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Local Music and Art

Singer Songwriter

Review – Dusty Heart at the Turf Club, 12/3

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Photo By Natalie Champa Jennings

by Derek Lynch

To warm up the crowd on a freezing Thursday night at the Turf Club in St. Paul, Joe Pug invited local super-duo Dusty Heart to play a set consisting of covers, originals, and pure Americana soul. Minnesota folk heroes Molly Dean and Barbara Jean quietly and confidently took the stage without introduction, plugged in, and tuned before the crowd realized anything was happening. Within seconds of their opener, “the River,” the audience was taken on a trip to Appalachia and the far North where music happens in circles around a jug of whiskey with family and close friends. The original song was reminiscent of the storytellers that define Americana music-I couldn’t help but be reminded of Gillian Welch’s light, rhythmic guitar and Alison Krauss’s ethereal voice. [Read more…] about Review – Dusty Heart at the Turf Club, 12/3

Review – Adam Levy – Naubinway Album Release, Cedar Cultural Center 11/8

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Photo By Eduardo A. Colon

by Derek Lynch

As Adam Levy’s six-person backing band took the stage last Saturday night and created a wall of sound that grew in intensity until it melded into the intro of “Eucatastrophe”, a slideshow of grotesque and surreal artwork was projected onto the wall behind them. This was to be a visual counterpart to the underlying focus of mental health and suicide awareness on Levy’s newest record, Naubinway. After the unimaginably tragic loss of his son Daniel to suicide in 2012, Levy managed to carry on by becoming a beacon of support and guidance for families experiencing similar tragedies. As stated by Bill Grey of People Incorporated earlier in the evening, Levy has helped countless others cope by speaking out with his own story, and by writing music to help us all connect with each other. Last night, Adam and friends treated the Cedar to the entirety of the record, all translated beautifully from studio to stage. [Read more…] about Review – Adam Levy – Naubinway Album Release, Cedar Cultural Center 11/8