6 cool things in music include Mary Lucia, Dessa and Wet Leg

A half-dozen cool things in music, from two points of view:

Greg Gibson of Brooklyn Park:

1 Summer outdoor concerts. Time to plan as the announcements roll out, especially those well-packaged shows coming to the new Ledge Amphitheater in Waite Park, Minn., including Bonnie Raitt/Mavis Staples on July 29. Well worth the drive.

2 Dessa, Target Center. A shout-out to the Timberwolves for taking their halftime performances seriously enough to let 18,000 hoop fans get a brief taste of a true Minnesota icon. Dessa was the highlight that night by far.

3 The Dakota. Lowell Pickett and team bring in such varied, wonderful and worldly artists, but more should be said about the Dakota's commitment to local music. Wednesday's gig with J.T. Bates' Grain Trio showcased all that is good about the strong, talented and varied local scene. A reminder of the late promoter Sue McLean's credo: Live music is good for your soul.

Jon Bream, Star Tribune critic:

1 Mary Lucia leaves 89.3 the Current. What a loss. Not only was she the station's franchise DJ but she rates as one of the Twin Cities' all-time great radio DJs. She is not an announcer enamored of the sound of her own voice, humor or affectations, but a naturally engaging conversationalist, talking with listeners with genuine enthusiasm and an innate curiosity about music, news, whatever. Loved her final shift kicking off with Keith Richards' "Take It So Hard" and New York Dolls' "Personality Crisis." May she return to the airwaves.

2 Wet Leg, "Wet Leg." These seemingly carefree women from the Isle of Wight have crafted an irresistibly infectious, endlessly hooky, smirkingly witty collection of guitar-driven pop-rock with echoes of the Breeders, Courtney Barnett and others. Fun stuff.

3 "Down in the River to Pray." Minnesota activists Winona LaDuke, Marian Moore and Barb With have reworked an old spiritual along with all-star Twin Cities vocalists Mary Jane Alm, Prudence Johnson and Jearlyn Steele into a strikingly soulful protest song about the Line 3 oil pipeline. The new lyrics talk about water protection, the Anishinaabe way and stopping the Enbridge pipeline company. The song/video will stream at honorearth.org, among other places.

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