Today is Juneteenth, the day that honors the end of slavery in 1865, when troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to ensure the freedom of all the enslaved people. Bandcamp is donating 100% of their share of any purchases made today to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (and on every subsequent Juneteenth). Today is a day to direct attention and money to the voices of Black artists and bands with Black members. That should be the case every day.
In addition to those listed below, Bandcamp posted a list of artists with special releases today, many of whom will be donating their proceeds to benefit racial justice organizations. Here is a crowd-sourced database of Black artists to support on Bandcamp. Here is a list of Black Twin Cities community members to support directly. Dua Saleh made a wonderful playlist of Black and BIPOC LGBTQIA+ artists to stream and support directly. Here's a thread of trans Black women's Venmos/CashApps. The Current also put out a list of ten local artists to support today (plus a Twitter thread from Local Show host Andrea Swensson).
Make it a regular habit of supporting Black artists, whether by buying their music or merch, by sharing their songs with friends, or by going to shows once they resume.
Gully Boys are one of the defining bands of the Twin Cities. Their fiery songs are overwhelming in the way they unify the talents of all three band members - powerfully catchy and undeniably great. Their 2019 EP Phony (plus debut Not So Brave) demonstrates these things perfectly.
Eve Spears very quickly established herself as one of the strongest songwriters in the Cities with only two singles - "Not Your Woman" and "Dead to Me." Her songs are potent and beautiful, capturing entire seas of emotion in pop-song length. Spears also plays guitar in Allergen, another fantastic band.
Some of the best tone and best riffs in the whole Midwest. Marmalade have been making waves with their self-titled EP for years now, playing phenomenal gig after phenomenal gig. They re-released "Hollow Head" in February and have new stuff in the works.
This Richfield trio make classic, punchy rock you can head nod to infinitely. Their debut full-length New Horizon was released in February.
On top of being one of the best live performers in Minnesota, Nur-D is incapable of making a song that isn't overflowing with energy, humor, and insight. In April, he dropped a new quarantine project, recorded at home, that he described as "what you would see inside [his head]."
Last year, Minneapolis' Velvet Negroni released the expansive and haunting NEON BROWN, his first album for the iconic 4AD label. In February, he dropped the hard-hitting one-off single "Bagette."
Taylor Seaberg and the Velvet Punks (Traiveon Dunlap & Roderick Glasper) defy boundaries and genre with every song. Latest single "Jaded Dreams" (released last fall) is a nearly-five-minute odyssey, flowing from jazz to hip hop to soul and back.
Virtually every aspect of Static Panic, from their songs to their shows, echoes Prince. The band achieve the same breathless, sexy energy as the Purple One's best, especially on brand new single "Taste." The electro-infused track swaggers and sways, beckoning the listener to get lost in the immaculate sound.
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