DM SHOWCASE @ MID WEST MUSIC FEST IN WINONA!

Driftless Music is proud to be a part of the inaugural Mid West Music Fest in Winona, MN on July 30 & 31! The DM Showcase will take place at the Acoustic Cafe on Friday July 30. Michelle Lynn will kick things off at 7:30pm; performances by Brahman Shaman and The Brilliant Beast (with new bassist Mark Kartarik) will follow. Other regional acts will perform in the afternoon as well.

MWMF has been building steady buzz as spotlight for the area's independent music scene. Its being billed as a first-of-its-kind event for the Winona region that will bring together more than 50 bands and musical acts at over 14 venues around the community to raise funds for three local non-profit organizations: Winona Semcac Head Start, the Winona Fine Arts Commission and Winona360.

“Our goal is to produce an all-ages, alcohol-free community event that really has a little something for everyone.” said Sam Brown, the festival founder who is originally from Red Wing, Minn. “When we say all-ages, we mean it.”

Headlining acts include Dessa, Rogue Valley, The 757's, Porcupine, and Beet Root Stew. Two-day wristbands are only $20 via the link here. Individual show tickets will range between $5-$10.

MWMF is also holding a pre-party at Ed's no name Bar on Wednesday July 23rd featuring Hyphon, The Soviet Onion, and others.

Winona, here I come!

JONATHAN MILLER: HANDS

Jonathan Miller creates exactly the kind of music I had hoped to encounter when I formally launched this site in January. The Minneapolis-based multi-instrumentalist will be bringing his psychedelic trance-pop act Hands to the Acadia Cafe for the Driftless Music Showcase on July 16.

Jonathan graciously sent me a hard copy of his recently released album Docks and Robes; an epic nine-track, 42-minute collection of meticulously crafted ambient freak folk. While packaged in a decidedly DIY-style (complete with a crayon-colored one-sheet), the recordings sound consistently lush, dynamic, and, well, professional.

This speaks particularly well of Hands, as independent trance / jam / psychedelic recordings often suffer, in my opinion, from garage-centric, lo-fi production value. On one hand, these kind of vibe-based audio collages can be hard to capture on tape. On the other, the kind of people who do it well tend to emphasize the creative process--sometimes at the expense of the end result.