Entertainment

/

ArcaMax

These musicians just can't quit Minnesota in the winter

Chris Riemenschneider, The Minnesota Star Tribune on

Published in Entertainment News

MINNEAPOLIS — The dead of winter will come alive again with residency gigs in Twin Cities music venues.

The Cactus Blossoms and Charlie Parr have announced returns of their popular, long-running January series at the Turf Club, which often sell out.

Parr will again perform every Sunday at the historic St. Paul watering hole, with tickets on sale Friday. Already on sale, the CBs’ shows return every Monday throughout the month. Each week in both series features different setlists and guests (listed below).

A more recent winter fixture, Lissie will resume her series at the Parkway Theater for the fourth January in a row. The Iowa folk-rocker of “When I’m Alone” radio fame (and “Loudermilk” Netflix TV rotation) is booked to play the south Minneapolis neighborhood theater every Saturday starting Jan. 9. She’s also throwing in a bonus Friday gig Jan. 29.

From her farm in northeast Iowa — upriver from her native Rock Island, Illinois — Lissie has adopted the Twin Cities as a home base of sorts for her music career, regularly employing members of Rogue Valley and other Twin Cities musicians for backers.

She usually mixes up her Parkway run to include a couple shows with a full band and others with more stripped-down configurations. Details of this year’s game plan were still being finalized when tickets went on sale Wednesday.

Parr and the Cactus Blossoms mostly have their January shows mapped out.

Among the guests slated to join Parr are Trampled by Turtles’ Dave Simonett, viral acoustic guitar instructor Tony Polecastro and Nashville songwriter Maisy Owen. The acoustic folk/blues maestro’s shows were announced a little later than usual to avoid spoiling his State Theatre gig in late October. It celebrated his new Smithsonian Folkways LP, “Rooming House.”

Country rock sibling harmonizers Jack Torrey and Page Burkum and their ever-Blossoming band have lined up Iron Range music mainstays Rich Mattson and Germaine Gemberling to open their Jan. 4 kickoff, followed by a batch of newcomers the rest of the month.

Explaining the appeal of these Turf Club residencies in our 2020 feature on the “warmest gigs in town” — each series is now into its second decade — the CBs’ bandleaders said they see them as a creative challenge and a safety precaution.

“Booking this gig sort of forces us to stay home and write songs, which is a good thing,” Torrey said.

Added Burkum: “When you live in Minnesota, just driving to a gig anywhere out of town in January can be dangerous.”

 

Here’s a rundown of the January runs.

Charlie Parr

Weekly: 7:30 p.m. Sundays in January, Turf Club, 1601 University Av. W., St. Paul, $30 (plus fees), axs.com.

Openers: Dave Simonett (Jan. 3) / Tony Polecastro (Jan. 10) / to be announced (Jan. 17) / the Spine Stealers (Jan. 24) / Maisy Owen (Jan. 31).

The Cactus Blossoms

Weekly: 7:30 p.m. Mondays in January, Turf Club, $32 (with fees), axs.com.

Openers: Rich Mattson & Germaine Gemberling (Jan. 4) / the New Old-Time Duo (Jan. 11) / Andrew Sa (Jan. 18) / Tommy Goodroad (Jan. 25).

Lissie

Weekly: 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, Jan. 9-31, plus Jan. 30, Parkway Theater, 4814 Chicago Av. S., Mpls., $39-$59, parkwaytheater.com.

Openers: To be announced.


©2026 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Visit startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

 

Comments

blog comments powered by Disqus