Just a block from where they recorded a lot of the tracks on their recent four-album seasonal suite, Rogue Valley will take over Mears Park in downtown St. Paul on June 9 along with Black Blondie to kick off the popular Music in Mears series. The lineup for the free summerlong series was just issued today with those names and a good cross-section of other local favorites on it. Housed in the Lowertown area -- which is much more navigable now than it was in last year's messy light-rail construction -- the Music in Mears series happens almost every Thursday from 6-9 p.m. through Aug. 25 and features food and beer from some of the great neighboring restaurants. Here is the whole lineup:
June 9: Black Blondie, Rogue Valley
June 16: Matthew Inkala, Hookers and Blow
June 23: (Twin Cities Jazz Fest)
June 30: The Brutes, We Became Actors
July 7: Farewell Milwaukee, Pert Near Sandstone
July 14: Kristoff Krane, Heiruspecs
July 21: Annie Lawler, the Tex Pistols
July 28: Skittish, the Twilights Hours
August 4: Buffalo Moon, Dark Dark Dark
August 11: Kevin Anthony & the Twin City Playboys, Martin Devaney, the Cactus Blossoms
August 18: The Arms Akimbo, Joey Ryan & the Inks
August 25: Katie Todd Band, Jef Lee Johnson (with Michael Bland), Haley Bonar
