Kiernan at 370 Sets, St Paul (July 15, 2025)

It’s been a stretch of very hot and humid days, so an outdoor afternoon concert wasn’t particularly compelling to me. But with local indie folk band Kiernan on the schedule to play at the 370 Sets, I couldn’t resist.

We last saw Kiernan at Best New Bands in January 2025 and is personally my fourth time having watched the band and their Americana, rootsy sound. With the release of their debut full length album, Always, I Love You in May 2025, they continue to build up their repertoire of songs.

Normally a quartet, this performance was a solo show from vocalist and guitarist Laura Kiernan. That made for a stripped-down sound, but an effective one for the setting. With three different guitars, Kiernan started off acoustic for the first several numbers. Kiernan’s plaintive vocals created an intimate setting for the early evening crowd. Kiernan let us know that the first two songs were currently unreleased. A bit of banter had Kiernan talking about songwriters who have inspired her and led to a cover of an Adrianne Lenker song, anything. Getting into some of the music the band has released, I was struck at how well they lent themselves to a solo interpretation. She also had a great sense of humor, cutting off an early applause with a quick “there’s a bridge in this song”.

Switching over to a different and deeper sounding acoustic guitar, Kiernan mentioned that she was hoping we were staying cool, because “I’m sure not; it’s hot out here!”. After a needed tuning, she launched back into the music. Admitting she was picking songs by feel, Kiernan nevertheless pulled a coherent sound and flow. A bit of background to how her grandparents were the inspiration for the next song, Otisville, she had the loudest and most emotional vocals of the set so far. After a very short song, Kiernan switched to her trademark red electric guitar. That change was a nice shake up in sound for a song off Always, I Love You. A more country sound from a song off the EP, Magnetic North followed, ended the first set.

Coming back out, Kiernan performed the first song she ever released, Genie, about Alaska journalist and politician, Genie Chance. She also mentioned that she had put a set list together for the second half. Kiernan continued some of the earlier songs, playing All Over the Place, leaning more into those Americana tones. A final song from the EP, Gloria, had a gorgeous guitar intro and was nice change of pace with its slower tempo. A cover of Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi followed and was pretty spot on. Entering the last stretch, Kiernan made the push through the hot temperatures, heavy winds, and the creeping sun (after starting in shade, the artists at 370Sets almost always end up in nearly full sun) to finish strong. We got a brand-new song (written a week ago!), and then back to songs from the recent album. After one last tuning, Kiernan was nearly finished with the beautiful Unhelpful. A final switch back to an acoustic and Kiernan closed her set in downtown Saint Paul.

Between sets, I spoke with Autumn Vagle who works for One Simple Set, a marketing agency supporting St. Paul Downtown Alliance’s sponsorship of 370 Sets. (One Simple Set also helps with Lowertown Sounds, another free music series that we’ve reviewed.) Being in a band herself, Vagle is plugged into the local music scene and has helped book some of the wide range of musical genres that the 370 Sets have highlighted. Vagle mentioned that the location was specifically chosen for the building and its neighboring density of downtown workers with the goal of having events that make the area a better place to live and work. So, this is a series for many of the workers in the immediate neighborhood as they finish their day. That wide range of musical genres of local Twin Cities, especially St. Paul-based artists and bands is also purposeful, as it helps highlight all that the capital city has to offer. As someone who has been to a number of the free music offerings the Twin Cities offers this summer, I do feel spoiled with the wealth of opportunities to see and hear local music.