Lady Of Rage surprises everyone at Snoop show (interview)

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B FRESH Photography
You may know Lady Of Rage from her famous early-'90s hit single "Afro Puffs" that came out like a warning siren from a tough-as-nails sister and featured Snoop Dogg. Her deep, fearless voice bellowed through the speakers on said hit unexpectedly at Epic in Minneapolis on Thursday when Snoop surprised everyone with her introduction. It made the Wonderland High Tour truly memorable and had Twitter going crazy.

Lady of Rage has made quite an impact on hip-hop's timeline with her lyrical style, but has been in hibernation cooking up her next album, Verbal Abuse. Even with her absence from the scene, there was no need for her to don a dark blue prison jumpsuit or have buff men dancing behind bars (circa 1995 Source Awards) to demonstrate how fierce she still is.

P.O.S. talks touring, tattoos and Minneapolis (interview)

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Photo Credit: Ivor Karabatkovic

At the forefront of the second wave of Minneapolis indie rap, P.O.S. a.k.a Stef Alexander is an artist to be reckoned with these days, having just returned to Minneapolis after wrapping up the longest tour of his life promoting Never Better. Call most rappers an "artist" and you'll raise more than a few cynical eyebrows, but from the jump as the leader of the Doomtree pack to his work with hardcore band Building Better Bombs, that's simply the way Stef and his music come across. 


Stef took a few minutes to catch us up a few days prior to his homecoming show at First Avenue this weekend -- the second of its kind in two years. You know you're on the right path when each homecoming show outdoes the next tenfold -- and that's our stone cold prediction for Saturday. Get there early. 


Tags: POS, Rhymesayers

5 Questions: Quietdrive's Kevin Truckenmiller

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Kevin T: Giving Kurt C a run for his money


Surprise! Tonight's Station 4 lineup will not only include round-the-blockers The Academy Is... and Mayday Parade, but  Minneapolis' own Quietdrive will join them as well -- their anthemic tunes sure to raise up some lighters and devil horns. As usual, singer Kevin Truckenmiller was assuming a frantic pace this afternoon as we got the dish on their recent reception overseas, a final ode to the Metrodome, and their new EP, "Close Your Eyes."



5+ Questions with 'dark fashion' designer Mackenzie LaBine

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Emily Utne for City Pages
There are a ton of events going down this coming weekend through next weekend for MN Fashion Week, but one sticks out to us as a sure-fire bet for some unique looks: Couture Noir at the Varsity this Wednesday. The event is produced by renowned Hairpolice stylist Mackenzie LaBine, who has been making charmingly bizarre clothes with a dark edge since the early 00s. Her designs plug into a jaded/gothic/pseudo-romantic attitude, and we're grateful for that because we don't want to see another thoughtless leggings and sundress combo for a long, long time.  Here's what LaBine told us about her show.

Tags: MNFashion

Q&A: Dirtygirl rapper Amanda Blank

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Photo by Shane McCauley
When hipsters of the future look back upon the latter half of the millennium and the advent of the bright-colored skinny jean, they will no doubt note it was marked with a string of successes by female rappers. A few of them busted through the constraints of the "fem-cee" image (wherein style prevails over talent) to change the game (inarguably M.I.A and Lady Sovereign); others fulfilled their destiny to fizzle (Roxy Cottontail, Uffie). The jury's still out on the likes of Kid Sister, Santigold and Spankrock-spawned dirtygirl rapper Amanda Blank.

But something tells us upon hearing the latter performer's new album I Love You that Blank just might have a shelf life longer than a tube of mascara. The album's produced by the oft imitated Diplo and Switch, as well as Blank's longtime pal XXXChange of Spankrock, and it's a grimy electro-rap gem teeming (not forced) with personality. We spent a few minutes with Blank over e-mail this week before her show tonight with Matt & Kim, and she kept things refreshingly short and sweet. 
Tags: Amanda Blank, Q&A

5 Questions with famous hip-hop photographer Lauri Lyons

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B Fresh Photography

It was in Minneapolis that world-renowned photographer Lauri Lyons realized she wanted to be a photographer, investigate culture, tell stories, and adventure the world with her camera. She came to the Minneapolis College of Art and Design to peruse her interest in such things as designing albums and posters. But it wasn't until one day in Minneapolis that she realized how much she loved the camera. "I made the decision, by chance, to take a photography course," she tells the attentive crowd at the Walker Art Center, "and that changed everything--instantly-- immediately."

City Pages sat down with Lyons for a brief moment between her artist residency with homeless youth at Kulture Klub and digging for classic vinyl for her sculpture and sound instillation for B-Girl Be. she shares with us what she's been up to since the years when she called the Twin Cities home.

5 Questions with Brother Ali as 'Us' approaches

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Photo By B Fresh Photography

Brother Ali's forthcoming album is upon us. That's right, Rhymesayers' lyrical heavy-hitter is back again, but with a more introspective tone than ever. The album Us will "touch on the strengths and flaws of the human condition, exploring drug abuse, divorce, homophobia and many more topics that most people are scared to touch in their own lives, much less on an album for the world to see," according to the release. Gimmie Noise caught up with Ali at his recent video shoot in the Warehouse District to get personal, and get the scoop on his tour and new album.

5 Questions: Backstage with Jeremy Dawson of Shiny Toy Guns

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Alcohol is a hell of a drug.  Last night, Twin Cities party people turned up in droves to the Fine Line for Amstel Light's Amsterdam Live showcase, thirsty for the gallons of free beer and an impressive lineup of music, including DJ Steve Aoki and LA electro-rock outfit Shiny Toy Guns. The Guns aren't Minneapolis virgins--they've been here often, either in support of other bands or as headliners themselves. Combine a solid Minneapolis fan base with a boatload of free brew, and the result gets a little rowdy, even on a school night (if you were there, you might even be reading this from the comfort of your couch after you called in sick). Amidst all the chaos, Gimme Noise had a chance to catch up with Shiny Toy Guns' bassist and keyboard wizard, Jeremy Dawson, who talked to us about tour essentials, killer albums, and dressing up like King Arthur.

Q&A: Rapper Immortal Technique (FREE MIX)

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B FRESH Photography
Immortal Technique isn't your typical rapper. He raps about colonialism and racism rather than about girls and booze. Instead of spending money on chains and rims, he has wisely invested his money and given to humanitarian causes such as opening an orphanage/hospital in Afghanistan with Omeid International.

After returning to the U.S. from his trip to Afghanistan, and hitting up the stage at Soundset '09, Gimme Noise caught Technique, who was in rare form: on vacation -- in Minnesota. We chopped it up about his favorite place to eat in the Twin Cities, how he spends his time off, managing his investments, his love for classical music, and of course, revolution.

Gimme Noise: So you are taking some time off in MN? Did you catch a case of MN Nice?

Immortal Technique: I took a couple of days off because honestly, I don't very often get to do that. I work ALL THE TIME. My entire life is built around 'Objective, objective, mission complete. Objective, objective, mission complete.' But I've been here a bunch of times. The first time I came out to Minnesota, my boys back home were like "You're going to Minn....esota? Fuck is out there? And I was like, 'Yo, B, they made the call. I'll make the trip. I'll tell you when I get home." It was mad love. Then the first show I ever did at First Ave was something K Salaam set up-an event with Brother Ali... I like it out here. It's cool.

5 Questions with infamous gay rapper Johnny Dangerous

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Johnny Dangerous is more sassy than he is dangerous on a normal day, but put a mic in his hand and he transforms into something like the gay version of Eminem. No one is safe from this Minnesota boy when he's on stage -- not his peers, not the gay media, not even you. This weekend he comes home to play the Hip-Hop Against Homophobia show at the Bedlam on the West Bank (our friends at Culture Bully have the info here), and so we plucked Johnny from a dark alley to ask him a few questions before sending him back to into the depths of Dangerousness.


Gimme Noise: First, the question we always ask, what are your current projects and what are you excited about? 
  
Johnny Dangerous: I just dropped the video for "(Wan Dat) Azz Iz" on the MTV/Logo network, along with a maxi-single of hot dance remixes on iTunes. In addition to performing in Minneapolis this weekend, I'll be in L.A. next weekend playing and promoting the release of "Pick Up The Mic" on DVD. I'm also releasing an R-rated video called "Hotline," with more dance remixes to follow! Check out all the details on www.johnnydangerousworld.com.

5 Questions with DJ Klever, party rocker & DMC champion

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There are DJs, and then there are DMC scratch battle champions. And then there's Atlanta's head honcho behind the turntables, DJ Klever, who is both and yet totally unique in his style. It's a miracle his equipment doesn't spontaneously combust as he's wrecking the decks with his slicing, juggling, scratching and track selection. To see him once is to love him - and you can see him for free tonight at the Scion show with RSVP

Gimme Noise: If I were to go to one of your gigs in Atlanta and pull someone from your crowd and ask them what you are to the city, what would s/he say?

Klever: If you were to pull the most sweaty stinky kid in the club getting crazy, they would say Klever is fucking GOD. Haha. Just playin'. It's kind of weird for me to answer that question because it's conceited of me to say that. They would say, "Klever makes my socks sweaty. Klever kills it!"

Tags: DJ Klever

Fischerspooner frontman Casey Spooner: The extended interview (MP3)

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He's loud, proud and covered in a thick film of glitter, sweat and extraordinarily expensive costumes most nights. Gimme Noise talked to the man responsible for Fischerspooner's vocals, lyrics and legendary performances (which are something like Rocky Horror meets Jetsons-era Studio 54) on a day that found him walking around his New York City neighborhood. Welcome to the life of Casey Spooner, which, it turns out, is actually kind of ... normal.  (Get interview that ran in print here).

GN: Some people say that in order to "get" Fischerspooner, you have to see them live. Do you agree? 

Casey Spooner: I'm most happy for people to enjoy the show and enjoy the music. Some people like the music more than the show and vice versa, but everything we do we put a lot of energy into -- no one thing recedes. We push the film, design, music, and performance and we work as hard as we can to make it as dynamic as possible. There's not this traditional relationship with music and performance where music is leading. It's all on equal footing.

5 Q's with Soundset artist Big Jess of Unknown Prophets

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The Unknown Prophets have been a notable part of the Twin Cities hip-hop scene since the late '90s, bringing their thoughtful rhymes and lofty instrumentation to countless sets since the Bon Appetit days of Dinkytown -- but we came to a realization recently that we don't know nearly enough about them (thanks to Slug for pointing this out in an interview months ago). To start, we hit UPs producer/lyricist Big Jess with 5 questions before his appearance at Soundset this Sunday. 


What's new with the UP's right now? We heard you're forming a band? 

Big Jess: We are putting the finishing touches on our new album, Le System D, which is free of samples. Mike (Mad Son) came up with the melodies on his guitar, most of the concepts and choruses, and I laid the drums (MPC 1000). We took turns adding keyboard parts and have a few guest spots from local musicians. It's nothing like anything we've done before. We are extremely excited. Mike has assembled local musicians to replicate what we've done on the record at live shows, and at the same time add their special touch to the songs.

5 Questions with incoming EDM master Matthew Dear

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Last time Ghostly International label star and intelligent techno master Matthew Dear (a.k.a. Audion) was in town, he sang over his set at the Triple Rock. There were mixed reviews on the dancibility of it all, but anytime this angelic posterboy is behind the decks at any club, people always seem to agree on his mind-expanding musicality. Having moved from Detroit/Ann Arbor to New York two years ago, Gimme Noise talked to the producer/DJ/EDM project manager about coming back to Minneapolis to again attempt to satisfy insatiable late night techno desires...

GN: You know Minneapolis has a vibrant techno scene. In your travels to the Twin Cities in the past, is that what you encountered? What do you remember about it and are you excited to return?

Of course... It was always a home away from home when I lived in Detroit. There are very many similarities between the Minneapolis, Chicago, and Detroit scenes and a their shared history. People out in Minneapolis (as well as Chicago & Detroit) have a sense of purpose and respect when it comes techno and house. This always makes for a great crowd on the dancefloor too.

5 Questions with Detroit-based activist/rapper Invincible

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Photo by B Fresh Photography
Detroit's Invincible kicks back before 'A Taste Of Philly'

Detroit rapper and community activist Invincible came through the Twin Cities to rip the mic at the Taste of Philly at Trocaderos last weekend. From learning English through rap songs at the early age of 7 and writing rhymes at 9, to using hip-hop to inspire social change, Invincible is a forward-thinking emcee with a mission. Her music reflects a strong passion and commitment to her community. Released on her own label, Invincible's new album, Shapeshifters even features a "docu-music video" with several young folks and activists discussing their ideas for sustainable development in Detroit. Even though she is quite serious, she can surely throw down in a fight -- and by the way, loves Boggle.

CP: You're reppin' Detroit but will be playing a show called "A Taste of Philly." What's up with that?

I: Detroit and Philly are sister cities musically -- the sounds have influenced each other greatly, so sometimes people get us mixed up. I was honored to share a stage with these legendary Philly artists who I grew up listening to. I guarantee [you can find me] wearing Detroit gear from head to toe, and shouting out "The D" every 5 minutes at [any] show!

5 Questions with: The Mighty Underdogs

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B Fresh Photography
Headnodic, Gift Of Gab, Lateef The Truthspeaker


Bay Area rap trio The Mighty Underdogs were in town last week at the Cabooze and we got to kick it with them (Gift Of Gab, Lateef The Truth Speaker & Headnodic) before they shoved off for another tour stop to promote their new Def Jux album, Droppin' Science Fiction. We present to you: 5 Questions with the Mighties.


GN: On your new album, Droppin' Science Fiction, you have a song called "Laughing At You," clownin' on whack rappers and lame dudes. When was a time you were the one being laughed at?

Gift of Gab: (Laughs) How do I say this and save face? I got laughed at while on tour somewhere in the Midwest. Not knowing my mic was out, I ran out on stage forcefully like I was Superman about to take over the whole crowd and the mic was off. It was embarrassing and only a couple of people chuckled.

Headnodic: During the filming of the "Science Fiction" video, (which is coming out soon) I was asked by the director to run for my life in front of the green screen. About 50 people were hanging around and apparently I run like a sissy. He told me to tone it down, and bring it down from a 10 to a 7, more like a 6 1/2. Everyone quietly chuckled. It was embarrassing but fun nonetheless.

Drinking with Ian at the Grammys

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Photo by Rich Ryan

Minneapolis was representing at the Grammys Sunday night, even if it is a dubious place to represent. Ian Rans -- he of TV's Drinking with Ian -- was on hand for the ceremony with Stand Up! Records' Dan Schlissel. Schlissel was nominated for his work producing Lewis Black's latest CD, for which Ian did graphic design work. (Two years ago they took home a trophy for their work on Black's last CD, but this time around they lost to George Carlin.) Gimme Noise caught up with Minneapolis's favorite talk show host and man-about-town to get the inside scoop on the notoriously lame awards show -- from the pre-televised daytime portion where the majority of the trophies are distributed, to the nighttime finale dominated by Justin Timberlake and seen on TV by dozens if not hundreds of viewers.

5 Questions with: Attitude City

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(Karl Frankowski, left; Jeff Dubois, right) Photo by Bummpy via Flickr

It was the summer of 2005, and a bunch of expressive and tight-knit friends found themselves at a small North Side warehouse smeared with fake blood and speckled with other suspect props (such as mirrors with baking soda poured on them to resemble... well, you know what it resembles). It was the "Crime Scene Party" and it was the brainchild of local promoter/DJ crew Attitude City, which functions more like a duo in Minneapolis (their third, Dave Shaw, is located in Canada).

Since then, Karl Frankowski and Jeff Dubois have championed a yearly yacht party, a Cosby sweater party, and many gigs in between, including a VIP Room residency kicking off late last year called "Street Sounds (Swirling Through My Mind)," named after the never-stale Bucketheads track.

One thing you can expect from these guys is that, despite their silly-but-fun themes, they always keep it real: they are two of few DJs uncorrupted by Serrato and truly dedicated to vinyl. Now that's something we can really respect.



5 Questions with: Andy Butler from Hercules And Love Affair


"The Spirit Of 09" New Year's party featuring
Hercules And Love Affair (DJ set)
The Loft / $35/$45 / Dec. 31 / 18+Buy Tickets

Hercules And Love Affair is probably the most exciting (and inarguably, gay) thing to happen to dance music in years, it's freshness a strange thing considering it takes a startlingly upfront cue from the earliest days of old man disco. Even stranger, though: The group is a hodge podge of New York misfits ranging from ex party-kid Andy Butler to the sweetly androgynous Kim Ann Foxman to glam transsexual Nomi to one of the most unique voices in music -- period -- vocalist Antony (of Antony & The Johnsons). While the latter singer's vibrato is what makes H&LA pop, Butler's branchild spawned from his beats and was signed to LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy's DFA label almost from the jump. We talked to the enigmatic producer from his Brooklyn apartment about disco music and why it's more than (and maybe now anything but) goldfish platforms, 1 a.m. coke binges and nauseating dress shirts. 

City Pages: Everyone has a story about how they found their favorite genre -- so explain how you met disco.

Andy Butler: My first exposure to disco music -- aside from things like Saturday Night Fever and Sesame Street disco you heard as a little kid -- was through house msuic, which was sampling it a lot. The first time I got to hear a contemporary DJs play all disco music, I was 17 years old when I heard DJ Garth of Tonka Soundsystem play play. He would play disco sometimes and I actually bought a mixtape where he played all disco for four hours and didn't play anything newer than 1983. I was like, wow, there is a whole world of dance music outside of house music made by people coming together and recording tons of instruments. I had been listening to all the house records that were sampling the originals disco records, so I started sniffing out all the originals.


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