'A Twin Cities musical family reunion:' Our critic's Art-A-Whirl 2025 live music picks

He's a Minneapolis native who's been involved in the music scene for most of his life, and yet even L.A. Buckner was surprised by the sprawling scene at Bauhaus Brew Labs' annual Liquid Zoo party this time last year — which for the past 30 years has been Art-A-Whirl time in northeast Minneapolis.

"I was shocked to see 3,000-plus people in the crowd," the iTunes chart-topping jazz/funk drummer and bandleader recounted. "I had no idea how big [it] was."

The party scene for Art-A-Whirl might be as big as ever. Bauhaus is just one of six swill-making establishments hosting live music festivals around the all artists' displays in the Northeast corridor this weekend. See also: Indeed and Padraigs breweries, Sociable Cider Werks, Minneapolis Cider Co. and Earl Giles Distillery.

There are lot more music stops than those, too. The scene-bolstering nonprofit DEMO (Diverse Emerging Music Organization) is hosting a three-day party at the Twin Ignition Startup Garage event space. Elias Metal Studio, one of the first places to weld together a live music calendar for Art-A-Whirl, will be rocking all weekend again. Community TV station MCN6 is parking its fun "Bands on Vans" mobile stage outside the 331 Club. Even the neighborhood food co-op, Eastside, has a big parking lot party planned again Saturday.

Bauhaus' Liquid Zoo party probably will wind up being the biggest Art-A-Whirl music bash again — thanks in part to Buckner, who is headlining the Saturday lineup there with White Boy Summer, his new duo with guitarist/singer Thomas Abban. The group's name is intentionally a misnomer, because Buckner said the concept is "two Black history buffs playing the Blackest music you've ever heard."

He is thrilled to be in the Art-A-Whirl swirl again.

"It's the Twin Cities' musical family reunion every year," Buckner said, "where all of the different scenes and cliques that are usually siloed off into their own small communities can come together. Every bill has a huge contrast of bands and artists."

As always, though, that huge contrast can create a lot of scheduling conflicts for music lovers trying to navigate the busy calendar. Here's one semi-informed local music fan's personal picks of which bands to see when, with an hour-by-hour top choice and one good backup option.

Friday

5 p.m.: Electric Church (Sociable Cider Werks) / Backup: Maria & the Coins (5:30, Bauhaus Brew Labs)

6 p.m.: Leah Elizabeth (Q.arma Building) / Gifted Handz (5:45, Indeed Brewing)

7 p.m.: Heavy Metal Brass (Bauhaus) / Chutes (Elias Metal Studio)

8 p.m.: Carnage the Executioner & DJ Piecemeal's "The Collaboratory" (7:30-9, Twin Ignition) / Big Salt (331 Club)

9 p.m.: Early Eyes (Indeed) / Viva Knievel (Bauhaus)

10 p.m.: USPOP (331 Club)

Saturday

Noon: The Dalmatian Club (Bauhaus) / 26 Bats! (Eastside Food Co-op)

1 p.m.: Eleganza! (Eastside Co-op) / Terrell X & the Unknown Potential (1:30, Bauhaus)

2 p.m.: Anita Velveeta (2:30, Indeed) / Keith Secola (Twin Ignition)

3 p.m.: Dad Bod (3:30, Elias Metal) / Faith Boblett (Bauhaus)

4 p.m.: Cornbread Harris (3:45-5:45, Twin Ignition) / Dr. Mambo's Combo (4:45 p.m., Eastside Co-op)

5 p.m.: Juice Lord (5:30, Indeed) / Creeping Charlie (5:30, Elias Metal)

6 p.m.: Obi Original (6:30, Indeed) / Speed Riders (331 Club)

7 p.m.: Vicious Vicious (Bauhaus) / Harlow (7:30, Sociable Cider)

8 p.m.: Black Market Brass (8:45-10, Indeed) / Mikel Wright & the Wrongs (Q.arma)

9 p.m.: White Boy Summer (Bauhaus) / Keep for Cheap (Sociable Cider)

10 p.m.: Socktopus (331 Club)

Sunday

Noon: The Havana Quartet (Twin Ignition)

1 p.m.: Bakkwood Drift (Indeed) / Lucy Michelle (12:45 p.m., Twin Ignition)

2 p.m.: The Nunnery (Twin Ignition) / Clare Doyle (Indeed)

3 p.m.: Jake La Botz & Mikkel Beckman (3-5 p.m., 331 Club) / The Jay Boys Family Band (Q.arma)

4 p.m.: Aby Wolf & Kavyesh Kaviraj with Laurels String Quartet (Indeed) / Twin Town Guitars Band (Sociable Cider)

7 p.m.: Diane (331 Club)

Tickets: Most shows are free. Check for age restrictions and full schedules at the hosts' Facebook pages.

Addresses (all in northeast Minneapolis): 331 Club, 331 13th Av. NE. / Bauhaus Brew Labs, 1315 NE. Tyler St. / Eastside Food Co-op, 2551 Central Av. NE. / Elias Metal Studio, 1129 NE. Van Buren St. / Indeed Brewing, 711 15th Av. NE. / Q.arma Building, 1224 NE. Quincy St. / Sociable Cider Werks, 1500 NE. Fillmore St. / Twin Ignition Startup Garage, 1317 NE. Marshall St.