Minnesota State Mankato Department of Music Announces Fall 2021 Performance Series Events
Minnesota State University, Mankato Department of Music Press Release
MANKATO, Minn. – The Minnesota State University, Mankato Department of Music & Entertainment Industries has announced its fall schedule of concert events. Concerts over the course of the fall semester include Performance Series shows, a faculty piano recital and seven student ensemble concerts.
Events are made possible in part by a grant from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund, as appropriated by the Minnesota State legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on Nov. 4, 2008. Additional funding is provided by Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council, the Nadine B. Andreas Endowment and KMSU The Maverick.
The Performance Series professional artist series offers a wide range of music featuring regional, national and internationally recognized artists. Visiting artists also provide master classes, clinics and workshops benefitting the university student community and Mankato area residents.
Fall semester artist and concerts highlights:
Tuesday, Sept. 21: An evening featuring two of Minnesota’s elite songwriters, Erik Koskinen and Molly Maher. Erik Koskinen has been residing in Minnesota for the past 13 years playing, recording and producing music full-time. American Roots says, “Erik is very much his own man stylistically. Sub genres are no use at all in describing Erik's music. Perhaps a new genre is more appropriate.”
Molly Maher writes with compelling depth and soul. Her cutting lyrics draws from the deep roots of Americana music. Louie Perez of Los Lobo writes, "Molly Maher combines simplicity and heartfelt melody and creates something that is equally haunting and hypnotic. I can't stop listening to her music.”
Monday, October 4: A Love Electric is comprised of three musicians from different nationalities, critically acclaimed and born out of Mexico City’s music scene. The group has toured the world creating music on their own terms, performing over a thousand shows on four continents. Critics describe A Love Electric’s sound as power psych, punk jazz, and freak rock.
Tuesday, Oct. 12: David Huckfelt with Jeremy Ylvisasker and JT Bates. David Huckfelt (formerly of The Pines) is a midwestern folksinger who has been involved in the increasingly desperate fight to stop the construction of the Enbridge Line 3 Project, a tar-sands pipeline that would cut across Minnesota. His new single, “Book of Life,” is dedicated to “the Indigenous water protectors standing up and speaking out for Mother Earth.” His single serves as a bold environmental battle cry with its overarching theme of perseverance and preservation.
Saturday, Oct. 23: Erik Koskinen Band (performance at Hooligans). Koskinen taps his experiences and adventures of traveling coast-to-coast in support of his latest album, "Burning the Deal."
City Mouse, appreciated in the region for almost 50 years, opens the show at Hooligans.
Tuesday, Oct. 26: Good Morning Bedlam has become an innovative force in the Midwest folk scene. Their shows are known for their contagious energy. With tight soaring three-part harmonies, Good Morning Bedlam captivates their audience night after night. Every song is a unique twist on what is generally dubbed as folk music. In June of 2019, Good Morning Bedlam ended their first full touring year of two-hundred-plus shows by winning first place at the John Hartford Memorial Festival Band Competition.
Friday, Oct. 29: Caravan du Nord Showcase featuring Twins of Franklin, Freaque, and Mayda. The Caravan du Nord is a traveling showcase of Minnesota music, bringing emerging bands, top regional acts, and music industry professionals to Mankato for a day of workshops, networking and performances. The Caravan du Nord is an ongoing project of the Minnesota Music Coalition, a statewide network for independent musicians who care about creating and sustaining a vibrant popular music community through education, communication, and advocacy.
Saturday, Nov. 13: The Jimmys (performance at Hooligans). The Jimmys are a festival favorite in the upper Midwest and Canada, fronted by deft singer-keyboardist Jimmy Voegeli. The Jimmys run the stylistic gamut—jump blues, shuffles, boogies, golden-era R&B, even New Orleans traditional jazz. The Wisconsin Area Music Awards have recognized and honored The Jimmys with over 20 WAMI awards including Blues Artist of the year, Blues Song of the Year, Bassist of the Year, Brass Player of the Year, and Keyboardist of the Year.
Opening the show will be the "Big Band" version of Bad Liquor Management. This all-star group, The Enablers, only comes together under specific circumstances. The band is led by singer/ songwriter Kit Kildahl (guitar, harmonica) and Josh Gravelin (bass, high harmony vocals). The group features an All-Star collection of Minnesota musicians that have played with an impressive list of national heavy hitters and household names. Group members have appeared on many television late night shows including the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and Jimmy Kimmel Live! The Enablers lineup includes four Minnesota Music Hall of Famers.
Sunday, Nov. 14: Charlie Parr. Charlie Parr is an incorruptible outsider who writes novelistic, multi-layered stories. Parr has released 14 studio albums and tours the globe performing at legendary venues like Newport Folk Festival, The Kennedy Center, The Troubadour, and the Bowery Ballroom. But he hasn’t moved to LA or Nashville; he still calls the cold grey north of Minnesota his home.
In addition to Performance Series concerts, David Viscoli and Daniel Rieppel will perform a two-piano recital on Sunday, Nov. 21 at 3 p.m. The Department will offer a number of student ensemble performances, including the Concert Choir, Aaron Humble, conductor; Concert Wind Ensemble, Amy Roisum Foley, conductor; the Jazz Mavericks Big Band, Douglas Snapp, conductor; the Contemporary Vocal Ensemble, Stephanie Thorpe and Doug Snapp, directors; and the University Percussion ensemble directed by Michael Thursby.
For more ticketing information, visit www.mnsu.edu/music or call the Performance Series office, 507-389-5549.
