Minnesota songwriter Erik Koskinen bringing the blues to Rochester’s Cooke Park
Minnesota-based singer-songwriter Erik Koskinen will be the featured act for week five of the forWARD Neighborhood Park Concerts series.
The concert, hosted by Rochester Civic Music with support from Mayo Clinic, begins at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 1 at Cooke Park, 722 7th St NW. Rochester’s own Pat Egan will be the show opener.
With a distinctive blend of folk, country, rock ‘n’ roll and blues, Koskinen has earned a reputation as one of the best American roots songwriters in the state. His latest album, Burning the Deal, was released in 2019 and was praised for its storytelling, as Koskinen reflected on a number of themes ranging from history to relationships to his own blue-collar roots.
In addition to his own catalog — which includes gems like “First Time in Years” and “Six Pack of Beer and a Pack of Cigarettes” — Koskinen has collaborated with the likes of Trampled by Turtles frontman Dave Simonett. Together they perform in the band Dead Man Winter, a “side-project” that has generated critical acclaim and even an appearance on Conan.
When he is not performing music of his own, Koskinen runs a recording studio in rural Cleveland, Minn. in which he collaborates with musicians from coast-to-coast. Those relationships, he said, have proved especially beneficial during the past year as he started writing new material.
“I sent a lot of songs out to different musicians who have places to record over the last year,” Koskinen said in a recent interview with Med City Beat. “From Massachusetts to California, I have people playing all kinds of different instruments that I may normally not put on a record; a lot of piano, some horns — a whole different type of thing.”
In addition to expanding the instrumental components, Koskinen said the isolation of the pandemic has also had an unexpected effect on the songwriting process itself. The result, he said, has been learning to let go more — allowing for a truer sense of collaboration.
“It was a lesson in letting go of my control over stuff sometimes,” said Koskinen. “I am used to playing all of the parts or I’m saying to people, ‘try this, try that.’ Instead, I forced myself to turn off that part of my brain and let people play naturally what came to them … and it came out great.”
Koskinen said to expect the new material — which includes a collaboration with Bon Iver bassist/saxophonist Michael Lewis — to be released soon. (He said he expects to play at least one new song on Wednesday.)
It is worth noting that Koskinen is no stranger to the area, having played here multiple times over the years as part of the former Americana Showcase, as well as a traveling version of the Grand Oak Opry backyard concert series. His show in Rochester is the second to last forWARD concert of the year. The series wraps up Wednesday, Sept. 8 with Annie Mack.
About the opener: Pat Egan
Pat Egan is a singer-songwriter who lives in Rochester. His music covers a wide range of styles from folk, pop, and blues, and topics of the lyrics range from silly, sweet to sad. His music is personable and relatable with heart and humor. You never know where they may go or what they will be about, Groundhogs to Zebras, Shakespeare to Dr. Seuss, Anchor and wings, looking for Peace of Mind or Zombie’s wanting the same.
