Minnesota Yacht Club Festival

The Lumineers are an American indie folk band formed in Ramsey, New Jersey, in 2005, and now based in Denver, Colorado. The founding members are Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites ; cellist and vocalist Neyla Pekarek joined the band in 2010, and was a member until 2018. The Lumineers emerged as one of the most popular folk-rock/Americana artists during the revival of these genres, their popularity growing in the 2010s. They are known for their energetic live shows and several international hit singles, including "Ho Hey", "Stubborn Love", "Ophelia", "Angela" and "Cleopatra". The band has become one of the top touring bands in the United States and is also popular in other countries.

The Black Keys are an American rock duo formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. The group consists of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney (drums). The duo began as an independent act, recording music in basements and self-producing their records, before they eventually emerged as one of the most popular garage rock artists during a second wave of the genre's revival in the 2000s. The band's raw blues rock sound draws heavily from Auerbach's blues influences, including Junior Kimbrough, R.L. Burnside, Howlin' Wolf, and Robert Johnson.

Mt. Joy is an American indie folk group formed in 2016. Based in Los Angeles with roots in Philadelphia, Mt. Joy consists of Matt Quinn (vocals, guitar), Sam Cooper (guitar), Michael Byrnes (bass), Sotiris Eliopoulos (drums) and Jackie Miclau (keyboards). Matt Quinn and Sam Cooper first met in high school in Philadelphia and later reconnected in Los Angeles in 2016. Their shared love for music led them to collaborate once again. They named the project after a mountain in Valley Forge National Park near their hometown. Their debut single, "Astrovan," gained rapid streaming success, attracting the attention of drummer Sotiris Eliopoulos and keyboardist Jackie Miclau. The band made their debut in 2016 with the release of their single "Astrovan," which was recorded in Los Angeles by Quinn, Cooper, and Byrnes. In 2017, Mt. Joy signed with Dualtone Records, further solidifying their presence in the music industry. This was followed by the release of three singles in 2017: "Sheep," "Cardinal," and "Silver Lining," with the latter reaching the number one spot on the Billboard Triple A charts. Throughout 2017, the now five-piece band recorded additional tracks with producer Jon Gilbert at his home studio in Pasadena, California, and released their self-titled debut album, Mt. Joy, on March 2, 2018. The song "Silver Lining" went to #1 on the Billboard Triple A charts. Following their initial success, Mt. Joy embarked on extensive touring, performing at festivals such as Bonnaroo, Newport Folk Festival, and Lollapalooza, while also opening for notable bands like The Head and the Heart, The Shins, Whitney, and The Revivalists. They also headlined their own North American and European tours. Unfortunately, their tour with The Lumineers was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Undeterred, Mt. Joy released their second studio album, "Rearrange Us," on June 5, 2020. The album was produced by Tucker Martine, known for his work with My Morning Jacket and Modest Mouse. The songs on "Rearrange Us" range from folk-stomps to psychedelic reflections and gospel elegies. In April 2022, the band announced their third full-length album, Orange Blood, which was released on June 17, 2022. The album was recorded at Headroom Studios in Philadelphia. Four singles were released ahead of the album, "Lemon Tree", "Orange Blood," "Evergreen," and "Bathroom Light." Their headlining tour for the album started in June 2022 and runs through November 2022.

Night Moves is an American band from Minneapolis, United States. For such a patently American locale, the Twin Cities have lacked a remarkable group that evokes the American rock canon in a classic manner for a long time. Enter Night Moves. Formed in 2009 by guitarist and vocalist John Pelant, bassist Micky Alfano and multi-instrumentalist Mark Ritsema, Night Moves is a distinctly original concoction. Their honey-dipped sound seethes with a kind of down-home tenderness -- and like the best glittering music -- the arrangements are colossal in shape. Night Moves’ powerful debut Colored Emotions is this Minneapolis group’s first album. The three core members of Night Moves first met at Southwest High School in Minneapolis. Following the tangential fits and starts typical of early music projects (including a detour to college and back), the ensemble took definite shape as Night Moves and is the crowning achievement to the long-standing collaboration between John Pelant and Mark Ritsema, who first met as freshman. Pelant’s taste for Dylan, Blind Lemon Jefferson, et. al, would prove most propitious for their future work together in Night Moves. Ritsema describes himself as being into electronic music at the time - a Daft Punk fan - when he met budding folknik Pelant. Pelant throughout high school would write some solo material but hadn’t been keen on sharing. Whatever musical differences there were between them faded as the motivation to play music together persisted over the next years. In 2009, with the group at last solidified with the addition of bassist Micky Alfano, Night Moves began the long, astounding odyssey that was recording their meticulous debut album Colored Emotions. Nearly two years in the making, the debut exudes the craft and professionalism of a seasoned band. It was these painstakingly self-recorded tracks Night Moves prepared themselves that attracted interest from Domino, further developed with the appointment of studio guru Thom Monahan to take the album and set it free, so to speak. Monahan's easy-going nature was a relief for this perfectionist ensemble, who had already made something wholly precious in private. According to Pelant, Monahan’s mountainous pedigree of producing terrific psychedelic pop and freak-folk outfits immediately eased their mind: Vetiver, Devendra Banhart, Beachwood Sparks... Night Moves were indeed in good company, and so they hauled down to Los Angeles to put the final touches on Colored Emotions. Pelant's tone-perfect vocals on Colored Emotions serves Night Moves not just as its lyrical core but also its glittering adornment. With an extensive vocal range, his voice ventures where lone guitar solos cannot. Hence, there’s no cornball guitar hero antics in Night Moves. Instead, they carefully built their songs around strong acoustic and rhythmic grounds, the clarity of crystal-clear production, and Pelant’s deft howl. The reverb of hollow-body guitars, the bright wash of crash cymbals, the haze of harmonica and organ tremolo – this is the album’s bedrock and it shines like gold. And just as The Zombies’ classic Odyssey and Oracle has surprising melodic twists and shape-shifting choruses but never beats you over the head with them, the epic arrangements throughout Colored Emotions are sophisticated but not overbearing. Standouts “Headlights” and “Country Queen” are both perfect examples: seamless segues and hook-laden bridges defy conventional song structures, yet remain altogether memorable. The songs of Night Moves conjure a spiritual energy only twenty-somethings dislodged by adversity and isolation could produce. An album like Colored Emotions seems intent to turn inward to create a joyous universe within its own boundaries. Certainly, the group's musical abilities are innate without ever being too self-conscious about it. It’s as if Colored Emotions came second nature to them and the arrival of the rest of us took them by surprise. -- by Anthony Atlas

Prize Horse is a Minneapolis-based alt-rock band made up of three friends who have been playing music together for five years: Jake Beitel: Guitar and vocals Olivia Johnson: Bass and vocals Jon Brenner: Drums The band's music is described as a fuzzy, dreamy form of alt-rock that's heavy and spaced-out at the same time. Their songs are built on thick bass lines and fuzzed-out guitars, and feature melancholic soundscapes and tuneful delivery. Prize Horse's debut album, Under Sound, was released in February 2024. The album was preceded by their 2021 EP, Welder, which marked the beginning of their musical journey. Under Sound is said to be a fusion of heavy rock and emotional depth, with an atmospheric and dynamic exploration of the band's growth.