Minneapolis Amplified: music in unlikely spaces

Minneapolis has a habit of turning the ordinary into something worth stopping for, and the latest version of that is Minneapolis Amplified. It is a city-wide program that pairs live music and art activations with non-traditional venues and small businesses across the city, and it is running from now through the end of the year. The idea is simple: put a gig or a piece of art in a place you would never expect to find one, and in doing so, give people a reason to walk into a local business they might have otherwise driven past.

The program is led by Dance Agenda in partnership with the City of Minneapolis Arts & Cultural Affairs Department, and it is funded in part through the City's Small Business Resiliency Fund, which was approved last spring to support businesses hit by Operation Metro Surge. It sits under the broader Minneapolis Forward initiative, the city's effort to keep its economic recovery moving. Mayor Jacob Frey described it as a chance to gather in spaces outside the norm and see familiar places come alive in new ways, while Arts & Cultural Affairs Director Ben Johnson framed it as a way to bring two parts of the community together — live music and the small businesses that make the city what it is. Dance Agenda founder Leo Himself put it plainly: the goal is to bring people into these spaces, introduce them to local artists and businesses, and create more opportunities to connect with new audiences.

Because the venues are so random, the appeal is part of the draw. The schedule has already put music in some unlikely spots. Uncle Franky's, the food truck and small red building at 728 Broadway Street Northeast that serves Chicago-style hot dogs with a Southside attitude, hosted a session on October 10. Band Box Diner, the oldest operating diner in the Elliot Park neighborhood at 729 South 10th Street, followed on October 11. That diner alone carries enough history to fill a post: opened in 1939 by Harry and Bert Weisman, who changed their names to Wyman because of the antisemitism of the era, it was built around natural gas technology and designated a local landmark in 2000. The current owner, Brad Ptacek, is a former executive chef at Caffe Solo and an ex-bassist for the alternative rock band Urban Guerrillas, and the place has doubled as a set for the History Channel series 'I Was There' and the first two 'Mighty Ducks' movies. The diner has been in Ptacek's hands since 1998.

The program is far from over. East Hennepin Auto Service, the repair shop at 2100 East Hennepin Avenue, is next on the list with an event on Sunday, October 18, from 12 to 3 p.m. After that, TAP IN at 2618 Lowry Avenue North takes a turn on Saturday, October 31, from 8 to 11 p.m., and Mother Co. Plants at 2400 North 2nd Street rounds things out on Wednesday, November 4, from 4 to 8 p.m. Since the venues are so varied — a repair shop, a diner, a plant shop — the vibe changes with every stop. If you want to keep track of where the music lands next, the Minneapolis Amplified website and the City's Arts & Cultural Affairs page are the places to follow for announcements on upcoming pop-ups and the businesses that sign on.