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Lineup
Great Clips Stage
Featuring: DJ Shannon Blowtorch Jazz88 Stage Xcel Energy Singer / Songwriter Stage 20 Washington Plaza Stage Read More
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Day two of Taste of Minnesota on Nicollet Mall, in Minneapolis, took place at 11am on Sunday. Again, it was a nice day with some clouds but no threat of rain. With these outdoors events, the weather can put a damper on things, but it was nice and sunny for both days.
Unlike the first day, we now know the lay of the land and had a strategy of moving from stage to stage… and even stopping by the F1RST Wrestling ring, which we had no idea existed on Saturday. We had set times for all the bands, so we were ready to see as many bands as possible.
As usual, the big draw is the main stage, Great Clips Stage, which started its lineup with a very large cast of singers of Sounds of Blackness. This gospel/R&B, soul group goes back to 1969 by Russell Knighton at Macalester College in St. Paul, originally called the Macalester College Black Voices. When Gary Hines took over the ensemble in 1971, they officially changed their name to Sounds of Blackness.
They are an impressive collection with Cynthia Johnson (of Lipps Inc.) and Ann Nesby as the group’s most prominent alumni. Nesby will later resurface on Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis’ set, but more on that later.
Shannon Blowtorch kept the music flowing as she DJ between live sets.
Next up was Johnny Holm Band, a multi-generational band. They played some old songs like Elvis Presley’s “Don’t Be Cruel” to semi-current Jimmy Eat World’s “The Middle.” They were a really fun, energetic band, perfect for these outdoors event.
Of course, we were mostly there for Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. I was told that this was the first time they are officially appearing as a duo, but we previously saw them together in Jan 2018 when they curated the Super Bowl Live shows: “Shortly following, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (who curated the talent lineup for the series) reunited with their original band Flyte Tyme for a version of Lipps. Inc 1980 classic, ‘Funkytown’ featuring original vocalist Cynthia Johnson.”
Still, it’s a rare appearance for this legendary music producer and songwriters. Even if you didn’t know who Jam & Lewis are, you probably have danced and loved their songs, which included S.O.S.’ “Just Be Good to Me” or Cherrelle’ “Saturday Love” & “I Didn't Mean to Turn You On” or the Human League’s “Only Human” or Janet Jackson’s “What Have You Done For Me Lately.”
Since Jam & Lewis are the producers, they let others sing: Ruben Studdard, Ann Nesby, Jamecia Bennett, Shanice Wilson (she sang on all the Janet Jackson songs), and Lisa Keith. They played and medley in about 30 songs, and every one of those songs are pure gold hits!
Morris Day and the Time closed out the Taste of Minnesota. I’m not going to lie, it was tough for Day to follow up to the powerhouse set of Jam & Lewis (and it didn’t help that Morris Day was 20 minute fashionably late to his own show). Still, the crowd fondly remember Day and the Time as they do that uniform head turn and dance moves. The dance favorite “The Walk” was a crowd favorite.
Note, while doing research on Morris Day and the Time, according to Day, the Prince Estate prohibited Day from using “Morris Day and the Time.” I guess things worked out in the end, as Day recently appeared as part of Prince Celebration on June 22: “Along with Farrant, Morris Day played a too-short half-hour set backed by the current lineup of the New Power Generation, with the NPG (led by keyboardist / musical director Morris Hayes; original rapper Tony Mosely, guitarist Mike Scott and vocalist MacKenzie) playing their own headlining set, with guest appearances from Kip Blackshire and Rosie’s daughter, Latoya Gaines.”
At the Jazz88 Stage started with MacPhail’s First Ave Ensemble, followed by Aja Parham (pronounced “A-Ja”) a jazz singer started her set with “I Feel Pretty” from West Side Story, although she updated the lyrics to keep up with the time. It’s a different meaning back then when they sang “I feel pretty and gay”. She has a full band, and even her son joined her on stage.
Next up was Purple Funk Metropolis, who we saw in Jan 2024 as part of Flavor World’s event: “The music event was organized by Flavor World (a Minneapolis based creative brand, making art in many mediums, and dedicated to inspiring and empowering creatives) and local college radio station Radio K. They’ve gathered some local bands for the occasion, including Afrofusion band Ozone Creations, funk/jazz band Purple Funk Metropolis, creeping charlie, and Kwey.”
International Reggae All-Stars plays popular songs in the reggae style. For example, Bryan Adams’ “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You” and Guns N' Roses’ “Knockin' On Heaven's Door”, but laid back.
Finally Minneapolis String Project closed out the Jazz88 stage. If you like what you heard, they are playing the Icehouse in Minneapolis on July 22: “We’re pleased to announce our participation in the Monday night monthly series at the Icehouse in Minneapolis! July is being curated by our own David Feily! Come out July 22nd for a great night of music featuring Minneapolis String Project and Society of Chemists!”
On the far south at the Xcel Energy Singer / Songwriter Stage we have Scarlett Woods, followed by Scott Zosel influenced by artists such as Gram Parsons, Joe Henry, Jeff Tweedy, Patty Smith, Ryan Adams, Liz Phair, even John Lennon.
Steven Weeks-Johnson was fun, doing some 90s tunes like Sublime’s “What I Got” and Blind Melon’s “No Rain”. He even played Joe Walsh’s “Life's Been Good”.
Greg Volker & the River plays Alt-Country and roots music, followed by John Loo & the Breakers.
Joan of Profile closed out the stage. I am assuming the singer is named Joan and she’s from the land of Profile… They’re described as indie-pop, and I recognized their cover of The Cranberries’ “Linger.” The band’s latest single is called “Flowers.”
The 20 Washington Plaza Stage offers what seems like solo artists. Starting with Sam Cargill (with a debut album called Authentic Silver) and later joined in with Josh Cargill, which we’re speculating is related to Sam, either as older brother or father. We actually have no idea, they could also be unrelated and their last name is purely coincidental.
Cathie English is a folk singer/songwriter in Central Minnesota and Jamie Parker, aka “J”.
Vicki Dischler played some of her favorite songs. She played Paul Simon’s “Slip Slidin' Away” and then she asks, “how about some Rolling Stones?” and proceeded to play “19th Nervous Breakdown.”
The whole Taste of Minnesota event was very fun and although it was free, trust me, we ended up paying for all the food and drinks and enjoying the music. We’ll definitely return next year.
Apologies for the poor phone photos.
Unlike the first day, we now know the lay of the land and had a strategy of moving from stage to stage… and even stopping by the F1RST Wrestling ring, which we had no idea existed on Saturday. We had set times for all the bands, so we were ready to see as many bands as possible.
As usual, the big draw is the main stage, Great Clips Stage, which started its lineup with a very large cast of singers of Sounds of Blackness. This gospel/R&B, soul group goes back to 1969 by Russell Knighton at Macalester College in St. Paul, originally called the Macalester College Black Voices. When Gary Hines took over the ensemble in 1971, they officially changed their name to Sounds of Blackness.
They are an impressive collection with Cynthia Johnson (of Lipps Inc.) and Ann Nesby as the group’s most prominent alumni. Nesby will later resurface on Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis’ set, but more on that later.
Shannon Blowtorch kept the music flowing as she DJ between live sets.
Next up was Johnny Holm Band, a multi-generational band. They played some old songs like Elvis Presley’s “Don’t Be Cruel” to semi-current Jimmy Eat World’s “The Middle.” They were a really fun, energetic band, perfect for these outdoors event.
Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis at Super Bowl Live (26 Jan 2018)
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Still, it’s a rare appearance for this legendary music producer and songwriters. Even if you didn’t know who Jam & Lewis are, you probably have danced and loved their songs, which included S.O.S.’ “Just Be Good to Me” or Cherrelle’ “Saturday Love” & “I Didn't Mean to Turn You On” or the Human League’s “Only Human” or Janet Jackson’s “What Have You Done For Me Lately.”
Since Jam & Lewis are the producers, they let others sing: Ruben Studdard, Ann Nesby, Jamecia Bennett, Shanice Wilson (she sang on all the Janet Jackson songs), and Lisa Keith. They played and medley in about 30 songs, and every one of those songs are pure gold hits!
Morris Day and the Time closed out the Taste of Minnesota. I’m not going to lie, it was tough for Day to follow up to the powerhouse set of Jam & Lewis (and it didn’t help that Morris Day was 20 minute fashionably late to his own show). Still, the crowd fondly remember Day and the Time as they do that uniform head turn and dance moves. The dance favorite “The Walk” was a crowd favorite.
Morris Day at State Theatre (22 Jun 2024)
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At the Jazz88 Stage started with MacPhail’s First Ave Ensemble, followed by Aja Parham (pronounced “A-Ja”) a jazz singer started her set with “I Feel Pretty” from West Side Story, although she updated the lyrics to keep up with the time. It’s a different meaning back then when they sang “I feel pretty and gay”. She has a full band, and even her son joined her on stage.
Purple Funk Metropolis at Fine Line (06 Jan 2024)
|
International Reggae All-Stars plays popular songs in the reggae style. For example, Bryan Adams’ “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You” and Guns N' Roses’ “Knockin' On Heaven's Door”, but laid back.
|
Minneapolis String Project at the Icehouse (22 July 2024)
|
On the far south at the Xcel Energy Singer / Songwriter Stage we have Scarlett Woods, followed by Scott Zosel influenced by artists such as Gram Parsons, Joe Henry, Jeff Tweedy, Patty Smith, Ryan Adams, Liz Phair, even John Lennon.
Steven Weeks-Johnson was fun, doing some 90s tunes like Sublime’s “What I Got” and Blind Melon’s “No Rain”. He even played Joe Walsh’s “Life's Been Good”.
Greg Volker & the River plays Alt-Country and roots music, followed by John Loo & the Breakers.
Joan of Profile closed out the stage. I am assuming the singer is named Joan and she’s from the land of Profile… They’re described as indie-pop, and I recognized their cover of The Cranberries’ “Linger.” The band’s latest single is called “Flowers.”
The 20 Washington Plaza Stage offers what seems like solo artists. Starting with Sam Cargill (with a debut album called Authentic Silver) and later joined in with Josh Cargill, which we’re speculating is related to Sam, either as older brother or father. We actually have no idea, they could also be unrelated and their last name is purely coincidental.
Cathie English is a folk singer/songwriter in Central Minnesota and Jamie Parker, aka “J”.
Vicki Dischler played some of her favorite songs. She played Paul Simon’s “Slip Slidin' Away” and then she asks, “how about some Rolling Stones?” and proceeded to play “19th Nervous Breakdown.”
The whole Taste of Minnesota event was very fun and although it was free, trust me, we ended up paying for all the food and drinks and enjoying the music. We’ll definitely return next year.
Apologies for the poor phone photos.
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Morris Day and the Time at Taste of Minnesota (07 July 2024)
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