Arts
Northern Spark reportedly in jeopardy, seeks Kickstarter funding
"Last year’s Northern Spark all-night art event was, to be frank, very awesome," write the editors of Secrets of the City. "After success like that, it’s a bit of a bummer to hear the event might be in jeopardy for this year."MORE »
"Slavery by another name" airing on PBS
On Monday, February 13th, PBS stations will air a 90 minute documentary called “Slavery By Another Name”, based on a book by journalist Douglas Blackmon.MORE »
Sunup to sundown, Magic 1530 broadcasts a local vibe
KQSP-AM — “Magic 1530” is the Twin Cities’ first AM R&B station since 2001.
“It was a Spanish topical format,” explains Magic General Manager Rodney Smith on the station before it switched formats in June 2011. “They [the station owners] brought me in and switched it to an Adult AC [Adult Contemporary] format. It’s been going good for us.”MORE »
FRIDAY PICK | First waltz: Dr. Dog at First Avenue
Philadelphia's Dr. Dog are one of the most interesting bands on the indie circuit, distinguishing themselves with talent and ambition despite the fact that their sound, when described in words, sounds the same as every other shaggy-boy band to lope into town and steal Minneapolitans' hearts. With multiple songwriters who are also evocative vocalists, a shambling sound that hides a formidible instrumental attack, and a taste for unusual and complex song structures, the closest point of reference is The Band; locals who enjoy the flannelled-and-bearded men of the Fleet Foxes, Dawes, Mumford et al (you know who you are, and so do I) should be well-pleased. Dr. Dog headline First Ave's Mainroom on February 17, with Purling Hiss.MORE »
Does Minnesota need a biennial?
"I don't think the world needs another biennial." That was Adam Weinberg's answer when I asked him whether he thought Minnesota needs an art biennial.MORE »
THURSDAY PICK | El Dorado Conquistador Museum: Now with more booze and photo booths
Have you ever been to Minneapolis's El Dorado Conquistador Museum? No? Oh, but I think you have. Have you ever been to the Kitty Cat Klub? Local writer Eric Dregni formerly curated the museum—er, "museum"—in a law school bookstore, but the gems of the collection are now on view in the KCK's pool room. It's what's left of America's only museum dedicated to the effluence of kitschy conquistadors that became faddish in the late 60s and early 70s after Man of La Mancha became a smash hit on Broadway and in movie theaters.MORE »
FRIDAY PICK | Happy birthday to the Big Wu
One of my dad's proudest achievements as a parent is having introduced my brother Joe to the jam band that Joe and his friends, as teenagers, followed across the Upper Midwest in our family's giant conversion van. (Bumper sticker: where the heck is the big wu?) Minnesota's answer to the Grateful Dead have been chooglin' for two decades now, and they'll celebrate that landmark on February 10 at the Cabooze with what they describe as "the type of music that wants to course through your veins." Expect a crowd full of well-tracked ditches.MORE »
THEATER | "Crashing the Party" at Mixed Blood Theatre makes its world premiere
Crashing the Party, a world premiere play by Josh Tobiessen, is a comedy about a family's pursuit of the ever-elusive American dream. Below are photos from a rehearsal of the play, which opens on February 10 at Mixed Blood Theatre.MORE »
MN VOICES | From Korea to Minnesota and back: Kelly Fern shares her remarkable double-adoption story
The more you learn about Kelly Fern, the more you want to know. Not only does she tell a moving personal story of being adopted from Korea at age five, she reveals that on the flight to America, her identity was accidentally switched with that of another young adoptee—a circumstance that ultimately resulted in her family adopting three Korean girls, not just the two sisters they'd expected. Further, Fern herself had a child who she gave up for adoption. In the space of less than a year, Fern recently reconnected with both her biological family in Korea and her biological daughter in Minnesota. By this point, you may be thinking Fern should write a book—and, in fact, she has.MORE »
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