This morning the Majestic Theatre announced this year’s Live on King Street headliners, and the lineup is typically atypical, featuring artists from a host of different genres. Here’s a quick look at the free summer series’ six dates.
Cracker
Friday, June 15
On the rock side of things, King Street alums Cracker return after previously appearing in 2014. The Americana-tinged alt-rockers formed in 1990 after the dissolution of singer David Lowery’s first band, Camper Van Beethoven. They scored their first (and only) major hit in 1993 with “Low,” but have been going steady for the past 28 years, churning nine albums worth of airtight country rock.
Nikki Lane
Friday, July 20
Speaking of country, the next two dates feature two of country music’s most badass women. First, outlaw country queen Nikki Lane will take the stage. A former fashion designer, she now makes a living writing music that’s garnered her comparisons to the likes of Wanda Jackson and Neko Case, which she puts on full display on her acclaimed 2017 record, Highway Queen.
Margo Price
Friday, Aug. 3
Margo Price is another alt-country firebrand, though the mainstream is finally starting to catch onto Price’s timeless-yet-unarguably-modern take on the genre. Her latest album, All American Made, is also a musical soapbox for Price’s outspoken lefty politics, which makes her an outlier in country’s mainstream — and like fellow classicists Chris Stapleton and Kacey Musgraves, the world is catching on quickly.
Rod Tuffcurls and the Bench Press
Friday, Aug. 17
This cover band injects boundless, infectious energy into every song they play, and they a whole lot of songs. The Chicagoans’ setlists can include everything from Taylor Swift to Elton John to “Day Man,” the batshit insane musical number Charlie Kelly cobbled together on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. There’s a reason these guys are fan favorites.
Sunsquabi
Friday, Aug. 24
These Denver natives mix live instrumentation with electronic programming, specializing in noodling head-trips that will seem to have been beamed to King Street directly from some funky outer planet. I’d say that Sunsquabi is probably the weirdest band coming to #LOKS this year, but the truth is they’re not even the weirdest electronic band.
Beats Antique
Friday, Sept. 7
The final night will feature arguably the biggest name of this year’s lineup. While the Oakland trio is usually filed under the “electronic” genre, there’s much more going on than just bleeps and bloops. Mixing in elements of Afrobeat, jazz, hip-hop and even Middle Eastern belly dance styles, Beats Antique creates a worldly brand of music that would be jarringly strange to hear together were it not being played by three expert musicians.
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