In anticipation of the Walker’s ‘Fantastic Fourth‘ free event taking place in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden on Saturday, July 4th, indie singer-songwriter Haley Bonar and hip-hop artist M.anifest share their thoughts about the upcoming holiday.
Favorite 4th of July memory?
HB: Watching the fireworks from Star Village in Rapid City, SD with my sisters on a blanket drinking coke.
Favorite type of firework?
HB: The ones that feel like they’re getting really close as they grow bigger.
M: The type that goes ka-boom and sends colorful sparks sky high. You can tell I’m no expert in fireworks nomenclature 🙂
Sparklers or Snaps?
HB: Sparklers are more magical!
Best lawn game?
HB: Lying down and reading a book.
M: Football (or soccer as called in these parts)
Best grill food?
HB: Summer squash and sweet potato
M: Chicken and plantains. My friend Mandla in Brooklyn Park makes the best barbeque grilled chicken in Minnesota. I stand by it!
What’s this country mean to you?
HB: Except for the littering of chain restaurants and stores across the land, it is one of the most beautiful countries around. I love the Black Hills, Oregon, Wisconsin, the UP (Upper Peninsula, MI), Montana, Northern Minnesota, boundary waters… so many awesome places to see.
M: It means a lot of opportunities as well as many contradictions. The land of the free you know. It means the epicenter of world political power. It means diversity in a beautifully strange way. You can find just about any kind of person in America: black, white, broke-as-hell, rich-as-well, liberal, neo-nazi, preacher, organic food eating, gun toting libertarians, and the list goes on. Lastly it means a good part of my adult life and music life thus far.
What song do you associate with 4th of July?
HB: Born in the USA (even though I wasn’t!)
What song do you associate with independence?
M: “God bless our homeland Ghana.” I do dig the star spangled banner though…nice melody. I’m about to check Wikipedia to find out who wrote it.
What are you most looking forward to about spending your holiday at the Walker?
HB: Singing for you fine people.
M: Looking forward to seeing lots of people all coming out to have a good time. Good vibes and merry-making. We can forget about the recession for a day I suppose.
Where will you be watching fireworks on Saturday night?
HB: Not sure but hopefully somewhere with all my best friends and family.
M: Not quite sure yet, but I’ll be trying somewhere different this year. Preferably a less crowded location
A free outdoor Independence Day concert will be kicked off by Sumunar Gamelan Ensemble at 11 am, followed by Haley Bonar at 1 pm, and M.anifest at 2 pm near the Spoonbridge and Cherry.