Front Row Paul Fest: 61 bands over 2 days to celebrate 1 amazing friend to MN Music!

Front Row Paul Engebretson was a good friend. (I wrote about Paul in March, so I won’t dive in deep here.) So, it seemed like a good idea to commit to seeing every band (61, I think) over two days (24 hours of performing at my counting). I’m very grateful that my buddy Langen (Girl at the Rock Show – visit for amazing photos and commentary on her view of the event!) committed too. At 9pm on Sunday, I was definitely blaming her for the idea; but once I have it all cataloged below, I will be glad.

Big thanks to everyone who made it a success – the bands, the planners, the emcees, the silent auction managers. One name was heard above the rest – Christy Costello. But I know for sure it takes a team. It was an amazing testament to an amazing member of the musical (and social activist) scene of the Twin Cities!!

Day One

Band 1: Stephanie Was and the Izz was a great start to a long weekend with quirky songs and a lovely, aspirated voice. Reminiscent of The Moldy Peaches.

Band 2: Katy Tessman brings her usual positivity and energy. Her song, Hero Now Crowned, has never been so apt.

Band 3: Diesel Fitters is bar band rock as befits Palmers. The music is a blend of 1950s, surf, fun and just solid rock band.

Band 4: The Best Meds played inside. I’m not going to lie, even an hour in, it was good to have a reason to walk around. They were fun, fast and played a lot of transportation related songs.

Band 5: Velahsa is a fun intergenerational. There’s lots of energy on the stage. Quick turnover for bassist from inside to out! (They have a number of shows happening this summer.)

Band 6: Matt Caflisch played with a full band and started with I Remember You. Matt’s always great and had a particularly good lyrics for the occasion, “Some people that you don’t forget.”

Band 7: Sidewalk Diamonds has a 90s-alt sound with a country twinge. I really liked Linoleum Skies and was glad to meet Beth in person!

Band 8: Institutional Green has the perfect song, On These Two Pauls, in honor of FRP and local-legend photographer Paul Lungren. The song was released earlier this year (maybe last 2024), when both gentleman could enjoy listening to it!

Band 9: Doug Collins and the Receptionists always classing up the joint. They brought great energy. Also, they sang about Alcohol and AC, which seemed like a tease sense only one was accessible from Palmer’s Patio.

Band 10: Chickaboom & Troglodyte described their music best by say, they were bringing us back to AM radio and KTel albums. It was smooth and cool, and I thought – these people probably understood all of the jokes on Laugh-In back in the day.

Band 11: Danger Pins feels like traveling while staying in one place – but I mean the best daydream part of traveling where your mind wanders pleasantly.

Band 12: Dan Israel brought all of the sound with his full band. It’s fun to hear him in full stage mode, as emcee Jon Cliffard said, one of the hardest working rockers.

Band 13: The Flamin’ Oh’s played all of Paul’s favorite songs (that they played) and lead singer, Robert was close enough to know. It was great to see te passion and the emotion.

Band 14: Faith Boblett sounded great. I swear she leveled up about a year ago and has been just honing her game ever since.

Band 15: Zeppo, Minnesota’s favorite Led Zeppelin tribute band, brought it. They are so much fun and everyone on the patio knows the words. (We can’t all sing them well, but we can sing them! And 12 bands in, audience participation is welcome.)

Band 16: Jim Walsh played inside, which felt really nice. He always has such heartfelt commentary and a TC music community event would not be the same with a stalwart leader and member.

Band 17: The Customers starts with Drinking Again, ironic both for the songwriter and the man of the day. But a fun song. And it always gives a feel for the cyclical nature of life and decisions and life.

Band 18: Bleek & Grimm is an example of always being fun to see variation on a band (The Widgets) that I saw weekly back in the day. And a reminder of how longstanding Paul’s appreciation and support for music goes.

Band 19 and 20: Heavy Sixers and High on Stress are not the same band. (To be fair there is some overlap) I know that. We play their music regularly on the radio show and now I owe them both an in-studio. But I think we got pizza from Band 19-20 and I was just kicking back enjoying the music without taking notes, eating my pizza and maybe having a beer. They are both stellar!

Band 21: Trompe le Monde is my favorite Pixies Tribute band of all time. Where is my mind is just the song you need 17 bands into a 34-band lineup to get you right on track.

Band 22: PARISHES always make me feel like a mini trip to New Orleans. The weather helped that feel! Each of them just grooves it all and the voice of Sally Linda is the icing on that swampy cupcake.

Band 23: Mary Strand is so solid and her band members are no slouches! Getting a quick taste was enough to remind me of how much I’m looking forward to album coming out in August, I Don’t Need Your Permission.

Band 24: Cindy Lawson is always a rocking favorite of mine but what I really appreciated over the weekend was the call to activism. Paul felt that as much as he felt the music – hence the birth of the Minnesota Music Resistance.

Band 25: Whiskey Rock n Roll Club is a band where every member had been on stage at least once before. I love all of their bands but for sheer sing- and danceability WRRC is always a winner.

Band 26: The Mood Swings are always a welcome addition even when there’s a little change up in the lineup of members. If we’d been in a stadium, I might not have seen the difference.

Band 27: The Melismatics is a big name going back a few years now. They leave their fingerprints (in a great way!) on so many bands by joining on stage (see The Mood Swings video above), by teaching, by mentoring but also by having a sound that’s so darned desirable.

Band 28: The Shackletons was one of Paul’s very favorite bands – a well-earned honor, they are so much fun. (I remember when he drove to the Rock’n’roll Hall of Fame.) They are awesome but, as someone who rarely sheds a tear, I have to admit that my eyes were not dry during the song, Front Row Paul (either time).

Band 29: Manias moved us into the inside stage for the night with a staccato punk sound that kept us up with the beat. Kind of psychedelic, kind of punk.

Band 30: The Silverteens are long-term friends of Paul, going back to The Longhorn and up until now. I feel like maybe Paul used to step in to do some singing with them. I miss the chance of seeing him hop on the stage but love the memory. And the music is pretty darned great too.

Band 31: Rebecca Lake Fritz with Special Guest Kent Millitzer was a special treat. Rebecca is a good friend and one of the rare pictures I have with Paul is also with Rebecca. She has a voice that carries the room and a band who is all in Band

Band 32: BEV – mostly excited to see BEV play late at night because the last few times I tried, I was late. It was nice to hear some songs I know from consummate professionals near the end of a very long (but awesome) day.

Band 33: Angry at Numbers was a new band to me and I’m all in for them. Rumor has it one of the members was in Slobberbone. That’s all I needed to know. (Plus really enjoyed what I heard.)

Band 34: Gor love Pullstring for batting clean-up. They were a definite reward to those of us who lasted. Hard not to re-alert listening to their music. Always a treat.

Day Two

Band 35: Jason Chaffee started off the day. He said he was so nervous, he forgot his guitar and had to run back. But his voice sounded solid and the music was meaningful. (Big thanks to Langen for the video; technical difficulty mixed with human error talked me into deleting my first two videos of the day.)

Band 36: Scott Allen brought in dancing energy and a chill spirit. The song, Sill Living Today, was a perfect call. (Big thanks to Langen for the video; technical difficulty mixed with human error talked me into deleting my first two videos of the day.)

Band 37: The Rodents are an old school bad punk. Or as they put it, they play carburetor rock style music. It hit the spot.

Band 38: Tommy Bentz brought us back inside. It was a nice break to a mellow time of past and songs about relationships.

Band 39: Elour has a voice that I’m sure could be heard up and down Cedar Avenue. Probably brough more people into the show! She played Good Girl, which I like and gets an award for best fashioned FRP shirt.

Band 40: Twin Citizen plays music that is very groovy with solid guitar. It was a nice change of pace and I heard plenty of new listeners say nice things. (Also nice to meet Adam in person!)

Band 41: St. Dominic’s Trio ironically had four people on stage but who’s counting just made the music even better. And it helped when they grew into…

Band 42: Belfast Cowboys suddenly appeared on stage when the horns walked on stage. It’s Irish flavored music with Twin Cities mentions in the lyrics and they brought out the dancers in quick time!

Band 43: Tony Ortiz was a pleasantly mellow rock duet, until we all realized that Tony Ortiz in The Monroes (this 1980s What Do All the People Know.). It would be just like Paul to know someone like him.

Band 44: Martin Devaney played solo because he knew it was a good day to roll up and roll out – he wasn’t wrong. His brand of musical storytelling can me mesmerizing.

Band 45 Katy Vernon came solo but singing Favourite Girl. I love the more rocking side of Katy, the more rebellious. I think it suits her and the times. She had a great line about Paul’s ability to make every band think they were his favorite.

Band 46: Annie and the Bang Bang suddenly had a Fleetwood Mac tinge. It has nothing to do with her awesome performance at the Fleetwood Mac Tribute last week. She played Boys in the Mosh Pit, which I always like but the last song she sang (sorry too engrossed to write it down) was just touching.

Band 47: Miss Georgia Peach rocked. I love her songs; I love her cheeky attitude. With the full band, she did a couple slow and a couple toe-tapping. My only wish was that she was playing at 6pm – when I decided the bar could open for me. Her songs make drinking even more fun!

Band 48: Leslie Rich and Ricket Soul Choir starting with the fun – Does it feel like you’re having fun. And ended with Who will Remember? It’s a song he wrote for his parents and nephews who have all passed quite recently. It’s a touching reminder than we’re still around so long as folks remember us. Paul is going to be around a long time.

Band 49: The Sex Rays invited Dale T Nelson (of Otto’s Chemical Lounge) to join them on stage. It was one of several, very awesome moments of bringing an early age back to us. Just wow. Also Dale T Nelson suddenly sounds more like Jello Biafra than I remembered.

Band 50 Fletcher Coulee was another welcome return to the inside. They play rock music added to country singing. It’s a blend I really enjoyed.

Band 51: Constant Insult is a younger band that I’ve seen and enjoyed at the White Squirrel. They have two lead singers that sound great together. They blend and contrast in really interesting ways.

Band 52: New Rocket Union plays punk songs that are under 2 minutes. Honestly that is one of my favorite genres and they executed well.

Band 53 Fret Rattles kept up the momentum. I’m not going to lie – we needed it. They play music that seems to call back to the 1960s with a heavy stop visiting 1970s punk. What’s not to like?!

Band 54: Yesterday’s Numbers filled the stage Walk On By. The lead singer has a great gruff voice with back up singers who just nailed it.

Band 55: Mind Over Time rocks Bob Dylan songs – but in a way that makes me like the songs. (I know my opinion of Bob Dylan never wins a ton of friends. I do appreciate his talent and cultural importance.) And I was reminded of that cultural import With Christy Costello and Orien Treon reacted a video that even I know.

Band 56: Ike Reilly, The Shackletons and Christy Costello, one of the other rare happening for the night and certainly a good part of the rush into the room around 7pm. They started with, Do You Need Anything from Duty Free?, and I was all in. Paul would have loved it! For many of us, the Ike Reilly show at the Turf Club was the last time we saw him.

Band 57: Products Band blends poetry and noise. It a unique style and I always like it. For the night that was in it – they finished early and for that I love them. (It was getting so late for those of us who stuck it out all day, both days!)

Band 58: The Hypstrz was a blast from years ago that thankfully you can still catch every now and again. These guys are legend. It shines a light on the fact that the stages for two days have been filled with legend and legend in the making and it’s to Paul’s credit that he was able to bring them all together.

Band 59: The Silent Treatment brought us inside for the rest of the night. All of the band members were great friends of Paul. No wonder – they are a perfect mix of music and politics. We got to hear a few new songs so that was a super treat.