Benefit for Scott Sansby at Shaws

Shaw's Bar and Grill 1528 University Ave NE, Minneapolis

Scott Sansby is a legendary musician in Minnesota. In 2023, he suffered a tragic accident that left him mostly paralyzed from the neck down. He is in desperate need of funds to help with medical bills. We are planning a special weekend for you with many Minnesota artists joining us. You don't want to miss this event! 23 bands/artists on two stages over two days. Plus, more friends of Scott will be sitting in! This is a festival-quality lineup! Saturday Outdoor Stage2:00 – Jack Knife and the Sharps3:30 – Boom Boom Steve V and the Soulmates5:30 – Jimmi and the Band of Souls7:30 – The Primitives9:00 – The Butanes Saturday Indoor StageNoon – Ride1:30 – The Ross William Perry Band3:00 – Rich Dworsky & Richard Kriehn4:00 – The Moses Oakland Band5:30 – The Brian Naughton Band7:00 – The Scotty Reed Band8:30 – Jay Walter and the Rectifiers10:00 – Lisa Wenger and Her Mean Mean Men Sunday Outdoor StageNoon – Scottie Miller1:30 – Jambalaya3:00 – Erin McCawley’s Harrison Street Band4:30 – Maurice Jacox and the We Still R Band Sunday Indoor StageNoon – Dean Magraw1:00 – Bobby Schnitzer and Dan Neale2:00 – Daina De Prez3:00 – The Mark Cameron Band4:30 – Jeff Ray and Hurricane Harold6:00 – The Peterson Family with Bobby Vandell Help us help someone who has given 50 years of their life to helping others enjoy their life. Cost is $20 cover charge per day. There will also be a silent auction, bake sale and other ways to donate. See you there! Please note that artist's dates and times are subject to change.

$20

Kevin Kling and Victor Zupanc, Your Ultimate Troubadours at Crooners

The Belvedere at Crooners 6161 Highway 65 NE, Minneapolis

Dinner and cocktail seating and service begins 75 minutes before showtimes. Storytelling, Singer/Songwriter Stories and Songs celebrating Mother’s Day Looking to celebrate this Mother’s Day? Come on down to Crooners on Saturday, May 11th. Whether you are a mother, or are married to one, or know, or have, or have had one, this is the show for you. Victor and Kevin are back under the big top for an early evening of stories, poems and songs that celebrate those who fed and wiped and everything in between. Come and share a laugh, maybe a tear, and don’t worry, it’s not a school night. What do you and Einstein, Gandhi, Taylor Swift and Queen Victoria have in common? Mothers. Kevin Kling story tellerVictor Zupanc singer/songwriter Kevin Kling is a beloved storyteller and an award winning playwright and writer whose plays have been produced in regional theaters, including The Guthrie, Seattle Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse, the Goodman, Kennedy Center, Denver Center and off Broadway at Westside Arts and Second Stage Theater. Kevin is a frequent performer at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN. He has written five books and appears often on PBS and Minnesota Public Radio. His PBS autobiographical documentary Kevin Kling: Lost and Found won a Regional Emmy. He was named the Minneapolis Storyteller Laureate by Mayor RT Rybak in 2014. www.kevinkling.com. Victor Zupanc has been a composer, music director, sound designer and performer on over 300 plays at some of the most prestigious theaters in America and abroad winning many awards for his work. Since 1989, he has been the resident Music Director/Composer at the Tony Award winning Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis as well as dozens of productions at The Guthrie Theater. In addition, Kevin and Victor have been commissioned together to create large scale pieces for orchestras and chamber ensembles. www.victorzupanc.com.

The 1940s Songbook with Maud Hixson at Crooners

Dunsmore Jazz Room 6161 Hwy 65 NE, Minneapolis

Dinner and drinks service starts 1 hour before showtimes. Storytelling In Jazz, Cabaret Featuring songs America sang during WWII, from the plaintive “I’ll Never Smile Again” to “Sentimental Journey”; the burgeoning voices of swing, and the inventions that exploded onto the scene, from color television to the jukebox. Maud Hixson vocalsRick Carlson piano Hailed as “gently virtuosic” (All About Jazz), Maud Hixson is a devoted exponent of great songs, ranging from the classic Great American Songbook to the often unsung or forgotten compositions awaiting rediscovery. Based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Maud made her Guthrie Theater debut in the Noel Coward revue Coward’s Women, also appearing in Park Square Theater’s The Soul of Gershwin. She teamed with Sir Richard Rodney Bennett in 2012 for the long-running Midtown Jazz at Midday concert series at Saint Peter’s and debuted her show Skyscraper Wits in London and New York in 2015. She has made three appearances at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Hall for the New York Cabaret Convention, presented by the Mabel Mercer Foundation. Maud received a Next Step Grant from the McKnight Foundation in 2015 and is the recipient of four Artist Initiative grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board, one of which supported the research for her album comprised of compositions by Broadway composer Michael (Mickey) Leonard. Her newest recording is devoted to the music of her mentor, Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, which earned a 2024 Bistro Award. “Her vocal style is so warm, compelling and intimate—it’s clear she cares about the words and telling the story, with clarity and without artifice—almost a lost art these days.” –Michael Feinstein MaudHixson.com

Tower of Power Horns at Walker/West

Walker|West Music Academy 760 Selby Avenue, Saint Paul

Tower of Power HornsMay 11th, 7pmTrumpeter Gerard Ahlgren is based in the Minneapolis, Minnesota. He currently holds a Master’s Degree in Music Performance from McNally Smith College of Music with emphasis on Jazz Studies. Gerard plays locally with Blue Water Kings, Soultight Committee, Northstar, Jaedyn James and the Hunger, and Moonlight Serenaders.Gerard also has extensive experience playing professionally with the History Theatre and for Old Log Theater as well as Breck Middle School. Because of his diverse training from various trumpet players including Dave Jensen, Charles Lazarus, Marshall Scott, Michael Davison, and Adam Meckler, Gerard is fluent in several styles of music including jazz, blues, latin, fusion, and classical.This is the second appearance for Tower of Power Horns in our series.

The New Standards at Crooners

Crooners Main Stage 6161 Hwy 65 NE, Minneapolis

Dinner and drinks service starts 1 hour before showtimes. Jazz Trio Performing their unique renditions of your favorite hits old and new. Chan PolingJohn MunsonSteve Roehm The three core members of The New Standards all come from illustrious Twin Cities bands. Chan Poling founded the seminal Punk/New Wave band The Suburbs. John Munson was an original member of Trip Shakespeare and the chart-topping Semisonic. And Steve Roehm started on drums in the Texas punk outfit Billygoat and the avant-jazz Electropolis. “What a terrific combo. Everything they do is a surprise.” –Greil Marcus TheNewStandards.com

Maggie’s Afterglow: Erin Livingston and Rick Carlson

Maggie’s Lounge 6161 Highway 65 NE, Minneapolis

No cover–light fare available from 4:30pm to 9:30pm. Full-menu available until 8:30pm. Bar and table seating offered – NO RESERVATIONS Maggie’s Afterglow consists of casual entertainment offered outside our usual listening environment of ticketed concerts. Various jazz singers and pianists appear in the lounge. There is no cover, but tips are encouraged. You may sign up for the guest list, but space is not reserved. Seating is first come, first served in the bar and at lounge tables.

KIRAN AHLUWALIA with Aida Shahghasemi

The Cedar Cultural Center 416 Cedar Avenue South, Minneapolis

Two-time JUNO and Songlines Award winner Kiran Ahluwalia’s vocals have positioned her as one of global music’s most compelling musicians!The Cedar PresentsKIRAN AHLUWALIA with Aida ShahghasemiSaturday, May 11, 2024 / Doors: 7:00 PM / Show: 8:00PMAll AgesSeated$35 Advance, $40 Day of ShowThis is a seated show with general admission, first-come-first-served seating. The Cedar is happy to reserve seats for patrons who require special seating accommodations. To request access accommodations, please go to our Access page.For Cedar presented shows, online ticket sales typically end one hour before the door time, and then, based on availability, tickets will be available at the door.ABOUT THIS SHOWTwo-time JUNO and Songlines Award winner Kiran Ahluwalia’s open-hearted vocals have positioned her as one of global music’s most compelling cross-pollinators bringing together the disparate traditions of Indian music, West African Blues and Jazz.With her band of electric guitar, accordion, organ, tabla, bass and drum kit, Ahluwalia creates boundary-breaking songs that invite us to explore the human condition, transcending the self by losing ourselves in a trance of groove and melody. Celebrating The Cedar’s mission to promote intercultural appreciation and understanding through the presentation of global music on this special springtime Saturday evening show.KIRAN AHLUWALIATwo-time JUNO (Canadian Grammy Award) winner Kiran Ahluwalia is a modern exponent of the vocal traditions of India and Pakistan, which she honors intensely yet departs from in masterful, personal ways. Kiran's lyrics explore themes as broad as cultural intolerance in a largely immigrant society and as personal as the struggle to fully embrace female desire by throwing away shame. With roots in Sufi, Qawwali, Ghazal, and Punjabi folk, she crafts her own contemporary originals while organically mixing with West African blues and American jazz to create a sound that is immediately welcoming and ultimately universal.Born in India, raised in Canada and currently living in New York City – Ahluwalia has long been on a path to master the art of singing and composing. “When I was growing up in India”, she recalls, “there were concerts that people from all over would crowd into. I was entranced by the sound and feel of the music from an early age.” My father would play tapes of Indian music for me and we would also listen to Bollywood on the radio”, Kiran recalls. “So when a song came on that I wanted to learn, my mother would quickly write down the lyrics for me and I would sing along to learn the melody”.From the time she was seven, Kiran immersed herself in Indian music. When the family immigrated to Canada she continued her musical training alongside her regular school. After graduating from the University of Toronto, she returned to India where she spent years of intense deep study in music. Back in Canada in the late 90s she followed more mundane pursuits – she got an MBA in Finance and started working as a Trader. And there it might have ended if Kiran had not had recurring visions of being on her deathbed not having lived out her passion. So she left the world of business and threw herself totally into a life devoted to the making of her own music. Her discography now seven albums deep is one of global music’s most interesting adventures and have featured collaborations with Celtic fiddler Natalie MacMaster, fado masters from Portugal and legendary Malian group Tinariwen with whom her video has amassed over 3 million views.Her albums have garnered her two JUNO (Canadian Grammy) Awards, two Canadian Folk Awards, the UK’s Songlines Award and peak rankings on the European World Music charts.Kiran’s own band is directed by partner Rez Abbasi whose accolades include frequent placement in the Top 10 guitarists on Downbeats International Critics Poll. The combination of Kiran's open-hearted vocals and Rez’s inspired and evocative guitar work seamlessly bring together disparate traditions so organically, that while the sound isn’t quite like anything you’ve heard, its combination of ethereal elegance and raw urgency is immediately welcoming and ultimately universal. This is truly music for the moment and what the world could use a lot more of.Writing both words and music, Kiran’s songs speak of: fighting civil wars within ourselves, realizing female desire by throwing away shame, untying knots that bind us to stale embraces, seducing a shy lover, of not having learned how to live, and about rage against the middlemen and institutionalization of religion.The title song of her latest album features her composition of the 1990s Pakistani Urdu feminist poem – We Sinful Women. Saat (seven) – "7 Billion" explores aspects of cultural intolerance – the loss of ‘brotherhood’ in mankind. Says Kiran, “It is a theme close to my personal experience. My story is that of an immigrant born in India and raised in Canada. As an immigrant child the hardships we faced were touted as temporary – the effects were permanent. On the one hand, I developed a wonderful double culture – two sets of wardrobe and multiple languages to think in. On the other, I developed conflicting etiquettes and ways of doing things that were neither ‘fully’ Indian nor ‘fully’ Canadian. The earth now holds seven billion people; for me this means there are seven billion unique ways of interpreting things. Yet wherever we live, the majority’s way of doing things becomes the norm; and whatever is different and foreign can be easily mistrusted. The consequence in a large immigrant based population such as ours is cultural intolerance and difficulty in embracing newness".Her ease of manner on stage makes her a unique and inspiring performer whose legion of fans continues to grow with every captivating performance. Kiran has toured regularly in North America, Europe and has performed at desert festivals in Mali, Morocco and India. Her music has garnered glowing praise from critics around the world. “Ahluwalia is busy honing a transnational sound as fresh as tomorrow” (Seattle Times) and “Hers is a voice destined to enchant more than one generation” (fROOTS, UK). Her compositions and arrangements are a reflection of an ongoing quest to create timeless music in a modern and global context that looks to the future while still maintaining a vital line to its storied past.To learn more about Kiran Ahluwalia:Visit her website hereAIDA SHAHGHASEMIAida Shahghasemi is a Minneapolis based musician with roots in Iran. She studied Psychology and Anthropology at University of Minnesota with a focus on the cultural aspects of Persian Classical Music and the restrictions imposed on the voices of Iranian female vocalists. She received her Masters degree from New York University in Arts Politics where she also served as an adjunct instructor teaching a course she developed on arts activism in Iran. She has worked with a number of different Art and Social Advocacy groups in New York and Minnesota as a musician, graphic designer, and developer and has served as an Assistant Program Coordinator at Hamline University’s Making Waves Social Justice Theatre Troupe. She has been a touring member of Iron and Wine and Marketa Irglova’s band while also being a recording artist on two of Glen Hansard’s albums. Her three albums are “Wind Between the Horse’s Ears,” released in 2015, “Cypress of Abarkooh,” released in 2019 and “Chashmandaaze Rooydaad,” released in August of 2022. She is a McKnight Music Fellow and serves as an adjunct faculty in the MFA program at Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Aida is a mental health therapist at CAREFree counseling and works primarily with adults and couples dealing with trauma.To learn more about Aida Shahghasemi:Visit her website hereSPONSORED BY

Mac and Cheese

The Dubliner Pub 2162 University Avenue, St. Paul

Pete McCauley and Tim Cheesebrow bring old tunes to life and have a great time doing it. A Folkin’ Good Time!

Pop Syndrome at Neisens

Neisens Sports Bar and Grill 4851 West 123rd Street Savage, MN 55378, Savage