TICKET ON-SALES

--Friday, Sept 28, 2012—

10:00 AM

*Ryan Montbleau- Dakota/ Nov 7/ $20/ AA

*Lindsey Buckingham- Dakota/ Nov 20/ $80-175/ AA

*The Steeles- Dakota/ Nov 21/ $25/ AA

*Meshell N’dgeocello: Tribute To Nina Simone- Dakota/ Nov 25/ $40/ AA

*The Bad Plus- Dakota/ Dec 27,28,29/ $40/ AA

11:00 AM

*Buddy Guy and Jonny Lang- State/ Mar 10, 2013/ $53.50-63.50/ AA

12:00 NOON

*Brandi Carlile- Varsity/ Dec 30/ $65, $85 mezzanine, $100 VIP/ 18+

*Brandi Carlile- Varsity/ NYE Dec 31/ $100, $125 mezzanine, $200 VIP/ 21+

*Grace Potter & The Nocturnals- First Ave/ Jan 25, 2013/ $25/ 18+

--Saturday, Sept 29, 2012—

1:00 PM

*Trailer Park Boys Holiday-Themed Show- State/ Dec 14/ $30-44/ AA

!!UPCOMING SHOWS ON SALE NOW!!

*Lucy Michelle/ MN Zoo Indoor Theatre/ Oct 4/ $25/ 18+

*Tift Merritt w/ Ben Weaver- The Cedar/ Oct 6/ $18-22/ AA

*Sing It Loud- Mill City Nights/ Oct 6/ $15-18/ AA

*Nick Waterhouse- Fine Line/ Oct 11/ $15/ 18+

*Keller Williams- Cabooze/ Oct 11/ $20-23/ 18+

*Paula Cole- Dakota/ Oct 11/ $45/ AA

*The 4OnTheFloor- First Ave/ Oct 12/ $12-15/ 18+

*Nick Moss & The Fliptops- Famous Dave’s/ Oct 12/ $5/ AA

*Robyn Hitchcock- Dakota/ Oct 12/ $40/ AA

*Cassandra Wilson- Dakota/ Oct 14,15/ $40-60/ AA

*Psychedelic Furs w/ The Lemonheads- First Ave/ Oct 14/ $25/ 18+

*Calexico- Fine Line/ Oct 16/ $20/ 18+

*Shemekia Copeland- Dakota/ Oct 16/ $25/ AA

*Old 97’s- First Ave/ Oct 18/ $22/ 18+

*Sing It Loud- Mill City Nights/ Oct 6/ $15-18/ AA

*All-American Rejects- Mill City Nights/ Oct 19/ $25-27/ 16+

*Commander Cody- Famous Dave’s/ Oct 20/ $10-15/ AA

*Leftover Salmon- First Ave/ Oct 20/ $23-25/ 18+

*Atlantis Quartet- MN Zoo Indoor Theatre/ Oct 18/ $25/ 18+

*Heartless Bastards- First Ave/ Oct 21/ $17/ 18+

*Joe Ely- The Cedar/ Oct 23/ $25-27/ AA

*Alison Scott- MN Zoo Indoor Theatre/ Oct 25/ $25/ 18+

*Joshua Radin & A Fine Frenzy- Mill City Nights/ Oct 25/ $26-30/ 18+

*The English Beat- Mill City Nights/ Oct 27/ $22/ 18+

*Krewe’s Masquerade Ball w/ Malone Brothers- Turtle’s, Shakopee/ Oct 27/ $30/ 21+

*Kaki King- The Cedar/ Oct 30/ $15-18/ AA

*Allen Stone/ Fine Line/ Nov 2/ $15.50-17.50/ 18+

*Jeremy Messersmith- MN Zoo Indoor Theatre/ Nov 7/ $25/ 18+

LIVE SHOWS

--Thursday, Sept 27, 2012

Carrie Underwood w/ Hunter Hayes  [Big-Time Nashville Country]

Target Center/ 7:30/ $46-66/ AA

--I have read several stellar reviews of this tour from various stops around the country and many have referred to Underwood as proving herself to be the most talented American Idol winner of all and possibly the finest female singer in country today. You should also do yourself a favor and arrive in time to catch opener Hunter Hayes, a very talented young country singer and guitarist.

Chris Koza; Minnesota Zoo’s New “Live On Stage” Acoustic Series

MN Zoo’s Target Learning Ctr/ Enter at 6:00 for Exhibits, 7:30 show/ $25 / 18+

 --You’ll get a lot of bang for your $25. Doors open at 6:00 and you can stroll the Tropics Trail, check out the Tropical Reef exhibit and there is beer, wine, and light fare available for purchase. The show, in the new intimate Target Learning Center theater, begins with a 15 minute on-stage version of the Zoo’s famous Bird Encounter show and then, after all that, you still have a full show by one our best local singer/songwriter/rockers Chris Koza!

Ben Howard  [SOLD OUT!!]

Varsity/ 7:30/ $20 / AA

Greensky Bluegrass  [Veteran Progressive Bluegrass]

Cabooze/ 9:30/ $12 / 18+

 --This Michigan band’s most recent album, 2011’s “Handguns”, went to #3 on the Billboard Bluegrass Chart! 

The Head and the Heart w/ Blitzen Trapper [Folk Pop & Country Folk]

First Ave/ 8:00/ $22 / 18+

 --Seattle’s wonderful indie folk & pop rockers are close to also selling out night two at First Ave for a great reason; their music and the opener, their pals from the Pacific Northwest, Portland’s folk and alt-country rockers, Blitzen Trapper! 

The Deadly Gentleman  [Alt-Bluegrass w/ a Rock N’ Roll Attitude]

The Cedar/ 7:30/ $12-15/ AA

--This is kind of a folk-rock and bluegrass supergroup. Leader Greg Liszt went to Yale and got his Ph.D from MIT but was so talented musically that Bruce Springsteen grabbed him up to play banjo on one of his tours. His main group is the well-respected Crooked Still!. Dominick Leslie was a true child prodigy on mandolin. Fiddler Mike Barnett has been touring with bluegrass greats since he was 15 and finally, Sam Grisman, the bassist, is the son of one of the all-time greats and Jerry Garcia’s longtime musical partner, David Grisman. It will be a night of extraordinary musicianship!

Deer Camp-The Musical [Starring Daryl and Daryl from “Newhart”, thru Sun]

New Century Theatre/ various times, thru Sun/ $30-32/ AA

--Four buddies have been “going hunting” to their Deer Camp for decades but have never come home with a deer! Finally they have been challenged by their suspicious wives for proof. The only problem is they’d rather hang out in their deer shack swapping stories and drinking beer than freezing in a deer stand. The quartet hatch a plan to bring home a deer without ever firing a shot and the hilarity ensues. As Minnesotan as a musical gets!

Mission of Burma w/ Porcupine  [Loud, Primal, Aggressive Post-Punk]

400 Bar/ 9:00/ $20 / 21+

 --Though they recorded only two albums during their first incarnation in Boston in the early 80’s, their reputation has grown to near legendary status as many bigger bands, including Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and REM, have cited them as an influence.

Henry Rollins-Capitalism  [Spoken Word Performance]

Fitzgerald/ 8:00/ $25/ AA

--Raconteur, author, actor, artist, singer and songwriter, Rollins is an intense guy who has extensively traveled the world and, while you may not agree with his politics, you can not deny his intelligence and interesting take on things. Should be a fascinating evening considering this divisive political season.

The Butanes [Vintage Soul and R&B, Every Thursday] 

Shaw’s, NE Mpls/ 8:30/ FREE/ 21+

--Great 60’s and 70’s soul music with some tasty blues and rock covers mixed in. Highly Danceable!

--Friday, Sept 28, 2012—

Kathleen Edwards  [Rescheduled from 4/15, Close to sold out!]

Varsity/ 8:00/ $20/ 18+

--Great, fun Canadian roots and alt-country singer, songwriter, and rocker.

Michael Kiwanuka [Soulful British Folk-Rock Star in the making!!]

Fine Line/ 8:00/ $15/ 18+

--This could be one of those shows that, ten years from now, thousands of people will wish they had attended!

Mint Condition [Two 2012 Grammy Nominations for this soulful and funky R&B Band]

First Ave/ 9:00/ $26-29/ 18+

-Their fresh mix of R&B and Neo-Soul got them a slot opening for Prince in the U.S. and all over Europe this year.

Wanda Sykes  [Comedian]

Orpheum/ 9:00/ $39.75-59.75/ AA

--A very funny stand-up comedian who, as an actress, has won several Emmy’s and we know from her roles in the movie Monster-In-Law and on TV in Curb Your Enthusiasm and The New Adventures of Old Christine.  

The Dirty Three [Improvisational Instrumental Rock n’ Roll]       

The Cedar/ 8:00/ $18-20/ AA

--This Australian band’s 1996 album, “Horse Stories”, was a Rolling Stone magazine Top Three for the year!

Cjell Cruze  [Well-Crafted Twangy Americana w/ Fine Harmonies]      

Palmer’s Bar, West Bank, Mpls/ 10:00/ $3/ 21+

Magic Slim & The Teardrops  [Top-Shelf Chicago Blues]

Famous Dave’s, Uptown/ 9:00/ $7/ All Ages

E.L.nO. w/ Kinda Kinky  [Very Well-Played ELO and Kinks Covers]

Lee’s Liquor Lounge/ 9:00/ $10/ 21+

Jimi Smith & The Groove Merchants [Good Local Blues & Soul]

Wilebski’s Blues Saloon/ EARLY 7:00/ 21+

HonkyTonk Bowl w/ Union Suits and The Gin Strings

Memory Lanes, S Mpls/ 10:00/ FREE/ 21+

--Two fun local honkytonk and country bands playing on a stage set up right over a few of the middle lanes.  

--Saturday, Sept 29, 2012—

RAUCHFEST Beer, Food & Music Festival w/ The Big Wu, Mary Cutrufello, and Nick (now on “The Voice”) Mrozinski & The Feelin’ Band etc.

Harriet Brewing, S Mpls/ 1-10:00 outside, then till 1:00AM inside/ $10-15/ 21+

--Nine bands on two stages, several of the Twin Cities’ best food trucks and eight of Harriet Brewing’s best beers including a couple of rare small-batch ones!

Glen Hansard  [May Sell Out Ahead!!]

First Ave/ 7:00/ $30/ 18+

--While many of us know Glen best as one half of The Swell Season, the boy-girl duo from the film “Once”, he first came to fame as the guitarist in the band in the film “The Commitments” and his Irish band, The Frames. Most of all, though, he is an excellent folk-rock singer, songwriter and guitarist who can really deliver a song and is also a wonderful interpreter of other people’s tunes.

Steve Kimmock w/ Bernie Worrell, Wally Ingram and Andy Hess

The Cedar/ 8:00/ $25-30/ 18+

--Should be a great night of funky, rootsy jam-rock from this true supergroup. Guitarist Kimock has played in several post-Grateful Dead-related bands. Keyboardist Worrell is a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer best known for his work as a member Parliament Funkadelic and his collaborations with the Talking Heads. Drummer/percussionist Ingram is a top session player who has worked and toured with such stars as Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, and Bruce Hornsby! Last but certainly not least is bassist Hess who has been a member of The Black Crowes and Gov’t Mule.

Alex Rossi CD Release w/ Root City Band and Flavor

Fine Line/ 9:00/ $6/ 21+

--Talented lead singer, writer, and guitarist Alex Rossi has had other projects taking him around the country and over the ocean but he and the gang’s funky soulful pop with bits of swinging blues mixed in is in fine form on the new CD, “The Root City EP”. Opener Flavor was well-known around town in the 2000’s with their well-crafted rock n’ pop.

Ben Folds Five w/ Katie Miller-Heidke [High-Energy Piano Pop-Rock] 

Orpheum/ 8:00/ $39.50-59.50/ AA

--BFF is touring to support their first new CD in thirteen years and award-winning Australian pop-rock opener Heidke is definitely worth catching

Jim Breuer [Former SNL cast member and Top Stand-up Comedian]    

Mill City Nights/ 8:00/ $35-38/ 18+

Martin Short: “Laugh Out Loud Twin Cities” Children’s Healthcare Benefit

Marriott City Center/ 6:30 Reception, 8:00 Show/ $100-250/ AA

--His SNL and other imitable characters have included Ed Grimly, Jackie Rogers Jr. and Jiminy Glick. He went on to star on stage, the big screen and way too many TV shows to mention including becoming a regular on How I Met Your Mother. Here’s hoping he also does a bit of his spot-on imitation of Katherine Hepburn!

The Devil Makes Three [Fun Stompin’ Acoustic Bluegrass and Blues]   

Cabooze/ 9:30/ $15/ 18+

Alison Scott

Dakota/ 8:00/ $12/ AA

--Phenomenal pianist and soulful songstress Scott and her top-shelf band will be playing songs from throughout her career.

Rock N’ Bowl w/ James Loney and Gini Dodds & The Dahlias

Memory Lanes, S Mpls/ 10:00/ FREE/ 21+

--Two top local rootsy rock bands playing on a stage set up right over a few of the middle lanes.   

--Sunday, Sept 30, 2012—

Esperanza Spalding [First Jazz artist to win Best New Artist Grammy]

State/ 7:30/ $33-73/ AA

--Very talented multi-instrumentalist and singer who draws upon many genres including jazz, soul and even bossa nova to create her own compositions.

Laetitia Sadier  [Of Stereolab]

400 Bar/ 7:30/ $10/ 21+

--Interesting singer and lyricist from France who is equally adept on synthesizer and guitar.

Maurice Jacox & Friends  [Old-School Soul and R&B]

Red Stag, NE Mpls/ 9:00/ FREE/ 21+

Sundays w/ Kurt Jorgensen Band  

P.D. Pappy’s, Stillwater/ 4:30/ FREE/ AA

--Good original rock, roots, and blues and tasty cover songs.

Dr Mambo’s Combo  [every Sunday and Monday]

Bunker’s / 9:30/ $7/ 21+

--Fun, well-played covers of 70’s and 80’s soul, R&B and dance tunes.

--Monday, Oct 1, 2012—

Grizzly Bear [May Sell Out Ahead!]

Fine Line/ 8:30/ $35/ 18+

--Excellent acoustic and electric psychedelic folk-rock  

Dispatch w/ Good Old War [Excellent Theatre Rock/Folk Double-Bill!]

Orpheum/ 8:00/ $41/ AA

--Check out Dispatch’s performance on Later with Craig Ferguson 9/26! Upbeat and clean rock n’ roll with nice two-person harmonies that can be folkie, jammy, and/or rootsy wth bits of reggae thrown in here and there. Every ticket purchased gets you a FREE download of show!! Good Old War is a sweet-sounding acoustic folk band with accordion from Philly!  

Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) [Accessible Hip Hop and Cool Spoken Word]

Guthrie/ 7:30/ $49-51/ AA

--Socially conscious rapper and actor Bey has been nominated for six Grammy’s for his music and Emmy’s and Golden Globe’s for his acting. His performance at The Guthrie a year ago, where he seamlessly incorporated the existing play scenery in to his performance, was fantastic!

Hospitality w/ TEEN [Two Up-and-Coming Brooklyn Pop-Rock Bands]

400 Bar/ 9:00/ $8/ 18+

--Hospitality is more straight-ahead pop whose 2012 debut album received 4 out of 5 stars from Rolling Stone and TEEN is three sisters and a galpal who punk it up a bit more.

Classic Country w/ Dan Lund & Buffaloaf  [every Monday]

Lee’s Liquor Lounge/ 8:00/ FREE/ 21+

--Very well-played classic country music.

The Cactus Blossoms  [Classic Country w/great harmonies, every Monday]

Turf Club / 7-10:00/ $5/ 21+       

--Wonderful old-school country originals with excellent harmonies.

--Tuesday, Oct 2, 2012—

Perfume Genius  [Ethereal Indie Pop from Seattle]

Fine Line/ 9:00/ $15/ 18+

Jimmy Webb [Pop and Country Songwriter w/10+ Grammy’s!!]

Dakota/ 7:00/ $35/ AA

--His top hits include “Up, Up and Away”, “By The Time I Get To Phoenix”, “Wichita Lineman”, “Galveston”, and “MacArthur Park”! While not blessed with the greatest voice, he knows how to deliver a song and is quite the between-song storyteller.

Delta Rae [Sweet Folk-Rock and Blues from North Carolina]

Varsity/ 8:00/ $12-15/ 18+

--This coed band has very strong original songs and killer harmonies!

St. Dominic’s Trio [every Tuesday]

Nye’s, NE Mpls/ 9:30/ FREE/ 21+        

--This stripped-down version of The Belfast Cowboys still plays plenty of Van Morrison covers.

International Reggae All-Stars  [every Tuesday]

Bunkers / 9:00/ $6/ 21+

--Good roots-reggae originals and plenty of covers.

--Wednesday, Oct 3, 2012—

The Go-Go’s

Mill City Nights/ 9:00/ $39.50-42/ 18+

--These girl-group rock n’ pop band pioneers with punk-rock attitudes still have all five original members and are playing as well as ever!

Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra

First Ave/ 8:30/ $25/ 18+

--Theatrical, sometimes “out there” cabaret rock and roll that can be hard to describe at times but you’ll always remember you saw an Amanda Palmer performance/show!

Junior Brown  [Country w/ Great Rockin’ Guitar Playing, Thur also]

Dakota/ 7:00/ $35-40/ AA

--A phenomenal guitarist with a classic country voice, Brown plays revved-up Texas roots-rock and country, sometimes quite humorous lyrics.

Dark Dark Dark CD Release w/ Mountain Man and Emily Wells  [Friday also]

The Cedar/ 7:30/ $13/ AA

--A real strong triple-bill headlined by local chamber folk act DDD. The all-girl indie folk group, Mountain Man, features beautiful and haunting three-part harmonies, often with little to no instrumentation, and they just finished up a tour singing with Canadian star Feist. Opener Wells is a interesting one-woman folk-rock artist who plays acoustic guitar and violin while also utilizing synthesizers to create in-the-moment loops to build a fuller sound.

Root City Band  [Soulful Pop & Swingin’ Bluesy Rock, every Wed!]

Gluek’s/ 10:00/ $5/ 21+

--One of the most fun dance floor-filled weekly shows in the Twin Cities for the last decade is back for the month of September. Talented lead singer, writer, and guitarist Alex Rossi has had other projects taking him around the country and over the ocean but he and the gang’s infectious, swinging blues-rock should be in fine form.

Nick (now on The Voice) and The Feelin at The Happy Gnome [every Wednesday]

The Happy Gnome upstairs, St Paul/ 8:00/ Free/ 21+

--Good piano-led rock, pop and soul music for free and just $4 for all MN craft beer pours. Nick made past Round 1 on The Voice!!

Molly Maher & Erik Koskinen  [Roots & Americana every Wednesday] 

Aster Café at Riverplace/ 9:00/ $4/ 21+

--The best night of local roots and Americana music in the Twin Cities each week. Superb musicianship.

--Thursday, Oct 4, 2012—

Joss Stone w/ Vintage Trouble [Great Soul-Rock Double-Bill!!]

O” Shaughnessy, St. Paul/ 8:00/ $54-57/ AA

--Stone, soul singer and songwriter extraordinaire, hasn’t missed a beat since her 2003 debut, “The Soul Sessions”, went multi-platinum. Her 2004 sophomore release, “Mind, Body & Soul”, also sold millions and garnered her three Grammy nominations including Best New Artist. This year she released a follow-up to her debut , “The Soul Sessions 2”, and she will be doing songs from throughout her career on this tour. Some of you may have seen Vintage Trouble rock the house opening for The Cranberries at  Brick this past spring. I can not urge you strong enough to get in on time to see their fresh take on revved-up Southern Soul, kind of like The Black Crowes backing James Brown!!

Lucy Michelle; Minnesota Zoo’s New “Live On Stage” Acoustic Series

MN Zoo’s Target Learning Ctr/ Enter at 6:00 for Exhibits, 7:30 show/ $25 / 18+

 --You’ll get a lot of bang for your $25. Doors open at 6:00 and you can stroll the Tropics Trail, check out the Tropical Reef exhibit and there is beer, wine, and light fare available for purchase. The show, in the new intimate Target Learning Center theater, begins with a 15 minute on-stage version of the Zoo’s famous Bird Encounter show and then, after all that, you still have a full show by one our better local folk-rock singer/songwriters Lucy Michelle.

Midnight River Choir  [Rootsy Texas Band w/ Great Harmonies]

Lee’s Liquor Lounge/ 9:30/ $10 / 21+

Owl City  [Top Forty Synth-Pop]

First Ave/ 7:30/ $25 / AA

 --Owatonna’s Adam Young exploded on to the scene nationwide in 2009 with his debut album, Ocean Eyes, and its monster hit “Fireflies”. He scored again this summer with the very fun pop hit “Good Time”, his duet with Carly Rae Jepson of “Call Me Maybe” fame.

The Butanes  [Vintage Soul and R&B, Every Thursday] 

Shaw’s, NE Mpls/ 8:30/ FREE/ 21+

--Great 60’s and 70’s soul music with some tasty blues and rock covers mixed in. Highly Danceable!