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RIPPLESIPPI MUSIC FEST 2024
Jul 26th - Jul 27th, 2024 CDT
Downtown Aitkin, MN, Aitkin, MN
AITKIN COUNTY'S OWN ORIGINAL BIGGEST & BEST MUSIC FESTIVAL! FOURTH ANNUAL!
This year's festival is going to be AWESOME! It's a 2-day music fest with GEAR DADDIES headlining on Friday with J Bell & the Lazy Susan Band opening. On Saturday, local & regional solos, duos, and bands will be performing at different downtown venues starting at 6pm. Another first for Aitkin, MN - and it's all for YOU!
GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY!
• Friday ONLY (members): $35
• Friday ONLY (non-members): $40
• VIP FRIDAY (members & non-members): $25 – must be paid for separately from regular ticket.
~ VIP ticket holders receive their own exclusive section, bar, and bathroom ~
• Saturday ONLY (members): $15
• Saturday ONLY (non-members): $20
• BOTH Friday & Saturday (members): $50
• BOTH Friday & Saturday (non-Members): $60
How do I become a member?
Click here for more info. Trust us - it's quick & painless.
Can I become a member first, then come back here and buy the member-discounted tickets?
Yep, we'll know.
What do I get with a membership?
Your membership gets you discounted tickets at Friends of the Arts concerts and events just like this one! Also, Aitkin County Friends of the Arts is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization – your purchase is a tax-deductable donation that directly supports the future of performing arts in Aitkin County. Win/win!
FRIDAY JULY 26 - DOWNTOWN STREET PARTY 6-10PM!
Gear Daddies
After over 30 years together, one of the most resilient and influential Americana/Rock bands ever to come out of the Twin Cities is reaching back to the greatest fans in the world. With headline performances ranging from The David Letterman Show to Austin, Texas' South x Southwest Music Festival GEAR DADDIES has rocked fans from coast to coast. Over thousands of miles and countless venues from New York to Los Angeles to Phoenix to Denver to Kansas City to all over the Midwest (you get the idea) Martin Zellar, Nick Ciola, Randy Broughten and James “Billy” Dankert have galvanized a fan base across America with their unique brand of music and lyrics that exude an opportunity to re-live some of our own life experiences.
MUSIC SAMPLE
J Bell and the Lazy Susan Band
With twangy guitars, luscious harmonies, B3 organ blasts, honky-tonk piano and a horn section, j.bell & the Lazy Susan Band straddles Americana, Blues & Country, while maintaining that they are simply “straight up rock & roll”. Influenced by Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Old 97s, Counting Crows, Soul Asylum and many more, this Minnesota rock band always delivers energetic and memorable shows. Since 2001, they have released six full-length records, two EPs, and a live album, while juggling performances all over the upper Midwest as well as in Arizona and Mexico.
MUSIC SAMPLE
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SATURDAY JULY 27 - DOWNTOWN VENUE FEST 6-10PM!
Think of it as a "mini-Nashville" or scaled-down version of Duluth's Homegrown Music Fest. So far, the roster of venues is: The Terrace, The Beanery Cafe & Roastery, The Ripple Center, and Sampaguita.
MUSICIANS/BANDS
THE TERRACE – 219 MINNESOTA AVENUE NORTH
Skarlett Woods (6pm)
Often known for her way of entwining mesmerizing vocal passages with a 7-string guitar groove far advanced beyond your average singer/songwriter, Skarlett Woods brings folk and West Coast Jazz to the same dinner table. Weaving Swing and Jazz into folk-themed stories of love, she has a stage presence that demands the attention of a room. Taking her listeners on upbeat rhythmic rides over heart-swelling arrangements of originals and covers, Skarlett has simply become more comfortable showing herself in the lights. She took a spotlight in the 2022 Dylan Fest Songwriters Contest as one of the winning songs that evening. She is currently in the studio with Minneapolis Producer/Songwriter, Kevin Bowe, who has worked with Jonny Lang, Etta James, Joe Cocker, and many others, to release her sophomore album in the Fall of 2023.
MUSIC SAMPLE
Aurora Baer (7pm)
Aurora is an Aitkin-born artist who dropped out of UMD in part to pursue a career of live music entertainment in dive bars. Having succeeded in this realm, she now hides in a small town in Central Minnesota living the simple life. Her original music used to be folksy, but nowadays she writes rock and roll about the military industrial complex and outer space.
Music samples coming soon.
MUSIC SAMPLE
The French Hillbillies (8pm)
FH are a musical duo consisting of Alexandrine Harris and Sandra Lehman, residents of Aitkin. The music genre they play is Americana with a pinch of French flair.
MUSIC SAMPLE
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THE BEANERY – 221 MINNESOTA AVE NORTH
Amanda Standalone (6:30pm)
Amanda is a writer, folk musician and multi-instrumentalist from Minnesota. Standalone has released two albums, Millions of Blackbirds (2010), which bears the title track "Bird flew Hard" for the HBO documentary Paycheck to Paycheck: The Life and Times of Katrina Gilbert, and Trouble (2014), funded in part by a grant from the Lakes Region Arts Council. Her music is a soulful blend of acoustic folk/blues strongly influenced by American Roots music. She skillfully attacks the guitar, banjo, and her single stringed washtub, while packing an extra punch with her rich vocals. Currently, Standalone is working on her 3rd album, a concept album based on ghost stories and stories from the other side. Amanda has traveled abroad iwth her music, but currently resides in Crosby, MN.
MUSIC SAMPLE
Holly Shaw (7:30pm)
Holly relocated to Brainerd, Minnesota from Denver, Colorado where she provided music for the Denver Cathedral, Molly Brown mansion, and several private events for the Irish American Society. She is delighted to share the Celtic harp with the Crow Wing County community and other surrounding areas.
SongBridge (8:30 pm)
SomngBridge is a local favorite band comprised of four area musicians who perform covers from the 60's to the current day with a heavy focus on vocal harmonies. The band members are Pete Lowe Sr on rythm guitar and vocals, Dennis Westlander on bass and vocals, Jill Sadlowsky on vocals and tambourine, and Christian McShane on lead guitar and vocals.
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THE RIPPLE CENTER (Opera House) – 301 MINNESOTA AVE NORTH
Bruce Archer (6:45pm)
Bruce plays a smoky, primitive Americana infused with blues, bluegrass, country, folk, and rock influences. His fingerstyle and slide guitar merge his 40+ years of playing a mixture of genres, his Iowa roots, and his years in the Minneapolis alt-rock scene. The results are instrumental and vocal performances that are both gritty and authentic. Archer's career has taken him from open mic nights in college, through forming, performing in and writing for bands that regularly played high profile alt-music clubs in Uptown, Downtown and West Bank Minneapolis, to returning to performing solo in the north woods of Minnesota. He's enjoyed playing with some top-notch musicians as well as sharing the bill with such notables as Corey Medina & Brothers, Charlie Parr, The Jimmys, Cactus Blossoms, legendary bass guitarist Ronnie Lane (Small Faces), the Uppity Blues Women, the Jayhawks, the Gear Daddies’ frontman Martin Zellar, the Phones, and Run Westy Run.
MUSIC SAMPLE
Mike & Jan Cherry (7:45pm) are a husband and wife duo who play a variety of 60s & 70s tunes. They're one of the oldest musical mainstays in Aitkin County. If you never heard of them or seen them perform, you probably haven't been to Aitkin County.
JPACK (8:45pm)
A truly Aitkin original band made up of friends, playing an eclectic selection of modern and folk rock. If you find a tune worth playing, this band can JPACK-it by providing sweet harmonies into a mixture of instrumental talents on guitar, fiddle, mandolin, uke, and upright bass.
MUSIC SAMPLE
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SAMPAGUITA – 204 MINNESOTA AVE NORTH
Doors open at 2pm. Music begins at 3pm. For set times, inquire at Sampaguita.
Breanne Marie
Ditty Wish
Roy Allen
Ted Hajnasiewisc
Tom Mobry
Vicki Morrison Goble
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FAQ - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Where is the festival on July 26th?
Downtown Aitkin on Minnesota Ave N between 3rd St NW & 4th St NW. You really can't miss it.
Can I buy tickets at the show?
Yes.
Where is the ticket gate for July 26th?
At the front and rear of the festival. Again, you really can't miss it.
Can I bring a chair?
Yes, we encourage it. There is no seating for the general ticketholders area. There will be limited seating for the VIP section, but those seats will go fast.
Can I bring a cooler?
Sorry, no coolers will be allowed at the festival.
Can I bring my dog?
We're huge dog lovers, but sorry, no.
Is there a ticket charge for children?
There is no charge for kids 16 & younger.
Will there be food available for sale?
Yes, several vendors will be at the festival.
Are there camping options?
Check with local parks NOW. They fill up fast. Aitkin County & neighboring Crow Wing County are the destinations for thousands of outdoor recreation, nature, sports, and camping enthusiasts each year.
What about hotels/motels?
Same goes. Reserve your room(s) NOW!
How does the July 27th thing work?
Either buy your ticket online here – or at any of the venues on July 27 (The Terrace, The Beanery, The Ripple Center). You'll be given a wristband when you visit any of these venues on July 27th that will allow you access to all the venues.
Any other questions: please email friends@aitkinarts.org