Hear That? It’s the Sound of a Vibrant Nightlife in Grand Marais, Minnesota

by

You just never know who might appear on one of the multiple live-performance stages sprinkled around the small town of Grand Marais, Minnesota.

It might be somebody local.

Guitarist Briand Morrison, now a Grand Marais resident, grew up with folk, classical and rock influences as a kid in New York and St. Paul. Yet his parents loved jazz, so he would hear a lot of it and would get hooked on jazz by age 14.

As he learned to play guitar, he’d listen to many jazz greats. His favorite was guitar great Wes Montgomery.

Today you might hear Briand playing rock or blues, but he prefers jazz, finding it richer and more interesting than rock. “You can do so many different chords.”

Briand’s solo jazz guitar is part of a vibrant music scene and nightlife in this scenic harbor village. He’s been a regular at The Pie Place Café, where he’ll be performing every Friday this summer. In such smaller venues, he says, the quality of the instruments comes through. “Everybody gets to hear me perfectly, as I want them to.”

In Grand Marais, you can expect to hear a wide range of music – folk, blues and bluegrass to rock and jazz.

Gun Flint Tavern, which Jeff and Susan Gecas started 16 years ago, remains a main stage for Grand Marais nightlife entertainment. There has never been a cover charge to hear live music. Providing free music grew out of their passion for live performance, says Jeff, whose personal favorites include Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead.

“We have around 250 nights of music a year,” Jeff says. The stage is occupied every night in July and August, as well as Thursday through Sunday the rest of the year.

Local musicians like Briand often perform. Singer-songwriter Joe Paulik and his six-member Joe Paulik Band (which includes Briand on guitar) play a mix of folk, rock and bluegrass. Gordon Thorne plays country blues and is known for his fingerpicking.

Sometimes Jeff hires musicians from out of town, as far away as Minneapolis and as close as northern Minnesota. Guitarist Sam Miltich and the Clearwater Hot Club from Grand Rapids play gypsy jazz or the Evergreen Grass Band brings their alternative bluegrass from over in Wisconsin.

“I treat the bands nice and feed them,” Jeff says. With the Grand Marais location, he adds, “They also look at us as a vacation.”

Gun Flint’s rooftop deck seats 75 people and has been a huge hit, Jeff says. This year, the tavern turned brewpub is now making six craft beers of its own and serving 18 other microbrews.

At nearby Birch Terrace Supper Club, there’s free live music on the patio Saturdays from 3 to 7 p.m., from June 20 to Labor Day. Styles range from folk to bluegrass, rock and country. “It’s local guys mainly,” says owner Dave Larsen.

Sitting and listening aren’t the only options in town.

If you’re hoping to dance, the American Legion Post 413 features live bands most weekends in the summer. Twice a month, the Portage Band performs its mix of country and easy-listening rock, says post spokeswoman Rebecca Thompson.

Everybody’s welcome to the legion. “People really kick it out” on the dance floor, Rebecca says. “We’re a blue-collar, working-class bar.”

Another venue is upstairs at the Betsy Bowen Studio in a little spot appropriately called What’s Upstairs? The 93-seat theater is open during the summer in a historic 1903 Norwegian church.

“We have a sweet little stage. Musicians love to play here,” Betsy says, noting that the intimate theater has great sound.

Generally the summer concerts at What’s Upstairs? feature folk rock. Joe Paulik has played there, as has Keith Secola, a Native folk and blues rocker originally from Cook, Minnesota. Visitors to the concerts can also stop at Betsy’s studio and gallery to see her woodcuts and other artwork.

Another popular night spot is at Devil Track Resort just outside of town on Devil Track Lake. The Music by the Lake Sunday evening concerts run from Father’s Day through Labor Day weekend. What began seven years ago as a way to provide music for locals has grown into concerts with audiences up to 400 people, most from out of town.

“It’s from 5 to 8 p.m., so kids are welcome,” says Emily Haussner, who owns the resort with her husband, Tim. “We have tons of kids running around in swimsuits that are jumping off the dock, and people that boat over on the lake and canoe over and kayak over.”

The bands? “We try to do a little bit of everything,” says Tim, showcasing local talent as well as regional bands like St. Cloud’s Stearns County Pachanga Society.

“We do like it to be very danceable music,” Emily says. “The lawn is full of dancers of all ages during those events.” Adds Tim, “It’s an outdoor summer vibe.”

For the concerts, Emily and Tim cook planked salmon outdoors.

Tim knows something about being on stage. A professional musician for 20 years, he plays under the name of Timmy Haus, covering everything from Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash to modern pop. He performs up and down Minnesota’s North Shore. He does a regular gig at Devil Track Resort (in its Landing Bar & Restaurant). The Landing features music from solo musicians weekdays during happy hour, 5 to 6 p.m. “Monday nights we do a $5 burger basket night that’s popular, and Tim plays on that night,” Emily says.

Michael Monroe, another local singer-songwriter and guitarist, stages concerts at his log home outside Grand Marais and also plays regularly in town and along the shore.

Grand Marais’ nightlife includes a variety of live performances at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts. The North Shore Music Association presents concerts there and the center is home to theater productions by the Grand Marais Playhouse.

The association has offered performances by the likes of celebrated fingerpicking guitarist Leo Kottke and blues vocalist Shemekia Copeland, says Kate Fitzgerald, the association’s music director. In April, singer Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary performed at Arrowhead.

North Shore Music Association will showcase local talent at a September 20 concert when Briand Morrison, joined by other musicians, will launch a new CD of blues music that he composed, arranged and recorded under a State Arts Board grant. Briand says the music will have a ’70s rock/blues sound.

The community theater, Grand Marais Playhouse, relies on local actors to fill roles. In the spring production of “Our Town,” actors range from high-school age to seniors.

“It’s quite a talented community,” says Sue Hennessy, artistic director-technical director.

The playhouse plans a theater festival mid-July with a musical and a comedy. Each year it stages five to seven shows, including two youth plays and three summer productions.

Any inventory of entertainment in Grand Marais has to mention the its festivals. Live performances are part of the Fisherman’s Picnic, WTIP’s Radio Waves Music Festival highlighting local and regional musicians, and North House Folk School’s Unplugged XIII, the concert series that includes two nights with NPR’s “Mountain Stage” radio show.

All told, there’s no excuse not to get out for a night on the town when in the town of Grand Marais.

Nightlife Venues

Venues with live entertainment in or near Grand Marais:

American Legion Post 413, 218-387-2974

Arrowhead Center for the Arts, 218-387-1284, arrowheadcenterforthearts.org

Birch Terrace Supper Club, 218-387-2215

Devil Track Resort, 218-387-9414, deviltrackresort.com

Grand Portage Lodge & Casino, Grand Portage, Minnesota, 218-475-2401, grandportage.com

Gun Flint Tavern, 218-387-1563, gunflinttavern.com

OutBack (Behind Hoglund Jewelry), 218-370-1314

What’s Upstairs? Betsy Bowen Studio, 218-387-1992, woodcut.com

Festivals

Festivals with live entertainment in Grand Marais include:

August: Fisherman’s Picnic, grandmaraislionsclub.com

September: Radio Waves Music Festival, wtip.org

September: Unplugged, North House Folk School, 218-387-9762, northhouse.org