Minneapolis / St. Paul Music Blog

Photo Credit: Ivor Karabatkovic

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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. 

B Fresh Photography

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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.

Photo By B Fresh Photography

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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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.