May 2008

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Tibetan Freedom Torch Relay

Filed under: General Archive

The Tibetan Freedom Torch was launched in Olympia, Greece on March 10 and has been traveling the world since then. This Saturday several hundred Minnesotans are expected to turn out as the torch reaches the Twin Cities.

The event kicks off at the State Capitol at 10 a.m. when Tyrone Terrill, director of the City of St. Paul’s Department of Human Rights, will speak briefly, followed by a moment of silence for Tibetans who have lost their lives in peaceful protest, as well as those affected by recent natural disasters in China and Burma. After opening ceremonies the torch will travel down University Avenue to the Tibetan Community Cultural Center (1096 Raymond Ave., St. Paul). There, Congressman Keith Ellison and Edmund Liu of China Democracy Movement will give opening remarks, followed by live music and cultural performances. The event closes with a fire puja, a ceremony welcoming peace. The torch is scheduled to travel to 50 cities, ending in Tibet on August 8th; the start date for the Beijing Olympics. For more info on the torch, click here.

Posted by Jessica Armbruster at May 30, 2008 6:09 PM | Comments (0)

 

Mike Farrell: Actor and Activist

Filed under: Books , Books , Books

Attention all M*A*S*H fanatics: Mike Farrell is in town this weekend. Fondly remembered as Dr. B.J. Hunnicutt, Farrell has spent decades as a political activist, writer, and producer as well.

His autobiography, Just Call Me Mike: A Journey to Actor and Activist, has received praise from as varied readers as Senator George McGovern, Sister Helen Prejean (author of Dead Man Walking), and even Bill O’Reilly. Just Call Me Mike details his early years as a grocery delivery boy for celebrities such as Lucille Ball and Jimmy Stewart, to his rise to international stardom on the ground–breaking M*A*S*H, to his travels throughout war-torn areas such as Bosnia, Rwanda, the Gaza Strip, and Cambodia. An outspoken advocate against the death penalty, he helped found Death Penalty Focus, and he continues to speak publically for other human rights movements. This Saturday, Mike Farrell will be reading at Magers & Quinn Booksellers at 5 p.m. According to the press release, Farrell enjoys engaging in discussion on just about any subject, from Hollywood fun facts to social issues including election reform, gay rights, environment conservation, and international human rights.

City Pages interviews Mike Farrell the last time he was in town, you can read Corey Anderson’s interview here.

Posted by Jessica Armbruster at May 30, 2008 3:42 PM | Comments (0)

 

From Minneapolis to France: The Magnolias embark on European tour

Filed under: Local Music

Though the band hasn't been very active in recent years (their last tour was in the early '90s and their last album was released in 1996), The Magnolias have resurfaced with a new compilation album and are about to embark on their first European tour. The tour, which will feature original Magnolias member Dave Freeman, along with Eric Kassel, Tom Cook and Johnny O'Halloran, kicks off Saturday night in Minneapolis with a send-off show at the Entry.

Since 1984 the Magnolias have refined their own style of garage punk that speaks to their upbringing alongside fellow Twin-Tone bands like the Replacements, Husker Du and Soul Asylum and their affinity for bands like the Suicide Commandos and the Buzzcocks. In their heyday, the Mags gained a sizeable following regionally but were never able to achieve the widespread success of their labelmates.

All that is in the past now, though, and the Magnolias are back with a disc of demos and unreleased tracks. Appropriately titled "Better Late Than Never," the album is a revisitation of the fast-paced, lo-fi sound that put the Mags on the map. The disc is a must for anyone seeking schooling on the history of the "Minneapolis sound."

Here's a rundown of the tracks from "Better Late Than Never," including the year each song was recorded:

1. "Even Without You" - Demo Recorded May 1994.
2. "Easy to Forget" - Demo Recorded May 13, 1991. Song never appeared on any album/CD.
3. "Duel" - Demo Recorded January 19, 1993. Song never appeared on any album/CD.
4. "Time Bomb" - Demo Recorded November 28, 1990.
5. "Trashbin" - Demo Recorded May 1994.
6. "Tear Up This Town" - Demo Recorded November 28,1990.
7. "Don't Pack It In" - Demo Recorded November 28, 1990.
8. "Torture Yours" - Live At The Turf Club April 23, 1997. Song never appeared on any album/CD.
9. "Way Out" - Demo Recorded May 13, 1991.
10. "Favorite" - Street Date Tuesday Sessions. July 1995. Song never appeared on any album/CD.
11. "Where do you Go?" - Live At The Turf Club April 23, 1997. Song never appeared on any album/CD.
12. "Another" - Street Date Tuesday Sessions. July 1995. Song never appeared on any album/CD.
13. "On the Dime" - Street Date Tuesday Sessions. July 1995. Song never appeared on any album/CD.

And here's a quick promo video the Magnolias released recently to preview their European tour:

The Magnolias European tour:

May 31 7th Street Entry Minneapolis, MN
June 5 The Zoo Bar Nancy, France
June 6 L'assommoir Club St. Etienne, France
June 7 L'ouvre Boite Club Beauvais, France
June 10 L'etreinte Paris, France
June 12 L'atabal Club Biarritz, France
June 13 Secret Place Taf Montpellier, France
June 14 El Bongo Club Bourges, France
June 15 La Majorette Soulangis, France
June 17 La Mecanique Ondulatoire Paris, France
June 19 Four Seasons Club Castellon, Spain
June 20 Gruta'77 Club Madrid, Spain
June 21 La Vogue Club Granada, Spain

Posted by Andrea Myers at May 30, 2008 11:59 AM | Comments (9)

 

Doomtree send cryptic messages across the blogosphere

Filed under: Local Music

Local hip-hop collective Doomtree announced yesterday that... well, we don't really know yet. Which is part of the excitement. On their MySpace page and official website, the group has posted the following image:

My two guesses: July 29 will mark the release of a full-crew Doomtree album, or the release of their Doomtree Blowout DVD, the trailer of which has been screening on YouTube since January:

Or both. I hope it's both.

Posted by Andrea Myers at May 29, 2008 1:04 PM | Comments (2)

 

Yacht Rock to tour in Minneapolis

Filed under: Comedy

Maybe you're one of the 500,000-plus people who has downloaded the hilarious smooth-music spoof "Yacht Rock." Maybe you were overjoyed when a new episode appeared a year after the series effectively ended. Perhaps you long for 1976-1984, when Christopher Cross could sing about the joys of sailing devoid of irony or angst.

Or maybe you just like to laugh your ass off. Either way, Yacht Rock is going on tour, and you shouldn't miss it.

And now comes the 'Yacht Rock' "tour," in which the episodes will be screened on selected dates before a live audience in New York, Minneapolis, Detroit and Muskegon, Michigan. Ryznar and the cast are scheduled to make appearances at the screenings. "We're up and around walking and hanging with everybody, and they can ask us all the questions they want in person," Ryznar says.

Just being mentioned in the same breath as Muskegon, Michigan is flattering enough. But the June 7 event at the Bryant Lake Bowl will afford you the opportunity to learn the real stories behind Loggins and Messina, see the darkness in the soul of John Oates, and peep the chilling origins behind the theme to "Footloose."

Scope the videos in advance on MySpace, or just show up and enjoy a cocktail while watching. A smooth cocktail.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at May 29, 2008 10:43 AM | Comments (0)

 

Dan Sinykin reviews Talking Volumes with Michael Ondaatje

Filed under: Readings/Lectures

Talking Volumes with Michael Ondaatje
Fitzgerald Theater, May 27
By Dan Sinykin

I spent the evening with a roomful of cooing, mostly women-of-a-certain-age watching the charming blue-eyed old novelist Michael Ondaatje talk about his life’s work at the Fitzgerald Theater for MPR’s Talking Volumes Series. What strange behavior for all of us at the Fitz tonight, flitting and fluttering while Ondaatje answered canned questions from Midmorning’s slick Kerri Miller. Though I’m terrified that no one agrees with me. William Gaddis, a dead brilliant satirist, once said of book readings, “What is it they want from the man that they didn’t get from his work? What do they expect? What is there left when he’s done with his work, what’s any artist but the dregs of his work, the human shambles that follows it around?” As Gaddis knew and despised, the cooing women wanted a wink and a smile, the vain pleasure of the initiated. The aesthetic purist (i.e. asshole) in me wants to snicker with Gaddis, but my other (better?) half, the half who thinks of my mother, finds more than self-congratulation in the choral coos.

Ondaatje and Miller sat across from each other in comfy armchairs. The writer leaned in, spoke with his hands, kept one foot resting on the other. Miller sat motionless for the entire ninety minutes, legs crossed, occasionally tapping her chin with the bottom of a Bic. At the end of the discussion, when the floor opened for audience questions, a woman bent to the microphone and mentioned that she had to go relieve herself in the middle of the show -- and not for the obvious reason. She explained that she had felt such intensity between Ondaatje and Miller that she could not contain her own passions, and wanted to know whether they had felt the same.

Ondaatje deflected the question to laughter, saying, “We couldn’t leave the stage.” He’d been deflecting questions all night. A minor character in his latest novel, Divisadero, is a writer. This fictional writer says, “When I wrote . . . that was the only time I would think.” The narrator comments, “[He] could be alone and content, guarded from all he knew, even those he loved, and in this strange way, be fully understanding of them. It was in a sense a terrible proposal of secrecy . . . that could lead somehow to intimacy.” You had to feel for poor Miller, consecrated with the corporeal Book Club, up against this witty scribbler, since he’d already written all he’d thought in his books -- why were either of them doing it? Money? Fame?

I don’t think so. Every time Ondaatje refused to answer a question plainly, rejecting the impulse to rationality, he opened a space for the intimacy of what can’t be said, which is what he does in his writing. Maybe these enraptured women loved that space, and went to the writer hoping to get there again. Maybe I, transferring my own aesthetic pretensions onto each of Ondaatje’s deflections, was the only self-congratulatory snob in the room.

Posted by Andrea Myers at May 28, 2008 11:55 AM | Comments (7)

 

Not Just Knee Deep: George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic at First Avenue, by Nate Patrin

Filed under: Concert Review

George Clinton & P-Funk
First Avenue, May 27
Review by Nate Patrin
Photos by Daniel Corrigan

The version of P-Funk that showed up at First Avenue on Tuesday wasn’t the most recognized and beloved incarnation. Bootsy Collins, who plays a James Brown tribute at the Minnesota Zoo in July, was absent. So was Bernie Worrell, who almost singlehandedly defined how synthesizers would sound in funk – and hip-hop – from the mid ‘70s onward. Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker – two reasons Prince’s 2004 Xcel Energy Center homestand was so spectacular – were also MIA, leaving out the backbone of maybe the finest horn section in funk history. Any chance of getting something as mindblowing as the kind of stuff they were doing in arenas circa 1976 was, at least from the outset, kinda slim.

George Clinton gives up the funk. More photos by Daniel Corrigan.

But expecting the exact same personnel that made Mothership Connection and One Nation Under a Groove two of the best records of the ‘70s is kind of naïve, and it’d be unfair to complain too much about who we did get: the perennially bediapered lead singer Garry Shider belting and wailing, Mike “Kidd Funkadelic” Hampton shredding his ass off and laying claim to being the second-greatest living guitarist out there (and anyone who’s heard “Cosmic Slop” live has gotta figure that Jimmy Page ain’t too far ahead), Cordell “Boogie” Mosson reminding us that the group had more than one great bassist, and a whole host of other singers and instrumentalists who, if not as instantly recognizable and iconic as Bootsy or Bernie or the Horny Horns, were still there on wax back in the late ‘70s and maintained that classic link in one sense or another. More than half of the dozen-plus people on stage were on the Mothership at least long enough to play on Uncle Jam Wants You – hence the fittingness of the Prince-nod exhortation that everyone was “gonna party like it’s 1979” – and if your name is on the credits of an album with “(Not Just) Knee Deep” on it, dammit, you should be P-Funk enough for anyone.

Don't act rash: it's just the Mothership Connection. More photos by Daniel Corrigan.

And then, after 45 minutes or so of vamping (including an increasingly amorphous “Funkentelechy”), we got the master of ceremonies himself, decked out in a skeletally-themed hoodie-and-jeans combo and with Technicolor uber-weave resplendent. George didn’t do that much – pointing the mic at the crowd to sing the hook of “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker),” flashing the devil horns after some particularly gnarly moments during “Red Hot Mama” and “Cosmic Slop,” and splitting a little time between singing and pumping up the crowd – but just having him there tying everything together made it that much more special. Despite the presence of Clinton, ur-player-hater Sir Nose d’Voidoffunk (rocking a D’Angelo sixpack and a “FUCK GEORGE” sign) and Shider’s makeshift hotel towel Pampers, there wasn’t a surplus of the crazed, astro-mythological, spaced-out and wildly-attired outrageousness the group is famous for, and First Ave’s sound mix made some of the night’s looser-limbed moments sound muddled.

But a solid mixture of slick Parliament classics (“Bop Gun (Endangered Species)”; “Rumpofsteelskin”) and heavy, early Funkadelic cuts (“I Bet You”; “I Got a Thing, You Got a Thing, Everybody’s Got a Thing”) made up for it – and at least now I can tell my friends that, at some point in my life, I got the chance to see George Clinton quote the “skeet skeet skeet” hook to Lil’ Jon’s “Get Low” during “Get Off Your Ass and Jam”.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at May 28, 2008 6:31 AM | Comments (5)

 

Hallelujah: Bonus Features

Filed under: Music

In researching the history of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" for this week's Gimme Noise column, I came across quite a few interesting articles and videos. Some of the videos were quite terrible, and I will spare you those, but if you are ever looking for a way to waste an entire day of work on the internet, simply go to YouTube and search "Hallelujah." You will be amazed at the results.

First and foremost, the money shot. Here's a video shot by Tony Nelson at the Molotov Lounge in Austin, Tex., featuring Romantica's "Hallelujah" cover. The intro is cut off and the camerawork is a bit shaky, but it gives you an idea of the power of Romantica's rendition. I still get chills every time I hear it:

When I went to research the song, the first article that I read was one I had stumbled on a while ago, written by Syracuse University media studies grad student Michael Barthel, about the history of "Hallelujah" in a pop culture context. Barthel specifically studies the increasing number of well-known "Hallelujah" covers and the number of times the song has been used in movies and television shows.

As part of his research, Barthel constructed this graph of the frequency of "Hallelujah" covers per year:

And then overlaid that graph with one depicting use of the song in popular television shows:

The majority of the versions used in movies and television cited in Barthel's study were by Jeff Buckley, which isn't surprising given the ultra-emotive nature of his cover and the effect that the song has on creating a mood on screen.

What these graphs don't take into account is the use of "Hallelujah" on this season's American Idol, which has once again thrust Buckley's rendition of the song into the public eye and created astronomical digital sales for the dead troubadour.

For those unfamiliar, here is a video montage from the Season 3 finale of the West Wing which employs Buckley's "Hallelujah" cover -- in my opinion, this was one of the most tasteful uses of the song on television (warning: contains graphic violence and plot spoilers):

And here's Jason Castro performing the song during the American Idol finale last week. As I mentioned in my column, it's a pretty decent cover -- nothing special, but certainly not offensive. This video is the number one search result for "Hallelujah" on YouTube:

Another favorite of mine was this cover by kd lang. I think I really just like the serious look on her face, it's very convincing. Plus, her version manages to be pretty but not sappy, which is a daunting task on this particular song.

Here's an unlikely powerful version. Performed by a Michigan State University a cappella choir as they stand in the hallway of someone's dorm, I was especially enthralled by the chorus, with all of them singing in perfect harmony. It's a strange video, but I like it. There is another video online of the same group singing their version in concert, but I like the silliness of the hallway performance. Choir boys are delightfully nerdy. Apparently, "Hallelujah" is becoming somewhat of a standard amongst today's high school and college choirs.

Posted by Andrea Myers at May 28, 2008 6:00 AM | Comments (4)

 

Over the Weekend: May 23-26

Filed under: Local Music

Earl Root

The weekend started out on a sad note, with the passing of a local music champion. Musician and all-around metal scene staple Earl Root died Friday due to complications with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which he battled for 10 years. Root played guitar in local metal bands Disturbed, God-Awful and Aesma Daeva, hosted the KFAI radio show "Root of All Evil," was the owner of Root Cellar Records and founded the Root of All Evil label to promote independent bands.

To learn more about Root, check out Paul Demko's 2003 feature story, and Cecile Cloutier's 2004 story about the closing of Root's record store. Additionally, in this year's "Best Of" issue of City Pages, Root's KFAI show was awarded "Best Radio Program After Midnight."

Funeral services will be held Friday, May 30 from 6 to 8 p.m. at:

Henry W Anderson Mortuary
3640 23rd Ave S
Minneapolis, MN
Phone: 612-729-2331

An impromptu memorial has started on Earl's MySpace page, where fans and friends can leave messages and memories, as well as on the message board BlabberMouth.net.

Bob Wootton
Chambers Hotel, May 24

It's not often that one gets the chance to hear the ghost of Johnny Cash channeled through the guitar of a living legend. Which is precisely why I jumped at the chance to see Bob Wootten play the Chambers Hotel; I never had the opportunity to see the Man in Black live, and Wootten provided fans with a strikingly familiar performance of Cash's best songs.

From 1968 to 2005, Wootten played alongside Cash as his main guitarist, providing the signature "boom-chick" sound that listener's associate with Cash's music. In addition to looking and acting like Cash, Wootten's smooth baritone voice was the perfect substitute for the late singer's, providing the small audience with a unique chance to hear Cash's songs performed almost exactly the same way they would have sounded had he been there himself.

"People ask why I'm still playing," Wootten commented between songs. "One reason is because I love it, the other is because I don't want these songs to fade away."

Wootten was backed by local group Six Mile Grove, who also opened the evening with a set of their own smooth Americana music. Six Mile Grove's songs were sweet and simple, with the exception of one barn-burner pulled out at the end of their set that had the audience hollering for more. Lead singer Brandon Sampson really shined as he played with Wootten, especially during his fast-paced and percussive harmonica solos.

Soundset 08
Metrodome, May 25
By David Hansen

Excerpt: "Too much of a good thing -- is it actually possible? 2008's Soundset festival, an 8-hour extravaganza of independent hip-hop presented by our own crown jewelers Rhymesayers Entertainment, tested the hypothesis Sunday afternoon, filling the Metrodome parking lot with dozens of MC's, scores of b-boys and b-girls, a handful of skaters, and thousands upon thousands of eager concert goers. Battered by unseasonable heat and threatened by a momentary squall of icy rain, energized by beats and rhymes ad infinitum and sweltered by four dollar waters and five dollar corn dogs, there was plenty to adore and abhor at Soundset 08."

Continue reading David's review.

Posted by Andrea Myers at May 27, 2008 8:48 AM | Comments (0)

 

Staring At The Sun: David Hansen reviews Soundset

Filed under: Concert Review

Soundset Festival 2008
Metrodome parking lot
Review by David Hansen
Photos by B FRESH Photography

Too much of a good thing -- is it actually possible? 2008's Soundset festival, an 8-hour extravaganza of independent hip-hop presented by our own crown jewelers Rhymesayers Entertainment, tested the hypothesis Sunday afternoon, filling the Metrodome parking lot with dozens of MC's, scores of b-boys and b-girls, a handful of skaters, and thousands upon thousands of eager concert goers. Battered by unseasonable heat and threatened by a momentary squall of icy rain, energized by beats and rhymes ad infinitum and sweltered by four dollar waters and five dollar corn dogs, there was plenty to adore and abhor at Soundset 08.

Thousands of people braved weather conditions to check out Soundset. More photos by B FRESH Photography.

If one were to use headcount as the sole yardstick of its success, the afternoon was a smash hit-- with over 9,000 tickets moved in pre-sale and another 4,500 in walk-up sales, there can no longer be any doubt as to the booking and promotion resources of RSE. But is attendance the best measure? Even with its star-studded lineup, featuring local powerhouses like Brother Ali, P.O.S. and Atmosphere as well as coastal imports like Little Brother and Aesop Rock, even with day-long b-boy battles deejayed by Kid Cut Up, even with on-the-hour-every-hour skateboarding demos hosted by Third Lair, even with a cozier stage hosting local favorites like Kanser and Doomtree, a few hours spent wandering gave off a strange scent of stagnation. On paper, it all added up beautifully. In execution, the entire festival managed to be much less than the sum of its parts.

The day began with promise -- from gates' opening, the parking lot was quickly swarmed by early arrivals who drifted past the main stage to browse the myriad merch tents, watch Kid Cut Up spin some warm-up tracks, and get a head start on acquiring a handful of food and drink tickets. In the b-boy tent, preliminary demos were underway by quarter to twelve. At the Third Lair demo station, the big kids had yet to arrive, leaving the ramps and rails to youngsters like Logan, a ten year old with hesher hair and a waist high ollie.

As the performances got underway, it was the Fifth Element stage that kept a higher energy exchange between performer and spectator. While Los Nativos gave a stirring bilingual performance on the main stage (complete with traditional Mexican dancers, their headdresses festooned with magnificent plumage), The Usual Suspects and The Illuminous 3 played with energizing abandon and had no difficulty getting their crowd handsy and grinning. Psalm One was next on the big stage, and though her first songs were delivered with typical bravado, she seemed to lose gas by the tenth minute, her voice rasping and losing steam near the end of each line. All the while, the crowd and the heat began to intensify, and the lines began to lengthen at the corn dog stands. Under the increasing noonday sun, the price of the bottled water became all the more gruesomely unfair and enticing (the concession prices in general, particularly in light of the festival's $35 dollar ticket price, threatened to undermine Soundset's image as a grassroots, independent movement). Seattle natives Grayskul were an early standout, performing a twenty minute set that boomed with ominous synths -- they spit with passion and kept the crowd nodding in approval. At the b-boy tent, Kid Cut Up kept the battles fierce, while Saint Paul Slim and Big Quarters played sturdy back-to-back sets, commanding the Fifth Element stage and often departing from it to get up close and personal with their crowd.

By the time Musab took the main stage, there were already clusters of people napping in the shade and clamoring for the water fountains in the Metrodome concourses. With the heaviest hitters of the day still hours away and a trail of MC's already behind, problems began to reveal themselves. Wherever you sought to roam, there was no respite -- no quiet corner for overworked ears, no cool spot to catch a second wind, and though the performances by Rhymesayers favorites like Mac Lethal and I Self Devine were executed with trademark intensity, there were already people dozing near the fences, huddling in squats beneath umbrellas and finding places away from the multitudes in which to play hacky sack and carry on a conversation.

Musab. More photos by B FRESH Photography.

The crowds at both stages had become massive by 3:00, but it was a largely inanimate crowd, content to stand and head-nod with hands in pockets, a phenomenon to which local performers are accustomed, but which frustrates big name out-of-towners. Was it the heat? The mentally exhausting effect of four wall-to-wall hours of hip hop with no escape and no re-entry? The muting effects of a Midwest youth? Hard to say. But it resulted in the main stage performers making more and more frequent commands to “make some noise” and “put your hands up.” At a regular hip-hop show, these entreaties, properly timed and judiciously spaced, can have a rejuvenating effect on a crowd. At an 8 hour festival, they become wearying imperatives, and by the time Atmosphere took the stage for a gripping but low impact set, the hands on display were far limper than Slug and Ant deserved.

There were plenty of high points along the way-- Brother Ali perspired and pinked in the sun and got the loudest and most fevered ovations of the day; Doomtree capped things off at the Fifth Element Stage, coaxing shout-alongs and birdwing gestures right up to their final song; North Carolina natives Little Brother brought major market bounce and genuine glee to their performance; and Aesop Rock and Dilated Peoples performed to the night's biggest crowds, who didn't hesitate to bounce and wave fists on command.

But like planets in alignment, the sheer gluttony of the Soundset line-up resulted in the best and brightest stars of independent hip-hop eclipsing one another. Roaming from the main stage to the small stage to the b-boy tent and back, one was confronted by a scary intellectual and musical homogeneity, a trapping of hip-hop that, in the not too distant past, Rhymesayers once helped combat. As if the two stages were but echo surfaces for one another, Los Nativos cried “Revolution!” while The Usual Suspects chanted “Insurrection!” Trama and Musab shouted “Fuck the police” in unwitting unison. And between each song, the same stock material: “Make some noise!” “Lemme see those hands!” A surprising lack of diversity and ingenuity from artists that make their trade in lyrical luminosity, and from a label that means to push unexpected, surprising ideas on a genre that needs them badly.

Brain fatigue is the inherent risk of any festival, a risk that Doomtree appreciates -- they had the foresight to bring Roma De Luna and Gay Witch Abortion to their 2007 Blowout. Those left field additions alleviated the tiring effects of a multi-hour performance and kept the eyes and ears of their crowd fresh throughout. In a festival many times the length and breadth of a night at First Avenue, that sense of balance is all the more crucial. Given the huge bank of talent commanded by Rhymesayers, and the insatiable appetite for this expanding empire of industrious MC's and DJ's who work the more rugged path to stardom, numb to the glory is a pitiable thing to be in the final, sweaty hour. -- David Hansen

Posted by Jeff Shaw at May 26, 2008 9:43 AM | Comments (18)

 

Walking With Dinosaurs By Numbers

Filed under: Stuff

Walking With Dinosaurs, the prehistoric stage romp with gigantic animatronic dinosaurs, is a T-Rex sized production. Resident director Cameron Wenn crunched some numbers for us.

65:The number of people on the Walking With Dinosaurs staff.

17: The number of animatronic dinos, including two eggs.

1.5: In years, how long Wenn has been touring with the show.

90-2000: In pounds, the range of how much each dinosaur weighs.

60: In feet, the length of the longest dinosaur, the brachiosauraus, from nose to tail.

38: In feet, the brachiosauraus' height.

30: In centimeters, the height of one of the eggs.

Over 1,00,000: How many people have seen the show in North America.

24: In hours, how long the crew needs to set up the stage for the show.

26: The number of trucks needed to drive the shows dinosaurs, equipment, and crew from venue to venue.

3: The number of crew members it takes to control each animatronic dinosaur.

Walking With Dinosaurs appears at the Xcel Energy Center June 11-15.

Posted by Ben Palosaari at May 26, 2008 8:00 AM | Comments (0)

 

A song for Memorial Day

Filed under: 5 Songs About

Memorial Day, apart from the cookouts, is a day of contemplation. Songs dedicated specifically to this non-festive holiday, though, are hard to come by and tend to be treacly.

Instead we turn to this driving, acerbic track from hip-hop trio the Perceptionists, the Boston-based combo on Definitive Jux composed of Mr. Lif, Akrobatik and DJ Fakts One.

Their track "Memorial Day" (streaming at the Def Jux site) is a frenetic back-and-forth about the Iraq war. Lif spits angrily and empathically from the perspective of the homebound viewer; Ak adopts the voice of an imagined soldier. Their voices unite on the chorus: "Where are the weapons of mass destruction?"

The record, Black Dialogue, came out in 2005, and the refrain's question is still appropriate.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at May 26, 2008 6:07 AM | Comments (0)

 

I think the internet just ate itself

Filed under: Music News

If all of the characters in the most popular YouTube videos were members of a high school class, then Weezer just made them a graduation video. The video for Weezer's new single, "Pork and Beans," features every internet phenomenon of the past 10 years, including "Oh my god, shoez," Miss South Carolina, the Numa Numa kid and, of course, our very own Tay Zonday.

Praise the internet gods! We have so much to be thankful for.

[via: Blogumentary]

Posted by Andrea Myers at May 23, 2008 2:06 PM | Comments (0)

 

Dreamworld: Amber Schadewald reviews Rilo Kiley

Filed under: Concert Review

Rilo Kiley
First Avenue, May 22, 2008
Review by Amber Schadewald
Photos by Daniel Corrigan

As any concert junkie knows, sometimes bands just don’t sound anything like their album would suspect, while other times they sound so much like their recorded version, you feel like you’re at home with their CD. The best show are those that meet somewhere in the middle, as Rilo Kiley was able to showcase Thursday night in the Mainroom.

Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis. More photos by Daniel Corrigan.

An LA band with five musicians on stage, it was hard to see any but one: Jenny Lewis. In a tiny flowered short-suit, glittery tights and silver sequined slippers, Lewis not only caught the lights, but the hearts of nearly everyone in the packed crowd. A simple wink or smile from the stunning young woman drew shrieks and applause at an alarming decibel level. She spent most of the show being shy in the slyest and sexiest way possible, shaking her shoulders and flipping around her long red hair.

Playing a majority of songs from their latest album, “Under the Blacklight”, every song sounded solid, well rehearsed and yet, not too fake. Lewis’ talent couldn’t have been more obvious, and I too fell for her macaroon-sweet vocals. The guitars went from being wispy and harmonious on the CD’s title track, to harder indie-rock on “Close Call”, reflecting the band’s sound from years past.

A generally happy sounding set of songs, “Under the Blacklight” put the crowd in a rather charming mood, and looking down from the second level, the floor only bopped slightly, a few heads of blond hair whipping the faces around them. Other noteworthy new songs included “Breakin’ Up” with a lovely choral-type ending from multiple band voices and “Dreamworld”, which include primary male vocals.

During “Silver Lining”, a popular song that received one thousand junior high screams, extra large sliver balloons were sent out into the crowd, each filled with silver confetti. The size of exercise balls, the toy balls floated like feathers over the reaching hands, until during the last 30 seconds of the song when both coincidentally hit different lights in the ceiling and popped, sending the glittering bits into the mass of cheering sardines.

Rilo Kiley played a large selection of old hits dating back to the early 90s, including “Portions for Foxes” and “It’s a Hit” complete with trumpet accompaniment from some multi-talented chick stage-left (who also intermittently played keys and bass). Lewis played the Wurlitzer a couple times during the show and one of the guitar guys played the triangle and bongos in between strumming.

There wasn’t much chatter between songs, basically none, except a comment about getting drunk regardless of the early ‘all ages’ set times. Lewis also dedicated a song to her father, who was in the crowd that evening. I left the show feeling a little clueless about the personality behind “Rilo Kiley”, but in the end, it’s their music and not a bunch of gibbering we all show up to hear. -- Amber Schadewald

Posted by Jeff Shaw at May 23, 2008 7:14 AM | Comments (3)

 

Your summer of awesomeness awaits, milady

Filed under: General Archive

Calling all the talented, skilled, and theatrical nerds and freaks out there: Now’s your chance to work at the Ren Fest this summer.

Do you like to spend your weekends gaming? Do you like to dress up mysteriously and belly dance? Do you sword fight and blog about meeting your beloved at Ye Olde Local Brewery? Well now’s your chance to get paid for living the dream. This Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Renaissance Festival will be auditioning musicians (ensembles included), dancers, actors, street performers, and stage fighters. The festival runs from August 16 through September 28, and is mostly on weekends, leaving plenty of time for boring office jobs, summer school, or day-long Legends of Zelda/Elders Scrolls Oblivion sessions. Interested? Then practice your jig, dust off that lute, and memorize that Shakespeare. Be sure to email renfestmn@gmail.com to reserve an audition time, and break a leg. Huzzah!

Posted by Jessica Armbruster at May 22, 2008 5:49 PM | Comments (0)

 

Pop Mogul Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison

Filed under: Music News

Remember Lou Pearlman? You know, the pop star mogul who created ‘N Sync and the Backstreet Boys, the guy who was indicted last year on three counts of bank fraud, one count of mail fraud, with another count of wire fraud thrown in for good measure?

The man allegedly swindled some $300 million from investors, including $28.5 from St. Paul-based American Bank. (For the full account, peep Peter S. Scholtes’s detailed story from last year here.)

This morning in Orlando, the doughy gent was sentenced to a quarter century in federal prison. “I’m truly sorry to those I victimized,” he reportedly told the judge. “I’m sorry to those I victimized. I’m working hard to recover whatever money I can. I’m truly sorry. I apologize for what happened.”

Pearlman was also charged with two counts of spawning shitty bands, though those charges were later dismissed.

Channel 2 WESH out of Orlando has the story.

Posted by Matt Snyders at May 22, 2008 2:09 PM | Comments (2)

 

Husker Du live in 1981 (MP3s)

Filed under: Local Music

Mere weeks before the band's first full-length, "Land Speed Record," was recorded at the 7th St. Entry, Husker Du blew the doors off an unsuspecting San Francisco audience at Mabuhay Gardens.

The popular music blog "I Am Fuel, You Are Friends" has posted the entire show.

If you grew up listening to hardcore, this is a great little artifact of the era. It's even more fun to look at retrospectively, to see how the lines the trio crossed between thrash and melody continued to intersect, and how that's affected music nearly three decades (yikes) later.

It's chock-full of rapid-fire favorites ("Tired of Doing Things," "All Tensed Up," "Let's Go Die"), and I'd forgotten how much "Data Control" foreshadowed their psychedelic, hypnotic cover of "Eight Miles High" years later.

The introduction for the legendary band is hilarious, too, coming in a close second to Joan Rivers for the "most surreal lead-in to a Husker Du performance."

Posted by Jeff Shaw at May 22, 2008 7:14 AM | Comments (0)

 

CD Review: Mason Jennings, In the Ever

Filed under: CD Review

The new record by Mason Jennings really snuck up on me. Which is unusual, since at one time I considered myself to be a die-hard Mason fan. But this time around, I barely heard anything about his new record, save for the incessant spinning of new single "Fighter Girl" on 89.3 The Current, and was shocked when I learned yesterday that it was already available in stores. (The record is also available to stream online for free from Spinner.com.)

With every new Mason Jennings recording my fanaticism decreases, and this album did nothing to regain my confidence in a songwriter whom I once thought to be life-changing.

Which isn't to say that In the Ever is all bad. In fact, there are three songs in particular that stand up to some of his best work. The problem, however, is that the album is hit-and-miss, and when it's bad, it's really bad. Case in point: "I Love You and Buddha Too." In a segment he recorded for Current TV, Jennings says that he has read all of the different religious texts in an attempt to understand why people place such high importance on them, especially the Bible:

As a concept, this kind of intellectual, spiritual searching should make worthwhile fodder for introspective folk songs. But on "I Love You and Buddha Too," Jennings sounds more like Raffi than Iron and Wine. Set to a thumping guitar strum, Jennings and Brushfire Records label head Jack Johnson sing cringe-worthy lyrics about loving the "un-namable and unknowable" God. For example: "Is the universe your thought / You are and you are not / You are many, you are one / Ever ending just begun."

It's unfortunate. Especially because the last time Jennings wandered into spiritual territory was in "Jesus Are You Real," the closing track on 2006's Boneclouds, and it was an epic 17-verse song exploring the questions that arise on the path to spiritual enlightenment. "I Love You and Buddha Too" is a disappointment, considering that Jennings has proven his proficiency for these kinds of songs in the past.

But as I mentioned, it's not all bad. "Your New Man" is a tongue-and-cheek solo acoustic number that was recorded live, showcasing a more sarcastic, light-hearted Mason and recalling the silliness of his old fan favorite "Bullet." On "Going Back to New Orleans," the hum of a lightly-blown harmonica and the boom-chick of an echoing drum set create the sound of a train rolling by, while "In Your City" showcases Jennings's increasing knack for writing songs on the piano -- the song sounds like it could be a B-side to Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind."

And there are plenty of average songs filling out the rest of the album. Many of the quieter songs find Jennings trying to explain to his wife exactly how much he loves her, which ironically come across as some of the least passionate -- fluffy and dreamy, these ballads sound hyperbolic, nothing like the old Mason who could spend three verses describing the way a room felt as he woke up next to his lover. The single, "Fighter Girl," sounds like a rip-off of his Boneclouds single "Be Here Now," seemingly employing the same chord progressions, melody and production values.

In the end, the album is a disappointment for longstanding fans. Just like I know I will never get the chance to see Jennings play a coffee shop again, I fear that the days of front-to-back high-caliber Mason Jennings albums may have passed.

Posted by Andrea Myers at May 21, 2008 1:36 PM | Comments (19)

 

Flyer of the Week: Baby Guts

Filed under: Flyer of the Week

This week's flyer comes from Baby Guts, who will be celebrating the release of their new CD, The Kissing Disease, next Thursday at the 7th Street Entry.

Posted by Andrea Myers at May 21, 2008 1:15 PM | Comments (0)

 

Vive Minnesota celebrates growing Latino influence on state culture

Filed under: Latin Culture

In reviewing Indio for this week's issue, Rachel Hutton makes an interesting observation about the growing influence of Latino culture on the Twin Cities' foodscape:

In the not so recent past, most Twin Citians who didn't grow up eating Mexican food knew it only in the form of Chi-Chi's or Taco Bell, where "cooking" meant squirting guacamole out of something that looked like a caulking gun. But as the local Latino population has swelled in recent decades, authentic Mexican cuisine has flourished. El Burrito Mercado moved to its iconic Concord Street space; Mercado Central brought south Minneapolis a lively Latin American marketplace; and the local Scandinavian stock learned to enjoy Mexican food at places that didn't tone down the spice or drown dishes in dairy.

Rachel is spot on. Those looking to explore more than just the culinary aspects of Latino culture should check out this weekend's Vive Minnesota (full disclosure: City Pages is among the media sponsors). A three-day festival of music, art, and food, the monster event differentiates itself from similarly-themed celebrations by ignoring borders.

"Our idea was really to celebrate the diversity within the Latino community," says Michael Robles, the festival director, who immigrated to the States from Lima, Peru, when he was just a 3-year-old boy. "We're so proud of our heritage and our culture that we have a tendency to celebrate individual countries, so we really wanted to bring it all together."

Robles points out that the Twin Cities actually has a more diverse (albeit smaller) Latino population than Miami, San Antonio, or Los Angeles, and the artists on stage at this event hail from a virtual United Nations of Latin America, including Brazil, Peru, and Venezuela (headliners include Salsa del Soul, Ticket to Brazil, Maria Isa, and Andres Prado). Other local musicians, including Desdamona, bring a Latin-infused repertoire.

"We want to grow it to the point where we have international stars that come here," says Robles, who along with co-founder Mario Duarte plans to make the festival an annual event, "but at the core it's always going to be our local talent."

In addition to music (30 acts spread over two stages), there will also be a kids' play area, a Corona VIP skybox, and yes, food. Just don't expect Taco Bell.

Admission is free (though the VIP skybox will cost you). Directions here. Schedule here.

Posted by Kevin Hoffman at May 21, 2008 8:05 AM | Comments (0)

 

When political ads go very wrong: an evening of laughs

It's no secret that political advertising can get really annoying. Enter this Wednesday's "Worst Political Advertising in America Awards," an event lampooning the most ridiculous, confusing, inflammatory, and distorted commercials blaring from our TVs this year.

The event will serve as a fundraiser for Growth and Justice, a nonprofit economic think–tank that strives to make Minnesota more fair, prosperous, and environmentally sustainable. Dane Smith, the president of the organization, who spent 30 years as a reporter on politics for the Star Tribune and Pioneer Press, has some thoughts on the need to improve TV ads.

City Pages: What constitutes a bad political ad? Are there any common mistakes?

Dane Smith: A bad ad, most of all, is one that is simplistic and distorted in its negativity. Take the attack ad, for example. It's confined to 30 seconds, and if you're going to attack someone—a personal attack—the attacker won't bother to balance information. It's gotten to be an art form, one that is pretty thoroughly despised by people concerned for the political system in this country. I once heard it said that if businesses attacked each other the way political candidates do, nobody in this country would buy anything. With harshly negative attack ads, the real purpose is not to get someone to vote for your guy, but to not vote. These ads are intended to get people to stay home. That is a very bad thing.

CP: What was your criteria when selecting commercials for the event?

DS: We put an intern to work on this, and he threw together of close to a 100 of commercials within a few days. We've quite a collection of distorted, malicious, unfair ads. Some of them are plain hilarious. To be brutally honest, we're not doing this as a serious intellectual exercise. There's no pretense here of scholarly critique. But there is a larger point. Growth and Justice is a non–profit group. We think left and right, Democrat or Republican, should work together to create both a strong economy and a shared prosperity that involves everyone. Drawing attention and lampooning this lowest form of political discourse helps up make the point that we need to elevate the discourse.

CP: Do any presenters make the list of ads being lampooned?

DS: No, most of the worst are not even from Minnesota. Most were drawn from races in California, Wisconsin, North Carolina, national, and the current Presidential race.

CP: The press release I received about the event states that "political ads are viewed as the lowest form of political discourse." Why is that? Can they ever be thought–provoking or insightful? Or are they doomed forever?

DS: I think the format itself precludes any real meaningful discourse; the 30 seconds prevents it. There are ways to communicate; we're breaking through with new media that can provide voters with information on candidates. There's more info available out there than ever before. Now it's a matter of whether or not people will look for it. I am hopeful that TV ads will become obsolete as time goes on. That may be wishful thinking. But I do think the 30–second ad is really designed for the minimally connected voter, the one most prone to the brutally brief and simple message.

CP: How about the worst political ad ever? What made it so awful?

DS: There are so many bad ones. It's impossible to say one's the worst ever. So many are unfair and simplistic. In general, the attack ads that feature the target being some sort of shadow, or they use a bad picture, with creepy voiceovers, those are pretty bad. "Could Congressmen Smith be guilty of bestiality?" The way they distort is really breathtaking.

CP: How about the anecdote? What are some of the best ads out there?

DS: One of my personal favorites is the action figures that Jesse Ventura used in 1998. He had a Ventura adventure doll fighting and beating up on "Special Interest Man." It had two really cute little boys. Ads that use children; they're unfair because they are often very effective. Back in 1990, Wellstone used an ad where children were writing out checks for a zillion dollars to Wellstone's opponent. The point was that if kids could write checks we would get policies that would improve their conditions.

CP: Do you think ads have gotten worse over time? Are people more capable of seeing through a PR facade now than in the past?

DS: I don't know, I tend to see it as the more things change the more they stay the same. You know the Hillary ads with the phone ringing in the middle of the night? We've uncovered one very much like it from 24 years ago. It was from Walter Mondale in the presidential race in '84. Another example: We have an ad that is completely out of bounds [romantically] linking Bush and Cheney, it's called "Sweetheart Deal." It's a kind of attack that features "guilt by association." That exact same ad ran in 1952 in the race between Dwight D. Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson, with Eisenhower and Robert Taft being "guilty by association." That year was the first year that TV political ads ran during an election. We tend to think that the present is the worst, the best—whatever. But really, things don't change that much. Political attacks—scurrilous ones—have been part of politics since the invention of democracy. Politics is a rough sport.

Tomorrow night's "Worst Political Advertising in America Awards" will feature keynote remarks by former CNN journalist Aaron Brown. Local politicians, including R.T. Rybak and Sen. Mee Moua, will present clips, with video presentations featuring Senators Amy Klobuchar and Norm Coleman, and political hopeful Al Franken. $25; $125 for banquet reception attendees. 8 p.m.; 6:30 p.m. banquet. For tickets visit www.growthandjustice.org or call 651.917.6037. The event takes places at Pantages Theatre (710 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612.339.7007).

Posted by Jessica Armbruster at May 20, 2008 4:09 PM | Comments (0)

 

Over the Weekend: May 16-18, 2008

Filed under: Concert Review

There was no shortage of things to do this weekend, with Art-A-Whirl stretching into every corner of the Northeast neighborhood and high-caliber local and national shows across town. Our diligent staff of freelance and staff writers were on the scene and reported back on some of the best shows this weekend, including Rock for Pussy, El-P and Dizzee Rascal, the Heliotrope Festival, and Nick Africano.

And there's pictures, too! Check out slideshows of Rock for Pussy by Alexa Jones and Steve Cohen, and Heliotrope and a lineup of black metal bands shot by Daniel Corrigan.

Nick Africano
400 Bar, May 16
By Desiree Weber

Nick Africano, photo from his MySpace page.

Nick Africano’s new release I’ve Ever Desired maintains the folksy, bluesy tenor of previous records and adds a touch more introspection. If you weren’t there, here’s what you missed.

Africano’s rustic singer-songwriter style is a place to start, but it doesn’t quite do justice to the layers he brings to the new songs. His gravely voice blends well with the multi-instrumental virtuosity, which isn’t often encountered in the “singer-songwriter” category. Some of my favorites of the set were brand new songs – so new, they aren’t even to be released on this album. The first of those was an up-tempo, minor-key tune called “Only Tears” which found Africano finger-picking an acoustic guitar accompanied to great effect by electric slide guitar. Throughout most of the night, he was ably supported by a rotating cast of players, including former Over/Under band mates and members of Alpha Centauri, which primed the crowd before the headlining set.

Africano ended the set with a one-on-one session between him and his acoustic guitar, allowing him to showcase a good balance of intense vocals and subtle instrumentation. Go too far one way or the other and a lone guy with a guitar can elicit pity, not admiration – but Africano pulled it off to great effect.

Rock for Pussy
First Avenue, May 16
By Jen Paulson

Chris Perricelli of Little Man, channeling the Bowie spirit into his tambourine. Photo by Alexa Jones.

Excerpt: "While the show found its leadership in John Eller, it also can’t be denied that one of the real stars of this year’s show was no doubt Mr. Chris Perricelli – Little Man lead singer and guitarist who is both Marc Bolan of T Rex and Bowie combined. Perricelli was featured on multiple songs, especially notable is his treatment on “Hang on to Yourself,” with his vocals full of Bowie panache and with a guitar prowess was as close to Mick Ronson himself as you could possibly get in his blistering guitar solos on “Ziggy Stardust” and “Starman.” Lori Barbero’s version of "Changes" far exceeded the song's nature, as she added her own touch to Bowie’s introspection with a confident, in your face treatise to accepting ones fate, her stage posturing and highly charismatic performance oozed old guard charm and had every one in the house singing along."

Read more of Jen's review.

El-P with Dizzee Rascal
Triple Rock Social Club, May 16
By Nate Patrin

Excerpt: "What kind of MC uses a mic stand? That’s the first thing I asked myself when El-P took the stage on Friday night’s headliner half of this underground hip hop double bill, and as questions go it was pretty quickly-answered: the kind of MC that spends his time minutes on stage convulsing, slapping himself in the face, throwing elbows like a malfunctioning Bill Laimbeer robot, pantomiming self-strangulation with the mic cord, falling flat on his back, flailing around madly and throwing his entire goddamned body into spitting fire. There’s a lot of vitriol and savagery and all-out doom on El-P’s 2007 record I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead and its 2002 precursor Fantastic Damage – not to mention Company Flow’s classic Funcrusher EP and its LP expansion Funcrusher Plus, represented briefly in his set by indie rap anthem “Vital Nerve”. El's mile-a-minute flow is intimidating but thrilling, and his dark, blunted but headbanging production work makes him sort of the Tony Iommi of the post-Wu-Tang set. And at full throttle, with DJ Mr. Dibbs ramping up the metallic roar of El-P’s beats with diabolical cutting and an assist from a plastic baby-head theremin, it’s brutal as fuck."

Read more of Nate's review.

Heliotrope Festival
Ritz Theater, May 16
By David Hansen

Vampire Hands, photographed by Daniel Corrigan.

Excerpt: "Two-piece metal freaks Knife World were the first band to coax the mounting but stage-shy crowd from the Ritz's cushy stadium seats. To a thrashing cluster of people that crowded the front of the house, Josh Journey-Heinz and Jon Nielsen made themselves an obvious stand-out just two songs deep into their searingly loud set which touched on songs from their recent vinyl release and their stellar EP from 2007. Alone at center stage and top lit by a single spotlight, Knife World managed to make the enormous space seem claustrophobic, overfilling with just drums and guitar a space big and vaunted enough to swallow lesser sounds in a gulp.

Knife World provided a perfect setup punch for the artsy, hyperactive, and precise Gay Beast, whose set suggested graduate calculus with an elevated pulse. A three-piece of many talents, Gay Beast managed to create a sound whose cerebral polyrhythms never detracted from the visceral effect of watching them perform, a talent that was evidenced by the dance party that swarmed and intensified at their feet."

Read David's full review.

Posted by Andrea Myers at May 19, 2008 7:34 AM | Comments (0)

 

What light: David Hansen reviews Heliotrope

Filed under: Concert Review

Heliotrope Festival
May 15-17, Ritz Theater
Review by David Hansen
Photos by Daniel Corrigan

What happens when the underground becomes the mainstream? Heliotrope's five year ascent to the Ritz Theater has attracted names so big that its original mission statement to highlight contemporary underground music seems a little misapplied. Friday's players were no stranger to major local press (3 Picked to Click Winners), and few of them have a sound that would make the average Turf Club patron plug their ears. But why look gift horses in the mouth? The fact that Heliotrope is a little less subterranean and a little less arrhythmic this time around doesn't eclipse the fact that the three-day festival is the linchpin of the Art-A-Whirl festivities, and no one in attendance for Friday's show walked out disappointed.

Opening the show was keyboardist and circuit bender Milo Fine, who performed his subliminal set on a darkened wing of the Ritz stage, eclipsed by the illuminated guitars and drums that ominously awaited Daughters of The Sun. It was a lengthy instrumental span that Fine constructed, during which he exhibited a remarkable talent for testing the audience's patience without breaching it, altering the texture of the atonal hum oozing from his amps with a knob twist just often enough to keep the audience engaged. Fine played as if pursued by invisible enemies, writhing and contorting in darkness. He had but one vocal outburst-- it's impossible to know what he said under the drone of his keyboard, but it sounded, appropriately, like “Wolves!”

Noise impresarios Sarah Johnson. More photos of Heliotrope by Daniel Corrigan.

Three-piece noise heads Sarah Johnson made inventive use of an upper level promontory, where they loomed imperiously over the seats, assailing their crowd with blanching, distorted slide guitar and rhythms that crested but never fully broke. The set was dedicated to the letter R (as in Rohipnol, the Ramones, and feeling All Right, to quote the band), and a happy accident was made of a faulty mic wire-- throughout the set, vocal intonations cut in and out, adding an intriguing dimension of unfathomability to an already challenging set.

Daughters of The Sun followed, and provided a captivating collection of meandering, hallucinogenic songs found relentless tribal rhythms and 60's psychadelia united in a shotgun wedding. Their sound has always been a thunderous pound softened by bottomless reverb, and they obviously enjoyed their time on the expansive Ritz stage. With mid-song instrument changes, a two drummer set-up, and a backdrop of Lysergic CGI, Daughters commanded the stage with trademark mystique.

Knife World fill up your empty spaces. More photos of Heliotrope by Daniel Corrigan.

Two-piece metal freaks Knife World were the first band to coax the mounting but stage-shy crowd from the Ritz's cushy stadium seats. To a thrashing cluster of people that crowded the front of the house, Josh Journey-Heinz and Jon Nielsen made themselves an obvious stand-out just two songs deep into their searingly loud set which touched on songs from their recent vinyl release and their stellar EP from 2007. Alone at center stage and top lit by a single spotlight, Knife World managed to make the enormous space seem claustrophobic, overfilling with just drums and guitar a space big and vaunted enough to swallow lesser sounds in a gulp.

Knife World provided a perfect setup punch for the artsy, hyperactive, and precise Gay Beast, whose set suggested graduate calculus with an elevated pulse. A three-piece of many talents, Gay Beast managed to create a sound whose cerebral polyrhythms never detracted from the visceral effect of watching them perform, a talent that was evidenced by the dance party that swarmed and intensified at their feet.

Vampire Hands came next, and though they performed a sweaty, impassioned set, it seemed that many of their aural nuances and finery became lost in the Ritz's booming acoustics, which seemed to act as a deeper and deeper echo chamber as the night advanced (perhaps it was the steady migration of people from the seats to the floor that changed the room's dynamic). But they played a vigorous set, inviting Skoal Kodiak's Freddy Votel and several members of Daughters of the Son onstage to make a joyous spectacle of their last few songs. Any loss of sonic vibrancy went unnoticed by the watchful crowd who sat before them entranced and agape, and the intrepid were rewarded by a second set later in the night at Stasiu's, where their sound was sharp as a glass etching.

But there is little question that Skoal Kodiak brought the entire night off. Before the first song was done, the crowd had overtaken the Ritz stage, where they remained for the entirety of Skoal's set. It had been a point of much curiosity as the night progressed -- could Skoal Kodiak actually play to a seated audience, one that couldn't reach out and touch them as they played? Thankfully no, and the evening's success owes a debt of gratitude to the Ritz staff for allowing their stage to host Skoal's impromptu dance party. It was a magnificent final movement that channeled the celebratory exuberance sometimes achieved by the best house parties, brought the crowd face to face with relevant artists, and made everyone in attendance feel more like participants than spectators. Even if you've come to expect something a bit more “between the lines” from Heliotrope, getting to see Twin Cities' best and brightest share a stage is never something to complain about. -- David Hansen

Posted by Jeff Shaw at May 19, 2008 5:57 AM | Comments (0)

 

Let's go cat dancing: Jen Paulson reviews Rock for Pussy

Filed under: Concert Review

Rock For Pussy: A Tribute to David Bowie
First Avenue, Friday May 16
Review by Jen Paulson
Photos by Alexa Jones and Steven Cohen

Rock for Pussy, now in its fifth year, will see that all kinds of rock and roll kitties at the Minnesota Valley Humane Society get a helping hand with the proceeds. The combination of patrons, local music luminaries and musicians -- including organizer, on-air personality and local personality Mary Lucia -- make this night of non-stop Bowie covers a yearly highlight of the Minneapolis music calendar.

As the band took to the stage, they opened with the grinding, defiant guitar licks of “Rebel, Rebel” as interpreted by Michelle Langner, who might be more familiar as Nadine Dubois from Lili’s Burlesque Revue. The combination of everyone in attendance, from the house band of Kitty Stardust on stage, a rotation of John Eller, Steve Price, Noah Levy, along with a full package of horns, synth, and fabulous backup singing talents of Langner and Leslie Ball. Along with Eric Lovold of local rock outfit The Alarmists joining them regularly and who would also take the front mic on his rendition of the Aladdin Sane track “Time”. It was an amazing group effort, with a surplus of highlights that could leave me writing about the evening for days.

Eric Lovold of the Alarmists rocks for pussy. Photo by Alexa Jones. More photos by Alexa Jones and Steven Cohen in the slideshow.

For starters, Leslie Ball’s performance of “Life on Mars” started in an understated fashion and built into an amazing and incredibly proficient cover, as it fully captured the song’s true scope, operatic vent and multi-layered epic nature. It sent shivers up my spine in its perfect execution, and was absolutely thrilling to hear live.

Among the evening’s slated guests, Venus and All the Pretty Horses tore the place apart in trademark over-the-top fashion. As the band took the stage, there was a theatrical build-up to Venus’ arrival, with an entourage, complete with paparazzi, as glammed up lady cops shined spotlights into the crowd and at Venus as she sang “Fame.” It was a true interpretation of those Ziggy Stardust years, as she was dressed in an amazing outfit, complete with big boots, fishnets, and a fierce glam-rock bodice, complete with feathers and even more gigantic ones sticking from her hair. It was the true extreme of the night, and was so exceptionally befitting, that even watching Venus enjoying the show from the mainroom floor was like peering in on that legendary Bowie persona itself.

Another dash into the dressing up box was a performance by Dave Campbell and Dan Olson as Bowie and Jagger respectively, recreating their cheesy eighties video moment of “Dancing in the Street” as the show’s true comedic genius, with Campbell’s outfit practically matching The Thin White Duke’s video wardrobe and Olson doing his best, dead-on Jagger prance.

Dave Campbell and Dan Olson as Bowie and Jagger. Photo by Steven Cohen. More photos by Alexa Jones and Steven Cohen.

While the show found its leadership in John Eller, it also can’t be denied that one of the real stars of this year’s show was no doubt Mr. Chris Pericelli – Little Man lead singer and guitarist who is both Marc Bolan of T Rex and Bowie combined. Featured on multiple songs, especially notable is his treatment on “Hang on to Yourself,” with his vocals full of Bowie panache and with a guitar prowess was as close to Mick Ronson himself as you could possibly get in his blistering guitar solos on “Ziggy Stardus