The Current, KFAI, and Radio K present

First Avenue's Best New Bands of 2023

Doors 6:30 p.m. | Show 8 p.m. | 18+

Information | Tickets

About this show

Featuring Barlow | Ber | Clare Doyle | Laamar | L.A. Buckner BiG HOMiE | REIKI | she’s green

Hosted by Jill Riley (The Current) | Grace Williams (Radio K) | Krista Wax (KFAI) | Sean McPherson (JAZZ88)

Enter for a chance to win passes to this show.

The Current is pleased to offer a ticket giveaway to this concert. Enter by noon (CST) on Monday, January 8 for a chance to win a pair of passes to this concert. ONE (1) winner will receive two guest list spots to Best New Bands of 2023 on Friday, January 12.

This entry is now closed. Congratulations to the lucky winner! 

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Barlow

Barlow makes art for people with no fancy filter, and he does it with intention and credibility. Boasting a lifelong career as an actor with a deep knowledge of funk and soul music under his belt, Barlow aims to be the Renaissance Man of your alt-R&B fantasies. 

Ber

Discovering she was a songwriter came as a revelation for rising artist Ber. Turns out she's really good at it: Her aching 2021 single "Meant to Be" went viral literally overnight, and she's only just getting started. More recently, Ber's song "Superspreader" is steadily accelerating thanks to pointed lyrics rooted in heartbreak and frustration, and a subtly irresistible hook.

Ber has a knack for writing about universal topics from fresh angles, expressing herself in a way that resonates with listeners -- a lot of listeners. Since she posted "Meant to Be" on TikTok in September 2021, the song has amassed nearly a million views, while surging past 50 million Spotify streams.

Clare Doyle

After years living in New Orleans, emerging singer and songwriter Clare Doyle has returned to her hometown of Saint Paul, Minnesota and taken the stage as a fresh Americana act. A lifelong singer, she began songwriting during quarantine and performing in early 2022. Raised on everything from Johnny Cash to Etta James, she draws on a range of influences to write candidly about loving, losing, hurting, and making a hot mess of things. Her rich and expressive vocals stand out in either a stripped-down acoustic set, or in the alt-country-meets-bluesy-groove full band sound that she's built. Her debut singles are due out early 2023.

Laamar

Laamar is the latest project led by Minneapolis-based singer, songwriter, saxophonist, and composer Geoffrey Lamar Wilson. Former frontman of Brooklyn-based Jus Post Bellum, also known for his multilayered looped saxophone performances and catchy podcast ditties. This latest project blends his idiomatic inspirations bridging Folk, Soul, R&B, and Country with a constant ear towards issues of racial and social justice, and the shared human experience. Laamar includes Megan Mahoney on bass and James Taylor on drums, with more collaborators tba.

L.A. Buckner & BiG HOMiE

Get ready to experience a historic blend of jazz, Gospel, hip-hop, and avant-funk. Arthur “L.A.” Buckner's compositions soar and sway, blurring the line between Sunday church service and face-melting jam sessions. His artistry is full of energy, excitement, and culture.

LA Buckner is a performing musician, teaching artist, and producer from the Northside of Minneapolis. He holds a master’s degree in Percussion Performance from McNally Smith College of Music. Currently, LA serves as co-host for the two-time Webby award-winning PBS music education YouTube series Sound Field, a video project exploring the music theory, production, history, and culture behind our favorite songs and musical styles.

In August 2020, LA took iTunes by storm with the release of his project BiG HOMiE, which reached the #1 Jazz position within 24 hours of its release.

REIKI

“REIKI” Michael Hall is a singer/ songwriter & producer based out of Minneapolis. The Chicago-born singer is of Liberian-American descent. While commonly misunderstood, REIKI earned his name at birth from his mother who found relief from the challenges during pregnancy using the Japanese healing treatment called, “Reiki”. Since the age of 3, he was said to be energized with musical prowess.

REIKI shape shifts through many different genres, but as he likes to say, keeps closely in between, “punk, rage, + r&b”. After a powerful First Avenue “Rock Lottery” showing and a debut EP roll out imminent, REIKI is set to bring a fresh and mind-bending live experience to the Minneapolis music scene moving forward.

she’s green

she's green is a Minneapolis-based dream-inducer comprised of vocalist Zofia Smith, guitarists Liam Armstrong and Raines Lucas, bassist Teddy Nordvold, and drummer Kevin Seebeck. The band has played many shows throughout the Midwest, filling rooms with droning fuzz and reverberating screams. They’ve shared bills with acts such as Hotline TNT, Milly, Friko, Jesse Jo Stark, and more. They received recognition through their first two released singles, "river" and "smile again", both recorded and mixed at home. A raw emotional intensity shines through their honest and explorative songwriting process. After the success of their debut EP Wisteria, they're now working on recording more music and it's clear they're only scratching the surface of their assemblance of influences.