Who's playing and what's showing in Lake Harriet, Loring Park 2015 music and movies series

The Harriet Bandshell's road-trip theme will pair the Pines with "The Straight Story" in August, while Loring Park gets Gary Louris with "Barbarella."

July 21, 2015 at 4:30PM
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)
The August Music & Movies series kicks off at Lake Harriet Bandshell on Aug. 7. / Star Tribune file
The August Music & Movies series kicks off at Lake Harriet Bandshell on Aug. 7. / Star Tribune file (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

August is less than two weeks away, which for Twin Cities film and music buffs means it's time to start planning for the free music and movies series returning to the Lake Harriet Bandshell and Loring Park.

The lineup for the August Music & Movies series at Lake Harriet – now organized by the Star Tribune in lieu of the defunct Vita.mn – will carry a road trip theme among all its movies alongside bands well suited to each flick. Cases in point: Elegant, slow-burning, Iowa-bred folk-rockers the Pines will perform before the similarly toned and vastly underrated David Lynch riding lawn-mower epic "The Straight Story" on Aug. 21 (see clips below), followed by hard-throttling, full-tilt rockers the 4onthefloor with "Smokey & the Bandit" on Aug. 28.

The Walker Art Center's Summer Music & Movies series actually kicks off the last Monday of July this year – next Monday, July 27 -- and continues through Aug. 17 with comic-book and hero flicks centered around the museum's "International Pop" exhibit. Performers lined up are Gary Louris of the Jayhawks, Chastity Brown, All Tomorrow's Petty and MAKR's Covn. The latter is an electronic instrumental ensemble led by Mark McGee of To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie and the Marijuana Deathsquads camp, which is working up an original score to the groundbreaking 1926 animated silent film "The Adventures of Prince Achmed."

Here are the schedules for both series. Enjoy!

AUGUST MUSIC & MOVIES AT LAKE HARRIET BANDSHELL

(Bands start at 7:30 p.m. each Friday, followed by the movies at dusk, 8:30-9 p.m.)

Aug. 7: Brass Messengers | "Dumb & Dumber"

Aug. 14: E.L.n.O | "The Muppet Movie" (1979 original)

Aug. 21: The Pines | "The Straight Story"

Aug. 28: 4onthefloor | "Smokey & The Bandit"

SUMMER MUSIC & MOVIES AT LORING PARK

(Bands start at 7 p.m. each Monday, followed by the movies)

July 27: Gary Louris "and friends" | "Barbarella"

Aug. 3: Chastity Brown Band | "Danger: Diabolik"

Aug. 10: All Tomorrow's Petty | "Batman: The Movie" (1966)

Aug. 17: MAKR's Coven | "The Adventures of Prince Achmed"

about the writer

about the writer

Chris Riemenschneider

Critic / Reporter

Chris Riemenschneider has been covering the Twin Cities music scene since 2001, long enough for Prince to shout him out during "Play That Funky Music (White Boy)." The St. Paul native authored the book "First Avenue: Minnesota's Mainroom" and previously worked as a music critic at the Austin American-Statesman in Texas.

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