Jazz in Grand Rapids, blues in Virginia, country in Aitkin and folk in Bemidji: four very different shows on The Setlist this week.
First up, Sam Miltich & Friends are playing Rapids Brewing Co. for First Friday at 6 p.m. The stage will be packed this month with vocalist Charmin Michelle, trombonist Dave Graf and drummer Trevor Haining joining Sam and Matthew Miltich. Leading the way will be talented vocalist Michelle, who released a jazz duets album with Miltich in 2022 called Good Treble.
In Virginia, Boss Mama and Elsa Krantz are playing the Arrowhead Bar at 7 p.m. Boss Mama is Colleen Myhre’s solo blues project, featuring her smoky vocals and gospel, blues and country fusion songs. Joining her is up-and-coming musician Elsa Krantz, an indie-folk and country singer-songwriter from Duluth.
One more Friday show features some raw and road-tested country music at the Ripple Center in Aitkin with John Cannon and Raina Wallace. Both are members of Fort Worth, Texas, country rock band The Lowdown Drifters. Cannon is the lead singer and Wallace is the bassist. In their solo music, both write gritty barroom-style country rock and honky-tonk music with an Americana flair, and with The Lowdown Drifters, they recently opened for Shane Smith and the Saints. 7 p.m.
One Saturday show for you is Project: Constellation at Bemidji Brewing at 5 p.m. They are an acoustic folk-rock and pop-punk duo from Fargo, North Dakota, who play a variety of Scandinavian folk songs in their live shows with lyrics in Finnish, Swedish, Danish and Norwegian.
Friday, April 3
- Sam Miltich & Friends – 6 p.m., Rapids Brewing Co., Grand Rapids, free
- Colleen “Boss Mama” Myhre and Elsa Krantz – 7 p.m., Arrowhead Bar, Virginia, free
Collen “Boss Mama” Myhre. - John Cannon and Raina Wallace – 7 p.m., Ripple Center, Aitkin, $26.50
Saturday, April 4
The weekly live music spotlight is made possible by the citizens of Minnesota through the Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.