A new presenting sponsor and a little arts funding from the city of St. Paul are going a long way for the 2025 return of Lowertown Sounds, which just announced the lineup for its nine free concerts in Mears Park this summer.

A few well-known Twin Cities artists will play the Thursday night outdoor series for the first time in 2025, including Dr. Mambo's Combo, Yam Haus and Molly Brandt. They join a list of returning Minnesota favorites on the June 12-Aug. 14 schedule, such as the Flamin' Oh's, the New Standards, Tina Schlieske, Salsa del Soul, Kiss the Tiger, Turn Turn Turn, Annie and the Bang Bang, Dan Rodriguez and Becky Kapell.

As usual, the shows will run 6-10 p.m. each Thursday in the tree-lined park on the Lowertown end of downtown St. Paul. Every week, food trucks will line up around Mears, and local beer and wine will be served in the park.

The series will kick off June 12 with '70s punk-scene heroes the Flamin' Oh's, joined by Faith Boblett and Lonesome Dan Kase. Probably the biggest standout on the lineup will be the following week's show, June 19, featuring both Schlieske and the New Standards. It would be one of the first gigs back from hiatus for the Standards, whose co-leader John Munson is recuperating from a stroke.

Lowertown Sounds organizers were in something close to recovery mode after 2024, which saw an unusual spate of bad weather that canceled two of their shows and hindered several more.

"We were reminded last year how unpredictable things can be and how important dedicated sponsors are," said Clint Roberts, whose company One Simple Plan has produced the series going back to 2018. It began in 2004 and was originally named Music in Mears.

St. Paul-based Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union stepped in to become the presenting sponsor this year. The series also still heavily relies on the city of St. Paul's Cultural STAR Program, which provides grant money used to pay Lowertown Sounds performers. That program is often brought up by musicians who decry the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board's ongoing policy of not paying musicians who perform in its Music in the Parks series.

Mears Park will play host to another of summer's best free outdoor live music options, the 27th annual Twin Cities Jazz Fest, scheduled June 20-21 with performers including the Emmet Cohen Trio, Catherine Russell with Sean Mason, Doreen's Jazz New Orleans, the Adi Yeshaya Jazz Orchestra and L.A. Buckner.

Here's the full schedule for Lowertown Sounds 2025:

  • June 12: Flamin' Oh's, Faith Boblett, Lonesome Dan Kase
  • June 19: The New Standards & Friends, Tina Schlieske
  • June 26: Dr. Mambo's Combo, Purple Funk Metropolis
  • July 3: No show because of the holiday
  • July 10: Dan Rodriguez, Becky Kapell
  • July 17: Annie and the Bang Bang, Maria and the Coins
  • July 24: Turn Turn Turn, Molly Brandt
  • July 31: Salsa del Soul, Alma Andina
  • Aug. 7: Kiss the Tiger, Keep for Cheap
  • Aug. 14: Yam Haus, The Thirsty River, Haley E Rydell