Mavis Staples w/ Mike Munson
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Mavis Staples w/ Mike Munson & Mikkel Beckmen | July 24 @ 7 PM | 2022 Think Bank Down by the Riverside FREE Concerts in Mayo Park-#RochMN | 30th Anniversary Season | Week #3 - R&B Night | Presented by Rochester Civic Music | Sponsored by Think Bank & The Current | rochestermn.gov/civicmusic | #DownbytheRiverside30
Mavis Staples (Headliner) - Hailed by NPR as “one of America’s defining voices of freedom and peace,” Staples is the kind of once-in-a-generation artist whose impact on music and culture would be difficult to overstate. She’s both a Blues and a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer; a civil rights icon; a GRAMMY Award-winner; a chart-topping soul/gospel/R&B pioneer; a National Arts Awards Lifetime Achievement recipient; and a Kennedy Center honoree. She marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., performed at John F. Kennedy’s inauguration, and sang in Barack Obama’s White House. She’s collaborated with everyone from Prince and Bob Dylan to Arcade Fire and Hozier, blown away countless festivalgoers from Newport Folk and Glastonbury to Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo, performed with The Band at The Last Waltz, and graced the airwaves on Fallon, Colbert, Ellen, Austin City Limits, Jools Holland, the GRAMMYs, and more. - https://mavisstaples.com/
Mike Munson with Mikkel Beckmen (Opening Act) - Having established himself as an adept slide guitar player, Mike Munson is steeped in the country blues tradition. His original works weave together dark lyrics, impossibly fast-paced finger-picking and grinding rhythms. His sound marks the similarities and highlights the distance between Fred McDowell, Leo Kottke and Chuck Berry.
The Midwest is home but the Mississippi Delta has been his training ground. With his fourth release, Rose Hill (2018) Munson traced the blues tradition to its birthplace, recording at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Mississippi on the Blue Front Record label. Studying under and performing alongside the Grammy nominee Jimmy “Duck” Holmes has informed Munson’s style and refined his craft. Blues is the backbone of Munson’s songwriting as it is the origin story of all American music. - http://www.mikemunson.net/
The Midwest is home but the Mississippi Delta has been his training ground. With his fourth release, Rose Hill (2018) Munson traced the blues tradition to its birthplace, recording at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Mississippi on the Blue Front Record label. Studying under and performing alongside the Grammy nominee Jimmy “Duck” Holmes has informed Munson’s style and refined his craft. Blues is the backbone of Munson’s songwriting as it is the origin story of all American music. - http://www.mikemunson.net/
The series takes place over six Sundays in July and August (July 10 through August 14) in one of the most beautiful green spaces in the area, Mayo Park (behind the Mayo Civic Center and Rochester Art Center) along the banks of the Zumbro River. This is an open-to-the-public City park, so lawn chairs, blankets, and coolers are welcome. On-site concessions, including mobile food vendors, will also be available. All events to feature local Southeastern Minnesota bands as opening acts (TBA) starting at 7:00 p.m., with headliners taking the stage at 8:00 p.m. - rochestermn.gov/civicmusic
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support Grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts & cultural heritage fund.