July 2007

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Voog 2.0

Filed under: Blogs/Web

The stork paid a visit to the Voog household last night, as Anacam subscribers can attest. Minneapolis performance artist/professional naked person Ana Voog gave birth to a 6 lb. 6 oz. baby girl named Lili, a child whose arrival was fretted over and celebrated by those who peer daily into Voog's life via the 24-hour live camera she's been exhibiting her life through for the past decade. And while the preceding months have had rough patches of worry in which Voog and her boyfriend drafted plans for letting family members with more conventional lives raise the baby, in the end, it all came down to a father, a mother, and an in-home birthing pool with a webcam trained on it. Mazal Tov!

Posted by Sarah Askari at July 31, 2007 12:50 PM | Comments (5)

 

Bob Mould acoustic set, Q&A and DVD signing October 10

Filed under: Music

Former Hüsker Dü frontman Bob Mould is scheduled to appear at the Bryant Lake Bowl on Wednesday, October 10, to promote his live concert DVD entitled Circle of Friends. Posting at his Boblog, Mould promises a Q&A session, a short acoustic set, and a screening of the DVD. Fans will be able to purchase the DVD, which goes on sale October 9, and have Bob sign it after the show. Circle of Friends was filmed at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. and features Brendan Canty (Fugazi), Richard Morel (Morel), and Jason Narducy (Rockets Over Sweden) performing with Mould songs from his Hüsker, Sugar, and solo catalogs.

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 30, 2007 3:18 PM | Comments (0)

 

Tom Snyder, R.I.P.

Filed under: Television

Snyder to Manson: "Were you happy when you found out you weren't going to go to the gas chamber, Charles?" One of the great TV interviewers has died. Via Youtube, here's a retrospective, the first TV appearance by Weird Al, an amusing interview with the Clash, walking out on Howard Stern, who gets him riled by swearing at the end, a Star Trek special, and a 1981 interview with Bono and the Edge of U2.

Posted by Peter S. Scholtes at July 30, 2007 10:14 AM | Comments (0)

 

Vita.mn: Check out this awesome (if nonexistent) band!

Filed under: Media

Recently, the Strib's weekly freebie, vita.mn, came out with its highly anticipated "list of lists" issue. Getting input from an "army of opinionated web users," that "contributed thousands of items," vita.mn ranked, among other things, the top 10 "must-see local bands."

Number 10 on the list was the Hockey Night, indisputably one of the best bands to come out of Minnesota in the last long while. "It's quite an honor," said Alex Achen, one of the band's two drummers. Just one problem, as Achen was quick to point out: The band hasn't played a show in more than five months, because that's when they broke up.

Next year, be sure to vote for Hüsker Dü.

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at July 30, 2007 9:14 AM | Comments (1)

 

Slammin' in Minnesota

Filed under: Q&A

Left to right: Just Riley, Allison, Wonder Dave, Lorena, and Rhe / Photo by Heather Polisen

As anyone who watches the news, follows PR, or is raising a teenager can tell you, wars can be fought with words. This Sunday at the Nomad, well-conditioned teams who have been training all year will use words for another type of battle at the Big Slam. It will also serve as a practice slam before teams head down to Austin, TX for a national competition. City Pages took a moment to chat with SlamMN’s co-slam master Dave Crady, aka Wonder Dave about the slam scene.

City Pages: So how did you first get started in the MN slam poetry scene?

Dave Crady: I started about a year after I moved here from Lacrosse, WI. I went to a couple slams, I really enjoyed it, and I started slamming. I really liked the format and the openness of it. I liked the competitive aspect of it. A lot of people involved are into competitive writing as well. I liked the idea that I could get up on stage and do and say whatever I want, essentially.

CP: Has the scene changed/grown since you first happened upon it?

DC: Oh yeah, definitely. When I first began, I was youngest person doing it. Most of the poets were older then. A lot of older performers have moved on to other endeavors—Dessa for example, and Cynthia French, who is roller derbying now.

CP: How do you prepare for a slam night?

DC: I rock myself out before shows—Pat Benetar, Heart's "Barracuda." Other people have all sorts of weird rituals. A lot of it is just getting your stuff down. I'm a nervous performer, so I read it again and again and time myself to make sure I am good to go.

CP: What do you feel are some things that make for a great performance? What excites a crowd?

DC: I think it's really important to be able to go on stage and establish yourself—to dominate and own that room. That's an important skill. The first time, you won't know how to though. Some think it's about being loud, but it's not.

CP: Can you tell me about the best performance you ever witnessed?

CP: I've seen so much slam in so many different places. This one woman did a piece titled, "If I Was Any Smaller I'd Be a Bigger Freak." She wrote a line that really grabbed my attention, "If I were any smaller, I would walk around topless. And if the cops pulled me over, I would say it's perfectly legal, I'm breastfeeding. And if they asked who I was breast feeding, I would say, anyone who's hungry.” There's another performer who break dances when slamming. It's amazing. Some people just look and gesture, and they dominate. It's very much about presence.

CP: What about the worst performance you've ever witnessed?

DC: There are people that just don't understand how loud you need to be. You need to be at a certain volume. You need to understand how sound works in a room. Everyone needs to hear you. It's not that you can't be quiet, but you have to know the space you're in really well and how to use it. Going off paper too soon is harsh.

CP: Slam poetry sometimes receives harsh criticism from certain academic poetry circles. Why do you think that some members of the poetry community would be against slam poetry?

DC: I think there is a concept that slam poetry is stage poetry. I regular poets aren't necessarily performers, and that irks them.

CP: How do you feel that slam poetry contributes to the poetry community? What about music, hip hop, and rap communities? Theater?

DC: There's so much crossover in all of those things. I had Carol Connelly come to a show, and she was really well received, and she isn't a slam poet. I myself am an actor as well. I do improv. There are hip hop artists that also do slam. Some academics are slam poets as well. We just did a dead poets slam, and that worked really well. There are also academics who love slam poets. Some things succeed on stage that wouldn't on page.

CP: Is there a stigma to slam poetry?

DC: Sometimes I think there's a stigma, but that's changing. Slam is turning 21! It's much more accepted. Academia tends to cry out for diversity which is hard to find in that circle. Slam, is incredibly diverse. I didn't finish college—I fit in fine. Slam has college students, artists, and so on—it's incredibly diverse.

See SlamMN compete against Minnesota Spoken Word Association, Soap Boxing, and Spoken Word University this Sunday. 21+. $5. 7:00 p.m. For more info call 612.207.7991. 501 Cedar Ave. S. (at Riverside Ave), Minneapolis; 612.338.6424.

Posted by Jessica Armbruster at July 27, 2007 3:24 PM | Comments (0)

 

Ghostface Killah sweats it out

Filed under: Concert Review

Ghostface Killah / Varsity Theater / July 24, 2007
Text by Nate Patrin | Photos by Daniel Corrigan

If it's physically possible to be simultaneously amped and fatigued, Ghostface Killah proved that the former can eventually overcome the latter. Not that you could blame him for spending almost every moment he wasn't holding the mic dabbing at his head with a towel: even though the high today—a staggering 96, matching the year Ironman dropped—had dropped nearly twenty degrees after sundown and made the hourlong wait between door time and entry tolerable, the inside of the Varsity hadn't cooled down nearly as fast.

Read more of Nate Patrin's review, and view more of Daniel Corrigan's photos, in our gallery section!

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 27, 2007 2:22 PM | Comments (0)

 

Erasure hasn't stopped bringing the pop since 1985

Filed under: Music

Interview by Megan Metzger

In the early 1980s, bands such as New Order and Depeche Mode jettisoned gritty guitar riffs in favor of slick synthesizers, and the dancing masses went ballistic for this newfangled pop. "Just Can't Get Enough," Depeche Mode's first hit, as well as most of the band's 1981 debut, Speak & Spell, was penned by Mode co-founder Vince Clarke. After Clarke left the band, he formed Yazoo with soul-singin' pixie Alison Moyet. In 1985, Clarke joined forces with flamboyant frontman Andy Bell, and the two became Erasure.

Most famous in the States for their uplifting 1988 single "Chains of Love," Clarke and Bell continue to churn out beautiful electro-pop with no signs of slowing down. This year, Erasure co-headlined Cyndi Lauper's highly successful LGBT equality benefit, the True Colors Tour. The pair are on the road in support of their latest, Light at the End of the World.

Megan Metzger: When electronic pop first came out, many critics dismissed it. Did you know it would take off as it has now?

Vince Clarke: It was an exciting time, but we never thought that far into the future. We were young kids. For us, the future was next week. We thought about things like, Were we going to get a record contract?

Metzger: You've collaborated with some electrifying front people. Do you need that as a muse, or are you just that lucky?

Clarke: I'm very lucky to have met them all. Andy's a perfect songwriting companion. I trust him completely. When you write a song, you bury your heart a bit, and with him I don't feel embarrassed.

Metzger: Straight viewers of MTV knew what being gay meant, thanks to Boy George. But no one so unabashedly celebrated it until Bell in the "Chains of Love" video. Did Erasure suffer commercially in America because of this?

Clarke: Maybe one or two radio stations in some redneck part of America wouldn't play us, but I don't think it affected us at all. Americans are very nice.

Metzger: Why, thanks. What was your favorite moment during the U.S. leg of the True Colors Tour?

Clarke: All of it. Such a fantastic lineup with people you thought you'd never meet. And it wasn't just old codgers like us.

Metzger: Light still feels more introspective and ambient than previous records. Is this just a sign of maturity?

Clarke: Well, we're older, so of course it should sound more mature. Light's more personal. Both myself and Andy are in good heads these days. Andy sang in first person, and he's never really done that before.

Metzger: Erasure's been releasing records since 1985. How do you keep it fresh?

Clarke: When we sit down and write a song, it still happens. It's a magical process. I've never felt like we're a pro band. We were never cool. I think that's endearing to fans. But, after all these years, we've never had a revival tour.

Metzger: And the live shows?

Clarke: Quite visual. There's lots of costumes and a various selection of wigs. It's like a '70s quiz show mixed with 1980s MTV.

Erasure performs tomorrow, Friday, July 27, 8:00 p.m., at First Avenue, 701 First Ave. N, Minneapolis; 612.332.1775.

Interview by Megan Metzger

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 26, 2007 3:12 PM | Comments (1)

 

St. Vincent charms last night's entry crowd

Filed under: Concert Review

St. Vincent / 7th Street Entry / July 24, 2007
Text by Sarah Askari | Photos by Daniel Corrigan

St. Vincent is the solo project of one Annie Clark, a Texas girl with a very Texas-sounding name. She has translucent skin, and tonight, she wears a shapeless white shift—the impression is that she might be an angel, fresh from the tuberculosis ward.

Read the rest of Sarah's review, and check out Daniel Corrigan's photos, in our gallery section!

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 25, 2007 3:35 PM | Comments (0)

 

How to be as big as John Travolta

Filed under: Film

John Travolta wears one in the new movie Hairspray. Amy Sedaris wore one as a kid. So where can you get your own fat suit? Not many local costume shops carry them, it turns out. A call to Twin Cities Magic and Costume in St. Paul found only muscle suits and a beer belly in stock. But you can rent male and female fat suits for between $145 and $218 a weekend from the costume rentals shop of the Guthrie and the Children's Theatre; 612.375.8722. "They're their own foam structure," says rental stock clerk Kristy Haupt of the suits. "When you set them down, they stand-up." Haupt also confirms that "fat suit" is the accepted industry term: "I have yet to meet someone who was offended by it."

Posted by Peter S. Scholtes at July 24, 2007 2:05 PM | Comments (1)

 

Jazz man hit by car, makes cool album

Filed under: Local Music

Local sax man Chris Thomson looked comfortable enough onstage sitting in with Branford and Delfeayo Marsalis at Orchestra Hall last month. But three years earlier, he couldn't blow a note. Riding his bicycle one day with his saxophone on his back, Thomson collided with a car—"the guy ran a stop sign," he says—and the musician hit the pavement face first, chipping three of his front teeth.

For a while, the Grand Forks native was afraid to walk down the street, much less climb on a bike again. "I didn't like being a pedestrian," he says. "I couldn't trust anyone who was driving. Eventually I got over it—I'm an avid cyclist now." Even with crowns on his teeth, he couldn't play for months.

So Thomson turned to laptop composition while laid up, digging on Autechre and Oval—the electronic music previously introduced to him by his friends in Poor Line Condition. The result is an arresting new self-released CD, The Three Elements, which recalls the spacey acoustic/electronic mood swings of Juana Molina, but with sax instead of voice. (Thomson still performs jazz, and appears with a trio on Friday at Cafe Maude.)

"I kept trying to get the sounds I'm hearing in my head, to get those out," he says. "You can't just turn a blind eye to the fact that there are computers making unbelievably cool music. But then, I didn't want to leave behind 20 years of playing saxophone."

Posted by Peter S. Scholtes at July 24, 2007 8:45 AM | Comments (0)

 

Par Ridder for Kevin McHale?

Filed under: Media

Is there a local organization more dysfunctional than our professional men's basketball team? Well, yes, at the moment, that would be the Newspaper of the Twin Cities.

One perk of Pi Press-turned-Strib-publisher Par Ridder's follies is the blog Par Excellence, dryly written in the voice of a pseudo-Par.

Aside from updates on the latest Stribulations, useful Excel tips (har-har) and an imagined ongoing feud with local media scribe Brian Lambert, Par Excellence has offered one striking coincidence: The boy-wonder newspaper scion looks a bit like that old Iron Range rim-rattler Kevin McHale.

Well, close enough for us to make this suggestion, anyway: Why not a straight up trade, McHale for Ridder? The Timberwolves, burdened by a number of fat contracts orchestrated by McHale as the team's GM, would certainly be a leaner machine with Ridder's bosses at Avista dishing buyouts like so many no-look assists. And given McHale's penchant for big-time deal making, he might just trade the entire newsroom for the staff at the Boston Globe. (Eddie Griffin as managing editor, anyone?)

All in all, it seems like a risk worth taking—shrinking attendance figures verses shrinking circulation figures. Really, what's the difference? It might inspire the troops on both sinking ships. The only wrench in the whole deal: Who has to take T-Hud?

Posted by G.R. Anderson Jr. at July 23, 2007 10:43 AM | Comments (0)

 

The art cars roll into town this weekend

Filed under: Q&A

It is hard to ignore Harrod Blank when he rolls through town. A Berkeley, CA resident , art car aficionado, and filmmaker, Blank is also the artist behind three cars: Oh My God!, Pico de Gallo, and the Camera Van. Blank’s Camera Van has been in storage in Boston for five years. The man and his van will be reunited at this year’s Art Car Parade.

City Pages: What was your first art car?

Harrod Blank: My first art car was Oh My God! and that was made in 1981. I’m still working on it to this day, so it’s developed over many years. It’s a 1965 VW bug. It has a beach ball base coat, a TV set on top, a world globe, spinning flowers, and a rooster on my driver’s door which represents me.

CP: An affinity for chickens?

HB: I had a hundred chickens when I was sixteen and they all had names and I spent all day in a chicken coop with them—almost as if I was one of the chickens. I grew up a little bit odd. I didn't have a TV set so I had no concept of popular culture. When I had to commute, other kids made fun of me 'cause I didn't know who the Brady Bunch was. I was popular 'cause I was odd but I was also on the outside looking at them.

CP: When did you first become aware of art cars?

HB: I started hearing about these other art cars by world of mouth and realized I wasn't alone. I became curious about what motivated those other people. I found out it's a whole art medium. The car is the canvas. That's it. It's a mobile medium so you have this power built into it, which people, they understand it once they start doing it.

CP: Why art cars? What attracted you to them?

HB: I think that I'm attracted to characters and people that are eccentric and people that have a different perspective on the world. If you're gonna put grass all over your car and drive around, you're different. You're definitely different than other people. I find that fascinating. In fact, I find it fascinating to learn what's behind the car, what that person's like.

CP: What was the inspiration for your Camera Car?

HB: Basically, after driving Oh My God all those years I was getting a little bit older and my parents were kind of wondering when I was going to grow up. I always wanted to show people what it was that I saw—how people look at the car. I had this dream where I covered the car with cameras and drove around and took pictures of people and the public didn't know that the cameras worked and I captured these reaction shots.

CP: The cameras do actually work?

HB: They work! Instead of everyone just looking at me, I'm looking back at them and I'm taking their picture. So it flips the whole relationship. I kind of say the Camera Van is not just the Camera Van. These types of expressions are what art car drivers see—awe, smiles, joy, laughter.

CP: Well now that I know that they work, when I see it, I'm just gonna be stone faced.

HB: Well, they don't all work. Once I take a picture and it flashes, they do get stone struck. They're like, "Oh no, this guy, this thing is taking my picture." They think they all work. Well they don't all work, but enough of them work that I'm going to get your picture.

CP: Why have art cars become such a popular art form?

HB: Well, I think that it's because of the mobility of the medium is really a big thing. It's a great way to express yourself and your identity whatever it is. Some people collect things and they put their entire collection on their car. Like this one guy, an older man in San Francisco, covered his car with his collection of brass music, those gaudy things you'd get in the 70s and 80s that wind up and they play that gaudy music. He wanted something to do with his collection and he wanted people to enjoy it, so he put them on his car and he got a lot of joy out of it.

CP: Are art cars in danger of becoming too mainstream?

HB: I think it's so far away from being in the mainstream. Wouldn't it be interesting if it were flipped and it was like a normal car would be the rare thing to see. Then they'd stand out. I think right now you can pick any city in the country and the most you're gonna get is like forty or fifty art cars in that whole city. That's not that many. You don't see an art car on a daily basis unless it's a small little town that has an art car then you'll see that person around. They're pretty rare. They really are.

CP: What effect, if any, do rising gas prices and global warming have on the idea of cars as art?

HB: There's a lot of change going on. That's why my movie is called Automorphisis because everything is changing. I think that what's happening is cars are going to change and the alternative fuels, it's going to happen. Art cars as well are going to have to become more fuel efficient. The newest canvas right now for a lot of these art car people, if they have the money, is the Prius or a hybrid. I'm seeing them. There's at least three right now that I know of. But I don't know if they can carry much weight. It might limit what you can do with a car.

CP: Can you give an example of how people in the art car world have changed?

HB: Well, getting a little more serious. It started out as just really a fun magical experience. One woman who's in my film just called me from Istanbul. She did this car called Pestilencia that was covered with decapitated body parts and heads and "Stop Greed”—she's kind of like a punk rock-ish type girl. She did this art car in response to how she feels about the world. It was very emotionally motivated about how she felt about greed. She never had that with her normal car. She never had that in her life previously. After she has this art car experience, she got her self esteem back—she eventually crushed the car at an art car festival in San Francisco. She crushed the car, let go of it and then she immediately went into learning how to sail. She bought a one-way ticket to Istanbul and she's now teaching English to political candidates there. I mean—this is unbelievable! The thing is that the car itself transported her not just through space and time, but though development. It really did help change her. Now she doesn't need an art car, but she's a happier, healthier person because of it.

CP: What's your impression of the Twin Cities art car scene?

HB: I think it's great. I think Minneapolis has a great hub. It's definitely one of the hubs that when you talk about art cars in the US, Minneapolis comes up as one of the top five so it's a great thing. Jan Elftman is the spirit behind it. She's the one that helped organize it from the beginning and she's just great. Her art car and her attitude toward art is just really healthy and contagious. Her enthusiasm for the medium and for people and for art, you know, that's her life. She teaches art and she's really behind it. When somebody like that gets behind something then the whole thing reflects her energy. So it's all positive. It just feels good, it is good and she's a great thing for Minneapolis. I mean, she's really a great person. She's the backbone of that energy there. I love coming to Minneapolis.

CP: Are art cars a uniquely American phenomenon?

HB: Definitely. Here art cars are really about individuality and having the freedom to create and do all these things to your car. Whereas in other countries, like England, for example, it's illegal. It's a law that you cannot put anything on your car. Nothing. I mean, the law is that you can't even have a hood ornament on a Jaguar, for example. You can paint your car and I've seen painted vehicles in England and other countries. But that is kind of limiting. I got away with it because I was American and you're exempt from their rules if you have an American license plate, which was pretty neat because I got to drive the Camera Van all over England.

The Camera Van, 80 other mobile creations, and a sneak peak of Blank's new movie Automorphosis can be seen Friday at the Midtown Global Market's ArtCar sneak peak, as well as at the parade itself Saturday.

Posted by Rhena Tantisunthorn at July 20, 2007 3:58 PM | Comments (0)

 

The Brokedowns get out the sharp knives

Filed under: CD Review

The Brokedowns: New Brains for Everyone
Thick Records

Angry, hurtling and relentlessly focused, this Chicago-area quartet attacks the usual targets—conservatives, hypocrites, meatheads and zealots—with abandon and aggression. The Brokedowns grumpily grind crayons and cigarette butts into the simple, loud and fast blueprint of bar-room punk, creating a glorious mess that's both fresh and familiar.

Text by Eryc Eyl

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 20, 2007 11:08 AM | Comments (0)

 

Stillwater lumberjill is on a roll

Filed under: Q&A

This weekend the crowds show up in Stillwater to enjoy the festivities surrounding Lumberjack Days. Though live music and fried foods will most certainly be had, the highlights of the fest are the lumberjack and lumberjill competitions. Categories including log rolling, boom running, log climbing, and chainsaw accuracy test skills such as strength, mental sharpness, and agility. City Pages took a moment to speak to impressive Stihl lumberjill Jenny Atkinson (above in orange), a Stillwater native who ranks first nationally in log rolling, and fourth in boom running.

City Pages: How did you get started in the Lumberjill competitions? What attracted you to the sport?

Jenny Atkinson: I went as a spectactor to a tournament, and I was captivated. It looked like so much fun that I knew I needed to try it.

CP: How long have you been competing?

JA: Twenty-five years! I watched my first competition at 9, it was the end of the season, and I started lessons the very next summer. As a kid I was naturally athletic. The cool thing about log rolling is that there is a rapid rate of improvement. Fast little steps—ideally you're staying right on tops of the log. When you move your feet quick, the log moves. I love teaching people, especially when they think they can't do it. By the end they're like, "Wow, I did it! I can do this!" Even if it's just a couple steps it's amazing to see that improvement.

CP: Have you found the sport has changed or grown since you first started? Does it seem to be receiving more national attention from sports enthusiasts as well as networks like ESPN?

JA: It has changed and grown. The sport was huge 50 years ago—they were able to draw gigantic crowds then. I was just reading an article about how they had 36,000 people watching some competitions at the turn of the century. As a modern sport, the exposure on ESPN has been huge. A lot of people are fascinated by it. It's a unique and different sport. I think a lot of the draw is from people looking for different types of sports. Less mainstream sports are captivating peoples' attention.

CP: I see that you're a 3rd grade teacher. Are competitions something that mainly happen in the summer? What do you do to train in the off-season?

JA:Yeah—most of my competing is during the summer. Almost every competitor has another profession or is in college. For training, during the summer months, I spend at least 3 hours a day training. Two, to two-and-a-half on boom running and log rolling. Then another hour or so mountain biking, weight lifting, hiking, or kayaking. During the off season I obviously don't have as much time, but I do a lot more weight training during the winter months.

CP: So, do you compete in a specific category?

JA: I specialize in log running and boom running. There are multiple events—chopping events, throwing, speed climbing, etc. I attend usually about 8 competitions a year.

CP: What sort of skills help a beginner? Or help people to excel in competition?

JA: Naturally good balance helps. Determination. It's a great sport, anyone can try it at any age. I mean, kids as young as 4 or 5 take lessons and compete, all the way to 70s years old. It's a sport that truly has longevity.

CP: Do women and men compete separately? What are people's reactions when you tell them that you are a lumberjill?

JA: Most of the time we compete separately. We practice together a lot though, which is great. There are some competitions on the west coast and Canada that have men and women competing together.

CP: Have you found it to be a female-friendly sport?

JA: Oh definitely! I would encourage every girl or woman to try it. It's addicting! You make it to five steps and wonder if you can make ten. It's one of those sports that you keep improving at.

CP: How do people react when they find out you're a lumberjill competitor?

JA: Typically, most people know about the sport now, which I love. I have been competing since 1991, and at that time, a lot of people hadn't heard of it. People know about the sport now. They think it's cool. They're surprised. Like say stuff like, "Wow! You're small and fit." They have this notion that you need to be this big giant. You can't be big in boom running. The women that do it are phenomenal atheletes.

CP: These competitions are national, correct? Do you get to travel to a lot of cool places to compete?

JA: We're trying to grow the sport internationally. It's big in the U.S. and Canada. We're trying to go global. We're having problems exporting the cedar—it has to be Western Red Cedar, those are the kind that are boyant enough. So the export has been the issue. We're trying to get a company that can make a synthetic log that we can use. They want it to be an Olympic sport in 2020. But it hasn't started yet because of the export problem. That's the snafu keeping us from going global. Interesting fact though—a log lasts 20 years.

CP: Do you ever use a chainsaw?

JA: I love chainsawing! I use them all the time. There's not as many tournaments for women with chainsawing. Or mixing the log rolling and boom running tournaments with the chainsawing competitions though.

See Jenny and other lumberjills and jacks compete at the Lumberjack Days in her hometown of Stillwater on Friday and Saturday. For a complete schedule of events visit www.lumberjackdays.com or call 651.430.2306. Events mostly take place at Lowell Park, Water St., Stillwater. The festival runs through Sunday.

Posted by Jessica Armbruster at July 19, 2007 3:57 PM | Comments (2)

 

Solo Trucker delivers a smooth ride

Filed under: CD Review

Jason Isbell: Sirens of the Ditch
New West

Despite having three songwriters, the Drive-By Truckers have made some remarkably cohesive music. But while songs by Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley are compelling, Jason Isbell's tunes cut to the core. The tunesmith left his indelible stamp on tracks such as "Goddamn Lonely Love" and "Outfit," in which he channels the spirit of "Simple Man" for the iPod generation. Earlier this year, Isbell split with the Truckers to focus on the outstanding material he's been working on for the past four years. The resulting solo debut, Sirens of the Ditch, is filled with his irresistible Southern charm and guitar-rock sensibilities, from the swampy, come-hither groove of "Try" to the easygoing, soul-kissed shuffle of "Hurricanes and Hand Grenades." The main draw, however, is the inscrutable sincerity in his voice on songs like "Dress Blues"—a wartime elegy to a schoolmate that avoids jingoistic grandstanding and partisan fist-shaking and simply focuses on the underlying humanity—and "Grown," in which he thoughtfully recalls a momentous coming-of-age crush. As expected, Isbell delivers the goods on Ditch.

Text by Dave Herrera

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 19, 2007 9:18 AM | Comments (0)

 

Spoon's latest release doesn't quite measure up

Filed under: CD Review

Spoon: Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Merge

Five years later, Spoon's 2002 release, Kill the Moonlight, still feels new. In fact, it still has the acute ability to make listeners pace from room to room, clapping their hands, attempting bad imitations of Britt Daniel's raspy croon, wishing there was a sweet party about to happen. It's almost as if the album was recorded in a vacuum, out of time and place. The opening song on Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, the act's sixth record, crowns with some off-putting digital distortion that lets you know exactly when and where it's coming from. It's no big deal, really, as the album is littered with great songs that connect on a totally gut level, but it lacks the head-to-tail gusto that made Moonlight truly epic. Back-to-back tracks "The Ghost of You Lingers" and "You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb" are especially fetching reminders of the former's high points, but there are plenty of other moments where, well, if the remote is handy...

Text by Josh Tyson

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 18, 2007 9:39 AM | Comments (0)

 

Mud flaps by women for women

Filed under: Pop Culture

With more and more women riding motorcycles, and companies such as Harley-Davidson coming up with new models and gear to satisfy female demand, options for decorative accessories remain surprisingly boyish. "I'm not really about dragons and boobies," says U of M student and motorcyclist Sarah Grannes. So Grannes came up with an alternative: She now sells "classy and tactful, yet badass" magnetic decals for motorcycle tanks and other hot metal surfaces via her website www.tankgirlmpls.com, with images designed by her collaborator Ashley Hay featuring women wielding various weapons—a machine gun, a sword, a mace.

"I go to a lot of places, and right next to me is a bike with a half-naked woman on it, and that's not how I roll," says Grannes. "When it comes down to it, 50, 60 years ago, women were looked at completely differently. It's taken a while for women to catch up to the hobbies of men."

Grannes says she hopes to start a female bike gang—she currently rides with mostly guys—and the website also promises "trucker mud flaps coming soon," though it's hard to imagine anyone threatening the hegemony of the reclining busty female silhouette. One possible bump in the road, however: TG MPLS shares two words with the comic book and movie Tank Girl; will this pose a trademark conflict? "I'm not really sure," says Grannes, "but apparently a lot more people know about it than I do."

Posted by Peter S. Scholtes at July 17, 2007 4:48 PM | Comments (0)

 

The Klaxons roll into the Varsity running on fumes

Filed under: Concert Review

Klaxons / The Varsity Theater / July 16, 2007
Text by Amber Schadewald | Photos by Daniel Corrigan

Better Than: The meat snack selection at a Wisconsin gas station.

Fresh from the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, The Klaxons dragged themselves across the Midwest for one last show before heading home. Still wearing their festival wrist-bands and probably the same underwear, these kids looked tired even before the first song ended. Their faces hosted expressions similar to those found on hung-over teenagers after being roused for Sunday morning church.

The Varsity Theater was a boiling one-thousand degrees and the fog on stage could have easily been mistaken for steam. Fearing heat exhaustion, the crowd seemed hesitant to jump around, but by mid-set, arms and feet were flailing and heads were banging. Some obnoxious macho men yelled out obscenities, along with the phrases, "that was better than sex," "let's get it started," and even a request for "Like a Virgin."

On stage, the guys were wearing skin-tight, black jeans and funky kicks, along with vintage shirts drenched in hot. Being that The Klaxons have been tagged for their fashion sense, it was surprising to see its lack in the crowd; instead there was an abundance of white polos and flannel shirts, mostly just your regular looking folks.

Once the show had hit full stride, shirts began disappearing and a rain gauge probably could've caught a fair puddle of sweat on the floor. The Klaxons's music may be new rave, meaning dancing is a must, glow-sticks are not. Front and center, some assertive ladies pressured/threatened the guy in front of them to dance harder—or else.

The Klaxons' music is easy to hoot along with and crazy fun by nature, so it was concerning to see the men creating the sound look so lack-luster. The guitarist seemed to be sleep-playing his parts, dazing off into the lights without blinking. The crowd didn't seem to notice and by the end, some gutsy fans rushed the stage, followed by another 25 or so. The band kept on and even allowed the dancing fools to sing into the mics. Unfortunately the expanded population on stage threw out the chance for an encore and then night ended with an announcement from the Varistity about closing tabs and somebody's lost ID.

Personal Bias: I was wearing the same Pitchfork wristband as the lead guitarist and felt way too cool about it.

Random Detail: The lead guitarist was also wearing red socks.

By the way: The band is a fan of Lincoln, Nebraska, and Long Island ice teas.

Text by Amber Schadewald | Photos by Daniel Corrigan

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 17, 2007 8:52 AM | Comments (1)

 

Interpol channel R.E.M., the Cure, and Nick Cave on Our Love to Admire

Filed under: CD Review

Interpol: Our Love to Admire
Capitol
Interpol's major-label debut isn't as monochromatic as its two predecessors. "Pioneer to the Falls," which channels the stormy textures of the Cure's Pornography, is possibly the richest song the act has ever recorded, with death-march piano and a giant quivering mass of strings adding counter-melodies that swell in the mid-section. In typical fashion, vocalist Paul Banks presides over the track like a stern preacher peering at his congregation. Elsewhere, though, the stentorian singer breaks a sweat on the forceful, R.E.M.-esque "Mammoth" and gets into creepy-boyfriend mode on the cinematic highlight "No I in Threesome." In fact, Admire itself often resembles a movie score. About three minutes into "Wrecking Ball," the song nearly stops dead, then continues as a quasi-instrumental. Mournful guitar, synths, horns and faint vocals slowly build and wind around each other like an Explosions in the Sky song. The understated "Lighthouse" is just as lush, recalling Nick Cave's somber sea songs and evoking the quiet peace of sleeping on a boat in the middle of a lake. Overall, Admire covers the entire black-through-white palette instead of just a few shades of gray.

Text by Annie Zaleski

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 16, 2007 1:24 PM | Comments (0)

 

Zinefest this weekend in Minneapolis

Yes, zines still exist in the online age, their spirit of defiance only sharpened by refusing to adapt to emailable media. Ergo the fourth annual DIY publishing festival, Zinefest 2007, which begins today at 7:00 p.m. at the Acadia Cafe (with live music by Beatrix Jar, Bla Bla Blacksheep, Brown Rainbow, Ghostband, Gerald Prokop, Hangun Man, and Row and Crow; admission $3; Franklin and Nicollet--the regular http://www.zinefest.org website appears to be down). The event then continues through Sunday with daytime exhibits and workshops at Stevens Square Center for the Arts (1905 Third Avenue South, Minneapolis), 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sunday.

Posted by Peter S. Scholtes at July 13, 2007 3:44 PM | Comments (0)

 

Aussie legends bring their garage logic to the Triple Rock

Filed under: Concert Review

Radio Birdman / Triple Rock Social Club / July 12, 2007
Text by Cecile Cloutier | Photos by Daniel Corrigan

Better than: A streetwalkin' cheetah with a heart full of napalm. Or a Hawaii 5-0 Marathon.

Aussie cult legends Radio Birdman aren't so polished with the stage banter:

Guitarist Deniz Tek: Here's a song written by [vocalist] Rob Younger and [bassist] Jim Dickson"
(wild applause)
Younger (surprised by the applause): Uh, it's like it's for us or something...
Tek (woodenly to crowd): Stop, you'll just make it worse.
(Band launches into "You Just Make It Worse")

But what they do extremely well, probably better than any smart party band before and since, is to blend earnest intensity and genuine fun together seamlessly.

Drawing on the legacy of 60s garage bands, the MC5, the Stooges, the Doors, Blue Oyster Cult, and a healthy dollop of surf music, Birdman's music draws on the past, but old treasures like "Do the Pop" and "I-94" feel as fresh as the day they were recorded. Singer Rob Younger's voice has lost some of its rich dark lower range, but he's made up for that with laser-like focus. When he's not looking at the crowd with a wandering yet penetrating gaze, he's as lost in the music as we are, mixing Iggy-ish arm gestures with good ole-fashioned mic-stand wrestling.

The band embodies the same kind of deadly serious fun. Egged on by moonlighting You Am I drummer, Russell Hopkinson, the fifty-somethings tear into treasured favorites like "Burn My Eye" (leaving a friend breathless with its speed), "Smith and Wesson Blues" and new songs from last year's Zeno Beach, like the aforementioned "Worse" and "Subterfuge," with drive and precision. Keyboardist Pip Hoyle is absent due to family problems on the eve of the tour, but the band musters a few extra guitar fills and soldiers on admirably. The band ends the main part of the show with a roaring "Aloha Steve and Danno" with the crowd shouting the chorus: "Steve, I want to say thank you/For all you've done for me." And after a roaring five song encore, that's what I want say to Birdman, too.

Critic's Notebook

Personal Bias: As a teen visiting Australia in 1975-76, I saw Birdman posters in the train stations. But it was 1984 before I finally heard their classic LPs "Radios Appear" and "Living Eyes."

Random Detail: 15 members of St. Paul's Harding High Class of '80 were in attendance.

By the way: Back in the day, the band designed their logo to be easily duplicated by a kid with a stencil and a can of spray paint. Nowadays, you can have a shirt with that logo—drips and all!—for twenty bucks.

Text by Cecile Cloutier | Photos by Daniel Corrigan

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 13, 2007 9:44 AM | Comments (1)

 

Diablo Cody in the August issue of Playboy

Filed under: Media

That got your attention didn't it? Alas, the author/screenwriter/Pussy Rancher was interviewed about the fall release of Juno, directed by Jason Reitman from her screenplay, and is not the Playmate of the Month. "I wanted to be naked, but for some reason they weren't interested in that. Maybe they were worried about my penis," she tells City Pages. Diablo isn't even quoted in the piece, rather Reitman is given space to sing the praises of our Best Local Girl Made Good: "When you read a screenplay where every time the writer has to make a decision, the decision is unexpected, that's special." Diablo is developing another movie script for Warner Bros. and a half-hour sitcom for Showtime based on a concept from Steven Spielberg. The August issue of Playboy is on newsstands now.

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 12, 2007 6:37 PM | Comments (0)

 

No posts at Culture To Go while we move servers

Culture To Go will be moving to another server beginning Wednesday afternoon. We hope to begin updating within 24 hours. Thanks for your patience.

The Management

Photo from I Can Has Cheezburger?

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 11, 2007 3:02 PM | Comments (0)

 

Jay Leno to shoot in Twin Cities tomorrow

Filed under: Television

Comedian Mo Rocca and the Tonight Show with Jay Leno crew will be filming a segment in Minneapolis-Saint Paul tomorrow, according to a press release: "Because the cities are the site of the 2008 Republican National Convention, Rocca will talk with local residents about what to see and do in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, how they are preparing for the election and their thoughts on the influx of politicians coming to their cities next September. He'll also interview Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak while commuting to work on his bike and Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman as he plays the bagpipes... [on Thursday, July 12], Rocca and crew are scheduled to film along Nicollet Mall, in the Warehouse District, around the Chain of Lakes in Minneapolis, at the State Capitol building, in Rice Park, and at Xcel Energy Center--the venue for the convention." (Whoops, missed the MNSpeak thread.)

Posted by Peter S. Scholtes at July 11, 2007 2:53 PM | Comments (0)

 

The Fine Line could barely contain the Polyphonic Spree

Filed under: Concert Review

The Polyphonic Spree / Fine Line Music Café / July 10, 2007
Text by Sarah Askari | Photos by Daniel Corrigan

John Lennon's "Gimme Some Truth" is actually a pretty sour ditty, if you take a look at the lyrics—which you really got a chance to do at the Polyphonic Spree show. The stage was screened off by an enormous swath of crimson fabric, and the words to "Gimme Some Truth" were projected onto it as the song played in the background. "I've had enough of watching scenes/Of schizophrenic, ego-centric, paranoiac, prima-donnas," complained Lennon. Hey, the staff at the Fine Line probably feels the same way.

Read the rest of Sarah Askari's review, and check out Daniel Corrigan's photographs, in our gallery section!

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 11, 2007 11:52 AM | Comments (0)

 

Answer: He's the St. Louis Park teen who's going to be on Jeopardy! next week

Filed under: Television

Jeopardy! Productions Inc.

The Jeopardy! Summer Games Teen Tournament starts next Monday and runs through Friday July 27, featuring 15 kids from around the country competing for a $75,000 grand prize. One of the youngest in contention for that college nest egg will be 15-year-old Aiden Pink (shown above with host Alex Trebek) from St. Louis Park. We tried to get Pink on the phone and grill him about the capital of Burundi and from what animal's milk do we get mozzarella, but summer break has found Pink out of the country. We wish him well with that whole answering a question with another question thing—good practice for future relationships. Jeopardy! can be seen locally on KARE 11 at 4:30 pm weekdays.

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 11, 2007 10:14 AM | Comments (4)

 

The rain couldn't stop the first annual Black Dog Block Party

Filed under: Concert Review

Black Dog Block Party / Station 4 / July 8, 2007

Desdamona and Ill Chemistry / photo by James Dankert

Ain't this a bastard: finally, something big happens musically in Lowertown, and residents—along with assorted Twin Cities fans of free, great local music—are rewarded by getting a deluge of rain dumped on them. Shortly after Adamno Divine's opening set finished christening the first annual Black Dog Block Party—held outside downtown St. Paul's artist-friendly coffee shop, and booked to feature a who's who of local hip hop and indie-funk artists—word got out that the thunderstorm that was beating the crap out of Minneapolis was headed across the river, and the whole deal would have to be shut down.

Fortunately, there was a backup plan: as hostess Desdamona and beatbox/fast-rap virtuoso Carnage (aka Ill Chemistry) occupied Black Dog patrons with an impromptu rain delay performance (and called out a Minneapolis coffee shop—which shall not be named—for their anti-poetry policy, threatening to do a walk-through/drive-by reading just to spite them), equipment and musicians alike both hustled a few blocks up to Station 4, the closest (and possibly only) indoor venue that could reasonably host the proceedings.

The change in plans meant that Jelloslave had to be cut, though they have a make-up date planned at the Black Dog at some yet-undetermined point in the future. But most of the other announced groups made the trip okay, as did the crowd—which, between the punks, hippies, rastas, b-boys, b-girls, hipsters, demi-hipsters, Irish, Latin, and juggalos, skewed towards no particular trend except numerous.

But there's a serious difference between an outdoor block party and an indoor one, and with the venue divided cleanly between the 21+ bar and the all-ages music stage, the only thing that held universal under the same roof was the fact that there was not enough air conditioning. Thankfully, an auxiliary door was opened, which helped renew a bit of the lost block party vibe by letting the sound spill back out onto the street.

In the wake of Sarah White's recent departure for New York, Black Blondie's set could have felt a bit incomplete, but Samahra sounded just as strong flying solo as she did contributing harmonies, and even if the band didn't sound as immediate from the sidewalk, they still felt just about right. Ill Chemistry built on their Black Dog set with a series of between-set crowd-hype segments that could make a lot of locals' actual sets look dead-assed by comparison.

And then there was the one-two of Los Nativos and the Toki Wright-accompanied Brother Ali, concluding the weekend with more fist-waving anthems than most people could handle. Through the walls, it hit like a hammer, and if you were brave enough to wade into the humidity of the club it was damn near enough to knock you over. Ali's rousing renditions of Undisputed Truth tracks like "The Puzzle," "Truth Is," and "Listen Up" (the latter rapped over a hybridized beat that fused the Beastie Boys' "Root Down" to Run-DMC's "Peter Piper")—along with a couple earlier classics like "Dorian" and "Self Taught"—sounded tailor-made for tearing up stages, and it was a distinct moment of triumph when he fixed his eyes on the crowd from under his baby blue LL bucket Kangol and proclaimed: "not even the rain could stop us."

Posted by Nate Patrin at July 9, 2007 9:44 AM | Comments (4)

 

I never meant 2 cause you a vacation day

Filed under: Local Music

Prince fans take to 7th Street for a coveted First Avenue ticket

Text by Rhena Tantisunthorn | Photos by Nick Vlcek

Kathryn Carucci (above) sacrificed a vacation day to be the first person in line for tickets to Prince's Saturday night aftershow at First Avenue, his first appearance at the club in twenty years. Carucci and her companions, Mark Marthaler and Kelly Magnuson, began camping out at 12:30 Friday afternoon, bringing the total number of hours that they'll be waiting in line for tickets to see his purple majesty to twenty-six and a half.

Carucci has a unique motivation for wanting to see the artist at this venue: she was an extra in various club scenes in Prince's 1984 film Purple Rain. "It's going back to what he started as," Carucci commented. But the long night ahead is also worth it to the twenty or so other people who were already lined up by 4:00 pm Friday. This show, according to several of the unflappable fans calling the cold concrete of 7th Street home for the next day, is history in the making. "This is the biggest show of his career," added Chris Willis, number four in line. "Everyone's out here for the same reason. The Macy's crowd are the people who laid out the money, the commercial people are at Target, and the die-hard fans are here." In order to thwart scalpers, First Avenue is only selling one ticket per person. Wristbands will make the tickets non-transferable.

The early comers arrived well-equipped with chairs, cards, water, games, and books. Carucci brought a cooler of snacks, a heavy iron patio table that lends a café air to the front of the UN-Bank, cribbage, a patio umbrella stashed for the early morning sun, and a Harry Potter book. When asked if she'd be waiting in line for the latest Potter installment she replied that she wouldn't, but her daughter would. Apparently it's genetic.

Also in line...

...fans from New York...

...Peoria, Illinois...

...Chicago...

...even Japan!

Text by Rhena Tantisunthorn | Photos by Nick Vlcek

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 7, 2007 8:30 AM | Comments (0)

 

Uptown Karaoke King Tom Wheaton

Filed under: Local Nightlife

It might be difficult to imagine that a VFW could be an Uptown hotspot. But then again, if Uptown can make the outside of Rainbow Foods look mildly artsy, why not? Every Thursday through Saturday night, husband and wife team Tom and Judy Wheaton host TNT Karaoke until the wee hour of 1:30 am. Recent hit performances included a pitch-perfect rendition of Frank Sinatra's "My Way," as well as the standard drunken rendition of the Animals' "House of the Rising Sun." Drinks are usually pretty cheap—you'd be hard pressed to find something over $4 (specials go as low as $1.50), so if you need a glass of liquid courage before belting out Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" it won't break your budget. City Pages took a moment to speak to co-host Tom Wheaton.

City Pages: Is there a song that you recommend for beginners?

Tom Wheaton: Well for the ladies I would suggest a Patsy Cline song like "Crazy" since most people know that song and the lyrics. For the men, I would say Roger Miller's "King of the Road"—that was the first song I ever sang for karaoke.

CP: Are there any songs that you feel are the most abused?

TW: Yes—Meat Loaf's "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" is definitely one. The kids screw up the B52s' "Love Shack" a lot.

CP: Are there any good songs you just can't listen to anymore?

TW: Basically no, I appreciate everyone that sings and I give all the credit in the world to people for trying. Although, Motörhead's "Ace of Spades" sometimes makes me cringe.

CP: Are there any undiscovered gems that are karaoke-friendly?

TW: I do a lot of those because I try to sing songs that others don't pick—my favorite would be "The Last Farewell," it's my favorite Roger Whittaker song.

CP: Any tips for beginners?

TW: If you're scared, the thing to do is get up with a group. Two to four people—you need to get used to performing.

Tom and his wife Judy also do karaoke at Mancini's and the VFW in Richfield, but the Lyndale VFW is highly recommended. Be sure to get there early—the line to perform forms quickly. 21+. Free. 9:00 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. James Ballentine VFW Post 246, 2916 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612.823.6233.

Posted by Jessica Armbruster at July 6, 2007 3:58 PM | Comments (3)

 

The faithful flock to Sage Francis

Filed under: Concert Review

Sage Francis / First Avenue / July 5, 2007
Text by Steve McPherson | Photos by Daniel Corrigan

As he takes the stage clad in black and sporting circular sunglasses, Sage Francis looks not unlike Dr. Robotnik from Sonic the Hedgehog. His "live band" consists of a guitarist (bearded, gangly, and entirely unlikely), opener Alias running some beatmaking machines in the back, and a woman named Dilly Dilly playing keys, bass, and—incredibly—a saw.

Read the rest of Steve McPherson's review, and check out Daniel Corrigan's photos, in our gallery section!

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 6, 2007 3:39 PM | Comments (1)

 

Prince afterparty at First Avenue Saturday

Filed under: Local Music

This just announced on Prince's website, www.3121.com: "Return 2 First Avenue: PRINCE LIVE: The official aftershow 4 Prince's Target Center event this Saturday will take place at First Avenue. Doors open immediately following the Target Center concert. Tix are $31.21 each, 18 & Over, and will be available on Saturday. We will post more details here soon." UPDATE at 7:30 p.m.: "Email from First Avenue: "Yes, the rumors are true! Return 2 First Avenue: PRINCE LIVE at First Avenue on Saturday, July 7, 2007. Tickets will go onsale on Saturday at 3:00pm at First Avenue. One ticket per person. The tickets are non-transferable. Doors for the event will open following Prince's performance at the Target Center. The permanent list will not be honored that night."

Posted by Peter S. Scholtes at July 5, 2007 3:14 PM | Comments (2)

 

Oak Street Cinema closing "for the summer"

Filed under: Film

Email from MN Film Arts: "Oak Street to Close for the Summer. Due to major construction on Oak Street and University Avenue, the Oak Street Cinema will close for the remainder of the summer as of Thurs., July 5. We will reopen after Labor Day. Special events already scheduled to run during the summer will occur as planned. These events include a screening of Sex Ed and the State, Tues., July 10, at 7 p.m. and the monthly Fearless Filmmakers screening on Wed., July 25, at 7:30 p.m. Check our website www.mnfilmarts.org in mid-August for a full fall schedule of the best art cinema in the Twin Cities." More background here and here.

Posted by Peter S. Scholtes at July 5, 2007 3:06 PM | Comments (2)

 

The future shock of Dan Deacon

Filed under: Concert Review

Dan Deacon / Triple Rock Social Club / July 2, 2007
Text by Nate Patrin | Photos by Daniel Corrigan

There is a scene, based largely in Baltimore, that calls itself "future shock." It has little to do with Herbie Hancock and even less to do with Curtis Mayfield and everything to do with giving punk rock an Atari lobotomy. Monday night's bill at the Triple Rock featured two of the main pillars of the scene—the Saturday morning Lucky Charms-and-Mountain Dew multimedia duo Video Hippos, and human tornado electronics-manipulator/showman de-luxe Dan Deacon. (What afrobeatists NOMO were doin' sandwiched between them, Lord only knows, but they were a bit of a much-needed palate cleanser and they covered Sun Ra, so there's no complaints here.)

Read the rest of Nate Patrin's review, and view Daniel Corrigan's photographs, in our gallery section!

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 3, 2007 9:13 AM | Comments (1)

 

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