West Bank Bluegrass Extravaganza

There’s a tradition of proud, passionate folk revivalism and hardcore banjo-on-mandolin action in these parts that predates any George Clooney movie you could name. So forget for a moment that this is the year of Grammy-canonized bluegrass. Recognize that devoted and studious musicians all over the Midwest and elsewhere have been laboring for ages to keep these suddenly trendy high-lonesome sounds afloat in the greater musical ether. While the Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Festival is the largest and best known of the region’s large-scale gatherings–the 23rd annual installment is set for August–events like this two-night hoedown-cum-throwdown at the Cabooze offer a chance for city-bound bar crawlers to get a taste of that old-school flavor without the need for sunscreen or a camping permit. The names on display at this fast-picking affair are rock-solid, too, including Chicago’s Cornmeal (equally at home among purists or on the jam band circuit), local act Monroe Crossing (featuring ace fiddler Lisa Fuglie), and Virginia-born James King (above), a true champion of the genre who came up 20 years ago under the distinguished wings of Ralph Stanley’s Clinch Mountain Boys. Can we get a witness? The Cabooze, (612) 338-6425