MedCity Music Map is sponsored by Thesis Beer Project
Spring has sprung and MedCity music is starting to thrum. As the weather heats up, the local music scene is keeping pace. Between now and July, Rochester music will keep your dance moves knee-high with everything from a Brazillian recorder and Cuban guitar duo to a Cars and Guitars event featuring music and a car show at Thesis Beer Project. Here are just a few of the incredible music events in the Rochester area over the next few months.
THESIS BEER PROJECT - LIVE MUSIC
She’s All That
Date: Friday, June 13
Location: Thesis Beer Project | 1929 2nd St. SW Rochester
Tickets: FREE
Remember Y2K? If you give a listen to the band She’s All That, all the dangerous musical memories will come flooding back. The cover band features early-2000’s themed party songs, occasionally dipping back into the late 90s. The band describes itself as “your new favorite girls’ girl cover band.” They are also the perfect band to listen to while hoisting a Thesis Beer Project brew.
The band, launched in 2024, is fronted by rocker Faith Boblett who never pulls her musical punches. You might have caught her duo set at Café Steam during The Rochester Thaw Music Festival this past March. The band also includes Jesse River, Jourdan Myers, Kai Brewster, Seth Duin, and Tim King.
She’s All That is a femme-fronted cover band that is bringing the Y2K party to Thesis Beer Project. The band is hoping its audience will sport their butterfly clips and other early 2000’s “giddup.” Be ready to let it loose with these energizing rockers as they play everything from Shania Twain to No Doubt and relive all the nostalgia with you.
Cars and Guitars with Lighter Co. and Hair of the Dog
Date: Saturday, July 5
Time: Music starts at 3:00 pm
Location: Thesis Beer Project 1929 2nd Street SW Rochester, MN
After an afternoon car show at Thesis Beer Project, several heavy-hitting bands will start music at 3 p.m. as part of Thesis Beer Project’s Cars and Guitars event. The music will include Rochester favorites Hair of The Dog with their heavy-handed and sweat-guzzling rock and roll.
Hair of the Dog claims their music is “highly recommended for people who enjoy booze with their breakfast,” so they should be the perfect fit for all the tasty brews at Thesis Beer Project. The band’s music is influenced by the likes of The Replacements, Tom Waits, and The Rolling Stones.
Hair of the Dog will be joined by Lighter Co. a Minneapolis-based band that formed in 2019. You can be certain that this “genre-fluid” band will sound as good as the suits and white Stetsons worn by band members. Their music will cover sonic ground in leaps and bounds of booted feet.
MORE MEDCITY LIVE MUSIC
Eleanor Sievers “Shapeshifting” EP Release with Becky Schlegel
Date: Thursday, May 1
Doors: 5:00 pm
Location: Historic Chateau Theatre
Tickets: FREE
Eleanor Sievers will celebrate the release of her sophomore EP “Shapeshifting” with a free concert at the Historic Chateau Theatre from 5-8 p.m. on Thursday, May 1st. The family-friendly event will also include music from award-winning folk singer-songwriter Becky Schlegel.
Sievers has performed at regional festivals like the Rochester Thaw Music festival, Midwest Music Fest, and the Minnesota Original Music Festival. Her original music has been played on MPR, and her first self-titled EP was released in 2024.
The haunting and beautiful folk and country-inspired songs of Becky Schlegel will launch the night from 5-6 p.m. and Sievers will perform from 6:30-8 p.m. Brand new exclusive merchandise will be for sale, as well as snacks and craft mocktails offered by Threshold Arts and Dry Run Mocktails.
Treedome Presents: Charlie Parr at the Historic Chateau Theatre
Date: Saturday, May 3
Location: Historic Chateau Theatre
Doors: 6:00 pm
Tickets:
Catch the iconic music of Charlie Parr in one of Rochester’s most beautiful theaters. His music will be presented by the local music promoters at Rochester’s Treedome in the Historic Chateau Theatre on May 3rd. Parr is a Minnesotan-born guitarist who brings conviction and an earnest drive to his music. His songwriting and interpretation of original music showcase the ethos of a true folk troubadour. He’s released more than 19 albums over several decades and his music is inspired by the likes of Lead Belly and Woody Guthrie.
Parr sees his music as continuing the blues and folk tradition that has created the foundation on which he stands. Parr isn’t afraid to take his music on the road and has at times played more than 275 shows a year sometimes, cooking his dinner on the car engine of the car that might possibly become his bed for the night. Despite his humble aesthetic, he’s graced some big stages.
Parr will be joined by Kiernan. Led by Minneapolis-based musician Laura Kiernan, Kiernan draws inspiration from performers like Waxahatchee and John Prine. The indie-rock and alt-country sound of Kiernan will set the stage perfectly for a night of music rooted in the traditional.
Cléa Galhano and Rene Izquierdo
Date: Friday May 9
Time: Noon- 1:00 pm
Location: Zumbro Lutheran Church | 624 3rd Ave SW Rochester
Tickets: FREE
The Rochester Music Guild provides a series of free concerts called Listen and Learn, happening monthly October through May with the exception of December. The hour-long concerts take place over the noon hour on Fridays and feature high-quality “art music.”
On Friday, May 9th, Ben Gateno, the concert Coordinator for the Listen and Learn series is excited to present a guitar and recorder duo featuring Cléa Galhano and Rene Izquierdo. The performance will feature Galhano playing baroque and Brazilian recorder and Izquierdo playing Cuban guitar. Gateno describes Izquierdo as a “world-class virtuoso” on guitar. “I am floored that we will be having Rene Izquierdo perform,” says Gateno, The concert is free and open to the public.
Check out some video of the recorder guitar duo. Their music is simultaneously intense and intimate with Izquerdo’s sizzling Cuban guitar and Galahano’s soaring Brazillian recorder. The duo have played extensively on an international circuit and even performed together at Carnegie Hall in December of 2013.
FORWARD Park Concerts: Wild Horses with Tennessee Stiffs
Date: Wednesday, June 4
Time: 5:30- 8:00 pm
Location: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park 1738 E Center St, Rochester
Tickets: FREE
Rochester Public Music’s FORWARD Park Concerts launch June 4th with Wild Horses and the Tennessee Stiffs. The concert series happens Wednesday nights in June and August in different parks in Rochester’s various wards.
The free and family-friendly concerts present local openers and regional headliners. They are held in walkable, pet-friendly, and bike trail-connected parks placed within each city ward. Keep your eyes open for local food trucks, the Rochester Public Library’s Bookmobile, and the Rochester Parks & Rec’s Go! Play! Explore! Mobile Rec Trailer.
Besides the Wild Horses and Tennessee Stiffs on June 4th, the series will include the following concerts:
June 11, 2025 – Cascade Park (Ward 2) Clay Fulton & The Lost Forty w/ Poppa Bear Norton
June 18, 2025 – Allendale Park (Ward 6) – Beth Bombara w/Becky Schlegel
August 13, 2025 – John Withers Sports Complex (Ward 1) – Avey Grouws Band w/Jake LaBotz
August 20, 2025 – White Oaks (Ward 3) Nathan Graham w/Mark Joseph and the American Soul
August 27, 2025 – Cook Park (Ward 5) Space Monkey Mafia w/ The Reach Outs.
