Effective immediately, all concerts and events at First Avenue and associated venues will require either proof of a full series of COVID-19 vaccination, or proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken in the prior 72 hours. More info HERE.

Doors open at 6:30PM | Show starts at 8PM | 18+ | General Admission $35 | Reserved Loge $65 | Reserved P1 Balcony $50 | Reserved P2 Balcony $40

More information

The Jayhawks and their rootsy sound were definitely swimming against the tide when they emerged from a crowded Minnesota music scene in 1985. Over the course of almost 4 decades, 11 albums, countless memorable live shows, and enough personal drama to fill a couple of Behind the Music episodes, this beloved band soared to heights few ever achieve while winning the hearts and minds of numerous critics, fans and peers in the process.

After releasing two Indie albums in the '80s, The Jayhawks signed with American Recordings in 1991 and over the next decade released 5 challenging, at times groundbreaking, albums, toured the world to widespread acclaim and even survived the departure of founding member Mark Olson in 1995. After a hiatus in the mid 2000s, the “classic” 1994 lineup reunited for another new studio album in 2011 and 2 years of solid touring, reacquainting audiences old and new with the band's timeless musical vision. 2014 saw a late '90s version of the band led by Gary Louris hitting the road to support the reissues of the 3 Jayhawks albums released from 1997-2003.

This lineup released the band's ninth studio album in 2016, recorded in Portland, OR with producers Peter Buck and Tucker Martine. The band's next studio album, Back Roads And Abandoned Motels, was released in the summer of 2018, featuring Jayhawks versions of songs Gary Louris had previously written with other artists plus 2 new compositions. Recording for a new Jayhawks album was completed in Minnesota in late 2019 and in July 2020 the band released their eleventh studio album, XOXO.

Matt Wilson of Minneapolis is best known as a singer and songwriter for Trip Shakespeare, a band that blossomed in the '90s. But his new group which he calls an Orchestra is making waves both because of its appealing sound built around a unique combination of instruments including harp and banjo, and because Matt’s songwriting is as inspiring as ever.

Raised in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, Matt and his high school friends formed a group called The Panic, and spent much of their youth as under-aged performers in Minneapolis nightclubs such as First Avenue & 7th St Entry. In the early '80s, Matt followed his brother Dan to college in Boston where they formed a number of bands including the Love Monsters in which Matt took his first turn as a front man. Returning to Minneapolis, the brothers joined forces with bass player John Munson to form Trip Shakespeare, touring and recording together for a decade.

Matt’s music has been featured on MTV, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, Spin, The Toronto Star, and many other publications. Trip Shakespeare’s single, “Toolmaster of Brainerd”, was named by City Pages one of Minnesota’s 50 Greatest Hits, and that group was included by nationally-influential radio station The Current in its 2017 list of 893 Most Essential Musical Artists of All Time.

Matt’s new orchestra has a grassy sound that’s easy to fall into. Most striking to both the eye and ear is the harp mastery of Phala Tracy. The band’s sound is underpinned by the propulsive banjo groove of Quillan Roe. The bright sounds of harp and banjo are sent forth on black road of electric bass paved by Minneapolis guitar wizard Jacques Wait. The group sings together in striking close harmony. Their new album, When I was a Writer, represents not only a new and appealing sound but a 10-track songwriting triumph of melody, rhyme, and pure emotion.

The Scarlet Goodbye is a musical adventure, spawned out of the chance meeting of two Minnesota Music veterans who come from different sides of the street. Daniel Murphy and Jeff Arundel may seem like an unlikely mash-up, but they weave their pasts together in an intoxicating (and at times intoxicated) mix that recalls Big Star and The Hollies… musical, melodic, loud, soft… and above all, emotive.

“This started at a house party in St. Paul.” says Dan Murphy, who had waved goodbye to his bands Soul Asylum and Golden Smog several years ago. “I discovered Jeff’s inviting studio, which loomed as a sharp contrast to my distant memories of studios past.” The unlikely collaboration between the Edgy Rocker (Murphy) and the Wistful Troubador (Arundel) gives us Say Hello to the Scarlet Goodbye—an aural tour de force that both whispers, and thunders. With Ben Peterson on drums and Pat Nelson on bass, a scrappy rock band emerges,  and artfully delivers songs that evoke the emotions of minor things in major keys.

Written and recorded in real time, during what history will remember as that year with an asterisk—”The Pandemic Year*”.