Three music shows across Minneapolis close out March with a weekend of experimentation. A couple-turned-band shares their story of love and grief at an electronic-rock show at Queermunity. Obi Original brings Afrobeats to The Living Room, and a bartender transforms Icehouse into a floral-themed dance floor. 

A band married to punk music — and each other

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Minneapolis’ underground punk scene laid the foundation for Chicago musicians Cam Muata and Ayanna Muata to experiment with new sounds. 

The couple met at Chicago State University, when Ayanna Muata, a music major, joined a co-worker to catch Cam Muata perform with his band. 

“It was honestly a love story,” Cam Muata said with a laugh. “I was playing in another band, which really ended up being our band, and I remember seeing her from the stage, thinking ‘Oh my goodness.’”

The next day, they ran into each other on campus and quickly discovered their shared passion for punk rock bands like The Cure, Ministry and Skinny Puppy — artists “on the edge of things,” Ayanna Muata said. 

“To find another person who was drawn to that kind of music and who had brown skin like me, I was like, ‘Ok, I think I got to marry this guy, and I did,” she added. 

In the 1980s, Cam’s band played in Minnesota, and found a music scene he recalls as an incubator for musical experimentation.

“We were an all-Black band and the infrastructure here was very supportive of us playing live,” he said. “A few months later, after that band broke up, Ayanna came up and joined me and we started a totally new band.”

They formed Cold Front, performing Chicago house and industrial electronic music across the Twin Cities. 

“I love R&B, reggae, soul, jazz and can play all those different genres,” Cam Muata said. “But I know that if I’m trying to capture a certain sense of what I’m feeling, those genres don’t capture it for me.” 

“If I had a hard day at work, I’ll come home and know I want to hear loud, echoey, dreamy guitar that is going to make me forget about the day and take me to a place I need to be in that moment,” he said. 

Shortly after moving to Minneapolis full time, the duo stepped away from music for 30 years to raise their two sons. In 2020, they returned as The Muatas with a new story to tell. Their 21-year-old son had recently been diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative vision disorder. 

“We were processing that news slowly and trying to find ways to express ourselves beyond wailing and crying uncontrollably at times,” Ayanna Muata said. “Cam often goes to his guitar for comfort and I do that with piano or writing. Before we knew it, we had full lyrics, a full song, then a whole project. We called it ‘The Upside Down Project.’”

“The Upside Down Project” feels like walking through a heavy fog. With brooding synths and slow-burning guitar riffs, the music mirrors the disorientation of a world turned upside down by life-altering news. 

Their 2022 follow-up, “Battle Weary,” arrived in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. 

“It was like our world was upside down at first but then the whole world was upside down,” Ayanna Muata said. “A lot of our music lately has some pretty strong lyrics about what’s happening in the world and in the community. Sometimes it’s very explicit. Sometimes it’s more innuendo.”

The music explores what Ayanna Muata calls “life shadow experiences,” confronting personal grief, anger, politics and social issues. 

“Just because there are moments where we feel broken does not necessarily mean that something beautiful can’t come out of it,” Cam Muata said. “Hopefully we can share that with folks and remind them that it’s possible to continue building communities and supporting each other.” 

The Muatas perform this Saturday at “Constellations,” an electronic-rock showcase of local musicians of color in Minneapolis. The lineup includes Lady Midnight, Yana the Moon Cricket, SYM1, and pole dance artists. All ticket proceeds fund mental health therapy for Twin Cities artists. 

Obi Original kicks off a new cozy concert series 

At the start of 2026, three Black-led arts organizations came together to open Zoma House, a storefront and art studio on Lake Street. 

Since its debut, it has become a community hub for film screenings, open mics and two monthly events: The Kitchen Table, a series of artist talks; and the Living Room, a live concert series.

This Friday, catch Afrobeats artist Obi Original in the Living Room, followed by a Q&A. And if you’re looking to make something of your own, drop in every Tuesday from 4 to 8 p.m. for open studio hours. 

A bartender’s monthly dance floor

If you’ve been to a themed dance party at the Icehouse recently, you may have Jaboidia Mclntyre to thank. 

A bartender at the venue, she launched InMotion Minneapolis, a 21-and-up series where DJs take over the room with throwback R&B, hip-hop, house and Afrobeats. Each monthly event features a fashion-focused theme, ranging from holiday parties to denim-only and animal print nights. 

This Saturday, Mclntyre will host Spring Collective, a floral-themed dance party that opens with performances by local acts including Greg the Poet, LaSalle, Coffē and more. 

“It’s really important to me that InMotion can be a safe third space that prioritizes dance and having fun amongst people from all sorts of backgrounds and identities,” Mclntyre said. “Dance can be the blueprint for how to share space with your neighbor.”

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