It’s a busy week for live music in Minnesota, and the fun starts Monday!
Only Every Monday, the free showcase currently held at Green Room in Uptown Minneapolis, has quite the ridiculous lineup this week in its 704th show in the series.
Host Geoffrey “Fish” Fischbein kicks things off at 7 p.m.; Joe Dunn goes on at 8; Mae Simpson takes the stage at 9; Socktopus performs at 10 and Joe “Smoking’ Joe” Scarpellino’s set is at 11.
Up in Duluth, Saltydog kicks off their Monday night residency (Highkeys Monday) at Bent Paddle. This residency only lasts the month of February, and there is a special guest every week. Mara LoveJoy, a guitarist, pianist and singer/songwriter, is the first guest.
Also, Kathryne Ford will be displaying “Liquid Light” art at all four of these shows, which run from 6 to 9 p.m.
Saltydog at “Double Dog Dare” back on Oct. 31. This was the first of three shows in Duluth, Minneapolis and Appleton, Wis. The first was at Bent Paddle Brewing, which is somewhat of a home base for Saltydog. They’ll be rekindling their run of Monday night shows in the month of February.
THURSDAY
Keeping things in Duluth and also at Bent Paddle and also on percussion (Saltydog’s Bryan “Lefty” Johnson) is the first of two Bob Marley birthday parties, I’ll mention. The show is titled Woodblind meets Teague Alexy in DUB. Woodblind, which, as mentioned, features Johnson on percussion, is an 8-piece also including Veikko Lepisto on stand-up bass and vocals, Jason Wussow on acoustic guitar and vocals, Jimi Cooper on lead guitar, Tyler Dubla on drums, Eli Bissonnet on fiddle, Jen West on vocals, and George Ellsworth on keys.
This free event kicks off at 6 p.m. with TNT HiFi spinning records.
(UPDATED 2.3) Back in Minneapolis, Will Effertz’ WE Collective will be setting up at Gluek’s in downtown Minneapolis for the post Timberwolves game crowd. There’s no cover and the music starts at 9:30 p.m.
FRIDAY
The other Bob Marley birthday party is at The Cabooze over in the Seward part of Minneapolis, where the International Reggae All-Stars throw down at the 32nd Annual Songs of Freedom - Bob Marley Remembered. The IRAS play every Tuesday at Bunker’s in North Loop and I’ll come clean, I need to see this band more. When you get that itch for reggae, the International Reggae All-Stars are that patch of skin and the antihistamine all wrapped into one.
There’s two other options I highly recommend.
Also, Alex Rossi plays Bunker’s in Minneapolis’ North Loop. The show starts at 9:30 p.m., as do most (if not all) shows do at the legendary live music bar.
Mark Joseph (The Big Wu) & The American Soul have a bill with The Northside Horns and Gregg Hall & The Wrecking Ball at Turf Club in Saint Paul. That show starts at 8 p.m.
Mark Joseph (left) of The Big Wu has been pretty busy. In the picture, he’s singing with Ali Mills in Momentary Lapse of Floyd at Hotel Minnesnowta last month. He recently performed with pianist Holly Bowling, percussionist/drummer Jeff Franca, of Thievery Corporation (Franca performed in this Momentary set, as well), and Nate Edgar (Nth Power, John Brown’s Body) in Park City, Utah, during the Sundance Film Festival Saturday.
SATURDAY
It’s a busy ass night, with up-and-coming jam band Eggy playing the Fine Line in downtown Minneapolis. Six Foot Blonde opens in support. The show starts at 8:30 p.m.
The Brothers Almanac and Slippery Peoples have a gig at the First Avenue main room. Tom Alane, who sat in recently with TWINE at Bunkers, is in this Allman Brothers tribute band. The show starts at 8 p.m. Brothers Almanac will be performing, in its entirety, “At Fillmore East,” which was the Allman Brothers’ first live LP release, recorded July 6, 1971.
TWINE’s Will Effertz was so stoked after last Thursday’s Bunker’s set, with Tom Alane (pictured) sitting in. Alane had a lot to do with that. Alane and Brothers Almanac play the First Avenue main room Saturday. Head over to Gluek’s downtown afterwards for a special TWINE after party.
Jay Bee & The Routine play Bunkers at 9:30 p.m.
With all of that happening downtown or near downtown, TWINE is playing a late-night after party at Gluek’s starting at 10 p.m.
Also, I’ll mention up in Duluth, Boss Mama and The Jebberhooch, along with the talented fiddler Erin Aldridge, have a gig at Bent Paddle from 7 to 9 p.m.
SUNDAY
Last but not least, drummer JT Bates has been anchoring a monthly Sunday Grateful Dead brunch at Icehouse on Eat Street (Nicollet Avenue) in Minneapolis.
This month’s installment includes multi-instrumentalist Martin Dosh and others. The music goes from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
For ticket links to any of these shows, along with a full calendar of shows on my radar, head over to www.jaminthestream.com/calendar.