On July 31st, the Lowertown Music Festival returned to Saint Paul. Definitively proving that Minneapolis is not the only Twin that can put on an amazing daylong celebration of music, Lowertown brought in a wide spread of local bands - Peter Wolf Crier, Tapes n' Tapes, Cloud Cult, and Mason Jennings (and, rather like in a game of "one of these things is not like the other," Frank Turner, a folk/punk singer/songwriter from England).
Frank Turner came on stage early, confessing he was in a near-death state after starting the week in the US, flying back to Britain, and then coming back to Minneapolis in the course of a few short days. You couldn't tell by his stage presence though - the crowd was still relatively sparse that early in the day, but by the end of his brief set, he had the crowd singing along to "Photosynthesis." It was a great start to the day - you should definitely give him a listen (particularly "Photosynthesis") and keep him on your radar.
Up next was Peter Wolf Crier. My only live experience with the band before this was Peter Pisano's surprise appearance at Spaghetti Western String Co.'s farewell show, but that was more than enough to get very excited about seeing the boys perform their own music - and they did not disappoint. Again, it was a fairly short set, but the crowd numbers were growing and everyone was in sync with Brian & Peter. The music was perfect for the weather - "Crutch and Crane" has officially become one of my favorite songs of the summer.
Tapes n' Tapes was up next - I'd seen them tear down the house at First Ave before and heard they would be playing a few songs from their upcoming album at Lowertown. Unfortunately, they just didn't seem to have the same grip on the crowd that the other bands did. The band played well, but the music just didn't keep your focus on the stage - whether this was simply a matter of where I was standing was unclear, but I was disappointed. I definitely recommend seeing them on stage, but I don't know if they are at the strongest outside. Still, it's hard for "Insistor" to go wrong - if you haven't heard that song yet, you should hustle on over to iTunes and give it a listen.
The last two bands were the big guns - Cloud Cult played the first longer set. They bring a crowd on to the stage - more instruments than you can count and two professional painters. It was astonishing to watch - the group meshes together seamlessly, despite its size. They held the crowd in their hands - and it was incredible to see the wide variety of people the group pulled in. Watching the paintings come together as the music played is something I haven't seen before, but it was enchanting. And their cover of "Mr. Tambourine Man" struck the perfect chord, especially for this cover song enthusiast.
Finally, the day wrapped up with Mason Jennings and the way the crowd numbers increased, it was clear that he was the man most people had paid to see - and he did not disappoint. By this point, the sun had set and most people were feeling the effects of a few Summits. The crowd dipped and danced, singing along. Mason certainly seems to draw in his fair share of couples (either that or the beautiful weather and great music led to people turning the Minnesota nice up a few notches). As always, my favorite pick of the set was "I Love You and Buddha Too," but there wasn't a sour note in the set.
It was a great day. If you haven't been to Lowertown yet, definitely check it out - between music at the bars & restaurants, Mears Park, and the Music Festival, it's a gem just waiting to be found.
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