Live music to kick off the semester

Greg Herigges and other performers coming to campus in January

Mark Reynolds
Staff Writer

As the holidays fade away and people slowly eschew their New Year’s resolutions, we find ourselves at the beginning of another semester. While the first weeks will surely be hectic, there are many live music events to bring some joy in the chaos.

On January 22, World Music group Greg Herriges and Stella Roma will grace the stage of the Halling Recital Hall in the Early Center for Performing Arts. This event is sponsored by the Minnesota State University, Mankato Performance Series.

“Guitarist, bouzoukist, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer Greg Herriges creates an eclectic mix of music with a unique approach honed by his studies of Asian and other international styles,” a press release by the music department states.

Also, in the Performance Series, singer-songwriters Erik Koskinen and Molly Maher will play their country and Americana music on campus on January 24.

Those who are tired of pop-country and want to experience authentic, raw country music will be impressed by “the state’s best pure country singer/songwriter,” according to Star Tribune music critic Jon Bream.

There are also a ton of excellent local bands playing shows in the area.

On January 19, bands “The Only” and “Alec John and The Sky Surfers” will be playing a show at Buster’s Sports Bar & Grill at 1325 Madison Ave. at 9 p.m. Both bands are incredibly talented young groups that are already performing like professionals.

On January 18, local jazz group “The Snaps” will be playing live at the Coffee Hag at 329 N Riverfront Drive at 7 p.m. “The sextet”, formed by music students at the University, displays extreme virtuosity clearly shows that jazz is alive and well here in Mankato.

For a more casual event, the Student Events Team hosts “Mocktail Hours” throughout the semester, the first of which is on January 17 at 8 p.m. and features the songwriting brothers “The Icarus Account.”

Mocktail Hours are hosted in the Maverick Bullpen in the lower level of the Centennial Student Union. Along with free music, the event features free billiards, free food and free “Mocktails,” which are alcohol-free cocktails.

There are many more events happening this semester in almost any genre you can imagine. Supporting local music is a great way to get out and participate in the community, usually at little to no cost.

Keep up with the paper to read about upcoming music and reviews of the shows happening here in Mankato.