la grande

One of my favorite places to see live music in Minneapolis is The West Bank ... it has been a hot bed for indie and blues music for much longer than I've been around. There was a theater there that closed it's doors just last year... The Bedlam... I still remember the first time I went there... I felt as if I had walked through some sort of magical worm hole into a place that was filled with friends that i had yet to meet. I thought... this is where I belong...  I just never knew it... The large eclectic mish mash space was frequently filled with happy dancers... gypsies... musicians... that first night i saw the brass messengers march up to the stage... and drank a 3 dollar glass of red wine out of a mason jar... and danced until i couldn't stand anymore... i have seen hundreds of intimate shows over the past few years and the ones i remember the most have all been in one of 4 places on the west bank... the nomad, the cedar cultural center, the bedlam or the triple rock... some nights all 4. I didn't realize until I started going to this small shows... how amazing an experience seeing live music can be when you can literally reach out and touch the musicians.

Which brings me to John Whaley.... John plays on a Harrelson Summit and I just learned he plays or has played with some of my favorite bands... all of which I have seen perform on the West Bank... the world is so vast and yet so tiny... 

John currently resides in Portland... but he has roots in Minnesota. He describes himself as a converted classical player... He attended St. Olaf College (as did Jason Harrelson coincidentally) and played in both the band and orchestra there... John's currently touring with Laura Gibson throughout the US and he will be on the European leg of that tour which starts April 3rd in the Netherlands... you can check show dates/locations here:  http://www.lauragibsonmusic.com/?page_id=5
John has also played/recorded with a few of my other favorites... Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, The Portland Cello Project, The Head & The Heart (all of which I have seen this year)... Nick Jaina, Run on Sentence, Pancake Breakfast, Loch Lomond, Y la Bamba and the list goes on... John gig's about 100+ times per year and he's not just a trumpet player... he also sings, plays keyboards and of course Flugelhorn... John is definitely one to watch... and I am excited to hear news from the road... I am really loving the sound of Laura Gibson and can't wait to see where he finds himself next...