THE 'PIPE DREAM'. Pert Near Sandstone (pictured above), the four-piece Minneapolis-based band and producers of the Blue Ox Music Festival have unveiled their complete record, Side By Side. The ensemble's ninth studio album, released on Feb. 27, represents new sonic collaborations – all while paying homage to the band's roots – and the embrace of community through live performance. (Submitted photo)

Minneapolis-based band, Pert Near Sandstone, has always been fundamentally focused on live performance, according to Justin Bruhn, their upright bassist.

The four-piece ensemble agrees with this sentiment, as is evident in their upcoming 10-track record, Side By Side, which prominently features themes of community and blends songwriting and instrumentation – more often than not, shared around the campfire.

“This is what we are here to do,” Bruhn said. “We’re here to be together, to enjoy each others’ company, listen and dance to music… feel those vibrations and uplift each other.”

“(Those are) just core, fundamental human things that can’t be ignored, because they are so important to us,” he continued.

Side By Side, as the title suggests, will become a testimony to the ensemble’s spirit of forming kinship rather than competition – all while keeping to their regional, musical roots on-and-off the stage.

Some may characterize Pert Near Sandstone’s 20-plus years of music as old-time instrumentations infused with Americana, others appreciate its “contemporary sensibilities” and explorations in new sonic territories – the kind of music you’d hear roaring long past 2am in a lively Midwestern dive bar.

“We lean on tradition, but we are not bound by tradition. That’s something I really appreciate and love about this band; I don’t think it would have lasted if it was any other way.”

justin bruhn

upright bassist, pert near sandstone

For Bruhn, the band’s future and its new record defies one label and embraces a wide spectrum of creative expression. After all, the beauty of art is found within his fellow bandmates – along with their audience – who express what is within them and are not bound by preconceived notions.

“We lean on tradition, but we are not bound by tradition,” Bruhn explained. “That’s something I really appreciate and love about this band; I don’t think it would have lasted if it was any other way.

Side by Side continues Pert Near Sandstone’s established creative method: the band members – J Lenz (acoustic guitar), Bruhn, Nate Sipe (mandolin, fiddle), and Kevin Kniebel (clawhammer banjo) – combine their individual songwriting and exchange ideas through “show and tell” sessions.

Bruhn said the recording of the band’s ninth studio album finds its members once again uplifting one another’s talents, while welcoming new instruments into the mix.

Songs including the title track, “Side By Side” and “Pipe Dream,” are examples of how melodies and lyrics remain unique to one another – yet tethered together with a unified vision to expand creative bounds.

“Side By Side embraces our roots, our process and our voice,” Bruhn said. “That said, we are always looking to add elements; I would point to the title track ‘Side By Side’ as an example of us expanding the sound. We added the accordion and the big vocals to give it an Irish pub feel.”

The latest Pert Near Sandstone record also sheds light on diverse themes within the overarching emphasis of “community”; each member’s respective passions and creative approaches stem from individual lived experiences brought together through one channel.

From youthful nostalgia and trust in the unknown found in Stipe’s “Shooting Star,” to the calls for a more just and equitable world in Kniebel’s “Quiet Hours” – these 10 tracks strive for something greater and the power of collective voice.

“My songs really dig into the idea that we are here together and are meant to share time and experience together,” Bruhn said – who penned “Pipe Dream” and “Racin’ to the Grave” on Side By Side. “There is no better moment to highlight the importance of standing together with your community.”

Album cover for Side By Side, Pert Near Sandstone's ninth studio album, pictured.

As the record is released today, Feb. 27, an emotional intelligence – and awareness to local and national current events – resonates from Pert Near Sandstone. The band offers a thoughtful balance between playful and unfettered, both in its music and in everyday life, as they invite camaraderie and welcome conversation through music.

“Living in Minneapolis and St. Paul right now has highlighted for us how vitally important having the support of loving and strong neighbors (is). We are so much stronger together,” Bruhn said. “It is now our job to spread the word about what it means to stand together as a community and highlight what is happening here.”

The same will be true as Bruhn and friends look ahead to the 2026 Blue Ox Music Festival. As co-founders of the festival, the space – enveloped by the pines – has always been driven by the unity of festivalgoers and Pert Near Sandstone fans.

“We’re always reminded, once the festival starts, of that special place,” Bruhn said of Blue Ox. “We’re building community; we’re enjoying each other in a safe place, where we can trust that we’re accepted.”

A testament to the times of modern America, Pert Near Sandstone and Side By Side both embody a call for collective compassion and a reckoning with the long road surely ahead of us all.

Side By Side, Pert Near Sandstone's ninth studio album, is now available through digital and physical listening platforms. Learn more about the band’s discography and upcoming performance during the 2026 Blue Ox Music Festival at VolumeOne.org and pertnearsandstone.com.