The God Damn Doo Wop Band, courtesy of their Myspace page.

Before you even ask-- yes, a band called Idle Hands has recorded there.

30 bands might seem like a big chaw to chew. But when you've been recording bands for five years strong, and you work your rear off to become a name that musicians in the wary local community will trust, getting 30 bands under your flag is a snap.

Tomorrow at the 400 Bar, a full day of music begins at noon on the dot, and will unspool far into the bar close hours. The robust line-up  of bands, each of whom have recorded at the Devil's Workshop, includes acts like Rope Trick, The Dirty Hits, The God Damn Doo Wop Band, and Cortez the Killer. Which is to say the Devil's Workshop covers a lot of ground in its ambitious stride.

It's a hell of a birthday party to be sure, and Chad Weis from Devil's Workshop spoke with Gimme Noise about what it means to be a part of a music community, and about the collaborative, not competitive, atmosphere within it.

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Colin Johnson of Vampire Hands, plus chiaroscuro

For several years, Vampire Hands have been reaping a lion's share of critical and popular acclaim in our Siamese cities. With their 2008 release of Me and You Cherry Red ending up on multiple short lists of outstanding local releases, growing national repute, and a month long coast-to-coast sojourn in 2007 with Thunder in the Valley, they occupy the crow's nest of our musical vessel.

Colin Johnson, who shares vocal duties with Chris Beirden and percussion duty with Alex Rose, spoke to Gimme Noise about the new album, SXSW, and the advent of a local music renaissance.


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DJ Colette is very pretty. That's said not in a condescending way, but as a statement of fact, backed up not only by her appealing mug, but the entire aesthetic that has followed this highly talented DJ/singer/producer throughout her decade-plus career. She went from ambitious girl-DJ-who-sings-over-her-mix to respected house music player as a member of the SuperJane collective, and now she's an internationally renowned producer and performer. Take one look at her Web site, her MySpace, or her scores of album and singles releases -- flowers and stars, sparkles and swirls. Her lip-gloss ain't poppin' like a lot of sex bomb celebrities in the house music scene, but Colette (born Colette Marino) adds a female touch to a community that can too often feel simultaneously like a dude fest and a spring break grind session. Interview after the jump....

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God's Pottery has done for gently mocking, hokey Christian music what Sasha Baron Cohen's character Borat did for laughing at Kazakhstan. Guitar player Jeremiah Smallchild and bell player and singer Gideon Lamb are always in character, never do press under their real names (Wilson Hall and Krister Johnson), and earn both laughs and jeers for their work. They did quite well on NBC's Last Comic Standing this summer, and now they're setting out on the road bring the Good Word to comedy clubs.

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Duluth-born comedian Maria Bamford's quirky impressions and internal dialogues have made her a hit with festival audiences and critics. Now she returns to her home state with a successful online sitcom to her credit and a book and TV series on Fox in the works.

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Michigan-based photographer Stefan Peterson has made a career of standing alongside stomping, thrashing throngs at rock shows and snapping crystal-clear photos of the mayhem. He's been photographing rock music shows and scenes since the mid-90s, and his latest exhibit, “Together in the Darkness,” is made of photos he took while documenting rock in Sweden.

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By day, Ryan Cruz and Darin Corbin are mild-mannered young men emerging from adolescence. But put them in a wrestling ring in front of screaming fans, and they transform into their shirtless, full-contact alter egos in matching green and purple spandex pants: pro wrestling tag-team Northstar Express. Tonight at F1rst Wrestling Presents: The Return 08, the duo will take on 6% Body Fat Rob James and a mystery partner.

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This week the Minnesota Zoo is set to open its latest permanent exhibition, Russia's Grizzly Coast. Built to emulate the far northeastern coast of Russia, the habitat will be home to grizzly bears, rare Amur Leopards, Amur Tigers, sea otters, and boars. Zoo Director and CEO Lee Ehmke discusses the exhibit, which is the only one of its kind in anywhere in the world. Go inside Russia's Grizzly Coast at our slideshow here.

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When Augusten Burroughs published his first memoir, Running With Scissors in 2002, he made readers laugh and question how anybody could have survived a traumatic childhood filled with statutory rape, prescription drugs, and a bizarre psychiatrist.

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John Perkins used to be corporate hotshot. As a young man he was what he calls an “economic hit man.” His job was to scout out poor nations and convince their governments to take American loans, knowing the governments had no hope of paying them back.

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