A half-dozen cool things in music, from two points of view:
Mike Youngdahl of Elk River:
1 Mary Chapin Carpenter, Pantages Theatre. It was a nice laid-back midweek concert in downtown Minneapolis. Her music is as thought-provoking and timeless as ever.
2 Motocross, Millville, Minn. The unconventionally melodious sounds of "brrp, brrp, brrp" from the 4-stroke motorcycles was a perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
3 The Mavericks, Mystic Lake Casino Showroom. They never fail to put on a great show, but this time, they hit the ground running and kept going. It was a combo platter of old and new tunes.
Jon Bream, Star Tribune critic:
1 Joni Mitchell at Newport Folk Festival. It was billed as Brandi Carlile & Friends but it turned out to be Joni & Acolytes as the long-retired Mitchell, 78, who suffered a brain aneurysm in 2015, gave her first public full-set performance in more than two decades. In her first appearance at the influential Newport fest since 1969, Mitchell was accompanied by a gleeful Carlile, Wynonna Judd, Marcus Mumford, Allison Russell, Lucius, Blake Mills, Celisse, Taylor Goldsmith and others. A heartwarming and historic moment.
2 Restoring Artistic Protection Act introduced in Congress. A bill proposed by Reps. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) and Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), the so-called RAP Act would restrict when federal prosecutors can cite lyrics as evidence during a criminal case. The issue reemerged in recent high-profile indictments of rappers Young Thug and Gunna that quoted heavily from their lyrics. It's an issue of free speech. Life doesn't always imitate art.
