Foundation's Saturday night crowd got a chance to hear a hip-hop luminary spin. Afrika Bambaataa, the man behind the deathless electro-funk of Planet Rock, did a set as part of the standing "Party and Bullshit" night in the basement club. Those with visions of the costumed Soulsonic Force shows of yesteryear in their heads might have been a little disappointed: Bam eschewed the Mad Max tribal gear in favor of an unassuming red t-shirt, and perched above the crowd behind a Mac. This being Halloween, however, there was plenty of costumery around. And this being a downtown nightclub, plenty of the "sexy [service occupation]" theme. (I wear my "sexy freelancer" getup 24/7.)

Bam's selection was primarily funk and soul, tipped more towards beat-heavy '70s classicism than '80s futurism, with an occasional nod to Jamaica. This was more of a trip down his memory lane than ours. Truth be told, it sounded like just another old-school hip-hop night, but it was a charge hearing it spun by a guy who was in on the ground floor, who lifted from "funky German boys" Kraftwerk when "miscegenation" wasn't a music-blogger buzzword, and dressed like a post-nuke warlord in a time when swathes of NYC really did look like they'd been bombed.

No matter what else, it's always a pleasure to hear bass through Foundation's soundsystem. It's funny to think that something as elemental to American life as the head-nodding hip-hop beat had to be invented and refined. It's a well-worn saw now, thirty years later, but let's say it again: out of bits and pieces of dancehall, funk, synth-pop and disco, artists in tough circumstances came up with something new. If you squinted your ears and tried to forget that you and the "sexy cop" next to you had heard the "Funky Drummer" break a bajillion times, you could almost hear how it happened.

Hey, what happened to the 2007 Minnesota Music Awards? Last year's were held on October 1, and hosted by Brian Oake and Mary Lucia at First avenue, when the whole shebang seemed to have regained what cred it lost from previous years' balloting mishaps and far-flung venues. Turns out the 27th Annual MMA's have moved to March of 2008--March 2, tentatively--under new Minnesota Music Academy president Lance Cunningham, a former VP for the academy who runs the Minneapolis-based Somnio Artist Group label (Far From Falling, A Verse Unsung).

"We moved back the award show to be more in sync with the calendar year," says Cunningham, who adds that nominations will be taken for anything Minnesotan from between mid-August of last year through December 2007. The only probable losers in this scenario, considering timetable confusion: Bands that released albums in mid-August of last year. Does Mark Mallman's last one count? Reached for comment, Mallman couldn't remember what month it was released.

It's no shocker that the Midwest, often referred to as the Grain Belt, makes great beer. And though lately Minnesota has experienced a beer renaissance of sorts with brands such as Surly and Summit, as well as notable brewpubs like Town Hall, Minnesotans have been producing beer as far back as colonization. Doug Hoverson, a beer judge, teacher, and drink enthusiast, has meticulously reconstructed the history of Minnesota beer, from homebrews to Hamms to the present, in Amber Water: The History of Brewing in Minnesota. He took a moment in his busy schedule to chat with City Pages.

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As a paranormal investigator, Chad Lewis has, over the years, tracked the elusive chupacabra, toured the infamous Loch Ness, hunted vampires in Transylvania, and visited the standard haunted house. He organizes the Unexplained Conferences and is the host of The Unexplained TV and radio shows. He found a moment in this busy Halloween season to talk to City Pages.More >>

It's a Twin Cities bonanza tonight on The Conan O'Brien Show (NBC, 11:30 p.m.). Minnesota native (and rumored resident) Josh Hartnett will be pimping his vampire flick, 30 Days of Night, while local hip hop favorite Brother Ali will be showing up to perform with Mint Condition backing him. Actor Jack McBrayer (30 Rock) will also be talking shop, but whatever— he's from Georgia. Too bad they didn't film the show somewhere local like the Walker...

Who doesn't want approximately $2.79 worth in candy? This is the logic behind KMart's new seasonal television/internet synergy campaign, which promises free bags of goodies. Last Wednesday the megaconglomerate began airing commercials with a "secret code" on one of the gravestones in the background. Those looking for their free sugar fix simply have to report the code to KMart.com.

The catch?

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From our email (click image for larger flyer): "Hello everybody. A show this Wednesday at the Dinkytowner is a benefit for New MC. He was involved in a serious accident in which he may never be able to breathe properly again without surgery, which in turn would mean that he would not be able to rap again, something that's he been doing a better part of his life. I'm giving you heads up because this show is filled with Minneapolis hip-hop artists (Big Quarters, Ernie Rhodes, Trama, Ill Chemistry) who Zach Combs has helped throughout the years and will definitely be a show not to miss. It's just pure evidence on how big of an asset Zach Combs is and has been throughout the years.

"His story, in his own words is below and attached is the flyer. This show will probably be one of the most entertaining hip-hop shows this year, and it's for a good cause.

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Baraanbur -Curse Of The Demon

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Bored with Iranian cinema? Can't sit through another Russian vampire flick? Well, it's your lucky weekend, 'cause the first-ever Somali horror film is premiering at the Riverview Theatre. Buraanbur and the Curse of the Demon was produced by Liban D.J., the man who brought you Somali-sotan classics such as Flight 13 and Sportsman.45. From what I've heard, the plot revolves around a Somali man's worse nightmare--demonically possessed wives who turn homicidal on their hubbies. The movie screens both Friday and Saturday nights, at midnight.

Twin Cities R&B/hip-hop station B96 (KTTB 96.3 FM) has been under new, local ownership since September 1, having passed from Washington, D.C.'s Radio One to a new company called Northern Lights Broadcasting, LLC. The business is run by veteran local broadcaster Steve Woodbury, and owned by the Pohlad family (who also own the Twins). "It's just an investment to them," says Woodbury. "They don't look at it in terms of whether they like the format or not."

It's been well publicized already that the format won't change at B96, but we were wondering if the station might not be more open to local music under local ownership. "You gotta be kind of careful, because if you play a lot of unfamiliar music, people aren't going to listen to you," says Woodbury. "But there's things that I can do locally that I probably couldn't do with a national group, because I don't have to go to corporate and have them analyze it. I can't go into specifics, but there's things we're going to be doing that I know Radio One would not have been inclined to let us do."

In honor of the Chicago Cubs (undoubtedly shortlived) presence in the playoffs, Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn has declared it Steve Goodman Day. The diminutive Chicago folkie, who penned the best damn baseball song ever written in "A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request" (listen to it here), died 23 years ago from leukemia at the not-so-ripe age of 36. (The Wrigley faithful naturally prefer Goodman's much sunnier "Go Cubs Go," which apparently is enjoying a Renaissance of sorts this season.)

Goodman's best known for penning "City of New Orleans," which Arlo Guthrie scored a hit with in 1972. Renditions by Judy Collins, John Denver, Willie Nelson, and a slew of others followed. He also wrote "Banana Republics," an acid-tongued paean to American ex-pats living in the Caribbean that's generally associated Jimmy Buffet.

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