It's a jam-packed weekend of live music around the area. While it may seem impossible to have too many local concerts, there were so many to feature on one Setlist so I recorded two this week. All eight upcoming music events are featured here.
First up this Friday, the duo Sawtooth Witch are playing at Sampaguita in Aitkin at 7 p.m. Pat “Doc” Dougherty and Haley Fleming blend acoustic fingerstyle, fiddle and folk music with electronic dance beats, heard on their upcoming EP, The Chariot.
In Duluth, Minnesota jazz and blues legend Cornbread Harris is coming to the Sacred Heart Music Center at 7 p.m. Harris began playing music in Minnesota back in the '50s with the Augie Garcia Quintet, and has remained a vital part of the music scene to this day with his humor and joy-filled piano blues ballads.
Also Friday, Monroe Crossing are playing the Chalberg Theater at Central Lakes College in Brainerd, 7 p.m. Blending traditional and gospel bluegrass in the style of their namesake Bill Monroe, the 5-piece band is celebrating 25 years this year as a band.
The final show for Friday is Davina Sowers of Davina and the Vagabonds in Nisswa at the Journey Church. Billed as a solo show for the Vagabonds leader, she will have bass and trumpet accompaniment on her original tunes and deep repertoire of vintage jazz and blues music. The show is the first of the Grassroots Concert Series' spring lineup. Tune in to KAXE at 1 p.m. Friday afternoon for an early preview of the show when Davina stops by for an interview and live session.
On Saturday, folk singer-songwriter and acoustic guitar shredder Severio Mancieri is playing at the Cana Wine Bar in Crosby. The Duluth-based folk musician has released two albums so far, one in 2020 and in 2023.
There is a punk rock show at Sundown Records in Bemidji starting at 6 p.m. Headlining the show are sci-fi-inspired Minneapolis punk band Slime Monsters from Outer Space, plus local gutter punks Rotten Sardines and ¡RADICAL FUN TIME!
Over in Grand Rapids and also at 6 p.m. Saturday, Lonesome Dan Kase is playing Rapids Brewing. A retro blues and folk troubadour, Lonesome Dan plays a rolling country blues style inspired by artists like Reverend Gary Davis and Robert Johnson, and he can boogie with the best of them.
Wrapping up the Setlist with Doyle Turner and Amanda B. Perry at Sampaguita in Aitkin, 7 p.m. Saturday. The pair are regular collaborators and they released a cover of Bruce Springsteen's “Dancing In the Dark” last year. Turner is a White Earth folk and country singer-songwriter and Perry is a powerful voiced pop and Americana singer.
Friday, March 27
- Sawtooth Witch - 7 p.m., Sampaguita, Aitkin, free
- Cornbread Harris - 7 p.m., Sacred Heart Music Center, Duluth, $20 (advance), $25 (door)
- Monroe Crossing - 7 p.m., Chalberg Theater, Brainerd, $31 (adult), $16 (under 18)
- Davina Sowers - 7 p.m., Journey Church, Nisswa, $15 (adult), $5 (under 12)
Saturday, March 28
- Severio Mancieri - 6 p.m., Cana Wine Bar, Crosby, free
- Slime Monsters From Outer Space, Rotten Sardines, ¡RADICAL FUN TIME! - 6 p.m., Sundown Records, Bemidji, free
- Lonesome Dan Kase - 6 p.m., Rapids Brewing Co., Grand Rapids, free
- Doyle Turner and Amanda B. Perry - 7 p.m., Sampaguita, Aitkin, free
Events this week include local history talks in Hibbing and Bemidji, plus play auditions in Bigfork.
The weekly live music spotlight is made possible by the citizens of Minnesota through the Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.
