A nerdy sport that's rising in popularity among Twin Cities musicheads, trying to name this year's performers for the annual Rock the Garden concert is entirely a guessing game at this point. Staffers at the Current 89.3 FM and Walker Art Center keep their lips sealed as tight as Caleb Followill's jeans on all things RTG. Plus, it's still early in the booking game. We do know they'll make the formal announcement on air April 19, and the concert itself is scheduled to happen Saturday, June 18. Beyond that, we can at least make some logical guesses -- based on what we already know, and what we can cross-reference on the tour routing site www.Pollstar.com. So here goes...
Ruled out because they're already booked elsewhere in the Twin Cities this summer: Black Keys (who would've been perfect here; as opposed to the imperfect Roy Wilkins), Florence & the Machine, Adele, Cee Lo Green (opening for Rihanna), Janelle Monae, Iron & Wine, Cage the Elephant. Ruled out because they're playing elsewhere around the world the week RTG lands: TV on the Radio, Band of Horses, Bright Eyes, Fleet Foxes, Girl Talk. Ruled out because they're too big: Arcade Fire, Kings of Leon, the Strokes, Radiohead, Kanye West (duh! on the last two).
Best guess for a headliner: Mumford & Sons are the most obvious top dog on numerous levels, including the fact that the Current was a supporter of the folky Brits from the get-go (and has kind of played them to death since then). The band has a show at the Telluride Bluegrass Fest in Colorado on Sunday, June 19, the day after RTG -- which would be a very hard commute to make in one day, but is a common stop before or after Minneapolis for bands; it's certainly doable by plane, especially if they go all-acoustic at either of the gigs.
Other possible headliner candidates: The National, Animal Collective, My Morning Jacket, Wilco (Tweedy & Co. headlined Rock the Garden in 2003, before the Current existed).
And some smaller bands that make sense: Drive-by Truckers, the Hold Steady, Cut Copy, Fitz & the Tantrums, Peter Bjorn & John, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, Matt and Kim (I sincerely hope not, though) and, as is possible any year Mark Wheat is at the station, the Fall.
Local candidates: Gayngs, Atmosphere (although it's right after Soundset), Dessa, Jeremy Messersmith, Low, the Jayhawks.
Who else do you think would be good for the garden party?
