January 2024 Recap
January 2024 was quite a month!
All told it was a pretty epic 17 nights of music across 9 different venues, 7 in Minneapolis, 1 St. Paul, 1 in Hopkins (Tuttle’s) and 1 in Plymouth (Crown Plaza West/Hotel Minnesnowta).
Trent Romens Band @ Green Room 1.3.24
Trent Romens is a Minneapolis based blues guitarist with a dynamite backing band, featuring Kevin Dorsey on keys and both alto and tenor sax players. This was a fun Wednesday night residency at Uptown Minneapolis’ Green Room. The Green Room is one of the newer and cooler venues in town, with great sightlines on both the first and second levels.
Later that night I ventured from Uptown to Downtown for The Dylan Salfar Band, who also played every Wednesday night. This night Salfar and Co were joined by the marvelous Javier Trejo on guitar!
1.5 Demitri Rallis and Friends @ Gluek’s
featuring James Geisinger on bass, Brian Snowman Powers on sax and Derek Fagerwold on drums!
Partial setlist follows:
That's What Love Will Make You Do
West LA Fadeaway
Hey Pockey Way
When You Get Back
After Midnight
II
Dear Prudence
People Say
No Expectations
Lay Down Sally
Deal
Everything I Do Gon Be Funky
Mountain Jam
Trouble No More
Get Outta My Life Woman
1.6 Frogleg @ Bunker’s
Both Demitri and Timmy the Freak were celebrating birthdays, and the band was on fire!
1.7 Shotgun Ragtime Band @ Driftwood
With Brian Green on lead guitar, setlist went a lil something like this:
Althea
Railroad Blues w Dominic Brack on harp
Hey Valerie
Just A Little Light
Fever
New Speedway Boogie
II
China Cat
Rider
Wharf Rat
Drums
Space
The Wheel
Gimme Some Lovin'
One More Saturday Night
1.8 JAMUARY @ 7th Street Entry
feat. Dylan Salfar Band, Twine, and the Joe Barron Band. Three outstanding bands kicked off First Ave and 7th Street Entry’s exciting JAMUARY series in fine fashion.
1.11. Demitri and Friends @ Gluek’s
featuring Chad Whitaker on bass, Mark Munchie Collins on drums
Shakedown Street
Prince Caspian
Doctor Doctor
Walk on
Hey Pockey A-Way
West LA Fadeaway
China Cat Sunflower >
I know You Rider
1.13 About to Run @ Tuttle’s
Phish tribute, always well crafted setlists and outstanding musicianship from Art Hoffman, Art Begley, Ben Buckstein and Berek Awend!
Went a lil something like this:
AC DC Bag
Gumbo
Bouncing
MoMA
Back on the Train
PYITE
Roses Are Free>
Golden Age
Fast Enough For You
Divided Sky
Character Zero
II
Llama
Tweezer>
Birds of a Feather
Wolfmans
Bathtub Gin
Shine A Light
Harry Hood
Meatstick
Good Times Bad Times
Tweezer Repreise
Clip of the end of Harry Hood:
1.14 Shotgun Ragtime Band @ Driftwood
SRB Consecutive Sunday #656 855pm start Mike C on geet
MS Half Step>
Lazy River
TN Jed
El Paso
It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry
They Love Each Other
Black Throated Wind
I'll Take A Melody
Weather Report Suite
E:
US Blues
1.15 JAMUARY @ 7th Street Entry
featuring Dream of the Wild, Salty Dog and Buffalo Galaxy
The second Monday of this series brought us music lovers another smokin’ hot lineup of local jam adjacent acts during January’s bitter cold. Duluth’s Salty Dog are absolutely outstanding bringing a funk vibe to bounce and float along with surf and folk tendencies in this five piece band. Salty Dog continued their Monday night residency at Duluth’s Bent Paddle Brewery and made more trips to the Twin Cities than ever before in 2024.
Brothers Curly and Owen Jefferson, on guitar and drums respectively:
Buffalo Galaxy:
1.18 WE Collective @ 56 Brewing
in Northeast Minneapolis aka Nordeast featuring Will Effertz and Alex Gehlking on guitars, Jack Muhar on pedal steel, Joe Barron on bass and Izzy Cruz on percussion!
1.18 WE Collective @ Gluek’s
Then on to downtown for WE Collective at Gluek’s with Will E, Jon Miller, Brian Snowman Powers, Scott Yonke on bass and John Ross on drums.
1.19 -1.20 Hotel MinneSnowta @ Crown Plaza West
This was my second time attending MinneSnowta, and wow what a great gathering of talented people. We're lucky to have this scene in Minneapolis and beyond! Two days and nights completely contained in a Plymouth hotel in the dead of winter was a welcome break from the bitter cold outside.
Will Effertz and Snowman
kicked things off with an afternoon set in the Creekside Lounge.
Push and Turn
of Rochester played a great set of reggae tinged tunes featuring a saxophone and keytar.
Greg Koch featuring the Koch Marshall Trio
were dynamite, and played a scorching “Whipping Post”!
Artguy Chuck Hues
His amazing artwork of was prominently featured at Minnesnowta, as he was the artist in residence for the weekend:
Demitri Rallis’ Run For The Roses Jerry Garcia Band tribute
One of the highlights of the weekend was this occasional project featuring a great band led by Demitri with Snowman, Mark Joseph. Annie Frazier, and Annie Hicks. They did an outstanding set of JGB classics including:
Deal
Run for the Roses
Cats Under The Stars
Waiting For A Miracle
Get Outta My Life Woman
Night They Drove Dixie Down
After Midnight> Eleanor Rigby
TLEO
How Sweet it is
Dear Prudence
I Shall Be Released
Deal:
Werewolves of London:
Smokin’ Joe
played a solo set with a twirler and a circle dancer adding to the visuals.
Space Monkey Mafia
The high energy Minneapolis ska stalwarts were up next with their two saxophone and one trombone approach. I always enjoy their song Oligarchy (“we don’t live in a democracy, we’re living in an oligarchy!”) Too true.
My good buddies Nic and Brandon:
Nur-D
was another highlight of the weekend. He is a tremendous performer with a ton of positive and infectious energy!
A couple dudes playing tunes in the hallway:
Great set from Joe Dunn, Snowman, Kevin Dorsey, et al to close things out
One last cool Chuck Hues piece:
1.21 SRB @ Driftwood
UJB
Viola Lee Blues
And It Stoned Me w Terry Walsh
Mexicali Blues
Hey Pockey Way
Dear Prudence
Going Away Leaving Today
Samson and Delilah
UJB
Werewolves
Stir It Up
No Bread in a Bread box
Estimated Prophet>
Stella Blue
Lovelight
1.22 William Tyler & The Impossible Truth @ Turf Club
From Nashville, TN, and featuring Jack Lawrence of The Raconteurs and Dead Weather, this band was fun to see for the first time. William Tyler plays a mean, fuzzy psychedelic bluesy guitar.
1.24 Trent Romens Band @ Green Room
Back at it for another event in their residency
and again down the road to Bunker’s for
Dylan Salfar Band:
1.26 Devo Tribute and Wandering Eye (ween Tribute) @ Hook and Ladder Theatre
I’ve never been a huge Devo guy but have come to appreciate their punk ethos in recent years. They had the outfits down and everything so they were legit.
Wandering Eye is a supergroup of sorts dedicated to playing the music of those loveable weirdos, Ween. Featuring Al Sparhawk of Low and Marc Gartman of Too Many Banjos both on guitar and Tim Saxhaug of Trampled by Turtles on bass, they surprised with some of Ween’s less known songs
1.27 Kung Fu Hippies @ Tuttle’s
Brad Ray’s KFH hit a significant milestone recently - 25 year anniversary! A few of the tunes these hard working musicians played were:
Let the Good Times Roll
Easy to Love You
El Paso
Dire Wolf
Bird Song
1.28 SRB @ Driftwood
with Art Hoffman sitting in on keys, went something like this:
Cassidy
China Cat Sunflower>
I Know You Rider
II
Samson and Delilah
Playin in the Band>
Uncle John's Band
Drums>Space>
The Wheel
Round and Round
MS 1/2 Step>
Playin
US Blues
Sugaree
1.30 DJ Shadow @ First Ave
The legendary DJ has collaborated with countless people in the hip-hop space, and is known for his turntable skills and seamlessly working in samples, creating a danceable trip-hop groove. He spun a bunch of really cool stuff and played some percussion as well.
