St. Paul's Lowertown Sounds will raise the bar for free outdoor concerts again in 2023

The Twin Cities have lost a lot of their usual outdoor summer concert events in 2023, but not Lowertown Sounds.

Mainstay Minnesota music favorites such as Run Westy Run, the New Standards, Molly Maher & Her Disbelievers, Salsa del Soul and the Flamin' Oh's were announced Wednesday as headliners for the weekly Thursday night series in St. Paul's Mears Park. Other nights will be topped off by more recent buzzmakers such as Kiss the Tiger, Turn Turn Turn, Jaedyn James and Nur-D.

The series will kick off June 1 with the bright, young string band Good Morning Bedlam and ex-Texas twangers Trevor McSpadden and Mary Cutrufello. Shows continue nearly every Thursday from 6-9:30 p.m. in the oasis-like downtown park until what should be a scorching Aug. 24 finale with the Flamin' Oh's, Two Harbors and Chemistry Set.

Maybe the best news of all: Despite the rising costs of producing concerts — which have driven up ticket prices for touring shows and driven such popular events as the Basilica Block Party and Rock the Garden to the curb — Lowertown Sounds will remain free in 2023.

"We're honored to produce this wonderful rendezvous of local music, food, and beverages year after year, and we feel it's more important than ever to do so," Clint Roberts, founder and director of Lowertown Sounds, said in a statement.

Here's the full schedule for Lowertown Sounds 2023. More info at lowertownsounds.com.