A new St. Paul music fest: Soul Asylum, Brother Ali among local talent booked for the Harriet Island event

After one successful and one marginal festival on Harriet Island last September, a new two-day fall festival featuring local music in the St. Paul park will be announced today.

Last update: August 17, 2007 - 2:57 PM

After one successful and one marginal festival on Harriet Island last September, a new two-day fall festival featuring local music in the St. Paul park will be announced today.

The first McNally Smith Minnesota Music Festival will be staged Sept. 21-22 with Soul Asylum, Golden Smog, Quietdrive, Brother Ali, Romantica, the Hopefuls, the Honeydogs, Martin Zellar and others, including students from McNally Smith College of Music.

This event is a more an offshoot of the Summit Big Brew rather than the Wild River Festival, two events held last September on Harriet Island, explained publicist Steve Rudolph. Summit was a one-day, 10-hour marathon starring Soul Asylum and Richard Thompson. Wild River was an ambitious, five-day music/film/comedy event spread throughout downtown St. Paul, and featured Al Green, Nickel Creek and others.

There is a three-year commitment for this new September event, Rudolph said. The sponsors are Summit Brewery, City Pages and McNally Smith, a professional-music school in downtown St. Paul.

Details will be announced this morning at a news conference with St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and McNally Smith officials Andre Fischer and Jack McNally.

Tickets will cost $20 for one day, $30 for both days, through Sept. 9. Thereafter the prices will be $25 and $35, respectively. Tickets will cost $30 for a single day, $40 for both the weekend of the festival.

JON BREAM