Another week, another Oktoberfest celebration, plus a Sampaguita double dip and an early preview of one the best, and most slept on, festivals in Northern Minnesota.
The first of two Sampaguita shows is Amanda Standalone and Ted Hajnasiewicz playing Friday night in Aitkin at 7 p.m. Standalone is singer-songwriter and folk musician who draws from blues and old-time. Hajnasiewicz is a heartland rock and alt-country artist who leads the band Hebbajebba, and is one half of The International Treasures (more on the other half below).
On to Saturday, there is another Oktoberfest this weekend with two bands at Bemidji Brewing. First up, Bemidji Bogtrotters are playing at 2 p.m., an accordion and acoustic guitar duo of Jeff Anderson and Jay Forney. Then The Cropdusters are playing at 7 p.m., a Fargo-Moorhead band with psychedelic rock, jam and country sound.
Now back to Sampaguita (and major props to this venue, they are one of the few remaining in our region consistently booking interesting music with both local and touring artists), Doyle Turner and Paul Lawrence are playing Saturday night at 7 p.m. in Aitkin.
Turner, the other half of The International Treasures, is a White Earth singer-songwriter who plays jazzy folk and and rock in his solo shows. Lawrence is an Iron Range singer-songwriter who leans more into Americana, and worked with Ryan Young of Trampled By Turtles on his debut album, Taiwan Winter.
The 24th edition of Wussow's One Week Live is all next week in Duluth, and since the first half falls before our next Setlist, I'll preview it here briefly this week. Every year, Wussow's Concert Cafe in West Duluth hosts a week of music that leans toward the up-and-coming acts in the Twin Ports and Northeastern Minnesota music scene. In addition to the day of reward of experiencing live music, every year the performances are recorded and later released as a compilation live album. That series is one of the great archives of the local music scene.
Low, Charlie Parr, Annie Humphrey, Erik Koskinen, The Pines, Clearwater Hot Club, HALEY and Roma di Luna are just a small sampling of the names that have been featured over the years.
This year's festival runs Monday, Oct. 5, through Sunday, Oct. 11. Highlights include Cigarette Picnic on Monday, Old Love on Tuesday, the singer-songwriter competition Wednesday, Squid City Slingers on Thursday, The Leave Alones on Friday, Mahon Brothers on Saturday, and Charlotte and the Charlatans jazz brunch on Sunday. We'll dig in further on The Setlist next week.
Friday, Oct. 2
- Amanda Standalone, Ted Hajnasiewicz - 7 p.m., Sampaguita, Aitkin, $10 (suggested donation)
Saturday, Oct. 3
- Bemidji Bogtrotters, The Cropdusters - 2 & 7 p.m., Bemidji Brewing, Bemidji, free
- Doyle Turner, Paul Lawrence - 7 p.m., Sampaguita, Aitkin, $10 (suggested donation)
The weekly live music spotlight is made possible by the citizens of Minnesota through the Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.
