Kid Dakota is the musical moniker of Darren Jackson. Darren founded two critically-acclaimed bands (Kid Dakota and The Hopefuls), released ten albums, and won three Minnesota Music Awards, including “Artist of the Year.” He has headlined nearly every venue in the Twin Cities metro area, including First Avenue, the Fitzgerald Theater, and Orchestra Hall, and has toured extensively in the United States and Europe, sharing stages with rock and roll icons such as Soul Asylum and The Cars as well as indie rock stalwarts like LOW and Trampled by Turtles. He performs at breweries, wineries, distilleries, and venues across the midwest playing a mix of originals and covers suitable for any occasion!
7 reviews
Gwen B.
April 2, 2024Darren was a dream to work with. We hired him to play during our wedding and reception afterwards. He learned 3 new songs for our ceremony as well as matched the vibe of the reception seamlessly. He really was such a breeze to work with and we cannot say enough great things about him. Our guests loved the chill vibe and good tunes.
Hired as: Singing Guitarist
Karon M.
June 22, 2023He was lovely to work with, showed up early, listened to direction and did a fantastic job.
Hired as: Guitarist
Jeff S.
April 30, 2023Darren did a great job for our event!
Hired as: Singing Guitarist
Linus
December 16, 2022Kid Dakota exceeded our very hope filled expectations! Great voice and mix of styles...
Hired as: Guitarist, Singing Guitarist
Elizabeth P.
September 5, 2022Kid Dakota did a great job! Fun music and nice voice!
Hired as: Singing Guitarist
Price range: $200 and up
Languages: English
Gig length: 120 - 240 minutes
My goal is make sure that your guests, regardless of what type of event you are hosting, have a great time. To this end, I plan sets that will resonate with your audience. In addition to having hundreds of originals, I also can play over two hundred different covers from a diverse range of musical styles. I will show up an hour before I am scheduled to perform, or sooner if that is necessary, and I have various PAs depending on the size of the event.
I play over a hundred shows !a year and I'm looking forward to performing at your next event!
Kid Dakota is the musical moniker of Darren Jackson. Darren is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, engineer, teacher, and producer, and although he grew up in a small town in Western South Dakota, he cut his musical teeth in Minneapolis. A fixture on the scene there for two decades, Darren founded two critically-acclaimed bands (Kid Dakota and The Hopefuls, aka The Olympic Hopefuls,), released ten albums, and won three Minnesota Music Awards, including “Artist of the Year.” He has headlined nearly every venue in the Twin Cities metro area, including First Avenue, the Fitzgerald Theater, and Orchestra Hall, and has toured extensively in the United States and Europe, sharing stages with rock and roll icons such as Soul Asylum and The Cars as well as indie rock stalwarts like LOW and Trampled by Turtles.
In addition to crafting some of the most unique music to come out of the Midwest in recent decades, Darren also performs a carefully curated selection of covers that pay homage to the best in classic country (i.e., Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, George Strait, etc.), classic rock (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Eagles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, etc.), 80’s college rock (R.E.M., The Replacements, Violent Femmes, The Cure, etc.), and modern indie/alternative (Wilco, The Shins, Nirvana, Weezer, etc.).
Darren has performed at breweries, wineries, and distilleries all over the Midwest including 10K, Bent Paddle, Black Tooth, The Cherry Hut, City Service, Contrary, Convergence, Crow Peak, Earth Rider, Enlightened, Fat Pants, Fishback and Stephenson, Fulton, Grumpy Troll, Inbound, Lake of the Woods, Lion’s Bridge, Lost Cabin, LTD, Montgomery, Omni, Rocky Reef, Saw Mill, Sleepy Eye, Spearfish, Spiral, Sociable, Swing Barrel, Twin Spirits, Wild Minds, and Woodgrain.
I have a couple different PAs depending on the size of the event. I cannot provide a stage or lighting of any kind. If you have a stage or lights that you want to use that is fine with me.
Wednesday
Corporate Event
3:00pm - 6:00pm
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Minneapolis, MN
Saturday
Birthday Party
2:30pm - 2:45pm
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Mendota, MN
Monday
Retirement Party
4:30pm - 6:30pm
•
Northfield, MN
Sunday
House Concert
2:00pm - 5:00pm
•
Chippewa Falls, WI
Act Naturally, Buck Owens
All Along the Watchtower, Bob Dylan
Amarillo, George Strait
America, Simon and Garfunkel
American Girl, Tom Petty
Are the Good Times Gone for Good, Merle Haggard
Bad Moon Rising, Creedence Clearwater Revival
Big City, Merle Haggard
Black and Brown Shoes, Silver Jews
Blackbird, The Beatles
Blister in the Sun, The Violent Femmes
Boys Don't Cry, The Cure
Cherokee Fiddle, Johnny Lee
Chosen One, Smog
Cold, Cold Heart, Hank Williams
Copperhead Road, Steve Earle
Dixieland Delight, Alabama
Dock of the Bay, Otis Redding
Don't Rock the Jukebox, Alan Jackson
Drain You, Nirvana
Driver 8, R.E.M.
Every Breath You Take, The Police
Famous Blue Raincoat, Leonard Cohen
Far, Far Away, Wilco
Femme Fatale, The Velvet Underground
Fightin' Side of Me, Merle Haggard
Folsom Prison Blues, Johnny Cash
For Your Love, The Yardbirds
Friend of the Devil, The Grateful Dead
Fuck and Run, Liz Phair
Gone for Good, The Shins
Good-Hearted Woman, Waylon Jennings
Have You Ever Seen the Rain, Creedence Clearwater Revival
Heart of Darkness, Sparklehorse
Heart of Gold, Neil Young
Here Comes a Regular, The Replacements
Honey Don't , David Allen Coe
Honky Tonk Woman, The Rolling Stones
Honky-Tonkin, Hank Williams
House of the Rising Sun, The Animals
Houses on the Hill, Whiskeytown
How to Rent A Room, Silver Jews
I Gotta Get Drunk, Willie Nelson
I Wanna Be Sedated, The Ramones
I'm on Fire, Bruce Springsteen
In Bloom, Nirvana
Is She Really Going Out With Him, Joe Jackson
Jambalaya, Hank Williams
Jesus, Etc., Wilco
Jumpin' Jack Flash, The Rolling Stones
Kaw-Liga, Hank Williams
Like a Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan
Lodi, Creedence Clearwater Revival
Long-Haired Country Boy, Charlie Daniel's Band
Lyin' Eyes, The Eagles
Mama Tried, Merle Haggard
Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to be Cowboys, Waylon Jennings
Margaritaville, Jimmy Buffet
Melt With You, Modern English
Mind Your Own Business, Hank Williams
Modern Love, David Bowie
Molly Lips, The Vaselines
Mother's Little Helper, The Rolling Stones
New Slang, The Shins
Peaceful Easy Feeling, The Eagles
Polly, Nirvana
Poncho and Lefty, Townes Van Sant
Proud Mary, Creedence Clearwater Revival
Ramblin' Fever, Merle Haggard
Ramblin' Man, The Allman Brothers
Ready for the Country, Waylon Jennings
Rhinstone Cowboy, Glenn Campbell
Riding, Palace Brothers
Ring of Fire, Johnny Cash
Rockville, R.E.M.
Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die, Willie Nelson
Romeo and Juliet, Dire Straits
Runaway Train, Soul Asylum
Shotgun Willie, Willie Nelson
Six Days on the Road, Dave Dudley
Sixteen Tons Tennessee, Ernie Fords
Skyway, The Replacements
Stand by Me, Ben E. King
Stephanie Says, The Velvet Underground
Stray Cat Strut, The Stray Cats
Sultans of Swing, Dire Straits
Take This Job and Shove It, Johnny Paycheck
Tear-Stained Eye, Son Volt
The Man Who Sold thee World, David Bowie
Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down, Merle Haggard
Top of the World, The Carpenters
Trucker Speed, Fred Eaglesmith
Tulsa Time, Don Williams
Under My Thumb, The Rolling Stones
Waitin' for My Man, The Velvet Underground
Waitress in the Sky, The Replacements
Walk the Line, Johnny Cash
Wild Horses, The Rolling Stones
Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd
Won't Back Down, Tom Petty
Your Love, The Outfield
I have been influenced by classic country (i.e., Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, George Strait, etc.), classic rock (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Eagles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, etc.), 80’s college rock (R.E.M., The Replacements, Violent Femmes, The Cure, etc.), and modern indie/alternative (Wilco, The Shins, Nirvana, Weezer, etc.).
Singing Guitarist
