Rock the Garden 2014: Spotlight on Valerie June and Spoon

Rock the Garden 2014 photo credit: thecurrent.org Read More Rock the Garden We had the best time at this year's Rock the Garden 2013, so we're very excited to announce that next year's Rock the Garden will extend over two dates: June 21st and 22nd! … Spoon My friend, Robin, told me that Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga was the "best album of the year". That was in 2007. Of course, with a recommendation like that …

Minneapolis’ annual summer music festival Rock the Garden used to be a single Saturday in June, featuring four to five bands as well as tons of local food and drink vendors to satisfy hungry concertgoers. This year the Walker Arts Center-organized event will be stretching luxuriously over an entire weekend, June 21st and 22nd. Since 2008, 89.3 The Current has been sponsoring Rock the Garden and unveiling the line-up each year on air has become a highly anticipated thing for many music fans. It’s hard to be disappointed with the great and varied roster they’ve got planned for 2014...

Kicking off Rock the Garden Sunday afternoon will be Dan Auerbach-approved singer / songwriter Valerie June, who has been mesmerizing people with her vibrant, soulful brand of folk blues music since she was a teenager.

Pushin' Against A Stone Sunday Best

The Tennessee-bred musician started out as half of duo Bella Sun, singing with her then-husband. Her style evolved post-Bella Sun as something she has described as “organic moonshine roots music,” a groove-heavy combination of Appalachian folk, blues and gospel. After playing around Memphis, recording with Old Crow Medicine Show and Meshell Ndegeocello and releasing three self-released records, June moved to Brooklyn. It was there that she was introduced to Black Key’s singer and guitarist, Auerbach, who produced her fourth record Pushin’ Against the Stone. Since then, June has been on the receiving end of some severe praise by everyone from Mojo to Rolling Stone. Recently, June rocked the Cedar Cultural Center in August AND December.

Transference Merge Records

Headlining that evening will be none other than Spoon, the Austin, Texas quartet made up of singer/guitarist Britt Daniel, Jim Eno on drums, bassist Rob Pope and guitarist/keyboardist Eric Harvey. Spoon has long been hailed an indie-rock institution, releasing a string of excellent, critically acclaimed albums over the past decade starting with 2001’s Girls Can Tell and ending with 2010’s Transference.

Marrying the fuzzy beauty of the Pixies and the careful pop darkness of the Fall, Spoon create the kind of angular hooks that will make your head spin and your body move. Spoon has been on hiatus up until recently as Daniel has been making beautiful music with side project Divine Fits, featuring members of New Bomb Turks and Wolf Parade. Lately, the band has been teasing fans with pictures of the recording process on Instagram, so it seems like the band will be releasing their eighth studio album this year. Hopefully, they’ll debut a new song or two amidst the shower of rock gems they’re sure to unleash on fans that night.

Rock the Garden 2014 schedule is as follows:

Saturday, June 21 3:00 pm – Gates open 3:45 – 4:15 pm– TBA 4:30 – 5:25 pm – Jeremy Messersmith 5:55 – 6:50 pm – Best Coast 7:20 – 8:20 pm – Matt and Kim 8:50 – 10 pm – De La Soul 10 pm – Music ends 10:30 pm – Gates close

Sunday, June 22 3:00 pm – Gates open 3:45 – 4:15 pm Valerie June 4:30 – 5:20 pm – Kurt Vile and the Violators 5:50 – 6:45 pm – Dessa 7:15 – 8:15 pm – Guided by Voices 8:45 – 10 pm – Spoon 10 pm – Music ends 10:30 pm – Gates close

emily () ♥ weheartmusic.com