MedCity Music Map is sponsored by Thesis Beer Project
Though the weather may be icy, the music is bright and lively in the Med City this January and February. From Holst to Shania Twain, chamber music to jazz, Rochester is serving up a wide variety of tunes. Whether you’re looking for music over the lunch hour or for an after-party concert, in a jazz lounge or a brewery, here’s a map of where some of the Med City’s musical treats can be found.
Tuesday Tunes at Bull’s Bierhaus
DATE + TIME: Every Tuesday | 7 p.m.
LOCATION: Bull’s Bierhaus 130 Elton Hills Dr NW, Rochester, MN
TICKETS: Free
If you like your brews and food with a German flair and local music in the air, then the Tuesday night tunes at Bull’s Bierhaus are perfect for you. With neighborhood bar vibes and items like Spaetzle, hard German pretzels served warm with mustard, and a large beer selection, Bull’s will keep both your stomach and your ears happy. Check out their website for the most recent music updates, but be ready for local favorites like the twangy Luke Hendrickson, the island-inspired sounds of Sothea Lam, or the gut-wrenching songs of Amateur’s Christopher Tauzell. From indie rock to jazz, this spot offers a little of every musical genre. For a special treat, come out to hear Rochester’s favorite Groundhog-day act Pat Egan play his famous anti-Groundhog song, “I Will K*#! You Phil” on February 2nd.
4th Annual Winter Music Festival
DATE + TIME: Saturday January 24 | 2:00pm- 10:00pm
LOCATION: Eagles Club Rochester 917 15th Ave SE, Rochester, MN
TICKETS: $5 members | $10 nonmembers
With eight hours of live music from some rockin’ bands, The 4th Annual Winter Music Festival at the Rochester Eagles club is sure to get you fired up. The lineup includes The Danglers, Reunion Band, J-Mo on the Beat, and The Rockin’ Hep Cats. The bands will keep the party going all day long with everything from blues and classic rock to the bass slappin’ and hiney-shakin’ antics of rockabilly music. Sit back and buckle in for some good vibes, good music, and good company.
Rochester City Jazz Festival
DATE + TIME: Every Wednesday in February (Feb. 4, 11, 18, 25) | 6:00-8:00pm
LOCATION: Thesis Beer Project 1929 2nd St SW, Rochester, MN
TICKETS: Free will offering
If jazz gets your engine revvin’, pull up to Thesis Beer Project any Wednesday in February from 6- 8 p.m. Each night will feature some stellar jazz artists. Feb. 4th will present the swinging sounds of Rochester’s own Uptown Jazz. Feb. 11th will get funky with the horn-powered tunes, tasty originals, and funky standards from Snacklebox. Feb. 18th will feature the nimble-fingered Twin Cities-based guitarist Zacc Harris with his trio. Finally, Feb. 25th will close the festival with the soaring saxophone sounds of the Winona-based Aaron Lohmeyer trio. This month full of jazz will be the perfect prescription to keep the winter blues away.
Rochester Music Guild’s Listen and Learn: Violinist Rachel Graves and Pianist Curtis Baum
DATE + TIME: Friday February 13 | 12:00pm
LOCATION: Christ United Methodist Church 400 5th Ave SW, Rochester, MN
TICKETS: Free
Get ready for a lunch break concert that leaves you knowing more in the afternoon than you did in the morning. The Rochester Music Guild’s Listen and Learn concerts always include an educational element that is both entertaining and edifying. Make Friday the 13th your lucky day and take in the chamber music concert performed by Rachel Graves on violin and Curtis Baum on piano.
Social-ICE Afterparty Concerts: Shania Twain Tribute Night and Sophia Eris
DATE + TIME: Friday Feb 6 and Saturday Feb 7 | 9:00pm
LOCATION: Historic Chateau Theatre 15 1st St SW, Rochester, MN
TICKETS: $15
Ready to get down after Social-ICE? You are in luck, because My Town My Music, Threshold Arts, and Northern Sun Productions are putting on TWO after party concerts at the Historic Chateau Theatre. On February 6th, A Little Too Short to be Stormtroopers will back Twin Cities singers Jillian Rae and Faith Boblett for a night of Shania Twain favorites. “Man, if you feel like a woman,” this is “still the one” for you. On February 7th, Sophia Eris will take the Chateau stage. Eris has worked with everyone from Prince to Lizzo and launched groups like GRRRL PRTY. Who’s got the boom? Eris is ready to answer that important question.
Sky Full of Sound: a concert by the Rochester Symphony
DATE + TIME: Satuday February 21 | 7:30pm
LOCATION: Mayo Civic Center Presentation Hall 30 Civic Center Dr SE, Rochester, MN
TICKETS: $45
What does the music of the universe sound like? The Rochester Symphony answers with a sweeping performance incorporating the sights and sounds of our universe with a video presentation accompanying the music that explores outer space. The concert will present Holst’s “The Planets,” Dvořák’s “Silent Woods” featuring the symphony’s primary cellist, Rachel Bottner, and also a work composed by Rochester native Marko Bajzer entitled “Sky Tinted Water.” Bajzer’s composition will be performed to honor the 50th anniversary of the Voyageurs National Park. The concert will transport listeners from their Minnesotan landscape out into the solar system and back again with an out-of-this-world performance by our local symphony.
Ben Gateno at 1928 Cocktails and Bites
DATE + TIME: Friday February 27 | 7:30- 10:30pm
LOCATION: 1928 Cocktails and Bites 216 1st Ave SW UPPER LEVEL, Rochester, MN
TICKETS: Free
Soak up the ambience of a 1920’s era Korean jazz lounge in the heart of Rochester’s downtown. Try one of their incredible craft cocktails like the Dragon’s Kiss or the Geisha Promise while chilling out with some intimate local music. 1928 Cocktails and Bites presents music every Friday from 7:30-10:30 p.m., but the acoustic guitar stylings of Ben Gateno will be a special treat on February 27th. Gateno performs everything from Spanish classical guitar to country blues and ragtime. His flexibility, polish, and understatement will keep any audience wanting more.
