Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/author/ann-treacy/page/7/)
Lowertown Line’s show at the Amsterdam Bar this week got everything right. It’s in St Paul! It’s right by the train station. I walked in and got a ticket for a free beer. I didn’t have to worry about eating before the show as the Amsterdam has the best broodjes (mini-sandwiches) in town. Continue Reading
After a summer hiatus, Real Phonic Radio returned to the James J Hill Library for their monthly show of local and national country-flavored music performed on the third Thursday of the month. This month Augie Meyers headlined.Meyers has played with a wide range of musicians and in a number of bands such as Sir Douglas Quintet and Texas Tornadoes. He started with “Is anybody going to San Antone?” And the music went old school from there. It went through the country continuum – from kind of blue grassy to Tex Mex with a strong lean towards honky tonk. Meyers has a rich, gravelly voice that sets off the classic country perfectly.Meyers was very charismatic, mentioning that his dad told him if he played songs like, ‘I didn’t know God made Honky Tonk angels” that he’d really be someone. Continue Reading
Sometimes a monopoly is a good thing. First Avenue seems to have a finger in anything musical happening in the Twin Cities but it does lead to some nice double headers. After seeing The Replacements at Midway Stadium, I was happy to hop over to the Turf Club to see The Birthday Suits and Blind Shake. Luckily it had occurred to me to buy tickets in advance because the show was sold out by the time I got there. And a lot of people milling about outside humming “Waitress in the Sky” and asking about other places to go in St Paul.It was fun to see the progression of punk from the 1980’s at Midway to punk of today – which is a little more noise, certainly more noise with the Birthday Suits. Continue Reading
The Replacements at Midway Stadium – that’s a classic combination!The band came on stage in matching suits; they look weathered but good. They sounded great. The audience was also a little weathered and the audience wasn’t quite in tune but that didn’t stop everyone from singing every song. And to be fair to the audience, Westerberg doesn’t sing ‘em the same way every time. He pulled at our heart strings when we said, “Sorry it took us so long,” and brought us back to reality when added, “that’s a bold-faced lie.”The started with “You’re My Favorite Thing” and they didn’t pause much over the next two hours. Continue Reading
Last month we heard about Blandin Broadband Community projects Continue Reading
MN Music On-A-Stick on Saturday, Aug. 30was a celebration of the great variety and quality of local music we have in Minnesota. Hosted by The Current, one of the most astute observations came from Mark Wheat when he noted that all but one of these bands (Bob Mould) has emerged since The Current went on air in 2005. The Current has been a force to promote local bands–from Americana to Hip Hop and we saw it all on stage.Cactus Blossoms started the show. The crowd was still drifting in but there were dedicated music fans sitting and waiting under the stage for the show to start. Continue Reading
Everyone in St Paul breathed a sigh of returned cool Thursday night when the Turf Club reopened after a summer of renovations. It was a sold out show featuring Dead Man Winter, Frankie Lee, Erik Koskinen and a surprise appearance from The Cactus Blossoms, which wasn’t a shock but sure was pleasant. Much as I like all four bands, the club was the star last night.The place feels bigger but much the same. Like looking at a friend who shaved a beard, being in the new and improved bar was a guessing game of what’s new, what’s improved and what do we miss. The Cactus Blossoms put it best, “It’s a little different, but we’ll get over it. Continue Reading
The Run Westy Run gig at the Triple Rock Social Club was bittersweet. The show was great. The band was on their game. They played for two and a half hours. But someone was missing.Kyle Johnson, one of the Johnson brothers who cofounded Run Westy Run, passed away on Aug. Continue Reading
Rock the Cause is a Twin Cities-based nonprofit that hosts concerts, produces records and accepts donations to raise money and awareness for other nonprofits and people in need. They work with colleges and high schools to encourage students to do similar projects on campus. And they have a number of opportunities to volunteer.
The first 6 months of the year I spent time every month on the Fond du Lac reservation – specifically at the tribal center in Cloquet. There’s a library in the tribal center – with computers and good broadband. And once I month I was in the building providing some kind of Internet/computer training. Turns out FdL is top of the class when compared to other tribal libraries. Continue Reading