This is getting ridiculous.
For 52 other weekends out of the year, you're lucky to find one or two good live music offerings in northeast Minneapolis to go along with the great taprooms, restaurants and art spaces. On Art-a-Whirl weekend, though, you see a massive pileup like the one that's happening this Saturday from 8:30 to 10 p.m.
In that 90-minute span alone, Har Mar Superstar, Kitten Forever, Dem Atlas, the Soviettes, Caroline Smith, Charlie Parr, Mark Mallman and the 4onthefloor are all performing within about 2 miles of each other. That's just silly. If visitors came from another planet — or just from Blaine — with a teleportation machine and only a short time to get to know the Twin Cities music scene, that'd be the time to do it.
Picking through the schedule for Art-a-Whirl and setting a plan is getting harder but more necessary every year. Here are my personal picks by the hour this year, based on a variety of factors ranging from a desire to see new bands instead of old favorites (I will always love you, Heiruspecs!) to the simple fact that I really dug the new block-party setup at Grumpy's last year.
Friday
6 p.m.: Mike Munson (at Casket Arts) or PHO (331 Club outdoors)
7 p.m.: Roma di Luna (331 Club outdoors) or Ringout! (Elias Metal Studio)
8 p.m.: Andrew Broder (Indeed Brewing)
9 p.m.: Marijuana Deathsquads (Indeed)