If nothing else, this week's Republican convention amounted to a lot of firsts for local musicians.

For instance, it was the first time I Self Devine performed with a row of about 15 police in riot gear standing behind the stage, as was the scene at the Ripple Effect concert outside the State Capitol on Tuesday.

"You know, I got a few songs you might call anticop songs," Minneapolis' activist rapper said with a nervous laugh before going on. If you know I Self, you know he rarely laughs. Or acts nervous.

It was also the first time the Alarmists played to a largely Republican crowd, as was the case at the Screen Actors Guild party at the Fine Line on Monday (officially an apolitical event, as the band made sure all its friends knew).

Alarmists frontman Eric Lovold played the part of a GOP band at the merch stand afterward when an audience member took out a $20 bill to buy one of their CDs.

"You can have them both for $20," he told the guy, an Oklahoma delegate, who was so smitten by the sales pitch he bought it.

It was also Cloud Cult's first time performing in Orchestra Hall. Oh yeah, and the first time playing a 3 a.m. gig.

"You guys are crazy -- what are you doing up this late?" Cult singer Craig Minowa asked the surprisingly bulky crowd (1,000 or so) at Saturday/Sunday's Spark24 festival, which also featured the Alarmists, Chris Koza, White Light Riot and the New Congress (who didn't go on until 6 a.m.).

Some local bands got in on the real money gigs. Both the Lamont Cranston Band and Mick Sterling's Memphis in the Meantime played the big AgNite bash put on by those party mavens at the Minnesota Agri-Growth Council at the Depot (Styx was the headliner). As the night drew on and conventioneers started arriving from Xcel Center in the party's VIP room, Lamont manager Rico Anderson said, "It started to feel like we weren't welcome in the bathrooms back there anymore."

Styx guitarist Tommy Shaw must have had a bathroom all to himself just to primp his pristine hairdo.

As was the case at Ripple Effect -- I Self's fiery set went off without a hitch, by the way; unlike Rage Against the Machine, he showed up on time -- lots of local bands donated their time and energy to protest the RNC. The biggest showing was Atmosphere's set in front of about 10,000 people on Harriet Island for the Take Back Labor Day festival. Slug kept mostly mum on the politics, but his Obama T-shirt and the tired-and-poor lyrics of "Not Another Day" said plenty.

With so much going on, I didn't make it to Tuesday's ProVention concert at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul or any of the Mad Ripple's "Wake Up World!" hootenannys at the Parkway Theater in south Minneapolis. After a hectic, venue-changing buildup, ProVention reportedly turned out beautifully, with the Honeydogs, New Standards and Dan Wilson raising their voices (and a few thousand dollars) for "peace, people and the planet" -- and a crowd that followed Nellie McKay onto the street to sing her song "Testify" at the gates of the RNC. The hoots, hosted by Jim Walsh, found out-of-towners such as Billy Bragg, Ike Reilly and Tom Morello (he gets around!) mingling with such locals as Stook! and Martin Devaney. And they say people aren't coming together for this election.

One other big anti-RNC gig for locals was last week's Eight Is Enough concert at the Turf Club. The Stnnng pretty much stole the show when it opened with the MC5's deadly Vietnam-era anthem "Kick Out the Jams." Low's war-scarred mix of "Violence" and "In Silence" offered a sharp, solemn contrast to the noisier jams. P.O.S. debuted a bunch of (excellent) new songs, but of course he fit in some Bush-bashing via 2006's "Half-Cocked Concepts."

When Eight Is Enough co-organizer Joe Selinski (of Dad in Common) went on a long spiel about what all could be done to counter the RNC before P.O.S.' set, his partner in the event, Fog's Andrew Broder, stuck up his middle finger and said, "You gotta do it more the hip-hop way, Joe."

A more meaningful gesture: The show raised about $8,500 for the other guy.

St. Paul rocks, No. 1 "St. Paul: It's not just for Republicans anymore."

That could be the slogan billboarded around the downtown area for the month of September, when two hip music fests land in the Capital City, starting with this weekend's second annual Concrete and Grass Festival.

Organized by the Ordway, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and Minnesota Opera as a season kickoff, Concrete and Grass is also their way to reach out to younger audiences, a la the Minnesota Orchestra's Day of Music. The free event revs up tonight in Mears Park (E. 5th and Sibley streets) with Roma di Luna at 5 p.m. and resumes at noon both Saturday and Sunday. Other performers include Romantica, Haley Bonar (both tonight), M.anifest, Chris Koza, the Melismatics (Saturday) and Dosh, Vicious Vicious and Dan Israel (Sunday). The sponsoring orgs each perform one night, too. Oh, and Great Waters Brewing Co. is bringing the food and beer. Sounds like a great brew all-around.

St. Paul rocks, No. 2 After a weekend off, the fun continues on Harriet Island with the McNally Smith River Rocks Festival Sept. 19 and 20. I'm excited about this one, also a second annual deal. Semisonic's last semireunion gig was a blast, as are eight out of 10 Roots gigs, as are most events down on Harriet Island that offer music made after 1974.

The other headliners aren't exactly favorites of mine, but they're all strong live acts, including Live, O.A.R., Ozomatli, Jakob Dylan and Mike Doughty. Throw in locals Heiruspecs, the Alarmists and White Iron Band and call it a party. Tickets are $25/one day and $45/two via UptownTix.com (they'll be $35 and $60 at the gate).

Hey, Minneapolis, were you expecting an early snowstorm this September?

Random mix The other acts assembled for its CD party tonight at the Fine Line (Romantica, Slim Dunlap and the Snaps) are a good indicator of the music High on Stress put on its album, "Cop Light Parade." Led by Minot, N.D.-reared singer/guitarist Nick Leet, the quartet has a little bit of Romantica's languid and lovely folk-rock sound, as in the opening title track, plus lots of Dunlap's barnstorming twang, heard in the yahoo rocker "Rhode Island." They're a band not too cool to call themselves alt-country, and that's a good indicator of the album's pure, inspired sound. ...

Because Metallica dissed us on the first leg of its tour (word is the band will be coming early next year), and because Gallagher the comedian hasn't been here in a while (awww!), it's worth noting that Metallagher has set a date for a reunion show: Oct. 4 at the Triple Rock. ... The release party for Jeremy Messersmith's new CD, "The Silver City," which is already getting a lot of airplay on the Current, is Sept. 25 at the Varsity Theater. Dan Wilson produced the album. ...

The local organizers of Tuesday's Ripple Effect are still crying foul over the way the State Patrol handled the Rage situation. They say their permit did not stipulate which artists were going to play (officials supposedly refused to let Rage play because its name wasn't on the permit). Also, the band planned to do only a few songs and would have ended by the event's official 7 p.m. closing time. Rage on.

chrisr@startribune.com • 612-673-4658