio, International Reggae All Stars, Old Town Tuesday Night Jam at Whitey’s, Bruce Woodman’s open jam at Carmocy, The Motet, Hot Like Mars, TWINE, the Cherry Pit Open Jam at Berlin, WE Collective featuring Saltydog members, Jaybee and the Routine, Hot 8 Brass Band, Hunny Bear, EFMI, Monique B & The Experience, Not Fade Away, Boxcar, Mikel Wright & The Wrongs, Maygen & the Birdwatcher, JoJo Green, Shotgun Ragtime Band and Dr. Mambo’s Combo.