The Second Stringers at White Squirrel Bar (September 2, 2026)

The end of the summer has been a scorcher here in the Twin Cities. So, even as the final rush of outdoor concerts is underway (go read our coverage of the first day of the Minnesota State Fair), I have been fleeing to dark and cooler places for live music. On another brutally hot one, I made my way to downtown St. Paul to see The Second Stringers in their monthly residency at the White Squirrel Bar. Things worked out a little differently as you will see below.

On paper, the monthly residency has composer Lars Erik-Larson on drums, Blair Krivanek on guitar, and Nick Salisbury on bass, a trio that has been the rhythm section for a number of bands, including Sonny Knight and the Lakers (who we reviewed a number of times, the last being in April 2016). The idea of this monthly residency often having special guests take lead position is a clever one for the equivalent of a set of session players. On this evening though, things were different, and the band started from the jump as a quintet (guitar, guitar,  keyboards, bass, and drums), rolling into their set with a long instrumental that gave each member several chances for solos as they warmed the crowd up. The introduction of the band as The Americana Death Squads made it clear it was a different night in this series, with Cody McKinney on bass, Jeremy Ylvisackel on guitar, Eric Koskinen also guesting on guitar and Bryan Nichols over on the keys. All of these guys are musicians and perform on their own or in other bands, and it was quite the display of talent. They moved into a gently rollicking version of Home on the Range, that was impressively not a nostalgia soaked number and Koskinen’s guitar riffs (with steel twang effect) were a lot of fun. These were long, improvisational numbers that had a professional laid-back feel, with Larson playing field captain during and between songs, literally picking the next number during the breaks, with some quick guidance on overall strategy. And once they started, the mind meld across these five was a thing to watch. We got more of the organ style keys on an intro from Nichols, who was certainly the most emotive on stage, though it was clear they were all enjoying themselves. While the individual songs ranged in sound, the overall set had a fair bit of Southern rock flair, and the first hour had mostly flown by with only five or so songs. Our first guest came to the stage and it was David Huckfelt, who we just saw in August at Turf Club. He did a Tom Waits song in Come On Up to the House and that folk rock tone rang through, as the first set closed out.

After a bit of a break, the band was back with a new guest, Dave Simonett of Trampled by Turtles, on guitar and singing, as well as Koskinen moving to a lap steel guitar for a Dylan cover of She Belongs to Me, with Ylvisackel getting some good guitar solos. Back to the just the Americana Death Squads, it was with Koskinen back on guitar and leading things including vocals for the first time on a number that was the set’s funniest. It also let Nichols rip on keys, while coming back to solos all around with Koskinen hitting some syncopated guitar work, Ylvisackel getting a huge distortion-filled solo, and Larson’s first full out drum solo, among others. It was that kind of set and it breezed along. With Huckfelt coming back to stage and getting set up, Koskinen led the band in an impromptu On the Road Again before seamlessly letting Huckfelt take the driver’s seat. We had a final guest, with Kora Melia on violin to close out the evening with Better Angels, an impassioned song that took its repetitive musical theme in a wide range of directions and was a crowning note as Americana Death Squads closed out with a cool evening of music from a talented set of musicians.