ST. PETER — The Minnesota Original Music Festival kicks off in spirit Thursday night with “Songwriters in the Round,” featuring Minneapolis musician and writer Jim Walsh.
Local musician Joe Tougas will host the 7 p.m. session at the Arts Center of Saint Peter.
St. Peter festival organizer Eli Hoehn loves highlighting Minnesota musicians. And as one of the region’s music unique festivals enters its fifth year, Hoehn continues to expand its offerings throughout the summer.
While the meat of the festival runs July 16-19, with the finale events at Minnesota Square Park in St. Peter, Hoehn likes to venture into new musical showcases and interactive performances of original sounds.
Take Walsh. He’s an award-winning writer, journalist and songwriter “who for decades has immersed himself in the Minnesota music world through journalism, essays and performances,” as Hoehn and his MOMF organization promote.
And the songwriters’ discussions have been among Hoehn’s favorites through the festival history. “It keeps the event fresh and it gives the event a little different twist. And having Joe (Tougas) being a part of the process brings in another singer-songwriter.”
Walsh’s writing career has expanded via his contributions to MinnPost, the online newspaper. Most recently, he shared his thoughts and highlighted others who dedicated songs and words in protest of the Operation Metro Surge by Immigration and Customs Service agents throughout the Twin Cities.
“To be sure,” Walsh wrote in late March, “much has been said about the Twin Cities and what fuels it politically, organizationally, and spiritually. But what has gone largely ignored by the visiting pundits and press is the organic organizing hub that is the local music scene. Musicians are natural on-the-ground organizers …”
Walsh did the same in the wake of the 2020 murder of George Floyd on a street in south Minneapolis. Two days after Floyd died “at the hands of the Minneapolis police,” as he wrote, artists and musicians “in our neighborhood and around the world” took note.
“Writing a song is sometimes like taking a photograph of an emotion,” Walsh wrote, “and I needed something like a prayer to sing.”
So Walsh wrote his “Folk Song for George Floyd (Minneapolis Weeps).”
More MOMF events
Beyond the songwriter discussion Thursday, the festival’s events won’t resume until June 27 with a “Hip-hop Showcase” at Patrick’s in St. Peter. Hoehn says he’s been trying to better show off this popular genre and thinks this event might work well.
Hosted by Robert Kolbe (aka Intelligent Design), festival organizers plan to bring in “a room full of great Minnesota hip-hop artists.”
“Last year we worked really hard at having a really diverse set of events,” Hoehn said. “We’re trying to make ourselves more aware of these musicians and their music.”
But he noted that having such a wide array of artists performing short sets doesn’t always bring in big crowds.
“We have far less events this year than we’ve had in the past,” he said. But that’s been intentional, spreading them out over the course of three months. “We’ve focused on all these things that are important, but they’re not actually bringing people (to the Minnesota Square Park weekend).”
One July event that has been popular is the “48-Hour Band Challenge” and draft of myriad levels of regional musical talents. Last year’s winners, “Lady Mercury,” led by vocalist Beth Bunda and guitarist Luke Smith, drafted musicians Caiden Rademaker, Ben Marti, Sabri Fair and Tyler Vaughan.
Hoehn expects those musicians back in some form during the July events. The Challenge Contest will be July 18 at Patrick’s.
The current lineup for the MOMF main state concert on Sunday, July 19, include Martin Zellar, Brother Jon Band, Hoehn’s band The Quantum Mechanics & Friends, Bluedog, Saltydog, Given Names and Fruitform.
For more information, see the Minnesota Original Music Festival Facebook page.