Category Archives: VBF Bands

New bands to perform at VBF 2024

K-Libre24

K-Libre24 is a Twin Cities-based, eleven-piece Latin Orchestra performing various styles of dance music from the Spanish-speaking regions of the Caribbean such as salsa,merengue, cumbia,and bachata. K-Libre24 was formed to provide great dance music for the Twin Cities and surrounding regions. The musicians of K-Libre24 represent some of the finest musicians in the Twin Cities Latin music community. K-Libre24 performs locally and around the region at restaurants/bars, Latin festivals, private engagements, and other locations and events. This is the first time that K-Libre24 has appeared at Vintage Band Festival. They will be performing on Friday, July 26 at 5:30 pm.

The Freier Department

The Freier Department is a seven-piece band that plays nasty Funk, swingin’ Jazz, and driving Latin music. Ethan Freier, leader and trombonist, has been a band director in Northfield for 25 years while continuing a busy freelance schedule in the Twin Cities. Ethan is joined in the horn section by Rich Manik on saxophone and Bob Case on trumpet. These are horn players that can blow! The amazing rhythm section of Bill Chouinard on bass, Northfield resident Steve Jennings on drums, Chris Olson on guitar, and Ted Godbout on keys will keep the grooves deep and the jazz smokin’. Freier’s arrangements of classic funk and jazz tunes are fresh and exciting. The band released an album in 2021 titled “Dysfunktion”.

When you hear this band, you’ll know why these are some of the most sought after musicians in the Twin Cities. The Freier Department will be on the Wenger Showmobile Stage in Bridge Square on Saturday, July 27 at 2:00 pm.

Let’s look at the VBF 2024 lineup: Sheldon Theatre Brass Band

The Sheldon Theatre Brass Band was founded in 1989 as the resident performing ensemble at the newly-restored, turn-of-the-century T. B. Sheldon Theatre in Red Wing, MN. The band is made up of cornets, trombones, tenor horns, euphoniums, tubas and percussion. They use the instrumentation of the traditional British brass band and play a broad variety of musical styles including original pieces for brass and percussion, marches, orchestral transcriptions, and unique arrangements for brass. In addition to regular performances at the Sheldon Theatre, the band performs at a variety of venues throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin and has performed at many brass band festivals throughout the United States, including NABBA Great American Brass Band Festival. Jim Kurschner is the Director of the band.

The band has posted a detailed history of their organization in a YouTube video that’s worth a look.

It just so happens that their 2024 spring concert is this weekend, Sunday, April 28 at 3:00 pm in Red Wing, MN.

The Sheldon Theatre Brass Band will perform at Vintage Band Festival 2024 on Saturday, July 27 at 11:00 am in Bridge Square, Downtown Northfield MN.

Meet the VBF 2024 bands: The Brian Boru Irish Pipe Band

The Brian Boru Irish Pipe Band from St. Paul, Minnesota was established in 1962 to preserve and advance Celtic piping, drumming, and dancing. They are one of the oldest existing pipe bands in the Upper Midwest. Over the years the Brian Boru Band has become a fixture in parades, celebrations, dances, and an increasing number of private festivities. They play for local, regional, and national events, adding a sense of tradition and spirit of pageantry to every program in which we participate The band has performed with the Chieftains, Green Day, Blink-182 and Rod Stewart as well as local acts like The Northerly Gales, Wookiefoot and Mactir Academy of Irish Dance.

The distinctive Irish uniforms — the saffron kilt, black tunic, and black cabeen (beret) with green or red plumes — are modeled after traditional Irish pipe bands. A number of the band members wear the original brass buttons from uniforms of the Irish Volunteers, the very units involved in the historic Easter Uprising in Dublin, 1916. Officers of the Brian Boru Band, recognized by the distinctive red sash worn across their left shoulder, choose the tunes you hear.

Some of the music performed by the Brian Boru Band came out of that fierce era of Ireland’s past. Other pieces are more modern, and many are much, much older — ancient reels and airs, timeless ballads and war marches, and lively, lighthearted jigs.

Every member of the Brian Boru Irish Pipe Band is a volunteer, and each performance represents hours of personal time dedicated to providing our listeners with the finest pipe and drum music available.

The Brian Boru Irish Pipe Band will perform at 12:00 pm on July 27 at VBF 2024. See the complete schedule on the Vintage Band Festival website.

Vintage Band Festival Announces 2024 Festival Schedule

Vintage Band Festival has selected the roster of bands and the complete schedule of VBF 2024 which will take place in Northfield, Minnesota July 26-27, 2024.

VBF 2024 will be a 1+ day affair with music on Friday night and all day Saturday. Friday the music will kick-off at 5:30 pm and Saturday the music will start at 9:00 am and continues non-stop until 10:00 pm.

All performances will be along the banks of the Cannon River in Downtown Northfield.

New to the festival in 2024 are five bands: The Freier Department, Beasley’s Big Band, the Medalist Concert Band, the Brian Boru Irish Pipe Band, and K-Libre24. The other bands have performed at VBF before, but for some it’s been more than five years.

Here is the complete schedule for the weekend.

FRIDAY July 26, 2024

5:30 K-Libre 24 *

7:00 Mariachi Mi Tierra

8:30 McNasty Brass Band

SATURDAY July 27, 2024

9:00 New Prague Area Community Band

10:00 Dirty Shorts Brass Band

11:00 Sheldon Theatre Brass Band

12:00 Brian Boru Irish Pipe Band *

1:00 Minnesota State Band

2:00 Freier Department *

3:00 Bavarian Musikmeisters

4:00 Twin Cities Trumpet Ensemble

5:15 Medalist Concert Band *

6:45 Brass Messengers

8:30 Beasley’s Big Band *

*first appearance at Vintage Band Festival

Riverwalk Market Fair will be sharing Bridge Square with Vintage Band Festival on Saturday. There will be more than 30 vendors in the park from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm showcasing fresh produce, baked goods, visual artists, textiles, jewelry, and more.

Visit the Vintage Band Festival website often to get updates and background information about the performing ensembles.

And that’s a wrap for Vintage Band Festival 2023!

After a blistering July in the midwest, last Saturday turned out to be a spectacularly comfortable day in Northfield, Minnesota for the 2023 edition of Vintage Band Festival. The heat has returned to the 90s this week so we feel incredibly lucky for the weekend reprieve.

The music was fantastic, the audience was fabulous, and the setting was beautiful. If you were there you know what I mean! Thanks to the musicians for their skill and passion, thanks to the audience for being engaged, and thanks to our donors for their tremendous financial support. Thanks to the City of Northfield and our other community partners for their assistance, and thanks to Riverwalk Market Fair and their vendors for another successful collaboration. Thanks also to our food vendors: Little Frida Taco Shop, Maui Wowi, and the Knights of Columbus. We sincerely appreciate all of you!

Please share photos you may have taken on the Vintage Band Festival Facebook page. Here are a few shots of the action on Saturday.

We were treated to a grand entry by the Minnesota Pipes and Drums, a Scottish heritage band from Minneapolis.

Minnesota Pipes and Drums

Please stay in touch over the next many months until we can do this again in the summer of 2024. And don’t forget to mark your calendars for Tuba Christmas in Northfield on December 2, 2023 or the Tuba Christmas that’s closest to wherever you are.

One last VBF 2023 update

It’s the day before VBF 2023 and all through Bridge Square, not a brass tune was heard, not even a note! That will all change on Saturday and the following bands will be a big help.

Kicking off the day at 9:00 am will be the New Prague Area Community Band. They’ve been our opening act on Saturdays as long as any of us can remember and we’re grateful to them and their fearless leader, Rush Wagner, for breaking the musical ice.

Right after New Prague finishes, we’ll welcome the Sheldon Theatre Brass Band coming to us all the way from Red Wing, Minnesota. The band was founded in 1989 as the resident performing ensemble at the then newly-restored, turn-of-the-century T. B. Sheldon Theatre in Red Wing. They have played at every Vintage Band Festival!

At noon on Saturday, say hello to the Twin Cities Trumpet Ensemble. Their ranks include 24 of the most talented trumpet players in the state of Minnesota. It’s always a kick to find out what new music they’ve added to their repertoire since the last time they were at Vintage Band Festival. Don’t miss their performance!

At 4:00 pm as the sun is passing over the Cannon River to the west, the stage will be set for Metro Brass, the mid-size band with a massive sound. Led by virtuoso trumpeter, Keith Thompson, the band is sure to put on a most entertaining show.

Closing out the day at 8:45 pm will be the Bend in the River Big Band. They will give us the swing music and the classic big band sound that will make sure you get out of your chair and your comfort zone and dance the night away. Vocalist Linnea Marrin will provide the lyrics to all of the tunes that you have been humming to yourself for the past oh so many years.

All in all it’s going to be a wonderful day. Join us, won’t you? Saturday, July 29, 2023 in beautiful Downtown Northfield MN. Get all the details at vintagebandfestival.org.

Enjoy some “feel-good music” in Northfield

Based on the traditions of New Orleans brass bands, the Jack Brass Band is an ambassador of the Crescent City’s rich musical history. The 8-piece band plays “Feel-Good Music” for audiences of any age and any occasion. JBB has the ability and repertoire to play everything from old New Orleans jazz from Louis Armstrong’s era, to the modern street Mardi-Gras anthems with the instrumentation, feel and energy they have mastered through countless gigs, parades, festival appearances and trips to New Orleans to listen, learn and play alongside the masters.

Jack Brass Band takes the stage at 2:00 pm in Bridge Square on July 29, 2023.

Bavarian Musikmeisters return to Vintage Band Festival

Members of Bavarian Musikmeisters hail from southern Minnesota and model themselves after traditional German village bands, lederhosen and all. The band’s 35 musicians perform authentic musical arrangements on a variety of brass and woodwind instruments: flute, clarinet, trumpet, flugelhorn, tenor horn, baritone, trombone, tuba and percussion. They perform for numerous events in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and have performed at Germanic festivals in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and South Dakota, as well as at the German-American Mardi Gras Association annual meeting in Las Vegas.

Bavarian Musikmeisters will perform at 1:00 pm on July 29 at VBF 2023.

Latin Rhythms will once again be heard in Bridge Square

Minnesotans are fortunate to have a number of bands that focus on Mexican and other south of the border musical traditions. Two of the best (in our opinion!) are veteran performers at Vintage Band Festival and we’re excited to welcome them back to Northfield in 2023.

Banda La Verdadera

This high-energy Minneapolis band is a favorite Vintage Band Festival performer. Banda La Verdadera plays a type of traditional Mexican music that features brass instruments, woodwinds, drums and singing. The band performs a variety of musical forms, including rancheras, boleros and cumbias. They are in high demand in Minnesota and we’re lucky to have them back in Northfield in 2023.

Mariachi Mi Tierra

The mariachi ensemble is the only ensemble that requires the vihuela and the bass (guitarrón mexicano). These two instruments are the rhythm section. There’s no other ensemble in the world that uses them, except mariachi. If you go to a festival or a party and they say they have mariachi and they don’t have a vihuela and a bass, it’s not really Mariachi. The rest of the instrumentation is pretty straightforward. They include trumpets, violins, and vocal singers.

Mariachi Mi Tierra is the oldest Mariachi ensemble in the Minneapolis and St. Paul metropolitan area. Rosalio Castro (trumpet), who formed the group in 2003, has played various Mexican styles of music since he was in his teens. Eduardo Castro (also trumpet) is the group’s director. Together, the Castros have brought together a group that produces the full sound of authentic mariachi in Minnesota.

Mariachi Mi Tierra will perform at 5:00 pm on July 29, 2023 and Banda La Verdadera will take the stage at 6:00 pm. View the complete schedule for VBF 2023 here: https://vintagebandfestival.org/vbf-2023/ and check back for any updates.

Brass Messengers to play an evening set at VBF 2023

Brass Messengers are a Minneapolis street band playing mostly original music inspired by global sources. The BMs formed from the annual rubble of of the Heart of the Beast Mayday Parade and Ceremony in Minneapolis. The musical origins were found in the music of Africa, the Carribean and Balkans, but now the BMs play whatever works, throwing in a country song to the crying drinkers, a high speed polka or two for the midwest dancers, running in circles with the little ones, activating gatherings of our activist kin or a bit of Black Sabbath for the metal crowd. But mostly, it is an original music that rises from the heart of the band that can only be described as a homegrown Minneapolis street music sound.

The Messengers play stages large and small, events from parties to bars, large theaters to street parades and funerals. The Mess have been a part of the HONK community for nine years running, attending more than ten HONK festivals in Sommerville, Seattle and Austin, TX.

Vintage Band Festival 2023 will take place on Saturday, July 29,. 2023 in Northfield, Minnesota’s Bridge Square. Brass Messengers will take the stage at 7:15 pm.