Charlie Parr
June 19 at 7pm
An easily confused and very shy individual, Charlie Parr has been traveling around singing his songs ever since leaving Austin Minnesota in the 1980’s in search of Spider John Koerner, whom he found about 100 miles north at the Viking Bar one Sunday night. The experience changed his life, made him more or less unemployable, and brings us to now: 13 recordings, 250 shows a year or more, 200,000 miles on a well broke in Kia, and a nasty fear of heights. Resonator fueled folk songs from Duluth Minnesota.
The Pines
July 7 at 7pm
With a sound that wavers on the edge of traditional acoustic/roots music, but embraces the nuances of today’s indie-rock and blues music, The Pines are creating a niche for themselves in the acoustic music scene. The Pines have taken their music across the country, appearing on stage next to the likes of Bon Iver, The Holmes Brothers, Jolie Holland, The Arcade Fire, and Spider John Koerner.
Brian McKnight
July 24 at 7pm
July 24 at 9pm
July 25 at 7pm
July 25 at 9pm
Singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Brian McKnight is one of the most lauded entertainers in contemporary music. Along with a record 16 Grammy nominations, he has sold over 20 million albums, and has receivedAmerican Music Awards, Soul Train Awards, NAACP Image and Blockbuster Awards, and Billboard Songwriter of The Year. He has worked in just about every medium – be it music, film, television or theater.
Davina and the Vagabonds
July 29 at 7pm
July 29 at 9pm
July 30 at 7pm
July 30 at 9pm
Since exploding onto the scene in 2005, Davina and the Vagabonds have grown from a down-and-dirty blues band into one of the most exciting acoustic ensembles on the international stage. This high-energy quintet has established itself with a stellar live show, a professional look, and good old-fashioned hard work. They used to average over 300 shows a year in the Mpls/St. Paul area, and now have an ambitious full-time U.S. and international schedule. In recent years they have performed in 41 states, 2 Canadian provinces and 10 European countries.
Carrie Rodriguez
August 11 at 7pm
Carrie Rodriguez is one of the most acclaimed Americana singer-songwriters to emerge in recent years. From her early work at the Berklee College of Music and her acclaimed duo records with Chip Taylor to her guest work with artists like John Mayer and Jeff Bridges, Carrie is a rising star in the Americana world.
Rodriguez is renowned as a violinist, not only accompanying songwriting luminaries such as Lucinda Williams and John Prine, but also touring internationally with esteemed guitarist/composer Bill Frisell, who calls on her to play everything from surf rock to adventurous composed music to spontaneously improvisational jazz. A native of Austin, Texas, Rodriguez is often pegged as a country singer, yet she also sings in fluent Spanish, and is currently working on an album featuring classic Ranchera songs from the Mexican songbook.
John Mayall
October 2 at 7pm
Known for creating and leading the Bluesbreakers, Mayall helped to discover the musical talents of Eric Clapton (before his prime in ‘65), John Weider, Peter Green and Mick Fleetwood (Fleetwood Mac), Mick Taylor (Rolling Stones) and Coco Montoya. His fifty-year career has brought us some of the best rock and blues known to man. Having undergone some line-up changes in ’09, Mayall’s current touring band includes his latest guitar discovery from Texas, Rocky Athas. Rounding it out, he’s got a hard-hitting blues rhythm section from Chicago — Greg Rzab on bass and Jay Davenport on drums — and, of course, Mayall killing it on keys, organ, harmonica, guitar and vocals.
McCoy Tyner Quartet w/ Gary Bartz
October 20 at 7pm
October 20 at 9pm
October 21 at 7pm
October 21 at 9pm
McCoy Tyner is one of the legendary figures in modern jazz. Tyner’s 1988 appearance at The Dakota was a significant moment for the club, and his return engagements have been no less magical. His blues-based piano style has become one of the most identifiable sounds in improvised music. His harmonic contributions and dramatic rhythmic devices form the vocabulary of a majority of jazz pianists, and his sound and storied career have changed the face of jazz. Now in his seventh decade, he is making some of the most exciting music of his storied career.
Bryan Culbertson
November 11 at 7pm
November 11 at 9pm
Brian Culbertson is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist, writer and producer who crosses genres between contemporary jazz, R&B, and funk. Heralding from the musically rich city of Chicago, he began his musical studies at the early age of 8 on piano and quickly picked up several other instruments by age 12 including drums, trombone, bass, & euphonium. Inspired by the great R&B/Jazz/Pop artists of the 70’s like EWF, Tower of Power, Chicago, David Sanborn, and others, Brian Culbertson started composing original music for his 7th grade piano recital and hasn’t stopped having self-produced 16 solo albums, most of which have topped the Billboard Contemporary Jazz charts.