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By all accounts, last weekend’s Lowertown Music Fest was a smashing success.

Lowertown Music Fest image by Stacy Schwartz/City Pages

Star Tribune‘s Chris Riemenschneider has a review of Saturday’s Lowertown Music Fest (with slideshow).

Andrea Swensson offers highlights from the show for City Pages.

Check out a slideshow of images by Stacy Schwartz at citypages.com.

The street-blocking light rail construction isn’t enough to keep music-loving locals from traversing across the river, thanks to tons of big events (Red Bull Flugtag), parties in the park (MN Original’s launch in Mears Park), titilating benefits (Racktacular) and dance parties (Let’s Dance). Now with the newest music festival to hit the Capital City, the organizers of Saturday’s Lowertown Music Fest (not to be confused with the Concrete and Grass Lowertown Music Festival in September or last weekend’s Lowertown Block Party) have upped the ante by booking three local acts that can easily sell out the First Avenue Mainroom: Mason Jennings, Cloud Cult, and Tapes ‘N Tapes.

Mason Jennings

Probably one of the most popular singer-songwriters in town, Mason Jennings has been steadily building a fanbase without giving in to commercial gloss. On 2009′s Blood Of Man, Jennings played all the instruments himself, giving a rough-around-the-edges feel to the solid set of songs.

Duluth experimental folk band Cloud Cult made a name for themselves nationally after their song “Lucky Today” was featured in an ad for Esurance and they found themselves on Last Call with Carson Daly. They’re bound to preview some new tunes from their upcoming full-length Light Chasers, which doesn’t hit stores until September, but the orchestral pop album is already available for purchase online.

Tapes 'N Tapes

Indie-rockers Tapes ‘N Tapes also found some fame after garnering an impressive 8.3 rating on Pitchfork for their breakthrough album The Loon as well as a coveted spot on Late Show with David Letterman back in 2006. Though the band’s upward trajectory has plateaued, hopefully they can make good on the buzz when their upcoming third album (recorded this past March) is released.

The fest clearly is capitalizing on the resurgence of the Lowertown arts district over the past couple of years, but it’s hard to complain about such a good lineup, which is rounded out by buzzing folkies Peter Wolf Crier, UK folk-punk singer Frank Turner and wacky kid-friendly duo Koo Koo Kanga Roo.

3 p.m. Sat. $25-30. Mears Park, 5th & Sibly, St. Paul, www.lowertownmusicfest.com

There’s so much going on in St. Paul this summer that we simply can’t cover it all ourselves. Check out this week’s link roundup of the many happenings in St. Paul.

Red Bull Flugtag in St. Paul. Photo by Nick Wosika for City Pages

A new world record was set during Saturday’s Red Bull Flugtag on Harriet Island, according to City Pages. Click here and here for slideshows.

Check out some party shots from last weekend’s Let’s Dance: Flugtag Edition party at Half Time Rec. (via LOL OMG!)

Vita.mn art director Leslie Plesser shoots the Art Bra-wearing, burlesque-infused action at last Saturday’s Racktacular benefit at the Turf Club. (via LOL OMG!) City Pages also has a slideshow of pix.

Rob Skoro to reunite with Mason Jennings for this weekend’s Lowertown Music Fest. Check out this Q&A between Danny Sigelman and Skoro. (via City Pages’ Gimme Noise)

The Beatles’ Sargent Pepper mural at the Minnesota History Center’s Beatles exhibition gets family-proofed from an underwear-clad Har Mar Superstar. (via LOL OMG!)

City Pages has a slideshow of images from the Beatles’ exhibition at the Minnesota History Center.