On Wednesday, June 21, the day of the summer solstice, Alliance Française will celebrate Fête de la Musique at Utepils Brewing! We are proud to partner with Utepils Brewing for the third year running in bringing this event to our city
Meant to promote music and community, Fête de la Musique is a major free popular event that celebrates live music and highlights the breadth and diversity of musical practices and genres. Aimed at all audiences, this day of celebration familiarizes people of all ages and all walks of life with a range of musical expressions.
Since its creation by the French Ministry of Culture in 1982, major cities, mid-size towns, and small villages all across France have invested in making June 21 a special moment, an expression of music’s power and a reflection of its permanent dynamism. Spreading beyond the Hexagon, this day of music is now celebrated in over 1000 cities in 120 countries around the world. Join us for our own rendition here in Minneapolis!
This event is free and all are welcome!
Registration is not required and seating will be on a first-come first-served basis, but please consider registering and making a $10 donation to support our cultural programs like this one. Your support allows us to pay the artists and helps continue the presence of cultural programs which benefit our whole community.
Purple People Feeder Food Truck will be there!
5pm
BAL FOLK SESSION
Enjoy an informal jam session of traditional French Bal Folk (folk dance) music. You will hear bourees, schottishes, mazurkas, gavottes, rondeaus, waltzes, and more played on acoustic instruments such as fiddle, accordion, bagpipes and nykelharpa. The session will be led by Dan “Daddy Squeeze” Newton (piano accordion) and Bob Walser (diatonic button accordion), and is open to those interested in trying their hand or feet at French folk dance music!
7 pm
dEADLY CYCLAMATES
Tab, Fresca, Diet-Rite, Shasta and Devil Shake comprise the five flavorful members of the sweet but Deadly Cyclamates. While their namesake substance has been banned in the USA for over 50 years, the Cyclamates substitute a lo-cal, lo-fi playlist of forgotten bands of the same time period, harkening back to an era of sparkling effervescent fun delivered with taste and a hint of danger. In lay terms, an inglorious racket of '60s teenbeat garage by turns joyful, moody & melancholy. With lashings of brutal fuzztone, pretty bells, rousing choruses and stomping beats there's a little something for everyone to quench their musical thirst with. The Deadly Cyclamates step from out of the past with the gift of fizzy fuzz "pop" for now people! They will even have a few songs in French!
6pm
Robert Everest and Michael Bissonnette
When Robert Everest and Michael Bissonnette create music together it sounds more like a quartet than a duo, as Robert deftly plays bass lines, chords, and melodies on his 7-string Brazilian classical guitar, while simultaneously singing fluently in 7 languages! All the while "Mr. Biss" holds the groove steady with a plethora of polyrhythms that he has picked up in over 40 years of international percussion studies. These two World Music wizards will take you around the planet in an evening and leave you wanting more!
8 pm
dj megan o
DJ MeganO hosts a weekly radio show on Barely Brothers Radio, featuring all her favorite songs. Lots of 60s garage, soul/R&B, with an emphasis on female vocalists and foreign language tracks. She loves spinning French vinyl!
This event is supported by the Federation of Alliances Françaises USA
