Rock the Garden always kicks summer into high gear, and now the Walker Art Center and 89.3 The Current have made it bigger and better. This year’s line-up of cutting-edge indie rock bands will play to crowds spread out along the Walker’s grassy hillside “amphitheater” overlooking the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden on Saturday, June 20, from 3-11 pm.
Headliners Colin Meloy and his Decemberists cohorts have carried their theatrical pop to new heights with the critically acclaimed 17-song rock opera, The Hazards of Love. Onstage, Meloy’s captivating story-songs are matched by the band’s consummate showmanship, as their devout ranks of fans can attest.
Rounding out the bill are bands who share the
Decemberists
’ eclecticism. Since forming
Calexico
in 1990, Joey Burns and John Convertino have remained restless musical adventurers, mining the themes of the American Southwest; their latest, Carried to Dust, has been hailed as a burst of experimental folk-pop. Trafficking in what they call “Middle Eastern-psych-pop-snap-gospel,” the Brooklyn-based
Yeasayer
merges spirituals and synthesizers in propulsive, polyrhythmic songs; they conjure ancient traditions while looking toward an alternately bleak and bright future in songs such as “2080,” which put the band on numerous critics’ radar. Jump-starting the Garden party are local electro-rockers
Solid Gold
, who are buzzing worldwide. During a recent UK tour, NME described their hit “Get Over It” as “exquisite spectral disco and a slow-burn favorite in the making.”
Between sets, enjoy live broadcasts from The Current’s DJs, stroll through the world-famous Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, and sample an expanded mix of food, beer, and other refreshments for sale. This all-ages, rain-or-shine party is sure to be a sell-out! Advance ticket purchase is recommended: walkerart.org/tickets or 612.375.7600.
Walker and MPR members get exclusive access to tickets to Rock the Garden through April 17. Tickets are $40 ($35 Walker/MPR members).
Tickets available at 612.375.7600 or at walkerart.org/tickets.
Join and Receive a Complimentary Ticket
New Walker or Minnesota Public Radio members may choose 1 ticket when joining or contributing at $60 per year or above, or 2 tickets when renewing or joining at $150 per year or more.
Walker Art Center: 612.375.7600, membership.walkerart.org
MPR: 1.800.227.2811, mpr.org