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Music

2018 Mississippi River Festival

The 14th Annual Mississippi River Festival is set for Friday, July 20 and Saturday, July 21 under the Rotary Tent the KAXE Studios.
 
Humbird will kick off our festival with eclectic folk music. Led by Siri Undlin (from Undlin & Wolfe) on vocals, the band has set themselves apart in the strong Americana scene in Minnesota as evolving and creative folksters. Their influences are wide-ranging, crediting Bjork, Bill Frisell and Aoife O’Donovan as inspirations. Undlin & Wolfe collaborator, Dexter Wolfe is also part of Humbird, as are Pat Keen & Peter Quirsfeld.
 
Wisconsin folk/bluegrass group and former Great Northern Radio Show performers, Them Coulee Boys, will take the stage after Humbird. The band recorded a new album at Pachyderm Studios with producer, Dave Simonett (Trampled by Turtles) that will be released later this year.
 
Friday will close with Crankshaft & The Gear Grinders, a band that everyone still talks about three years after their first appearance at the Mississippi River Festival. They’ll bring their blend of blues, rock and punk to the stage once again. Get ready to dance.
 
Saturday of the festival begins at 2pm with a full day of music, starting with roots-blues performer Kerri Powers. Out with a new album now, Starseeds, Powers exemplifies American music, channeling country, blues, roots, and rock. 
 
Y La Bamba is up next with their psychedelic Latin-inspired folk sounds that will display perfectly with the Mississippi River as a backdrop. Led by Luz Elena Mendoza, NPR Music said their last album, Ojos del Sol “establishes Mendoza as one of the most innovative and exciting young vocalists around.”
 
From New Orleans, Luke Winslow-King and his band are out with a new album, Blue Mesa, playing a blend of Mississippi delta blues, folk, traditional and vintage jazz, and roots rock and roll. King has collaborated with the likes of Dr. John, Little Freddy King, Washboard Chaz, has been featured on Nick Spizter’s American Routes, and appeared on notable stages such as Austin City Limits, New Orleans JazzFest, and next, the KAXE Rotary Tent!
Fun Fact: Luke Winslow-King worked as an extra in Bill Murray’s Groundhog Day as a child.
 
Closing out the festival is the Minnesota/Oakland Country All-Stars, starring Erik Koskinen and Actual Wolf. A collaboration planned specifically for the Mississippi River Festival, this band is sure to help us end the weekend on a high. 
 
Tickets available now! (click here)

The music director at KAXE since 2014, Kari (pronounced Car-ee) Hedlund reviews music on the daily. She also hosts New Music every Wednesday (2 and 10 p.m.) and Sunday (noon), along with the KAXE Morning Show on Thursdays.