Heliotrope kicks off today

Vampire Hands at last year's Heliotrope, photographed by waltzcore.

There's something a little fearsome about festivals, isn't there? Is it the throngs of the like minded, bumbling around with beers? Is it the prospect of a long, arid expanse of homogenous music?

Well, Heliotrope, now in its remarkable sixth year, is no such dreadful affair. No Warped Tour, this-- no Lollapalooza. Heliotrope is a three day showcase of our cities' experimental musicians, noise artists, and sonically intrepid acts of all sizes and shapes. Were you to spend a straight 36 hours there from tonight until its final fade out on Saturday, it's assured that you won't hear the same note twice. Head below the jump for line-ups, setlists, and general info for all 3 days.
Poster by Josh Journey-Heinz of Knife World.

HELIOTROPE VI

May 28-May 30

Shows start at 6:00 P.M.

Ritz Theater, 345 13th Avenue NE, Minneapolis (just down the street from the 331 Club).

$8.00 one day pass/ $15.00 two day pass/ $20.00 three day pass

THURSDAY MAY 28

International Novelty Gamelan - 11:15
Spires That In The Sunset Rise - 10:30
Paul Metzger - 9:45
Take Acre - 9:00
BruteHeart - 8:15
John Zuma Saint Pelvyn- 7:30
Young Quitters - 7:00
Adam Patterson - 6:30
Visions Of Christ - 6:00

FRIDAY MAY 29

Gay Witch Abortion - 11:30
Knife World - 10:45
Thunderbolt Pagoda - 10:00
Lungs - 9:15
Build My Gallows High - 8:30
Michael Yonkers (solo) - 7:45
Wrong - 7:00
Milo Fine - Davu Seru - 6:00

SATURDAY MAY 30

White Map - at the end
Skoal Kodiak - 11:00
Vampire Hands - 10:15
Tender Meat - 9:45
Mach FoX - 9:00
Kontrol Panel - 8:15
Moonstone - 7:30
Flavor Crystals - 6:45
Aerosol Pike - 6:00

Our take? The nights get progressively more listenable from Thursday (the most esoteric) to Saturday (the most terrestrial, with the exception of White Map and Skoal Kodiak). But anyone with an adventurous ear owes it to themselves to attend. Give it one day, and your odds of relapsing for the next night go through the roof.