Though all other stories this month were rightfully set aside by the upsetting news of Michael Jackson’s death, there were still many highlights to better help remember June in a more positive light. Here are 10 of the best as chosen by Culture Bully.

“Bars have bands to bring in customers” by Christopher Robin Cox of Junkyard Empire: He’s talking about the relationship between venues and artists; is our system now, where the pressure is on the band to promote their shows and bring in clientele to the venue, the best arrangement? Or should venues promote themselves and “hire” bands who then simply have to rock and keep people entertained? Lots of interesting arguments. No matter how much you agree or disagree with this, it’s a thought-provoking conversation that we need to have. [Kyle "Guante" Myhre]

Grizzly Bear @ Minneapolis’ Cedar Cultural Center: Despite the oppressive heat within the Cedar, this show was absolutely ethereal; the Brooklyn group breathed life into their wonderful new songs and slightly reworked some older tracks. The sound in the room was superb, and the band delivered a set that was exalted and gorgeous. Rumor has it they will be returning to Minneapolis later this fall to play First Avenue, but this intimate, sweltering performance showcased a band that has not only crafted one of the records of the year, but an outstanding live show to match. [Erik Thompson]

Grizzly Bear & Here We Go Magic @ the Cedar Cultural Center

Pearl Jam on Conan’s Tonight Show debut: To cap off Conan O’Brien’s first ever episode as host of the Tonight Show, Pearl Jam was asked to come on and perform a song from the band’s forthcoming album Backspacer. And the band delivered a blazing rendition of an untitled song a song called “Fixer” “Get Some” Got Some” “Get Some.” Along with an unaired performance of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World,” Pearl Jam topped off the show’s hilarious first episode with a memorable pair of songs. [Chris DeLine]

Pearl Jam on the Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien

Levon Helm @ St. Paul’s Fitzgerald Theater: Seeing a musical legend in the later years of their career can be a high risk/high reward type situation. While I have left plenty of “classic rock” shows with a strong sense of wondering what the artist was like “back then,” I found myself walking away from Levon Helm’s show thinking how lucky I was to be seeing such an astounding talent, regardless of age. Formerly of the Band, the nearly 70 year old singer/drummer played a stirring set that was filled with enough excitement and pure bliss to put artists a third his age to shame. He dusted off a few old Band classics, sang some traditional songs, and played some material from his great comeback records; all while consistently letting his band (including close family and friends) share the spotlight. It was truly a show that demonstrated the enduring power of music and one that left me with an even deeper appreciation for a musical icon. [Josh Keller]

The Levon Helm Band @ Fitzgerald Theater

Dirty Projectors’ Bitte Orca: In June Brooklyn’s Dirty Projectors released my favorite album of the year thus far. By combining elements of jazz, classical, and rock with their own eccentric approaches to music, Dave Longstreth and his band created something that is not only unique, but also out of this world. The soaring vocal harmonies, choppy guitar playing, and respect for the time honored pop hook all make for the most enjoyable listening experience in recent memory. I certainly hope that the Dirty projectors come back to Minneapolis soon to reprise their fantastic Walker Art Center performance of earlier this year. [Jon Behm]

Dirty Projectors Bitte Orca Review

Blackened Fest @ St. Paul’s Station 4: A missing work visa left Marduk off the tour. Un-payed bus drivers and (supposedly) inept management left all of the other bands with a decision to make: to go on with the tour and lose money, or go home and lose less money. Though the details are still sketchy as to who was to “blame,” the legendary Mayhem waged on, taking the stage and trouncing the Station 4 crowd with a deafening hour-plus set. A swiftly assembled undercard of local metal acts came together to lubricate a crowd, and after a number of gory ornaments began leaking onto the stage the Norwegian icons delivered an explosive performance which more than made up for the group’s 10+ year absence from the Twin Cities. [Chris DeLine]

Mayhem @ Station 4

Bettye LaVette @ Minneapolis’ Dakota Jazz Club: Though it contained a few good natured jabs towards a music industry that has all but ignored her throughout her 40+ year career, Bettye LaVette put on a damn fine performance at the Dakota Jazz Club. The show’s highlight was a cycle of fantastic songs from the first 10 years of LaVette’s career in the ’60s (she cut her first record at age 16 in ‘62). It’s a crime that the “Great Lady of Soul” never enjoyed as much fame as her contemporaries like Aretha or Diana, but the upside is that LaVette still performs regularly, and is much accessible than her equally as talented peers. [Jon Behm]

Bettye LaVette @ Dakota Jazz Club (photos)

Phoenix @ Minneapolis’ Varsity Theater: Phoenix, the French pop group who recently release their excellent fourth LP, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, took an extremely sold out Varsity Theater crowd by storm earlier this month. While the building was sweltering due to the lethal combination of the large crowd, the hot weather and the Varsity’s apparently inept ventilation system, the band’s blistering 90 minute set left little room for disappointment. The group bookended the show with the two omnipresent singles from their latest release, “Lisztomania” opened the set and “1901” closed the show, while filling the rest of the performance with songs that proved time and time again why Phoenix is such an amazing band, deserving of the attention that they have rightly earned. [Josh Keller]

Phoenix @ Varsity Theater

Regina Spektor’s Far: The nature of reviews is that you don’t have time to really process the music over multiple listens. Now that I’ve heard the album a bunch of times, I think I like it even more. It’s still not quite as mind-blowingly good as Begin to Hope, but the songs are slow burners; the entire album is full of layers that really do reward multiple listens. As a lyricist, Spektor does impressionism well; while a lot of lyricists just cram cool-sounded lines together to “create a mood,” she goes a step beyond that—using little stories, scenes or images to create something profoundly meaningful. [Kyle "Guante" Myhre]

Regina Spektor Far Review

Rock The Garden @ Minneapolis’ Walker Art Center: This show represented everything that is right about outdoor concerts. We were treated to a gorgeous day in a relaxed, sublime setting; all while being entertained by four bands who, though not necessarily fulfilling the rock in the event’s name, at least delivered an enjoyable soundtrack to the days revelry. Headliners the Decemberists performed the strongest set of the day, playing their brilliant new record The Hazards Of Love in its entirety, and sending the crowd home happy with an electrifying cover of the Heart classic “Crazy On You.” Calexico garnered plenty of new fans with their Southwestern twist on alt-country twinged rock ‘n roll, and local boys Solid Gold played to their largest hometown crowd and started the day off strongly. Only Yeasayer were a slight disappointment, but after such a gorgeous day, who could really find reason to complain? [Erik Thompson]

Rock the Garden 2009 Report

Also: Retroselective – The Best of January | February | March | April | May