Creeping Charlie at Lake Harriet Bandshell (August 29, 2025)

There was a subdued atmosphere at Lake Harriet on Friday night as most people had either left for their cabins for the long holiday weekend or took advantage of another great day of weather by surrounding themselves with two hundred thousand neighbors at the Minnesota State Fair. At least that’s how it felt as a cool breeze came off the lake and The Commodore’s “Easy” played through the main speakers.   

The mellow FM vibes were soon replaced by the “fuzz rock” sounds of the opening act Squinny.  They are from Minneapolis and consist of two brothers, Jonah Lyddon Hatten on guitar and lead vocals and Asa Lyddon Hatten on keys.  The brothers were joined by the camouflaged Nate LeBrun on drums and a gentleman on bass whose name I did not quite get. 

Squinny is new to the musical scene and we caught them as an opening act at the Cloudland Theater in May, writing, “Squinny used those different effects very well, setting up a staticky sounding guitar solo in the enjoyable Gout. The lead singer was extremely busy during this number, with a variety of pedal arrangements used throughout.” 

The review mentioned that the overall sound tended to crowd Jonah’s voice, and that was the case Friday night, which may have been a mixing issue more than an aesthetic choice.  Whatever the case, they were thrilled to be playing in front of a home crowd.  Some dedicated fans even took to the front of the stage to dance and offer support.  

Up next was Creeping Charlie, a band also from Minneapolis and comprised of siblings with Julie Eubanks on guitar and lead vocals and Esmé Eubanks on bass. 

Julie and Esmé were joined on stage by Jack Malone on drums and Cole Benson on guitar.  We last saw them playing on a cold pre New Years Eve party at 7th Street Entry in 2022, writing, “Like the plant Creeping Charlie has a lot of energy and curiosity and desire to expand their musical sound.”

Well, they haven’t stopped expanding their musical sound, opening with two newer songs “Capricorn” and “Rabbit.”  Then, a song “GTFO” from their debut album How to Kill Creeping Charlie, before playing a brand new one “Get Used To,” which Julie joked was an appropriate name for a song they only played once before in front of a crowd.  

Then a highlight, as DeCarlo Jackson from Hippo Campus stepped on stage with his trumpet to play along to “Fig 2.”  

“This is so much fun,” said Julie.  “I needed this.”  She then went on to acknowledge what happened on Wednesday, saying that she and Esmé went to Annunciation, and how it was impossible to be tangentially involved, meaning they grew up in a tight-knit community, where everyone knows everyone else.  

By the time they started playing “Grey Eyes” the summer sun had turned into a cool fall night.  Somehow the crowd seemed to grow and move closer to the stage.  I think Julie wasn’t the only person who needed a night of great music. 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.