Who will play July's Minnesota Yacht Club music fest? Strib staffers predict

There is a ton of anticipation and speculation surrounding the lineup of the Twin Cities' newest summer music festival, Minnesota Yacht Club, taking place on Harriet Island in St. Paul on July 19 and 20. Hosted by the organizers of established festivals like Chicago's Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits, music fans are hoping Yacht Club will fill a void in summer festivities following the loss of similar events including the Basilica Block Party and Rock the Garden.

We asked regular concertgoers from around our newsroom who they predict will be on the festival's inaugural lineup. The charge: use your best journalistic capabilities and research who is currently touring, who has new music out, the feasibility with the scale of an inaugural festival — and when all else fails — vibes. Here's a look at some of our staff's lineup guesses.

Zoe Jackson, reporter

Qualifications: Attended between 25-30 shows annually over the last couple of years, clocked about 35,000 minutes of listening in 2023. Will cross state lines for concerts.

Predictions: Troye Sivan, Bully, Slow Pulp

Troye had a huge year with the release of his newest album following a five-year hiatus. There's yet to be a tour announcement so I'm betting on (hoping for) a big summer of festival appearances for him. Midwest shoegaze up-and-comers Slow Pulp appeared on a lot of best-of lists last year. I can see them continuing to build hype around their newest release — and Chicago is only a short drive away. I think there is a solid chance hometown hero Bully will grace us with an appearance on Harriet Island.

Anna Boone, digital designer

Qualifications: Saw more than 100 artists in the past two years. Dad is constantly asking when she will stop buying tickets and start "acquiring equity."

Predictions: Vampire Weekend, Arlo Parks, Joanna Sternberg

The NYC-based band Vampire Weekend recently showed up on the lineup for Utah's Kilby Block Party after a years-long hiatus from new music following their 2019 album Father of the Bride. If they are coming back in the festival circuit, no place better to listen to their breezy, boppy songs than outdoors near the water. Arlo Parks has been putting her time in on festival stages for years, including stopping by to join sets from Lorde and Phoebe Bridgers. She recently played the Current's Winter Warm-Up in December, and will be back in March for a headlining show at First Ave. What's one more stop in the Twin Cities? On the other hand, singer-songwriter Joanna Sternberg is skipping Minnesota on the tour for their sophomore album "I've Got Me" and there's no better way to make up for the missed connection than by coming back for an inaugural festival.

Eder Campuzano, reporter

Qualifications: Briefly co-DJ'ed the 4to-6 a.m. block of the University of Oregon's campus radio station in 2008 and spun all the pop-punk that was worth listening to. Also, three consecutive Warped Tours don't lie.

Predictions: Nur-D, Annie Mack, Limbeck

Hometown hero Nur-D's "All My Friends Are So Hot," "Zack and Kimberly" and "Georgia" off his most recent album, 2023′s "Crush," ooze with the kinds of summertime vibes we can all surely use after a mild, dreary winter. Annie Mack's discography, especially 2021′s "Testify" EP, would similarly delight those of us looking for a bluesy detour for the day. And although Limbeck is the only act in this reporter's predictions — OK, more like wishlist — that didn't originate from the North Star State, the band's pop-infused country offerings and steadfast support of our own Motion City Soundtrack fit the bill as snugly as a well-worn pair of boat shoes. (If you haven't heard their cover of Motion City's "Perfect Teeth," you haven't lived.)

Bryan Brussee, digital designer

Qualifications: Worked in digital marketing for Secretly Group, cited in Wikipedia's "Experimental rock" page, once saw Prince at Shinders.

Predictions: Motion City Soundtrack, MJ Lenderman, Kim Gordon

I've probably had more chances to see Motion City Soundtrack in the last 15 months than I've had in my entire life. If that pattern holds, I bet we'll see the pop punks emeriti in July. For the "big get," MJ Lenderman, an ascending talent in alt-country, feels like the moneyball pick. And to fill in the hole left by the defunct Rock the Garden festival, which frequently courted fans of legacy indie, I'm dreaming big and manifesting a performance from Kim Gordon.

Abby Sliva, digital features producer

Qualifications: Spends too much time online and in the social media fandom trenches.

Predictions: Alanis Morissette, Ber, Chappell Roan

Alanis announced an outdoor national tour earlier this year, skipping Minnesota and breaking my heart (with a curious tour break over the weekend of Yacht Club), so I'm hoping she graces us with an appearance; plus, she's just such a crowd pleaser. Nobody could be mad about it! Bemidji native Ber is opening for Lucius this week at First Avenue, and is making break-up songs for a new generation, so I could see her taking the stage at a much-anticipated local festival. Chappell Roan is one of the newer pop stars playing festivals this summer, so it would make sense the Midwest Princess herself would come to St. Paul for a romp.

Reid Forgrave, statewide reporter

Qualifications: Summer music festivals are my favorite thing. My first was Bonnaroo 2006; since then, I've been to 15-20, including Lollapalooza, Coachella, Bourbon and Beyond, and others. Even with two kids, I try to go to at least 10 shows annually. We took our then-10-year-old to their first show this year — Taylor Swift — so I'm passing live music onto the next generation.

Predictions: Caroline Polachek, Run the Jewels, LCD Soundsystem

Not a prediction as much as trying to speak this into existence. Caroline Polachek put out one of the best albums I've heard in recent years, and I'm dying to see her. (Who cares that she doesn't currently have any upcoming concert dates?) I was supposed to see Run the Jewels in 2020, opening for Rage Against the Machine, and I mostly just wanted to see RTJ — but that concert was postponed, postponed again, then canceled. RTJ owes Minnesota an awesome show. And LCD Soundsystem is one of those bands I've been meaning to see for more than a decade. I would imagine they'd be a perfect Saturday night finale type of band.

Casey Darnell, audience engagement editor

Qualifications: I rode an e-bike two miles home after Beyonce's Minneapolis show last year.

Predictions: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Young the Giant, Lil Yachty

Although I would love to see Grimes come down the Mississippi River on a floating stage, my best bet is on the Red Hot Chili Peppers. They're criss-crossing the country this year, including Midwest stops in July, so a stop in St. Paul seems plausible. I'm also throwing in Young the Giant given their appearance at Atlanta's Shaky Knees Festival, organized by the same company as the Yacht Club. And how could you have a boat-themed name without an appearance by Lil Yachty himself?

Jake Steinberg, graphics reporter

Qualifications: Came of age during the Golden Era of Twin Cities music festivals. Spent my college years racking up wristbands from Rock the Garden, Eaux Claires and Soundset. Has seen Father John Misty perform four times.

Predictions: Hippo Campus, Trampled by Turtles, dad who listens to The Current

Let's be honest. When it comes to a local music festival, you know these three acts will be on the bill. Hippo Campus: You couldn't escape these guys if you were hitting the festival circuit back in the day. They were always on the side stage, so every trip to the beer line or portapotty meant being assailed by their boyish croons and jangly yacht rock. As for their latest work, Wikipedia says "in an unexpected departure, Hippo Campus trades their indie-rock sound for a country sound." Visionary. Trampled by Turtles because, obviously. As for The Current dad, I have to admit I see myself more and more in him with each passing year. Yes, I too liked the Wednesday release this past year. Yes, Mitski is the new great American songwriter. Yes, I do miss Mark Wheat.

Christopher Vondracek, agriculture reporter

Qualifications: My mother is second-cousins with yacht rock king Christopher Cross. Also I can play "What a Fool Believes" on piano.

Predictions: Benny Sings, Goatroper, André 3000

The festival at Harriet Island Park drops just 10 days or so before this ag reporter heads west to dusty Farmfest, so the closest thing we might get to a refreshing midsummer dip in the pools of yacht rock would be Dutch piano man Benny Sings, who brings to mind those (recently schism'd) crooners Hall & Oates. Local alt-country band Goatroper throws a hootenanny, dive bar or Mississippi River festival. I swear, I really want to hear more plein-air flute music this summer.

Share your own headliner predictions with us @startribune on Instagram and X.