November 2006

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City Planner: Thursday 11/30

Filed under: Local Nightlife

DeVotchKa @ First Avenue
Photo by Michael Calanan

From today's A-List: "Boulder, Colorado's DeVotchKa could be from anywhere in the world that has a folk music amenable to accordions, strings, and brass. Which is to say, Mexico, Slovakia, Russia, France, Italy--anywhere but Boulder, Colorado. A smart quartet with a taste for tinkering (their tour bus also fits a sousaphone and a theremin), DeVotchKa are too tasteful to let the musicology get in the way of the music. Their mini-smash, 2004's How It Ends, proves that whether you're blazing through a mariachi chart or channeling a band of gypsies, a tune is a tune is a tune, and through the velvety veil of singer Nick Urata's baritone, that tune's a damn good one. It's the perfect soundtrack to red wine nights, Parisian days, Day of the Dead parades, and, it turns out, movies (they and shoegazer heartthrob Sufjan Stevens scored the bulk of Little Miss Sunshine). On DeVotchKa's new EP, Curse Your Little Heart, their antique sound breathes new life into old songs, including the Velvets' 'Venus in Furs' and Siouxsie and the Banshees' 'The Last Beat of My Heart.'"

With My Brightest Diamond. 18+. $13/$15 at the door. 6:00 p.m.

Elsewhere

Making Music: Ant @ the Whole

Go to the A-List now!

Posted by Chuck Terhark at November 30, 2006 6:31 AM | Comments (0)

 

City Planner: Wednesday 11/29

Filed under: Local Nightlife

The Black Keys @ First Avenue

From today's A-List: "Blues-punk purists fearing a defanged Black Keys on Magic Potion--the Akron guitar-and-drums duo's debut for the fancy-pants grown-up label Nonesuch--needn't have worried. Potion kicks just as much shit as any of the records the Keys made before they started rubbing elbows with Randy Newman and the Kronos Quartet. Which is to say that they still sound like two homeless guys playing Led Zeppelin in a subway station. Philadelphia-based openers Dr. Dog have a seemingly endless supply of sunny jangle-pop gems. Expect them to preview a handful from next year's We All Belong."

18+. $15. 8:00 p.m.

Elsewhere

Wax on Radio @ Triple Rock
Back-Up Plomo @ Blue Nile
Transmission @ the Hex

Go to the A-List.

Posted by Chuck Terhark at November 29, 2006 12:00 AM | Comments (0)

 

City Planner: Tuesday 11/28

Filed under: Local Nightlife

Bob Seger @ Xcel

From today's A-List: "More than a decade after disappearing down on Main Street--reportedly to concentrate on the consequences of his night moves (raise kids, that is)--Bob Seger is back with a solid new album. Proving rock 'n' roll never forgets, Seger, at 61, is still the same Midwestern working-class rocker at heart, juggling hard-driving anthems and epic ballads delivered with undiminished intensity. If anything, the songs on Face the Promise (Capitol) are several cuts above the tepid stuff he was putting out before his hiatus. Recorded mainly with Nashville studio vets (with cameo vocal appearances by Kid Rock and Patty Loveless), Promise is surprisingly lean and mean, especially on the Stones-like rouser "Wreck This Heart." Seger also hits hard at topical/political themes, like a rock--er, Iraq--and runaway consumerism. Expect the hit parade amid evidence that Seger's fire down below still burns."

$60. 6:30 p.m.

Elsewhere

Paquito D'Rivera @ Dakota
Fear Factory @ the Rock
Kottonmouth Kings @ First Avenue

Posted by Chuck Terhark at November 28, 2006 12:00 AM | Comments (0)

 

City Planner: Monday 11/27

Filed under: Local Nightlife

Paquito D'Rivera @ Dakota

From today's A-List: "Paquito D'Rivera was the fiery saxophonist in Irakere, the phenomenal big band that reanimated the bond between bebop and Afro-Cuban music in the 1980s (other members included Chucho Valdes and Arturo Sandoval). An anti-Castro immigrant from Havana, his stateside career has been a piquant mix of jazz, classical, and Latin flavors in both large- and small-ensemble configurations. Like Dizzy Gillespie, D'Rivera enjoys careening momentum with lots of brio, but also has a less heralded quiet side. Alongside trumpeter Diego Urcola, his alto saxophone and clarinet galvanize the room with their mix of beauty and excitement. The rhythm section of drummer Mark Walker and bassist Oscar Stagnaro have been with him long enough to mesh his love of European classicism and south-of-the-border flare. A six-time Grammy winner, novelist, and writer of a ribald autobiography, D'Rivera sometimes mistakenly thinks his between-song patter is as entertaining as his music. But when he and his band get down to business, their distinct fusion is bold, witty, and versatile enough to render moot any quibbles about the hammy emcee side of his persona."

$35 at 7:00 p.m.; $28 at 9:00 p.m.

Elsewhere

Brazilian Girls @ Fine Line
Ray LaMontagne @ Orpheum
Sepultura @ the Rock

These events and more at the A-List.

Posted by Chuck Terhark at November 27, 2006 12:00 AM | Comments (0)

 

City Planner: Weekend Edition (11/25-26)

Filed under: Local Nightlife

Pere Ubu @ 400 Bar

From Sunday's A-List: "David Thomas is enough of an artist that I believe him when he writes that the title of Pere Ubu's new Why I Hate Women (Smog Veil) came to him as an imagined Jim Thompson novel, and that "knowing what would lay ahead, I was not happy. Weeks went by as I searched in vain for an alternative." By now his claim on rock 'n' roll history is more a 30-year tradition of shaken sounds and ideas than a band, but his latest bitter pill for publicists accompanies the best lineup in years, with trademark analog synthesizer squeals meeting more aggressive stabs of guitar fuzz over a ready-to-bolt rhythm section. Thomas's ghost-wail never fails to chill, but the recent Rocket from the Tombs reunion must have put him in his old Cleveland state of mind, because Why I Hate Women veers and throbs like a punk record, and a great one at that."

18+. $15. 8:00 p.m.

Elsewhere

Saturday

Anonymous 4 @ the Fitz
Choreographer's Evening @ the Walker
Dierks Bentley @ Xcel

Sunday

Mary Mack @ Acadia
Ludacris @ Myth

Go to the A-List.

Posted by Chuck Terhark at November 25, 2006 12:00 AM | Comments (0)

 

City Planner: Friday 11/24

Filed under: Local Nightlife

Panic! at the Disco @ Target Center

From today's A-List: "Though their accelerated ascent to big-time rock stardom has provoked suspicion among indie folk convinced that shitty dive bars are where real expression hides, the precocious pretty boys in Panic! At the Disco might be emo's most assured, ambitious artists. With its Broadway flourishes, circus-music interludes, and synth-pop breakdowns, A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, the Las Vegas quartet's million-selling debut, sounds like nothing else currently being peddled at the Hot Topic cash-wrap. Panic's live show is similarly unique—expect dancing girls and a Moulin Rouge-inspired stage set. English post-punk darlings Bloc Party were scheduled to open the show, but earlier this month drummer Matt Tong suffered a collapsed lung, so they've canceled. Warped Tour vets the Plain White T's open instead, along with Jack's Mannequin, a tuneful emo-rock outfit led by Andrew McMahon of Something Corporate."

$30. 6:00 p.m.

Elsewhere

Patrice Pike @ Cabooze
+/- @ 7th St.
Idle Hands @ Hexagon
Mallman @ 400 Bar
Dad in Common @ Big V's
Thunder in the Valley @ Turf Club

Posted by Chuck Terhark at November 24, 2006 12:00 AM | Comments (0)

 

City Planner: Thursday 11/23

Filed under: Local Nightlife

Skirt @ Uptown Bar

From today's A-List: "Twin Cities musicians sure have a hard time limiting themselves to one band. The latest mash-up is Skirt, a pop-rock outfit featuring Linnea Mohn (Coach Said Not To), Scott Hefte (Seymore Saves the World, Superdanger), and Michelle Roche (um, the Mankato Symphony Orchestra). 'Born of frustration and suckled on parental warnings' is how the band describes their genesis, and this frustration comes out in interesting ways, such as stand-up drumming (as in, unseated—but it's also pretty good) and angsty lyrics ('If I die today/It's not my problem'). Catchy guitar riffs and heavy piano are this Thanksgiving act's meat and potatoes, but it's Mohn's strong voice that sets them apart from heaps of other local acts. Don't be fooled by the carefully produced tracks on their MySpace page (www.myspace.com/skirtgalore)--their live sound is sloppier, but in a good way."

With Celebrity Party, the Dale Hush Hush, and Katie Marshall. 21+. Free. 9:00 p.m.

Elsewhere

Tina Schlieske's Thanksgiving Show @ Bunker's
2007 Battle Cat Championships @ Red Sea

Go to the A-List.

Posted by Chuck Terhark at November 23, 2006 12:00 AM | Comments (0)

 

Twin Cities Reggaetón gallery

Filed under: Local Nightlife

Peter Scholtes's cover story this week on the local Reggaetón scene features a gallery of photos by Tony Nelson. Check out nightlife shots of Maria Isa, The Corporation, Danny y Elliot, Lírica Secreta, Back-Up Plomo, plus dancers at El Nuevo Rodeo, the Loring Pasta Bar, the Varsity, and more! Check it out.

Posted by Corey Anderson at November 22, 2006 9:05 AM | Comments (0)

 

City Planner: Wednesday 11/22

Filed under: Local Nightlife

En Vogue @ Trocaderos

From today's A-List: "Hard to imagine now, but 1990's 'Hold On' felt like the first true funk on Top 40 radio in years, its lumbering bass line and close female harmonies a bright thank-you to Soul II Soul—and to the hip hop that brought the beat back. En Vogue's subsequent early-'90s hits are ageless: 'My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It),' the George Clinton-quoting 'Free Your Mind,' the Salt-N-Pepa collaboration 'Whatta Man' (updating the old Linda Lyndell tune). Dawn Robinson, whose flighty work with Lucy Pearl is just as essential, has bowed out of this recent reunion tour featuring three other original members, though the remaining group is serious enough to be preparing a comeback album.

21+. $35/$45 at the door. 7:00 p.m.

Elsewhere

Asylum Street Spankers @ the Cedar
Big Daddy Kane @ the Varsity
Rocksgiving @ Station 4
Otis Day & the Knights @ Myth
Ike Reilly @ First Ave
Detroit @ 400 Bar
Martin Devaney & friends @ Turf Club
Planes Mistaken for Stars @ Triple Rock

All this and more at the A-List.

Posted by Chuck Terhark at November 22, 2006 12:00 AM | Comments (0)

 

City Planner: Tuesday 11/21

Filed under: Local Nightlife

Mad Love @ Fine Line

Here's what Jim Walsh has to say about Emily Colay, his new pet crush and singer of the Wookiefoot offshoot Mad Love: "Maybe the sexiest performer I've seen on a local stage since Prince. Been gypsy dancing on the Renaissance faire circuit since she was 14 (hippie parents). Opera-trained singer. Girl made me wanna smoke cigarettes after damn near every song and I don't even smoke cigarettes." He ellaborates at the Walsh Files: "Did I mention sexy? Dude, it wasn't just me: The four young fellas standing next to me were ready to become the three Sirens' love slaves on the spot. I talked them down, but I left early, and for all I know they got backstage and they may be Mad Love-slave roadkill by now." I think it's safe to say Walsh is a fan.

21+. With Hunab Ku, Roster McCabe, and Jake Rowan. 8 pm.

Posted by Chuck Terhark at November 21, 2006 12:00 AM | Comments (0)

 

City Planner: Monday 11/20

Filed under: Local Nightlife

Dr. John @ Dakota

From today's A-List: "The self-described 'desitively bonnaroo' big chief physician of the great New Orleans piano tradition, Mac Rebennack, a.k.a. Dr. John, has ivory roots that slither under the Louisiana mud, tracing Professor Longhair to Jelly Roll and his Storyville compatriots. At 65, Mac is a living artifact of the Crescent City's virulently eccentric genius, now as endangered as the city itself in the post-Katrina debacle of neglect, indifference, and malfeasance. On his latest album, Mercernary (Blue Note), Mac's hoodoo guise smacks upside his love of jazz standards in a delectable tribute to songwriter and singer Johnny Mercer. Each iconic tune is doused in the gumbo: 'Blues in the Night' dramatically reverts to the Delta, 'That Old Black Magic' acquires a potent dose of voodoo, 'Personality' ('poisonality' in Mac's patois) gets down and dirty with Charlie Miller's raucous trumpet and Herman Ernest's strip-joint beat, and an instrumental version of 'I'm an Old Cowhand' has subtle suggestions of Longhair triplets and second-line funk. Mac wraps it up with a clever original that riffs on Mercer phrases ('I Ain't No Johnny Mercer'); and 'Save the Bones for Henry Jones,' originally recorded by Mercer but written by the late New Orleans singer/banjoist Danny Barker. Dr. John's three-day Dakota residency is all solo gigs, each an education in Mercer and the erstwhile Big Easy.'

$40-$50. 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.

Elsewhere

Shrouding @ First Amendment
Roe Family Singers @ 331
Mojo Spleens @ Memory Lanes

Go to the A-List.

Posted by Chuck Terhark at November 20, 2006 12:00 AM | Comments (0)

 

City Planner: Weekend Edition (11/18-19)

Filed under: Local Nightlife

Baby Loves Disco @ Foundation

From today's A-List: "When music historians analyze disco's downfall in the late '70s, they often point to its shift from a sexually charged subculture to a corporate phenomenon that made it all the way to Sesame Street. Considering that legendary Paradise Garage DJ Larry Levan's first-ever remix was 1978's 'C Is for Cookie,' by Cookie Monster & the Girls, maybe that ubiquity just ensured a new generation of boogie-feverish types who've grown up to swear by Daft Punk and Basement Jaxx. While the national dance night--er, afternoon--phenomenon Baby Loves Disco was set up as a way for young, hip parents to party and socialize without ditching their kids, it also aims to be an alternative to the corporate sugar-buzz of the mainstream kiddie-entertainment industry, with healthy snacks, noisemakers, and bubble machines to keep toddlers entertained. Any excuse to replace Barney with Giorgio Moroder is a welcome one."

With DJ Mike the 2600 King. $10; free if still crawling. 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Elsewhere

Saturday

Mucca Pazza @ Turf Club
Marc Hauser (closing) @ Rogue Buddha
Sam Roberts Band @ 400 Bar
Signal to Trust/STNNNG (CD releases) @ 7th St.
The Hookup @ Dinkytowner
Wayne Hancock @ Lee's
Katha Dance @ the Ritz
TU Dance @ O'Shaughnessy

Sunday

Dr. John @ Dakota
Guy Davis (CD release) @ the Cedar
The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? (closing) @ Theatre Garage
Ordinary Culture (closing) @ the Walker

Go to the A-List now!

Posted by Chuck Terhark at November 18, 2006 12:00 AM | Comments (0)

 

City Planner: Friday 11/17

Filed under: Local Nightlife

Boxing is Back @ Target Center

From today's A-List: "Considering this is the first pro card in the Twin Cities in a year and a half, it is probably poor form to bitch about the matchmaking. But long-suffering Minnesota fight fans have been clamoring for eons for a bout between local favorites, Anthony 'the Bullet' Bonsante (27 wins, 8 losses) and Matt 'the Predator' Vanda (34-2). While both Bonsante and Vanda are featured on the bill, the fans still won't get what they wanted. Instead, the veteran Bonsante (who earned his 15 minutes of pugilistic fame on the reality-TV show The Contender) will slug it out with St. Paul super middleweight Troy Lowry. At 36, Lowry (27-6) is a little long in the tooth but still plenty rugged. In other words, Bonsante-Lowry could make for an entertaining brawl between two tough guys approaching the fistic twilight. The same cannot be said of the co-headliner, which pits the ever-popular Vanda against late-sub Quandray 'Candy' Robertson, a puffed-up welterweight from Oregon and loser of five of his last six. Ugh. The undercard features a few promising young Minnesota boxers, including Duluth light heavyweight Zach Walters and Minneapolis featherweight Wilton Hilario."

$25-$100. 6:00 p.m.

Elsewhere

Chooglin' (CD release) @ 7th St.
Faux Jean (CD release) @ Varsity
Chris Koza (EP release) @ the Cedar
Out to Lunch Quintet (CD release) @ AQ
Mark Hanis @ University of St. Thomas
The Honeydogs (CD release) @ First Avenue
Charles Simic @ Plymouth Congregational Church

All this and more at the A-List.

Posted by Chuck Terhark at November 17, 2006 12:00 AM | Comments (0)

 

Cum Together

Filed under: Pop Culture

Dammit! Why didn't we think of this? Something called Global Orgasm is organizing the first-ever "global orgasm for peace," to take place on December 22 (talk about your long foreplay). According to the Big O website, everyone is to climax at some point on that blessed Friday, and, immediately afterwards, take a moment of silence to meditate for world peace. Sounds good, but why wait a whole month? The weekend's here! Get out there and get busy, peaceniks.

Posted by Jim Walsh at November 16, 2006 11:03 PM | Comments (4)

 

City Planner: Thursday 11/16

Filed under: Local Nightlife

Kill the Vultures (CD Release) @ 7th St.

From Nate Patrin's look at The Careless Flame, the new record by former Oddjobbers Kill the Vultures: "Like its self-titled predecessor, The Careless Flame is less boom-bap than thud-clank. Crescent Moon--who's going it alone on the mic for this installment, since fellow MCs Nomi and Advizer are living out of town--has a commanding grumble of a voice, like Aesop Rock with a bit more clarity and coherence. And that voice does pretty much whatever it wants to, using the beat as a suggestion instead of a guide. 'There's no real point where he's doing a normal hip-hop delivery. There's not a lot of flipping or double time or anything like that,' said producer Stephen 'Anatomy' Lewis. 'From a rhythmic standpoint, it's simple.' But with that simplicity comes a certain weirdness." Read the rest here.

With Sims and DJ Nikoless. 18+. $6. 8:00 p.m.

Elsewhere

Fat Kid Wednesdays (CD release) @ the Cedar
Skid Row @ the Rock
Witchcraft @ Triple Rock
Average White Band @ Rossi's
Amos Lee @ the Fitz
Zenon Dance @ Southern
Dykes do Drag @ BLB

Go to the A-List.

Posted by Chuck Terhark at November 16, 2006 12:00 AM | Comments (0)

 

3 Questions: Amy Sedaris

Filed under: 3 Questions

by Bridgette Reinsmoen

Amy Sedaris, best known for her role as Jerri Blank in Strangers with Candy (and for being the sister of humorist David Sedaris), is a talented comic, playwright, and actor. Lately, she's added "author" to her résumé, putting her wit and passion for creative home entertaining down in book form. I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence (Warner Books) is a whimsical how-to, full of stories, tips, and anecdotes on throwing great get-togethers, with chapters on a rich uncle's visit, eating like a Gypsy, and a disturbingly intimate ladies' night. While it's a thoroughly offbeat collection, the recipes (lots of 'em!) are no joke—the "15-Minute Meals in 20 Minutes" section is especially realistic. Some handy craft suggestions are on offer as well. In between book-tour appearances, Sedaris answered a few questions via email.

City Pages: I Like You includes suggestions on what to feed to lumberjacks, people on drugs, and mourners, among others. Can you suggest a menu for a party celebrating a friend's release from prison?

Amy Sedaris: I would open all the windows and doors so the guest felt perfectly free. I would have a stock bar of really good alcohol—no speed rack stuff or jungle juice. The menu would need to be something that needs individual attention, like steak, baked potato, corn on the cob, a side salad. Nothing that was thrown in a big pot and made for large groups. Lemon bars for dessert, because, well, the word "bar," and second, it would look delicate to eat, and this person needs to be treated like a king—assuming he was wrongfully accused.

CP: What was the best party you've thrown within the last year?

AS: I haven't had that many because I was working on the book full-time. After I turned the book in and cleaned up my apartment, I had a small get-together and invited people over. They helped me rearrange all the artwork on my walls.

CP: The ends of lemons make great fake nipples, as you noted in your book and modeled on the cover of Bust magazine. Will you be wearing these, or any other creative appearance-enhancers, at your show in St. Paul?

AS: I don't kiss and tell.

Posted by Corey Anderson at November 15, 2006 2:19 PM | Comments (0)

 

City Planner: Wednesday 11/15

Filed under: Local Nightlife

Amy Sedaris @ the Fitzgerald

From today's A-List: "Amy Sedaris, best known for her role as Jerri Blank in Strangers with Candy (and for being the sister of humorist David Sedaris), is a talented comic, playwright, and actor. Lately, she's added "author" to her resume, putting her wit and passion for creative home entertaining down in book form. I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence (Warner Books) is a whimsical how-to, full of stories, tips, and anecdotes on throwing great get-togethers, with chapters on a rich uncle's visit, eating like a Gypsy, and a disturbingly intimate ladies' night. While it's a thoroughly offbeat collection, the recipes (lots of 'em!) are no joke—the '15-Minute Meals in 20 Minutes' section is especially realistic. Some handy craft suggestions are on offer as well." Read the rest, including Q&A, above.

Elsewhere

Compagnie TcheTche @ Walker
Say Anything @ Trocaderos
Tahiti 80 @ 400 Bar

These events and more at the A-List.

Posted by Chuck Terhark at November 15, 2006 12:00 AM | Comments (0)

 

City Planner: Tuesday 11/14

Filed under: Local Nightlife

New York Dolls @ First Avenue

From today's A-List: "Get out the leather and lipstick, garage-land ladies and lads: David Johansen's glam-pioneers return to the Twin Cities for the first time since their debut at Teenland at the Minnesota State Fair in 1973. You're forgiven if your Dolls delirium is tempered by the loss of the dead boys (Johnny Thunders, Jerry Nolan, and Arthur 'Killer' Kane, subject of last year's wonderful doc New York Doll), or the survivors' samey new studio album One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This. But know that David Jo is still doing the American Mick Jagger thing better than most, and these reunion shows have been garnering good reviews. Plus, as Halloween proves, everybody loves a guy dressed in drag—add drums, guitars, and songs as sweaty-good as 'Personality Crisis,' 'Who Are the Mystery Girls?,' "Trash," and 'Frankenstein,' and, well, everybody must get laid tonight."

With the Supersuckers, the Chesterfield Kings, and more. 21+. $20. 8:00 p.m.

Elsewhere

Compagnie TcheTche @ Walker
Andrea Stanislav @ MCAD
Mitch Fatel @ Acme Comedy

All this and more @ the A-List.

Posted by Chuck Terhark at November 14, 2006 12:00 AM | Comments (0)

 

City Planner: Monday 11/13

Filed under: Local Nightlife

POSTPONED DUE TO ILLNESS: Jonny Lang @ State Theatre

From today's A-List: "In retrospect, listening to Jonny Lang sing, 'Lie to me/And tell me everything is all right' on his lone hit, 1997's 'Lie to Me,' is like hearing a teen starlet who's too bright to ignore the ticking of his 15-minute clock. At the time, Lang was the pretty face of the American blues renaissance, but the kid's big bang fizzled as fast as it popped, leaving him to console himself with the knowledge that he would at least be better remembered than his arch-doppelganger, Kenny Wayne Shepherd. After years of being criticized for faking the blues, Lang finally had a reason for them; funny, then, that he should suddenly abandon his Stevie Ray Vaughan pose. The 2003 comeback album Long Time Coming was Lang's first foray into more soulful territory, and his new one, Turn Around, completes the journey, featuring almost entirely original material that focuses on the older-than-his-age singer's spirituality and family life (not unlike Shepherd, who converted to Catholicism after the poor dude married Mel Gibson's daughter). 'I been on the wrong track with the wrong map,' Lang sings on his new single, 'Bump in the Road.' In other words, will the gospel road signs lead him back to his audience? Don't worry, Jonny. Everything is all right."

UPDATE: The Jonny Lang show is postponed due to illness. Tickets will be honored at the rescheduled show, which will most likely happen in January. Fans left with nothing to do this evening are encouraged to see the headless grunge monster that is Alice in Chains, performing around the corner at First Ave.

Elsewhere

Alice in Chains @ First Avenue
Bettye Lavette @ Dakota

Read more at the A-List.

Posted by Chuck Terhark at November 13, 2006 12:00 AM | Comments (1)

 

City Planner: Weekend Edition (11/11-12)

Filed under: Local Nightlife

Carolina Chocolate Drops @ the Cedar

From this weekend's A-List: "First, let's dispel a few stereotypes. Yes, the Carolina Chocolate Drops are African Americans playing old-time banjo and fiddle music generally thought to be the province of white Appalachians. No, they are not a curio novelty act for that reason. In fact, the Chocolate Drops continue a spirited, if long-languished, tradition of black string music that arose out of square-dancing 'frolics,' house parties, funerals, and baby christenings in the early 20th century. Named in honor of the once-renowned Tennessee Chocolate Drops, they have studied and played with 80-something Piedmont fiddler Joe Thompson and will perform at the Cedar as part of a benefit for the documentary film Black String Revival. But no, they are not stuck-in-Carolina-mud academics who confuse preservation with embalming. On the basis of their unceasingly spry debut disc, Dona Got a Ramblin' Mind, even the hoary rebel anthem 'Dixie' is fair game for their flexible, string-driven braid. CCD are worth the relatively small cover charge for Rhiannon Giddens alone, a Piedmont native, Oberlin Conservatory grad, and potent double threat on banjo and vocals."

$10/$12 at the door. 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

Elsewhere

Saturday

Garnet Rogers @ First Universalist Church
Jamie Lidell/Hot Chip @ First Ave
Roma Di Luna (CD release) @ BLB
Pernice Brothers @ 7th St.
Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society @ Myth
Will Hoge/Backyard Tire Fire @ 400 Bar

Sunday

Decemberists @ First Ave
Rise Against @ Myth
Lloyd Cole @ Fine Line
Anytown (closing) @ Southern
Merchant of Venice (closing) @ MN Opera Center
Action Against Sol Schumann (closing) @ Hillcrest
Danny y Elliot @ Barfly
Tito Puente Jr. @ Orchestra Hall
Bettye Lavette @ Dakota

All this and more at the A-List.

Posted by Chuck Terhark at November 11, 2006 12:00 AM | Comments (0)

 

City Planner: Friday 11/10

Filed under: Local Nightlife

John Legend @ Myth

From today's A-List: "Sophomore jinxes happen when artists misjudge the pivot off their breakthrough success--they either stagnate in place or overreach toward phase two. Once Again, John Legend's follow-up to his multi-platinum, multi-Grammy debut, Get Lifted, adroitly avoids both pitfalls with a gracefully calibrated move from funky neo-soul to vintage pop-soul. Like Alicia Keys, Legend is a musical sophisticate who knows how to meld subtle songcraft and troubled narratives with bourgeois self-confidence. His saving graces are his lack of vocal hubris--he cans the melisma in favor of more sincere phrases--and a knack for songwriting that enables him to collaborate with producers as diverse as Kanye West, Craig Street, and Will.i.am without sacrificing control. If the touchstones of Once Again are Burt Bacharach and Babyface in place of Lifted's Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder, well, listen to the knockout ballad "Again" or the whimsical toe-tapper "P.D.A. (We Just Don't Care)" and tell me it's a mistake."

With Robin Thicke. All ages. $25. 7:00 p.m.

Elsewhere

James Hunter @ Varsity Theater
Gilded Age (EP release) @ Hexagon
The Alarmists @ Whole
Patricia Hampl @ the Fitz
Bridge Club @ Turf Club
Glad Version @ 400 Bar
Mac Lethal @ 7th St.
Savage Aural Hotbed (CD release) @ First Ave
Shotgun Monday @ Big V's
Urban Explorers @ Mill City Museum

Go to the A-List.

Posted by Chuck Terhark at November 10, 2006 12:00 AM | Comments (0)

 

City Planner: Thursday 11/9

Filed under: Local Nightlife

Demetri Martin @ Pantages

From today's A-List: "The current crop of nerdy-smart comedians--Michael Ian Black, Eugene Mirman, Rachael Harris, Aziz Ansari--are well into Phase Two of their plan for world comedy domination: Laying Siege to Late-Night Talk Shows. (Phase One was Screening Absurdist Short Films on the Internet, incidentally.) Demetri Martin is at the forefront of the movement, as his credits include appearances on Conan and Letterman in addition to having appeared at nearly every comedy festival in the known world. As evidenced by his recently released These Are Jokes CD/DVD, the offbeat observations that landed him the "Trendspotter" role on The Daily Show aren't the sole element in Martin's stand-up arsenal; his poetry, music, video, artwork, and animation are just as engaging. If his burgeoning screenwriting/acting career is any indication (three scripts in development, with a juicy part for himself in each), Phase Three: Multiplex Blitzkrieg isn't far behind."

$29.75. 8:00 p.m.

Elsewhere

Guru @ Foundation
Twin Cities Jewish Book Fair @ St. Paul JCC
Six Strings & Chicken Wings @ BLB
Jeff D. Johnson (CD release) @ Varsity Theater

All this and more at the A-List.

Posted by Chuck Terhark at November 9, 2006 12:00 AM | Comments (0)

 

Olson Defeats Rumsfeld (or... Jayhawk bites Hawk)

It took awhile, but Donald Rumsfeld has finally taken former Jayhawk and current Original Harmony Ridge Creekdipper Mark Olson's challenge to get outta the war business. Olson's 2004 CD Political Manifest included the song "End Of The Highway, Rumsfeld," which, while not exactly a toe-tapper, suggested in no uncertain terms that the outgoing hawk stick his guns where the sun don't shine.

In other news, Olson and his former Jayhawks mate Gary Louris (who assisted on the Dixie Chicks' latest anti-Bush singalong Not Ready To Make Nice ) are set to start writing songs together next month. Here's hoping the new Congress will provide some feel-good inspiration for stuff like, say, "When I Think Of Nancy Pelosi I Touch Myself," "Swingin' Party (George and Saddam Hang Together Side By Side)," etc.

Posted by Jim Walsh at November 8, 2006 2:53 PM | Comments (0)

 

City Planner: Wednesday 11/8

Filed under: Local Nightlife

IV Thieves @ 7th St.

From today's A-List: "When Nic Armstrong and the Thieves made their debut a couple of years ago, Oasis's Noel Gallagher predicted, 'They'll be one of the biggest bands in Britain. They're pretty special, man.' Whether or not the since-renamed IV Thieves will reach that rung remains to be seen, but at the moment this fab four is every Brit-pop fan's wet dream come true. Their latest, If We Can't Escape My Pretty (New West), is the sort of never-outta-style urgent guitar rock that suggests the Arctic Monkinks ('You Can't Love What You Don't Understand'); Kasabeatles ('The Day Is a Downer'), and the Rolling Stone Roses ('Higher'). It all promises to elevate live on the little downtown stage that launched a thousand special bands. With up-and-coming Minne-pop heroes the Alarmists."

21+. $10/$12 at the door. 8:00 p.m.

Elsewhere

BB King @ Orchestra Hall
OK Go @ First Ave
Tennessee 3 @ Lee's
Atreyu @ Myth
Terror @ Triple Rock
Community Gardens @ Turf Club

Go to the A-List now.

Posted by Chuck Terhark at November 8, 2006 12:00 AM | Comments (0)

 

City Planner: Tuesday 11/7

Filed under: Local Nightlife

Robert Randolph & the Family Band @ First Avenue

From today's A-List: "Not so long ago, sacred steel guitar music was confined to a smattering of House of God churches in pockets of America that included New York, Kentucky, and Florida. Then Arhoolie Records founder Chris Strachwitz made it his next passion after conjunto in the '90s, and blues and 'vernacular' music freaks caught the buzz. But Robert Randolph and his Family Band took it mainstream, appealing to jam-band fans and guitar freaks galore while touring arenas nonstop and opening for Eric Clapton and Dave Matthews, both of whom appear on RRFB's latest platter, Colorblind. While more commercial than most sacred steel acts, Randolph and company have retained the gospel fervor, pious goodwill, and soulful, funky-blues grease that makes the style so seductive. Catching them in this relatively intimate venue is a real bonus, a tactile treat that epitomizes the word 'electrifying,' even with your trusty earplugs in place."

With Rocco Deluca. 18+. $25. 8:00 p.m.

Elsewhere

Paul Stanley @ Myth
Mid-term election @ a voting booth near you

Go vote, then go to the A-List.

Posted by Chuck Terhark at November 7, 2006 12:00 AM | Comments (0)

 

Note from Atmosphere's Slug: VOTE

Email reminders to vote! tomorrow are flying around the inbox universe, including this one, sent out as Atmosphere's latest Myspace bulletin:

i realize that the majority of bulletins you receive from us are information about shows, releases, etc. but i want you to consider this one a personal message from us. a good friend of mine, Jared Paul wrote this to me, and i felt it was important enough to share with y'all since it mirrors the feelings that many of us are having.

Posted by Jim Walsh at November 6, 2006 11:04 AM | Comments (2)

 

3Qs with Terry Gilliam

Filed under: Film

If you're not angry, they say, you're not paying attention. Mad hatter Terry Gilliam has been accused of a lot of things--directorial self-indulgence (The Adventures of Baron Munchausen), professional self-sabotage (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), creative accounting (Brazil). But one could never blame the Monty Python alum and native Minnesotan for failing to reckon with the cruel world. The cinematic equivalent of a well-timed hissy fit, Gilliam's new movie Tideland hurls every size and shape of living nightmare at its preteen heroine (Jodelle Ferland), who's left alone in the middle of nowhere (Minnesota?) following the ugly overdoses of her junkie parents. Still, like Gilliam after getting cut up by Bob and Harvey Scissorhands (The Brothers Grimm), the kid stays in the picture. Attentive as always, Gilliam says he's "not interested in opinions of people [who] don't pay to see the film." But he gamely e-mailed answers to our idle questions anyway.

City Pages: You're often described as a fabulist, but isn't Tideland a political movie for the No More Mr. Nice Guy age?

Terry Gilliam: Have people forgotten I made Brazil? George W. [Bush], [Dick] Cheney, and company haven't. I'm thinking of suing them for the illegal and unauthorized remake of Brazil.

CP: When you watch Tideland, what does it make you feel, personally speaking?

Gilliam: I think it's one of the best films I've made. It fills my heart with joy.

CP: You were born in Minnesota. You think Minneapolis might be a better city than most to live in once the apocalypse hits?

Gilliam: What apocalypse? Are there some problems in the world that I am unaware of that might lead to it? Gosh, now you've got me worried.

Tideland is playing now at Lagoon Cinema, 1320 Lagoon Ave., Minneapolis; 612.825.6006.

--Rob Nelson

Posted by Chuck Terhark at November 6, 2006 5:00 AM | Comments (0)

 

City Planner: Monday 11/6

Filed under: Local Nightlife

Sid Hartman @ Borders (Block E)

From today's A-List: "Say what you will about Sid Hartman, the Star Tribune's ancient sports columnist and WCCO radio's resident grumpy Gus, but the man deserves respect--or at least tolerance--for one simple reason. Dude is old. At the leathery age of 86, Hartman is just 29 years younger than the game of basketball itself, and his often-maligned but always-read column is nearly as venerable. One side effect of being old is having lived a very long time, so Hartman has his share of stories to tell. From the personal and quirky--like when he supplemented his modest newspaper salary by launching the Minneapolis Lakers basketball team--to the vague and historical, such are the nuggets that fill Sid Hartman's Great Moments in Minnesota Sports History." Read the rest here.

Free. Noon.

Elsewhere

Mike Gunther @ Triple Rock
The Toasters @ Triple Rock
Lions in the Street @ 400 Bar

Go to the A-List.

Posted by Chuck Terhark at November 6, 2006 12:00 AM | Comments (0)

 

City Planner: Weekend Edition (11/4-5)

Filed under: Local Nightlife

Youth Brigade @ Triple Rock

From today's A-List: "Immortalized in the 1984 documentary Another State of Mind, Youth Brigade were the Oi! that Los Angeles hardcore produced—three Jewish surfers, all brothers, cheering the sinking of their state into the ocean. They founded BYO Records, rapped against the police years before Ice Cube, and spawned the Royal Crown Revue, having initially shaved their heads and tried to meld punk rock and swing as the Swing Skins Brigade. Now they're a tour-honed version of their younger selves, and word is that's a good thing."

With Tiltwheel, Vena Cava, and 24 Reasons Why. All ages. $10. 7:00 p.m.

Elsewhere

Saturday

The Technology of Leonardo Da Vinci @ MCBA
Godsmack @ Roy Wilkins
Wolf Eyes @ 7th St.
Slightly Stoopid @ First Ave.

Sunday

120 Days @ 7th St.
Sherwin Linton @ Medina Ent. Center
Sierra Leone Refugee All-Stars @ Fine Line
Red Hot Chili Peppers @ Xcel
Charlie Parr @ Turf Club
Wellstone! (closing) @ History Theatre
Ain't Misbehavin' @ Penumbra
Lady Sovereign @ Varsity

These events and more at the A-List.

Posted by Chuck Terhark at November 4, 2006 12:00 AM | Comments (0)

 

Songwriters' Saturday Afternoon

One of the most enjoyable live music series to emerge this year has been Rift magazine's 36-hour songwriting contest, the first two editions of which I wrote about here and here, and which Brianna Riplinger wrote about here (scroll down to the Strummer-banging-on-a-typewriter photo).

The third event takes place Saturday afternoon (2 p.m.) at the Bryant-Lake Bowl. The deal is, Rift editor Rich Horton assigned 16 songwriters a topic just hours ago, and now they have today and tomorrow to write a song "about" the topic. Tomorrow's anti-American Idols are:

Patrik Tanner, Andra Suchy with Andrew Pierzina, David Hanners, Jennifer J. Holt, Accelerated Love Affair, David Brusie, Eliza Blue, Mike Brady, Future Lisa, Sam Keenan, Leslie Schumacher, Brad Senne, Lea Birbalas David Levin and Robert Meany.

Bryant Lake Bowl
Saturday November 4 at 2:00 pm (1:30 doors)
$8 in advance / $10 day of show

Posted by Jim Walsh at November 3, 2006 8:44 AM | Comments (0)

 

City Planner: Friday 11/03

Filed under: Local Nightlife

Sankai Juku @ Northrop

From today's A-List: "Performing under a blanket of lotus flowers floating peacefully above the stage, the seven members of the Japanese company Sankai Juku create a dreamlike scene through their hypnotic butoh dancing. Butoh, a dance form that emerged from the ashes of post-nuclear Japan, combines artfully slow movement with painful and beautiful images representing the main competing forces in the world. Sankai Juku is perhaps the best-known butoh company, and it returns to the Twin Cities for the first time in 10 years. Its current work, performed by dancers who are painted white from head to toe, uses seven scenes filled with haunting images of sand and water, ash and blood, life and death. The result is a work that aims to be nothing less than a meditation on the meaning, or at least the experience, of our existence." For the full article, go here.

$30-$39. 8:00 p.m.

Elsewhere

Frank Black @ First Avenue
Guster @ State Theatre
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band @ Medina Entertainment Center
The English Beat @ Cabooze
Ways of Knowing @ Pangea
Tim Miller: 1001 Beds @ Patrick's
Ziggy Marley @ Myth

All this and more at the A-List.

Posted by Chuck Terhark at November 3, 2006 12:00 AM | Comments (0)

 

The City vs. Music at the 331 Club

Filed under: Local Nightlife

Thanks to no cover, good bands, and fairly cheap drinks, the 331 Club has become one of the preferred hot spots for happy hourists and original music seekers, not to mention a vital cog in the NE arts corridor on 13th and NE University Ave. Now word comes that the city aims to pull the plug on the amps. Here's a plea from the 331's general manager Jarret Oulman:

"As of November 15, 2006, the City of Minneapolis will require the 331 Club to cease providing amplified music and entertainment. We are asking for your support in fighting this ban by the City. With your support, the 331 Club can continue to provide an exciting and progressive music venue in North East.

"The city's concern is that it needs to regulate businesses impact on their communities (ie noise, traffic etc). And amplified entertainment is considered to have an unacceptable level of impact to the community. We think that, rather than harming the community, the music programming at the 331 Club is providing an important opportunity for local musicians and performers and is making the North East community a richer place.

"We are asking you to write a letter to your city council member and to Mayor Rybak in support of the 331 Club. Please tell them how the developing scene at the 331 Club has had a positive (or negative) impact on the local community. Your feedback will be important to the City Council's decisions regarding the future of North East.

"Thank you for your support,
Jarret Oulman
Ge