7:00 $5 Cover
Blues, Folk and stories
“Spider” John Koerner, traditional American folk and country blues musician, rhythmic guitarist, song-crafter, singer, and humorist, shapes his musical style from a solid foundation of study of the old blues masters, respect for the traditional song, and a firm command of his source material. Koerner’s musical career has taken him to stages across North America and Europe, and he has influenced countless musicians along the way.
“Alone among the young blues revivalists, Koerner had a sound that was completely idiosyncratic and personal. From the first guitar riff, there was never any doubt about who was playing. Today the material has changed but the sound is intact…spare and funky, with lots of open spaces between oddly placed notes, all of it held together with his impeccable timing.”–Blueswire
“Twin Cities singer/songwriter Gene LaFond … is a versatile journeyman who writes honest, compassionate and appealing songs that can be refreshingly offbeat (the country-folk fantasy ‘Thank You Emmylou’) or even positively Dylanesque (the 9/11 blues shuffle ‘It’s Gonna Rain’).” -Jon Bream, Mpls Star Tribune
A charter member of the West Bank folk scene of the 1960s, Gene LaFond’s career has taken several amazing turns over 40+ years. LaFond was a founding member of “The Mere Mortals” which, along with the late Larry Kegan, were invited to perform twice at Neil Young’s Bridge School Benefit Concert in San Francisco. Geno has opened for Bob Dylan, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Kinky Friedman, and has performed numerous sold out concerts in the Midwest over the years. 
Willie Murphy is not just a bluesman. He is a soul, R&B, blues and rock legend who is a charter member of the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame along with Bob Dylan and Prince. Influenced by the piano playing of Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis, Murphy created a style of his own in the early 1970s. With John Koerner and later with Willie and the Bs, Murphy would fuse folk music, New Orleans swamp boogie, and classic Memphis sounds to create a new style of R&B. In many ways he is Minneapolis’ own Dr. John.