By Jared Gudnason 

Writer/Reporter 

Mears Park, located in Saint Paul’s Lowertown neighborhood, sits on a leveled former hill. First built in 1888, the current landscape was erected 34 years ago, in 1992. I would have been five years old. It’s very possible I was there for that year’s winter carnival, back in the long-gone days of the ice palace.  

Officially, the annual summer series is known as Lowertown Sounds, and is produced by Minneapolis agency One Simple Plan, and has curated the series in tangent with Affinity Plus Credit Union of Saint Paul. Upcoming performances include R&B singer Ashley DuBose, rockers The Flamin’ Ohs, and The Scarlet Goodbye with support from High On Stress who recently played Lake Street’s Cloudland Theater. On Thursday the 13^th of this month, the amazing Twin Cities veterans Poliça took the stage. 

As the sun set, I met up with some co-workers, friends, and even an ex, and we all got dinner from numerous food trucks that surrounded the park’s west side. Poliça consists of lyricist/vocalist/keyboardist Channy Leaneagh, dual drummers Ben Ivascu and Drew Christopherson, and bassist Chris Bierden. As an electonic rhythm and blues quartet, it’s incredible they have zero six-stringed guitars.  

Their first studio record, Give You The Ghost, was released in 2011. Since then, they have released eight studio records, and the performance two weeks ago featured songs from 2025’s “Dreams Go.” Their latest release, which is digitally exclusively available on their eponymous Bandcamp website, is “Better Live.” The latter record was written and recorded live at Minneapolis’ Icehouse.  

Since they began, they have always had inspired methods of composing and writing music in front of a live studio audience that is wild, to myself anyway. Producer, TC veteran Ryan Olsen is also a member of Minneapolis collective Gayngs, whose sole record is at the same time signature throughout.  

Minnesota Lynx fan/musician Justin Vernon is also a part of said collective, of which Poliça shared the stage early in their career. They played a personal favorite, “Lay Your Cards Out,” and my friends had to buy my beverages (whoops), as I left my license at home. Great night.