Hook & Ladder Theater and Minnesota Music Coalition come together to feature amazing Minnesota talent across a variety of genres. Join us monthly (Every 4th Thursday) to catch some of your favorites as well as some musicians you may not have seen yet!

 

Diane is an alternative hip-hop, rock and folk musician and radio DJ/producer living in Minneapolis. Her latest EP “Earth To Diane” is an eclectic hip-hop record that features a range of themes and messages: from angst to love, contemplation to humor, self-confidence to self-deprecation. The self-released 2022 album features flagship Minnesota artists including HALEY, Dosh, and Greg Schutte. Star Tribune music critic Chris Riemenschnieder wrote: ” She was born on a now mostly abandoned island in the middle of the Bering Sea. Which makes it even more impressive the way Diane Miller bridges different music genres and job titles these days near the center of North America.”

Since moving to Minneapolis from Fargo-Moorhead in 2018, Diane has become a fixture in the local scene. 2021 was especially a year of accomplishments. She was named host/producer of The Local Show powered by MPR’s The Current; wrapped up her artist fellowship year with the McKnight Foundation; co-emceed the bluegrass festival Blue Ox headlined by Jason Isbell; performed for a Minnesota Lynx WNBA Halftime Show; headlined the local music stage at Basilica Block Party; and served as an artist-in-residence at Bunnell Street Arts Center in Homer, Alaska.

 

Cindy Lawson began her rock and roll career in Minneapolis in 1985 with her all-female rock band, The Clams. Over the years she’s played in several bands in Minneapolis and New York City, but then took a break starting in the late 90’s. She returned in full force with a new band in 2021 and has been playing to enthusiastic Twin Cities audiences. Her latest record, New Tricks, available on Boston’s Rum Bar Records, has been getting airplay both nationally (on Little Steven’s Underground Garage and Little Steven’s Coolest Songs in the World) and internationally, garnering rave reviews in publications across the globe.

 

Junior Choir is an American alternative/post-punk rock band, formed in the Twin Cities (Minnesota), United States, in 2019. The band is composed of Jesse Baker (vocals, guitar), Jacob Carlson (vocals, guitar), Ben Wilson (bass), and Ryan Waldemarson (vocals, drums). 
The band was originally mostly a solo project undertaken by Jesse Baker and Ben Wilson, recording in Ben’s home studio in St. Paul, Minnesota. They realized that the music they were creating needed to be shared with the world, and after a few months welcomed drummer Ryan Waldemarson into the band. As they began assembling a larger catalog, their songwriting and recording accelerated, and guitarist Jake Carlson was added to finalize the lineup of the band. 

In late 2019, they released their debut record Light & Dark EP, in the summer of 2020, they released The Plans We Made EP, and released their third EP Don’t Mention It in early 2021.

 

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The only statewide nonprofit devoted exclusively to serving our independent musicians, the Minnesota Music Coalition (MMC) is responsible for providing resources, support and paid performance opportunities to artists of all genres.

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DIANE

Website: dianeraps.com

Instagram: @dianealsoraps
Facebook: @dianerapz
Twitter: @dianerapz

 

CINDY LAWSON

Website: cindysongs.com
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/CindyLawsonSongs/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cindy.lawson/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYfc4U-mQHSfQIBu8kL0rlw/featured

 

JUNIOR CHOIR

Website: https://juniorchoir.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JuniorChoirBand/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3pDUmyxJXP4vOhRoHYhIKD
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMZxnIDXw8eDK4LD4nVo_XA
Instagram: @juniorchoir