Events
Check out some of our past and future events to get a sense of our work.
Upcoming Events
October 2024
Sunday Scaries
Never fear, Sunday Scaries is (almost) here! In collaboration with Coffee Break Entertainment, we're so excited to announce a Musical Celebration coming to Green Room on Sunday, October 27. Join us for a stellar lineup (more here) and help us raise money for the Justice for Dave Velk Fund. We can't wait! We're also pumped to be joined by many of our favorite local companies - thank you for celebrating our musical family with us.
Mike Horvath
Join us for pre-roll music from Mike Horvath. Mike performs original songs and covers using his voice and a looper to construct chords, percussion, and melodies by manipulating vocal samples to create vibrant, high-energy songs right before your eyes. He’s honored to be opening for such talented local artists in the iconic Green Room. Check out his hit single Lips!
D.C. Leonhardt
Somewhat of a folk traditionalist, D.C. Leonhardt's live shows are a blend of borrowed and original songs and the stories behind them. His own songs generally focus on labor, love, and religion and the humors and tragedies they bring. In focusing on the ordinary, he hopes to bring to light the stories (real and imagined) that otherwise might pass us by. His debut album, (roughly), is slated for release in October 2024.
Kiernan
Kiernan is the project of Minneapolis-based musician Laura Kiernan (she/her). Drawing sound inspirations from the likes of Big Thief, Waxahatchee, and John Prine, her songwriting mixes folk with indie rock and a hint of country.
Laura hopes her music nourishes your ears like a nice hunk of bread. It’s just like when you're feeding the pigeons: soft, silly, spacious and best done with friends.
Laura Hugo
Laura Hugo is an Indigenous singer/songwriter from Teec Nos Pos, AZ located in the Navajo Nation. She moved to Minnesota in 2010 to pursue her music and has since played all over the Twin Cities and around the Midwest. She has used her experiences with grief, mental health and general confusion about her place in the world to write honest and relatable songs.
Poison Ivy And The People
Are existential, edgy, and honest. A little grunge for your dreams, with passion and theatricality. Hella headliner energy.
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October 2024
Halloween 2024
Join us for Halloween at IceHouse
DancingFish Events and CoffeeBreak Entertainment present: GHOSTchella
DOORS 8PM
SHOW 8:30PM
$12 ADVANCE
$20 AT THE DOOR
Clayton Ryan and Bark Point
Raised in Iowa and South Dakota, Clayton Ryan’s homegrown country soul music reverberates with a nostalgic sound and powerful songwriting. His songs have been featured in American Songwriter, GemsOnVHS, B-Sides & Badlands, and Americana Road Show, and appeared in TV and film.
Bryn Battani
Slyly intense and disarmingly earnest, Bryn Battani weaves clever, tongue-in-cheek lyrics with unexpected arrangements. She supports her writing with genre-bending “chamber pop” instrumentation colored by her theatrical background and Western roots. Her self-produced third EP Guest Room probes into discomfort and rejection, serving up a strong dose of wit and dose of self-awareness.
The Weeping Covenant
Based in St. Paul, MN, The Weeping Covenant is headed by vocalist and songwriter, Michael Beatrez. Writing from a lyrically driven perspective, he generally touches on themes of hope, vulnerability, and love. The music of The Weeping Covenant is rooted in Americana, with pop sensibilities akin to Jeremy Messersmith, piercing storytelling of Jason Isbell, and spacious, sustained vocals that melt into reverb like the ballads of John Denver.
Hosted by the one and only Molly Brandt.
November 2024
Samhain
Join DancingFish Events and The Mess Records on Nov 2 for Samhain! Samhain is a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter or the "darker half" of the year. It is also the Irish language name for November. We're excited to welcome the darkness at 331 Club with a powerhouse linueup.
Nina Luna is, simply put, a force of nature. Born into the mystery of the hills of New England, raised on the spirit and the myths of the North Country in Minneapolis, she cut her teeth on legends of artists come before and forged her own path through the bright lights and dive bars of New York and Los Angeles. The unique influence of her bond with these places comes through in Luna’s music - a natural mysticism and sacred sensuality combine with a lust for life and a fiery edge into a shape-shifting alt-pop sound. Her lyrics are honest and vulnerable while her production is often cinematic and otherworldly, her voice at once ethereal and powerful.
S U P E R I O R S I R E N is an eerie-folk project created by singer-songwriter Laura Sellner. The music offers an alluring yet dangerous expression of vulnerability and desire, with inspiration from Lake Superior and Siren mythology. When Sellner joined forces with cellist Rachel Gobin, bassist Nyssa Krause, and drummer Emma Deaner a sisterhood of sirens was formed. The band haunts stages and crafts a mesmerizing blend of vocals, strings, & percussion.
Emmy Woods and the Red Pine Ramblers
Emmy Woods (she/they) was born and raised on an old dirt road in rural North Dakota and currently resides in Saint Paul, Minnesota. With hints of country, folk, and blues, Emmy’s songs showcase both her knack for storytelling, her strengths in musical artistry, and an impressive vocal range and ability. When asked to describe her sound in three words, Dr. Kyle Smith said, “Queer Farm Vibes… or maybe… Sad Boy Progressive.”
November 2024
The White Squirrel Denizens
Join us at the White Squirrel Bar on Nov 6 for a free show! We will be joined by a stellar lineup including:
Eldest Daughter
Eldest Daughter is an indie band that rocks. Our vibe spans from Alanis Morisette to Lincoln Park to Macy Gray. Killer instrumental guided by dynamic vocals and powerful poetry, our original songs will move you, inspire you, and may cause compulsive foot tapping, head nodding, and tear falling. Originally founded in Woodbury as a duo, Eldest Daughter band now includes Monica Merila, Austin Reid, Sonja Quartz Leaf, and Isaac Feia. Each of us are “eldest daughters” in our own right, rockstars in all the right ways, and extremely excited about our debut EP “Cactus Magnet” dropping before year-end.
Lexie Modica is an independent americana artist based in the Twin Cities. They got their start in classical music, graduating from Johns Hopkins on a scholarship for opera in 2021 . Soon after, in 2022, they pivoted to writing and performing their own music around their hometown, starting small with open mics and talent shows. They released their first single ‘Home’ on June 29th, 2024, a song about new beginnings. Their biggest musical influences are Brandi Carlile, boygenius, and Chappell Roan.
Danceable pop? Fired-up funk? A collection of love letters to Motown? Recent pivots to punk and country? Hailing from the Twin Cities, Oak and the Woods triumphantly transforms genre ADHD into a core strength and a hallmark onstage. A seasoned entertainer and highly trained vocalist, frontman and songwriter Andrew Okland lives for the intoxicating sound of a large group of musicians laying down intricate parts to create a huge, energetic sound. In step with Okland’s vision and ambition, a sizable cast of Minneapolis musicians expertly rounds out the Oak and the Woods aesthetic with a wall of pop and funk guitars, supported by basslines of head-bopping momentum -- ideal for fans of Vulfpeck, Leon Bridges, and Chris Stapleton.
Past Events
May 2023
Art 4 Change
We were thrilled to be a part of the Be the Change: Photos pop-up exhibition that took place in May 2023 at PNA Hall in Minneapolis. This event was particularly special for us, as we previewed Imani C. McCray's photo series "Love thy Neighbor", which will be shown at the American Swedish Institute in 2025.
In collaboration with other local Minneapolis artists, we put together a pop-up exhibition titled "Art 4 Change" to bring awareness to Imani's upcoming trip to document the plight of the Palestinians under occupation in Jerusalem.
DancingFish Events was proud to book eight local bands, including A Sunken Ship Irony, Emmy Woods, and JustHANO, to perform at this event.
July 2023
DancingFish Events Launch Party
We hosted our formal launch party with our friends A Sunken Ship Irony, Clare Doyle, and D.C. Leonhardt on July 7 at Westwood Hills Nature Center.
We were so lucky to be joined by Samy from Jewlery by Samy and Colleen from Bound Permanent Jewlery. We loved working with them.
We had fabulous weather and felt very lucky that our friends and families were about to join us to celebrate this big milestone. These lovely photos are by David King.
August 2023 and July 2024
Songs at Sociable
We had so much fun at Sociable Cider Werks on Friday, August 11 with Cat Tales, a funkalicious local band, and Pandelion, a local funk/blues/jazz band.
Thank you for joining us and dancing with us!
Encore! 2024
Thank you for joining us at Sociable Cider Werks on July 5, 2024 to celebrate with Luke Lynell, *Splash!* and Lola's Paradox.
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October 2024
Thank you for joining us on Tuesday, October 8, 2024 at Zhora Darling to celebrate D.C.'s new album, (roughly).
Somewhat of a folk traditionalist, D.C. Leonhardt's live shows are a blend of borrowed and original songs and the stories behind them. His own songs generally focus on labor, love, and religion and the humors and tragedies they bring. In focusing on the ordinary, he hopes to bring to light the stories (real and imagined) that otherwise might pass us by. His debut album, (roughly), is slated for release in October 2024.
Described by What’s Up Magazine as “a time capsule unearthed, fine-tuned and re-imagined”, McKain Lakey draws creative inspiration from far corners of the American folk music tradition. Lakey blurs lines of old and new, referencing musical textures of past eras while unabashedly exploring topics of mental health, family separation, rural identity and queer love.
Raised on the southern edge of St. Paul Minnesota, Singer-songwriter Luke Lynell has a voice that blends the gravel roads, prairies, and waters he was raised on.
Influenced by artists such as Jason Isbell, Tyler Childers, and Cody Jinks, his compelling stage presence and crafted lyrics come alive in any room. With a sound often likened to Sturgill Simpson, its no wonder his Debut EP continues to get airtime on radio stations across the Midwest.