Three festivals this weekend will bring soul food to a Minneapolis farmers market, Hmong sports tournaments to Como Park, and queer pride to Loring Park, marking a busy start to summer in the Twin Cities. 

If you’re looking for live music in Minneapolis this Saturday, you may have a tough choice to make. Two local musicians are hosting album release parties within an hour of each other, blending jazz, blues, hip-hop and rap in their own way. 

GR3G’s ‘Voices in Between’

North Minneapolis poet Gregory Bess, who goes by the stage name GR3G, will celebrate his second album “Voices in Between” at 7th St. Entry on Saturday. The 11-track project initially emerged out of a breakup and an artist residency at the Cedar Cultural Center that left little room to step away from writing.

“I had to make music even though I didn’t want to at the time,” GR3G said. “I remember going to play my ex-girl two of my songs but then everything happened and I was like, ‘Let me write this. Let me be vulnerable.’”

Writing about the aftermath of his relationship pushed him into a broader reflection on who he is and where he comes from. On “Voices in Between,” GR3G explores growing up with an absent father, toxic masculinity and the pressure of being boxed in as a Black man. He points to “Keep Running” as a standout track.

“That song talks about running from insecurities, running from everything in life,” GR3G said. “I talk about my father and running from him; him running from me but what’s everybody running for?” 

Born on the South Side of Chicago, GR3G moved to Minnesota when he was 13. 

“It was kind of tough growing up,” he said. “My mom was worried because I was getting older, more gangs came into place and she wanted to take me out of that environment.”

“Even though I was a young Black boy, she knew that I’d be looked at as a grown man in law enforcement’s eyes and in the world’s eyes,” he added. 

Now based in Minneapolis, GR3G has built a community in the local music scene. For Saturday’s release show, he’s bringing together a lineup of local artists he’s connected with, including poet Jandeltha Rae, rap duo Blood Smoke Body, artist Mack OC, and hip-hop artist Juice Lord.

“I don’t make music for people to dance to. To be honest, usually when I do my shows, people are just staring at me, crying,” GR3G said. “I want them to actually feel something real, like ‘Dang, I’ve never heard anybody saying anything like this but I can relate to this guy.’ You don’t know me but you know that feeling.”

Obsidian James’ ‘Impact’

Afro-Indigenous singer-songwriter Obsidian James will perform his debut album “Impact” at the Bryant Lake Bowl Theater on Saturday. Born and raised in Harlem, his love for blues, jazz and rap goes back to his early childhood. 

“My dad played blues music endlessly around me,” he said. “My mom died when I was 5 but one of the earliest memories I have is us dancing, listening to [Jamaican American rapper] Heavy D really loud. Music always brought us together.” 

He played in a band as a teenager before stepping away from music to focus on adulthood. After years out of the studio, he’s now rebuilding his sound. 

“I really fell in love with music being on the subway platforms and hearing musicians constantly — whether it was a saxophone player, a two-piece or quartet. There was something so beautiful about people just being free underneath the ground in this way,” James said. “I always wanted that. I kind of let adulting take charge but now I’m finding that freedom.” 

In 2023, James moved to Minnesota after meeting Minnesota-based designer Amber Buckanaga during New York Fashion Week.

“My partner, Amber, was designing for New York Fashion Week and she needed some Indigenous models — that’s where we met,” he said. “We spent the whole evening on a rooftop, just talking about life. We would constantly go back and forth to see each other but the distance was hard.” 

In the Twin Cities, he’s formed connections that feel notably different from the music community he left behind in New York. 

“It feels like family,” he said. “People are genuinely wanting to work together and actually carve out time to do that.”

His album “Impact” is a “reflection of letting go of anything that doesn’t serve you,” he said. “Not everyone that’s in your circle is in your corner.”

Musically, he draws from the electric blues traditions of artists like B.B. King, Jimmy Reed, Stevie Wonder, along with the conscious rap of Westside Boogie. 

“This is a therapeutic album,” James said. “I would almost argue that this is in the realm of ‘Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers’ by Kendrick Lamar. A lot of people listened to that album maybe once or twice and they were like, ‘Oh man, it was a great piece,’ but they didn’t go back to it. When you finally do go back to it, there’s so much to peel back. It’s just a love letter to healing and I want people to know that that’s what this album is.”

A feast for the soul

The annual Soul Food Festival will bring more than 20 local vendors to the Farmers Market Annex of Minneapolis. This year’s lineup includes the plant-based café Heal Mpls, New Orleans-inspired Krewe, Jamaican dishes from Delly J’s, Eggroll Queen, Logan’s Catfish, Soul Bowls, gourmet desserts and more. 

Hmong sports at Como Park

One of the largest Hmong gatherings in the country will return to McMurray Fields in St. Paul’s Como Park for two days of sports and performing arts. 

Hmong International Freedom Fest, also known as “Hmong J4,” started as a community picnic in the late 1970s and has since grown into a festival that draws more than 57,000 attendees each year. 

This weekend, crowds can explore 130 vendors and cheer on more than 100 teams competing in soccer, volleyball, flag football and kato — a game that looks like volleyball but is played without the use of hands or arms. 

Twin Cities Pride at Loring Park

Whether you’re looking to browse queer literature, adopt a pet, explore LGBTQ+ history or catch live music, the 53rd annual Twin Cities Pride Festival will offer plenty of ways to spend the weekend in Loring Park. 

This year’s event will feature a queer writers tent, a youth hideaway, a sports field, more than 650 vendors, mechanical bull rides and dozens of other activities throughout the park. 

The celebration begins Friday evening with programming and entertainment geared toward LGBTQ+ youth and families.

On Sunday, Twin Cities Pride will mark International LGBTQ+ Pride Day with its annual parade, which steps off at 11 a.m. from 3rd Street and Hennepin Avenue down to Spruce Place. A 5K run along Hennepin Avenue will also take place Sunday. 

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