Get ready for an unforgettable day of live music at the first annual City Country Fest!
Get ready for an unforgettable day of live music at the first annual City Country Fest! Held at the iconic Palmer's bar (500 Cedar Ave, Minneapolis, MN) this one-day event is set to feature an impressive lineup of 10 bands, showcasing the best Country/Rock, and Americana acts that the Twin Cities has to offer. From 3pm to 10pm, the outdoor stage comes alive with performances from eight incredible bands, each bringing their own unique style and sound to the stage. As the night rolls in, the party will continue indoors, as three more amazing bands close out the night from 10pm to 1am. With a diverse range of sound, vibe and an unbeatable atmosphere, City Country Fest is the perfect way to spend a day soaking up the best in live music. Don't miss out on this epic event!
Outside Stage:
3:00 Goatroper
4:00 Clare Doyle
5:00 Phantom Fields
6:00 Molly Brandt
7:00 Redwing Blackbird
8:00 Little Fevers
9:00 Turn Turn Turn
IF WEATHER IS DUMB THE SHOW MOVES INDOORS.
Inside Stage (late night):
10:00 James Eugene Russle
11:00 The Right Here
12:00 Nato Coles and the Blue Diamond Band
TURN TURN TURN is a trio who bonded over their mutual love of close harmony 60s and 70s country, folk, and pop music and formed an original Americana band. To create their distinctive sound, the band “turns” to the distant past of early American recorded music, “turns” again to that renaissance of the 1960s and 1970s, and finally “turns” again to the present looking forward. Members Adam Levy (guitar, vocals), Savannah Smith (guitar, vocals) and Barb Brynstad (bass, vocals) are all mainstays of the Minnesota music scene and together craft an infectious, pop-infused Americana. Even though Turn Turn Turn was born as a cover band, the group's original material – sweetheart alt-country folk-pop – quickly stole the spotlight.
Turn, Turn Turn's Laurel Canyon meets 70's-Nashville-cosmic soul vibe is layered with three-part harmonies that stitch the band’s musical tapestry together. Brynstad, Smith, and Levy have distinct voices, and the combination – a “fourth voice” – is greater than the sum of its parts.
NATO COLES & THE BLUE DIAMOND BAND formed in 2010 on the west side of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Best described as a high energy rock’n’roll band, Nato and the Blue Diamond Band all come from a background of playing in various punk rock bands down over the years, and that mentality is present in the more straight-ahead driving style of music they play, with songs running the stylistic gamut from power-pop through garagey punk through Americana and rootsier material. Nato and the Blue Diamond Band have toured across the continent several times, and might be doing so at this very moment, depending on when one is reading this sentence. The current members of the band are Matt Engelstad (bass), Luke Lecheler (keyboards), Sam Beer (lead guitar), Mike Cranberry (drums), and Nato. The band has recorded and released a plethora of songs and records, most notably and recently the album Flyover, available on Don Giovanni Records (vinyl and digital) and Rum Bar Records (compact disc).
LITTLE FEVERS~Since 2015 Lucy Michelle and her band Little Fevers have been bringing their distinct flavor of infectious alt pop-rock to stages all over the country. They released their second full-length album “Strangers” in 2019 right before a world-wide pandemic interrupted their plans for world domination.
THE RIGHT HERE are a twangy rock ‘n roll band from Minneapolis. “Northern Town” is out now on Rum Bar Records and the "Reckless Kind" 7inch is out on I-94 Recordings! "Imagine some Replacements fans who get together and write songs inspired by Uncle Tupelo, Lucero, and Bruce Springsteen." - Loren, Scene Point Blank
REDWING BLACKBIRD features members of Pleasure Horse, Sparrowhawk, and the Union Suits, they reject the label "supergroup". Known for their original hit songs, such as Everybody Goes to Jail (sometimes), It's 11 AM (and I'm piss drunk again), and Is that Smell My Truck (or is it just this town?), some have already been calling them "America's Greatest Regional Country Band". Don't miss your chance to be a part of history.
JAMES EUGENE RUSSEL'S first release as a solo artist, ‘As/Is’ showcases a collection of four songs that suggest James has a much clearer head and a lot to get off his chest. They are four of the many songs that James picked and penned out while on the couch during the past ten years, and having no idea on how they would ever come to fruition. This past decade’s struggles have shaped James into the introspective and mature singer/songwriter that he is today, making songs that shine stripped down solo, as well as with a band. Drawing from the venerable classic country music genre as well as his own punk rock narrative, James Eugene Russell melds all of his life experience into a sound that he describes as “country midwestern”. ‘As/Is’ is a truthful, gut-wrenching journey through his last decade of change.
MOLLY BRANDT is a singer-songwriter and country artist from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Molly Brandt’s music continues the tradition of Americana music through classic-sounding, twangy, and nostalgic earworms alongside her more indie and alternative country tracks that allow for self-questioning and introspection. Molly Brandt’s band brings sounds of alt country and classic rock while presenting modern driving country rock hits, as well as tracks that present an enveloping and emotional harmony vocals. Timeless, simple, yet impactful storytelling and lyrics alike, Molly Brandt hones-in on a distinctly modern sound that draws influences from many eras and styles while being distinctly her own.
PHANTOM FIELDS~ Melding Americana rock with deep alt-country groove and twang, Phantom Fields diverse and tight sound will definitely get your foot-tapping (and/or boot-stomping)
CLARE DOYLE~ After years living in New Orleans, emerging singer and songwriter Clare Doyle has returned to her hometown of Saint Paul, Minnesota and taken the stage as a fresh Americana act. A lifelong singer, she began songwriting during quarantine and performing in early 2022. She draws on a range of influences to write candidly about loving, losing, hurting, and making a hot mess of things. Her debut singles are due out early 2023.
GOATROPER~ Abbey Janii & Mike Lee are both songwriters from South Dakota living in Minneapolis. Over the last few years, Abbey was fronting the rock band Julie Fur, while Mike was bouncing around playing his weirdo folk songs for anyone who would listen. After releasing their solo efforts “Prairie Roads” & “Pick Me Up Café,” they began work on a new project playing each other’s tunes. They’re spending the spring playing out and working in the studio as they prepare for a late summer tour of the Midwest. Their songs are influenced by a broad range of artists, and the result is twangy, folksy rock & roll out of the Heartland.
