We can’t wait to kick off our 10th Season with Grand Oak Opry Presents Sleeping Jesus, Saturday June 29th. Details in the event link. Invite friends, check out their music if you haven’t already, and join us!

We’ve been following Sleeping Jesus for years, and can’t wait for them to open our 2024 season! Join us for Sleeping Jesus on Sat June 29, 7:30pm. (Logistics in event link.)

BIOGRAPHY: Sleeping Jesus is a Rock and Roll band started by Nick Elstadin in Winona,MN. The now five-piece Minneapolis band, featuring Tyler Steinley, Andy Bauer, Seamus St.Clair, and Dante DeGrazia, just released their new album “Hollywood Smile”.

Hollywood Smile sees the band ditching the hazy dream pop stylings of their debut album and dipping their toes into the waters of Rock and Roll and Americana for the very first time. After a release show at First Avenue’s 7th Street Entry, the band will be bringing their charming version of rock n’roll to festivals and audiences across the Midwest and beyond in 2024.

Join us for Cherokee Social on Sat. July 13, at 7:30pm! (Event logistics in the link.)

It’s rare for us to feature a performer from outside Minnesota, but we’ve been following Julian and Cherokee Social for years and can’t wait to host them at Grand Oak Opry. We hope you’ll join us!

BIOGRAPHY: Bred in Baltimore and based in Denver. Indie Pop Act Cherokee Social combines American Indigenous percussion with the stylings of contemporary pop music. This two piece brings the energy of a full band when they play live and can be seen playing with established touring acts like Devotchka and Xiuhtezcatl as well as selling out their own headlining shows.

Join us for HEYARLO on Sat. July 27 at 7:30. We’ve had the pleasure of seeing DeCarlo Jackson in person, and he appeared with the band Blue Dream in 2022. You won’t want to miss this show and these incredible performers! (Event logistics in the link above.)

BIOGRAPHY: HEYARLO is an instrumental indie-jazz group based out of Minneapolis, MN. The group is fronted by DeCarlo Jackson on Flugelhorn and supported by Megan Mahoney on Bass, Evan Slack on Guitar, Sam Rosenstone on Keys and Rick Haneman on drums. Each member is very active in the Twin Cities music scene and can be seen playing with notable groups such as Hippo Campus, Sid Sriram, Boyish, Samia, Honeybutter and more.

Press:
“HEYARLO is a group of talented artists with careers already launched separately. They come together with a sophisticated, rich sound. Their latest single, “Chanting & Gossip,” lives up to the band’s self-proclaimed mix of soul, funk, hip-hop, and jazz.” -NT (The Current)

Join us for The Orange Goodness on Saturday August 10th at 7:30. This show will be so much fun! (Logistics in event link.) Join us!

THE ORANGE GOODNESS- is an exciting groove-infused alt/indie rock group that creates out of Minneapolis, Minnesota and features Mike Michel (guitars, vocals) Ian Allison (bass) and Reese Kling (drums). This music collaboration grew organically from a solo acoustic recording and auditory health music campaign Mike Michel created called On The Mend. Mike was afforded the opportunity to perform the songs from On The Mend on multiple stages throughout the Midwest as a solo artist, but decided to expand the performance experience to a full electric band which led to the addition of Minnesota session aces, Ian and Reese. Their collective chemistry was immediate, vibrant, and exploratory! To celebrate this new music birth, The Orange Goodness released their debut single, Dare I Do, in 2020 and in the the fall of 2021, their debut EP, Flying Under The Radar Of Chaos, hit the airwaves and wifi networks of the world! Thanks to their reputations as high energy performers and diverse session musicians, The Orange Goodness have been invited to many unique festivals, house concerts, clubs and theaters around the midwest! 

The Orange Goodness are steadfast in their mission to be an all inclusive, ageless, genre less music group!

EVV was part of Mayyadda’s band in 2023, and we’re so excited to feature her solo act! Join us for EVV on Saturday Aug. 24, 7:30pm! (Logistics in event link above.)

BIOGRAPHY: EVV is a Minneapolis-based musician that does not claim a genre. Drawing influences from blues, jazz, and rock, the solo project of Evelyn Speers is one that is years in the making. With each song, EVV sings about heartbreak and their experiences as a black femme in today’s society. EVV hopes to inspire young femmes to pursue the music that inspires them and to let their voices be heard.

We’re honored to close our 2024 season with iLLism on Saturday Aug. 31 at 7:30. They represent so much of what we hope to accomplish in the music community! Join us! (Logistics in the event link above.)

BIOGRAPHY: iLLism is a Twin Cities-based duo comprising husband and wife Envy and Fancy. Their sound spans across various genres, such as Hip-Hop, R&B, Jazz, and Minneapolis Funk, and is enriched by the use of live instruments in their performances.

With two EPs and three full-length albums under their belt, they have performed on prominent stages like Super Bowl Live, NAMM, SXSW, and Paisley Park. Beyond their musical talent, iLLism is committed to uplifting the black artistic community. In 2022, they opened The Legacy Building, in south Minneapolis. A creative space that supports the local creative community. They also are the lead organizers of the Soul of the Southside Juneteenth Arts and Music Festival, which takes place at Minnehaha and Lake Street annually each year on Juneteenth. iLLism’s unwavering commitment to music and community has created a space for themselves and others to thrive, inspiring hope, perseverance, and artistic excellence.

We hope you will join us for Grand Oak Opry Presents The OK Factor at Irvine Park: Saturday the 7th at 2:00 in Irvine Park! You can listen to The OK Factor here. They performed for us several years ago and were phenomenal!

It will be a beautiful fall day under the historic oak trees of Irvine Park — next to their fountain.

Bring a chair/blanket and anything you want for a beverage. Parking is available on the street (watch signs) or at the Ramsey House lot at Sherman and Exchange. (See map below.)

We hope you’ll join us!

We were just at Irvine Park and the Grand Oak Opry Presents The OK Factor at Irvine Park show will be so beautiful in so many ways!

The location is beautiful and The OK Factor are amazing musicians and performers. They will be in the gazebo at the historic park (under many old oak trees).

Parking is on the street or at the Ramsey House parking lot on the corner of Sherman and Exchange. Bring a chair/blanket and your own snacks/beverages. $15 suggested donation/adult.

It will be a beautiful day! Please join us!

We are excited to partner with the Saint Paul Parks Conservancy and neighbors in Irvine Park to present The OK Factor on Saturday October 7th at 2:00pm, under the historic oak trees at Irvine Park in Saint Paul.

The OK Factor was magical when they played for us previously. We are thrilled to partner with the neighbors of Irvine Park and the Parks Conservatory to bring their magic to this beautiful setting.

TICKETS & LOGISTICS: There are no tickets. For all shows we request a $15 donation/adult. We ask that you bring your own chair/blanket, and anything that you like to eat or drink.

BIOGRAPHY: Olivia Diercks and Karla Colahan – cellist and violinist of the newclassical crossover duo, The OK Factor – have one word to describe their musical connection: lucky. The almost telepathic way they respond to one another is palpable to the audiences they capture during performances, as is their spontaneity and joy. Organic and genuine, their original compositions and arrangements feel both comfortingly familiar and uniquely fresh, and have been described as “genre-bending” (Julie Amacher, MPR) and “pure magic” (Wausau Pilot & Review).

Within their nine years of writing, performing, and touring, The OK Factor has honed in on ways they can impact the communities they visit outside the concert hall. Residency work has become a deep passion – sharing intimate performances, conducting outreach activities, and leading workshops for students through their education initiative, ATLAS. Olivia and Karla are also sought-after collaborators and composers-in-residence, having worked with many regional, national, and international artists, and various digital music libraries.

The OK Factor’s distinct compositional and performance style awarded them the honor of being finalists for the prestigious McKnight Fellowships for Musicians in 2018, and Artist Fellowship recipients for Scandinavian Folk Arts and Cultural Traditions through the American Scandinavian Foundation in 2020. The duo has produced five studio albums of their original pieces and arrangements: Water Street (‘14), That’s Enough of That (‘16), Have Yourself an OK Christmas (‘17), Love, The OK Factor, Lullabies & Love Songs, (‘19), and Season’s Greetings (‘20).

Check them out at www.TheOKFactor.com