Celebrating 20 Years as a Gathering Place and Music Venue......WOW...and thanks for all of you !

 

Concert series

GINKGO's concert series at GINKGO coffeehouse on Snelling brings musicians from across North America to the Twin Cities. Music is presented in a concert setting, without interruption from normal restaurant service and conversation. The list of artists is impressive and spans a range of musical genres: singer/songwriter, traditional, blues, jazz, celtic, bluegrass, and more! Tickets for the Thursday night concert series can be purchased in advance by calling 651-645-2647 or emailing us. Higher prices apply to tickets purchased at the door.

Music Series

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(Shows with a cover charge are a concert format. For all others, the coffee bar will be open during the show, and people are free to come and go at will.)

 

Saturday April 27

Spring Art and Craft Fair
9 am - 4 pm
Shop for those special gifts for Mothers' Day, Fathers' Day, Graduations, Weddings...buy directly from the artisans, and find that unique gift.

 

 

Saturday April 27
Olsonville
7pm

Olsonville is the new capital of eclectic Americana and smart pop. One writer said the music would "remind listeners of Randy Newman or even Tom Waits."
5 Stars Rock & Roll Review
"Hard to believe that New Americana is a debut album."

My God the River
9pm

Friday, May 3rd
House of Mercy
First Friday Showcase
7 – 9PM


House of Mercy Recordings has now released 28 recordings—from Charlie Parr to the House of Mercy Band to Tim O'Reagan to the Urban Hillbilly Quartet…and many others—and we've decided to start a regular showcase for our artists. The first Friday of each month we'll gather at Ginkgo Coffee in St. Paul to hear some of the artists whose music we love and have released.
This month we'll be hearing from:

Dan Newton
Dan "Daddy Squeeze" Newton has been playing offbeat accordion music since 1987, when he won the Nebraska State Accordion Contest at the Czech Festival in Wilber, Nebraska. He has used the squeeze box for playing all kinds of music not normally associated with free-reed instruments, as well as standard accordion material. You have heard him on "A Prairie Home Companion" and all over the Twin Cities with The Café Accordion Orchestra.

Jonathan Rundman
Born and raised in the isolated Finnish-American communities of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Jonathan Rundman has been writing songs and performing across the country since he was 18 years old. He emerged on the national music scene in the late-90s as a Chicago-based touring artist, generating rave reviews in Billboard, The New York Times, Performing Songwriter, Paste, and countless regional publications. Jonathan's songs can be heard on radio stations across America, in Scandinavia and England, and have been featured on the Ellen Degeneres Show.

Chris Jones
- The Whistlepig String Band. Po'Boy Local 151. The Urban Hillbilly Quartet. Pocahontas County. The Beguine Bros. These are just the bands from Minnesota Chris has played with! Versatile, entertaining and an outstanding performer, Chris pulls from a rich and deep bag of traditional and modern tunes on guitar and banjo.
 

Saturday May 4
Cafe Society
7pm

Ben Pierce
9pm

Eric taylor

Thursday, May 9, 7:30 pm
Eric Taylor  (www.bluerubymusic.com)
Tickets $15 (plus sales tax)

Eric Taylor is a sage musician, a lyrical genius and a master of the guitar. If you're familiar with the intricate Texas singer/ songwriter jigsaw puzzle, you probably already know a lot about Taylor. If you're not familiar with Taylor by name, you've probably heard his songs performed by people such as Nanci Griffith and Lyle Lovett. He has created a multitude of fans and devotees that are legends themselves in the singer/songwriter realm, artists who have long considered Taylor to be a teacher and a lantern bearer whose time is long overdue.

Taylor learned intricate blues guitar stylings from music legends Lightnin' Hopkins, Mance Lipscomb and Mississippi Fred McDowell while working at the Family Hand club. Later, he developed his own unique guitar picking style, that would be imitated by many of his contemporaries from the early Houston days, such as Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Robert Earl Keen, Lyle Lovett, Steve Earle, and Nanci Griffith. "There were no lines drawn in the sand between musical genres in Houston back in those days," Taylor remembers. "You were just a musician. I believe so many great writers came out of that scene because you could learn from others. Isn't that the point of this whole thing?"


"If you miss an opportunity to hear Eric Taylor, you have missed a chance to hear a voice I consider the William Faulkner of songwriting in our current time."   -  Nancy Griffith
 

Saturday May 11
Miss Becky
7pm

The Sterling Roots
9pm
dan Bern

Sunday, May 12
Dan Bern
7:30 pm
Tickets $20

"Dan Bern strums drop-dead gorgeous melodies like a demon with his tail on fire; and expresses his love for humankind through scabrous, literary, skeptical rhymes full of hyperarticulation and the tormented self-knowledge of the really, really smart."
— Washington Post
Paul Seeba

Saturday, June 1st
Paul Seeba
7pm
Tom castle

Thursday, June 6.
Tom Castle
7:30pm
$12

Tom Kastle has one foot in the modern singer/songwriter world and the other planted in the traditional maritime realm where he is a shanty singer and tall ship sailor. He is a touring performer, faculty member of the Old Town School of Folk Music, the Narrator (with occasional singing roles) for the Candid Concert Opera Company, and a regular member of the Solidaritv Sing Along in Madison, Wisconsin.

"I heard Tom Kastle sing his song, "Whose House? Our House!" at a Local 1000 union meeting. Timely. Inspiring. A great gathering song sung with power and presence. "
--Holly Near

"With his solo recording and original songs, Tom Kastle shows further dimensions to his talent and range of material. His resonant voice, heartfelt lyrics, and solid instrumentation proves he is a more "grounded" talent, as capable as writing about the open road as he is about the open waters" --Lilli Kuzma: Folk Festival WDCB
 

June 8
Grace and Steve
 

Friday, June 21
Claudia Schmidt
8 pm
 

Saturday June 22
Tom GA

 

Musical events for your generous donations...some great musicians!

Musical events that are not part of the concert series take place in a more casual atmosphere. Food and beverages are served during the performance, and customers may come and go at will. If no ticket price is indicated, musicians play for your generous donations. Unless otherwise noted, all events take place at GINKGO coffeehouse on Snelling.

 

The open stage is run with a lottery system, meaning names are drawn to see who will perform in each slot. This means you don't have to try to get there too early to be the first to sign up. The open mic is hosted by artists

Neal Dimick, 612-827-1573 nealdimick@yahool.com

children's events

Saturday, April 6, 10 am:  Special Children's Show with Ellis Paul!

Ellis will be performing in a Special Family Show at 10:00AM at Ginkgo Coffeehouse on April 6th, and tickets are FREE, so fans are encouraged to bring the whole family and friends. Ellis will play inspirational songs from his recently released family album entitled, "The Hero in You", which just won the GOLD Parents' Choice Award. Ellis will also be performing songs off his first family album, "The Dragonfly Races," which was named to National Public Radio's 'Top 10 List' as well as winning the Silver Parents Choice Award.

"The Hero in You" is centered on true American heroes throughout history, including Rosa Parks, Ben Franklin, Jackie Robinson, Woody Guthrie, Martha Graham and more. This collection of songs was created by Ellis Paul to remind both parents and children of the importance that these incredible individuals had on American culture and history, and Ellis hopes to inspire kids to reach for the same great heights that these wonderful characters achieved. The album was recently awarded a GoldParents' Choice Award, their highest honor.

Lynne Heffley, of Parents' Choice, writes:

"The Hero in You is an inspired family album with execution to match. Paul connects his moving and celebratory biographical sketches with messages of positive reinforcement to young people to explore their own potential and follow their dreams."

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sign up to receive concert schedules

Email us to add your name to our email list. You'll be the first to know about GINKGO upcoming performances. If you don't have email, call the GINKGO coffeehouse on Snelling (651-645-2647) and give us your name and address. We'll send you a concert schedule in the mail.

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information about performing at GINKGO

There are several ways to perform at GINKGO.

To participate in Open Stage on the first and third Wednesdays of the month, just show up. Sign up begins at 6:30 pm, and Open Stage is from 7-10 pm. Names are drawn to determine the performers for each slot.

To participate in the old time and bluegrass jam sessions on the fourth Wednesdays of the month, just show up.

To play for donations (typically Friday or Saturday evenings), contact us via e-mail ( ginkgosaturdaymusic@yahoo.com ). It may take a few days to respond, and feel free to send a new note if you do ot hear anything.

To perform as part of the concert series, where people pay a cover charge (typically $10 or more), email Kathy at kathy@ginkgocoffee.com. This is a ticketed event. Specify that you are interested in the concert series, and include this on the subject line of your e-mail, please.

Interesting Musical Links

Check out the website for Homestead Pickin Parlor!

Homestead Pickin Parlor has a very good selection of folk music recordings, as well as many other styles, along with music lessons, sheet music and instruments.

 

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