Train whistles harmoniously mingled with the sounds of guitar chords and bass drums Tuesday night at the North Dakota Museum of Art behind Twamley Hall.

The sculpture garden along Campus Road is home to the museum’s Concerts in the Garden series, which brings local and national performers to Grand Forks for laid-back evenings of music.

This Tuesday, the summer series concluded with Los Angeles-based alternative country artist, The White Buffalo, whose music has appeared on the popular television show, “Sons of Anarchy.”

“These are bands you’re never going to hear in any bar, especially around here,”  Grand Forks resident John Foster said as he and his wife set up lawn chairs in the grass before the show. “You get exposed to all kinds of genres. It’s great fun.”

A former rock artist himself, Foster said he is happy to support the museum’s concert series because it provides a venue to groups that might have trouble finding work elsewhere.

“It’s tough enough for a regular rock band or a regular country band,” Foster said. “And when you’ve got an eclectic band like these guys, where can they play?”

Fun for everyone

Fortunately for those in attendance on Tuesday, the sun slipped behind the clouds for most of the evening, giving patrons a cool atmosphere in which to enjoy the night’s music.

Volunteers ran concession stands, selling burgers, wine and root beer floats, while children chased after their pets behind the rows of blankets and beach towels.

“Here, it’s an all aged show, so there are children all the way up to retirees, and a good mix of people in between,” series organizer Matt Wallace said.

The diverse audience requires that Wallace book bands that can offer a wide appeal.

“It’s not like when you play at a bar, and you know what your audience is going to be like,” he said. “We want the events to be open to anyone. We want anyone to feel welcome.”

Kim Sigurdson decided to attend Tuesday night’s concert after hearing about it from her son, who often performs at smaller outdoor shows at a park downtown — one of the only other venues that offers outdoor music in Grand Forks.

“My son said it was something that I’d really like, and I do,” Sigurdson said as she listened to the opening act. “It is nice. It’s my kind of thing.”

It’s the atmosphere of the garden that sets the venue apart from other performing spaces.

“It’s probably the direct opposite of a club scene,” Wallace said with a smile. “People come here to enjoy a nice, beautiful evening, a relaxed atmosphere, and good music. When I see everyone is reclined in their chairs and having a good time, that’s what I like most.”

A growing venture

In 2004, the museum discontinued their annual jazz festival, which had been an attraction for many area music-lovers. To fulfill the city’s demand for live music, Wallace began organizing the summer concert series as it is today.

The first few performances in the garden featured local bands and drew crowds of fewer than sixty people.

“When we started it, we started it really small so that we could grow into the series,” Wallace said. “As time went on, we started to bring in a few national touring acts.”

Since 2007, Wallace has been able to book many popular out-of-state bands including Dessa, William Elliot Whitmore and Blitzen Trapper, who attracted more than 600 people to the garden last year.

“It’s a lot of time on YouTube looking for bands, but that’s the easy part,” Wallace said.

Actually booking them, he said, is another story.

Distance and tour schedules are the biggest indicator as to whether a band will make the trip to North Dakota. Though last summer, Wallace said one group from New York accepted his offer to play at the museum, then booked themselves shows at locations along the way to make their trip worthwhile.

“It’s not a primary market for many musicians,” Wallace admitted. “but what we do have going for us is that the concerts are held on Tuesday nights, which is probably a downtime for a lot of bands. It gives them a venue on a night that they probably wouldn’t have one.”

Will Beaton is the features editor of  The Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected].