High-resolution photo courtesy the killer.

Blame it on the memory card. Polaroid Instant Film is dead at 60ish. The cause of death was murder. The Digital Age, 25, of Silicon Valley, Calif., admitted to the crime.

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In case you hadn't heard, the tiny cafe at 43rd and Bryant has closed its doors, so Kingfield will have to do without its scratch-made dinners and light-as-a-bubble sugar buns. I spoke with owner Gretchen Bustin, who said that right now she's not sure what she's doing next. Let's hope it'll be restaurant-related.

Is Prince getting hip replacement surgery? This rumor swirled around the tabloids and internet a few years ago, and it's made a reappearance in the wake of his recent Oscars afterparty. I personally don't believe it. But just in case, please join me in pledging to make only the very gentlest of love to Prince from now on.

Is Canada negligent in its winter road maintenance? We printed a blurb recommending people check out the PWRFL Power show at Big V's on Saturday March 1. But the tour van slid on black ice IN CANADA and it's totaled and neither PWRFL Power nor tourmates Capillary Action will make the show. The new line-up at V's that night: Self-Evident, Group Icky Rats (Chris from STNNNG), and the Yoleus.

Do you want to be in a music video? Cloud Cult are shooting one for the "Everybody Here is a Cloud" single off their upcoming April release, Feel Good Ghosts. They need a crowd of extras, so show up Sunday March 2 at Como Park in St. Paul. Deets are here. You freeze your ass off and you don't get paid. But what do you care, hey remember you're a cloud.

Ahh, another New York Times article about the trendy frozen yogurt battles being waged in Greenwich Village, where Pinkberry and Red Mango face-off like dairy-based Jets and Sharks.

So should we expect this sort of thing coming soon to Hennepin Avenue? Not according to Pinkberry’s website, which states that store franchises are available to residents of certain states--and Minnesota’s not one of them.

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Sia
Feb. 26, 2008
Fine Line Music Cafe
Review by Jeff Shaw
Photos by Tony Nelson

The line stretched far up the block more than two hours in advance of Sia Furler's performance, and the Fine Line's floor was already filling up at 8:30 p.m. The sold-out Tuesday show was either much anticipated, or people were just anticipating the triumphant return of opening act Har Mar Superstar, or likely both.

Sia's band entered in costume to "Gonna Fly Now." More photos by Tony Nelson.

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Graffiti Research Lab is a revolutionary group founded by James Powderly and Evan Roth. Through special events, workshops, a public blog, and field research with graffiti artists they have created new and innovative technologies, all of which they make available to the public. Two of these innovations include the LED throwy, a magnetic device that can be used to attach lights to metal surfaces, and the laser trolley, a machine that can be pulled behind a bike and used to project art and political statements on any surface. In town this week to chat on electronic art and technology, James Powderly took a moment to discuss GRL with City Pages.More >>

While news cameras, amateur photographers, and bloggers were documenting the Maxwell's fire last week in real-time, Steve Barone was watching from the window of his ad agency office, dreaming up a superhuman rescue plan.

It starts with a camera--he sets it on a tripod, points it at the fire, and starts rolling. The rest happens at home. "I have a small green screen there, a Superman outfit, and a girl handy," he says.

At 9 PM, with firefighters still decompressing from the long battle, Steve Barone posted his rescue to the webernet for the whole world to see--and marvel...

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Minneapolis got a mega-dose of luxe living when the new Hotel Ivy opened last Thursday: pricey penthouse, super-swank spa, and the year's most anticipated restaurant, Porter & Frye. One of the main reasons for the excitement is that the kitchen is run by chef Steven Brown, formerly of Harry's Food and Cocktails (and Restaurant Levain and RockStar), with the assistance of a number of other notable talents, including Landon Schoenfeld (Barbette, Bulldog NE) and Mark McGraw (Confluence).

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Come on, children, all together now:

"I-35 is falling down/ falling down/ falling down/I-35 is falling down/My dear Pawlenty."

So the song goes when uttered from the lips of Carter Malouf, a Minneapolis native and sophomore at Washington University in St. Louis.

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Before the Blind Shake took the stage at the Triple Rock on Saturday night, we spotted them going through a series of stretches backstage. Once the power trio got onstage, the purpose for the pre-show ritual became apparent -- the leaps and contortions during their frenetic stage show keep the audience engaged and put the band in danger from muscle pulls. They played as the second act on a three-band bill also featuring the Dynamiters and the headlining Heroine Sheiks. With two fiery guitars and drums, the stripped-down Shake keep the musical energy as high as the risk of injury.

The previous evening over at the Turf Club saw presumably fewer opportunities to tear one's hamstring, but more opportunities to drown one's sorrows. The wake for the venerable "Homegrown" radio program saw artists from P.O.S. to Haley Boner perform. Paul Demko reports. P.O.S. was also among many -- including several Doomtree artists -- who took time to celebrate Dre Day at First Avenue.

ST. VINCENT: ONCE MORE, WITH FEELING

Unlike St. Vincent's last trip through town, this time the artist otherwise known as Annie Clark brought a full band with her. Friday night, Clark and company showed why multiple instruments plus the Cedar Cultural Center's intimate setting is an expert mix.

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