Arts

MUSIC REVIEW | Lissie is a natural at the Varsity Theater

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:19:55 +0000

Patrick Dunn

TC Daily Planet

What one word could be used to best describe the sound and vibe of folk rock singer Lissie? A good choice would be “organic.” Divas take a lesson, she’s got the voice and stage presence and doesn’t need a ton of makeup, sparkling gowns or notorious attitude. This Mid-Western girl is on her way to becoming a well known musical force and has already reached that status with many Cities 97 listeners having played the Basilica Block Party and Oake on the Water in addition to making a studio appearance at 89.3 The Current. In fact, she will be opening the season of the newly named Sun Soaker Thursdays tonight at Redstone in Eden Prairie. Take if from everyone who got to see her sold-out Minneapolis show last night and left with a smile on their face, keep an eye out for the next time she comes to town and buy your ticket immediately.

The Room / The Crowd:
A diverse mix of music lovers packed The Varsity Theater to see Lissie perform on May 22^nd. This venue was the perfect fit for this performance based on the size and feel of the room. The stage was setup simple with just instruments and no special props or extra lighting. The main focus was appropriately placed on the most important detail, a great sounding mix–bravo.

The Band:
Lissie’s vocal talent is the star of the show and she also strums a mean hollow body Telecaster. Eric Sullivan showed off his relaxed playing style on lead guitar with some tasty riffs and attention grabbing solo’s, the best being on “In Sleep.” A unique talent, Lewis Keller actually played bass and drums at the same time on songs where their drummer is busy playing keyboards or steel guitar.

The Songs:
The 12 song show was solid and never really lost any momentum. “The Habit” provided a good starting point, but fans really responded to the second track “When I’m Alone.” The audience was really having fun during “Little Lovin’” and joined in on a chant that had Lissie stomping her feet and pumping a fist in the air. A sure standout, “Everywhere I Go” just felt good and had a nice build up to a key change that added intensity to the climax. Saving some of the best for last, “In Sleep” had the ability to give you chills before the set ended with her cover of Kid Cudi’s “Pursuit of Happiness,” a fan favorite.

Encore:
There did not appear to be an encore planned or written on the setlist. The house lights came on and the crowd literally demanded an encore with their cheers and chanting “Lissie, Lissie.” She did finally return to perform “Oh Mississippi,” saying they haven’t been doing this, but this crowd definitely deserved it.

Setlist:
"The Habit"
"When I’m Alone"
"Sleepwalking"
"They All Want You"
"Little Lovin’"
"Shameless"
"Romance Police"
"I Don’t Wanna Go To Work"
"Everywhere I Go"
"In Sleep"
"Pursuit of Happiness"

Bonus Encore:
"Oh Mississippi"

Read Katie Sisnero's review of Lissie at the Cedar Cultural Center with photos by Mandy Dwyer (January 2011) and Jay Gabler's review of Lissie and Alison Scott at the Triple Rock (January 2010).

Coverage of issues and events that affect Central Corridor neighborhoods and communities is funded in part by a grant from Central Corridor Funders Collaborative.

Read Katie Sisnero's review of Lissie at the Cedar Cultural Center with photos by Mandy Dwyer (January 2011) and Jay Gabler's review of Lissie and Alison Scott at the Triple Rock (January 2010).

Coverage of issues and events that affect Central Corridor neighborhoods and communities is funded in part by a grant from Central Corridor Funders Collaborative.

MUSIC REVIEW | Bush give you butterflies at First Avenue

Thu, 23 May 2013 05:47:56 +0000

Alaina Lewis

TC Daily Planet

Packed floor to ceiling, First Avenue was bursting with grunge rock goodness, as the Twin Cities turned up for London bred rock band BUSH. Fronted by the incredible vocals of Gavin Rossdale, the band breezed in to the city on May 22^nd, to fill the historic concert hall with a 3 decade song book inclusive of the best of their old and the best of their new music. Opening act BloodnStuff, a two-piece rock band from Minneapolis, set the mood off right, before giving the stage up to the main attraction.

If you were one of the lucky ones who got their early enough to get a prime view of the stage before the boys from BUSH came out to rock, then your eyes didn’t have to navigate through a sea of outstretched cell phones. Everyone seemed interested in documenting this seemingly historic moment, and who could blame them? Although BUSH has performed in Minneapolis before, this was their first time playing at the historic First Avenue. They certainly earned their star on the wall after this show.

Lifelong fans of the powerhouse group experienced a memory lane serenade of some of the best BUSH has ever offered. Song after song, easily, one was able to reacquaint themselves with the very moment in their musical timeline where their obsession began with these four rock God’s. Rossdale, was rightfully unapologetic for his hypnotizing vocals as he pleasantly rasped over hits like "The Sound of Winter," "Everything Zen," "Machinehead," "Little Things," "The Chemical Between Us," and more.

They performed like veterans—they know their music, they know how to please their crowd, but moreover they understand how to deliver a show like it’s their very first time ripping a stage. I’m certain any of these guys could navigate the chords to the haunting "Glycerine" in their sleep, however, their performance on each of their tracks this evening had a fresh appeal. It hit your soul like a first kiss, and even left you with the beauty in that butterfly feeling.

If you missed this show, I hope you can join them the next time they come to town. If Twin Cities gas prices weren’t the highest in the nation, I’d encourage to hop behind the wheel of your car, and try to catch them tonight in Council Bluffs, IA. But hey, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll just stick it to your bank book, and make the journey anyway. BUSH is worth it.

Coverage of issues and events that affect Central Corridor neighborhoods and communities is funded in part by a grant from Central Corridor Funders Collaborative.

Augie’s Secrets: A mensch among Jewish gangsters

Neal Gendler — Wed, 22 May 2013 21:25:16 +0000

American Jewish World

It’s a shame Neal Karlen called his 2004 autobiography Shanda, because if ever a book deserved that title, it’s this one.

Not that it’s bad; on the contrary, it’s deliciously snappy, as usual from this son of Minneapolis who writes for big-name East Coast publications. But Jewish gangsters! Of this we should be reminding people?

Augie’s Secrets tells of the 30 or so years when Jews ran a busy Minneapolis criminal underworld — indeed a shanda fur di goyim, which Karlen defines as “a scandal perpetrated by a Jew that makes all Jews look bad in the eyes of non-Jews.”

Jewish gangsters and racketeers must have been especially mortifying in what was then one of the nation’s most anti-Semitic cities. And a gangster in the family? Double shanda.

Augie Ratner, Karlen’s great-uncle, ran a speakeasy called the White Swan, and in 1943 opened Augie’s Theater Lounge, a bar with comics and strippers at 424 Hennepin Avenue — where it remains, its name amended, one of the few remnants of the Gateway clearing project that demolished downtown’s Skid Row.

Karlen’s grandmother referred to her brother Augie as a “geng-stuh,” but Karlen insists he was just a mensch who knew gangsters, even John Dillinger. They drank at his saloons — after checking their guns at the door — and they were fond of him.

Augie, the name young Sam Ratner took while a featherweight boxer, became the “King of Hennepin Avenue,” liked widely and well for his friendliness, soft-touch generosity, willingness to play the buffoon, and ability to keep the secrets he accumulated.

“Everybody loved him, which is why they told him everything,” Karlen says.

Some buffoon. Close New York friends included restaurateur Toots Shor and comic Henny Youngman, and Augie’s home was along Lake of the Isles.

The secrets are of the local underworld, called “Minneapolis Combination” or Syndicate, and the “Minneapolis Line,” a creative way of figuring sports odds and distributing them nationally. So many of these gangsters were Jews that just reading becomes embarrassing.

Karlen sprays names like a nozzle watering flowers. Many remain familiar, such as Meyer Lansky and Benjamin (Bugsy) Siegel. Others were local baddies, such as the feared Davie Berman — run out of town by young Mayor Hubert Humphrey — bootleggers Harry and Yiddy Bloom, and their brother Isadore (Kid Cann) Blumenfeld, who owned a fancy restaurant, illegally controlled multiple liquor licenses and had a reputation as a killer.

Non-gangster Sid Hartman appears several times. The impoverished downtown newsboy’s favorite spot, half a block from Augie’s bar, was Joe Doyle’s restaurant, a hangout for free-spending shady types.

Karlen quotes Hartman: “I would walk in with my papers and get half a buck, maybe a buck for a paper. I was selling two-cent newspapers and would walk out of there with ten bucks.”

One charming Augie story is about taking in a wet, shivering, hungry Norma Hegstrom, 19, six hours off a bus from Fargo. She devoured one of his giant sandwiches — a loaf of bread sliced in half and filled with goods from the North Side’s Lincoln Delicatessen. After eating, she sang “Somebody Else Is Taking My Place,” which she later made a No. 1 hit as Peggy Lee.

Karlan said Augie saw the end approaching in the late 1950s, when Italian clans began to dominate the underworld; Jewish gangsters had sent their sons to become doctors and lawyers. Augie sold the business in 1964 and lived until 1979.

Karlen learned Augie’s secrets from his physician father, who, unlike other family members, treated Augie respectfully, and he interviewed elderly people and corroborated stories with newspaper and other accounts. The result is a witty history from a writer seemingly bereft of inhibition. It’s breezy and brief but has notes, and a bibliography and index.

While Augie’s Secrets, with its spirited writing and page-turning entertainment, doesn’t seem intended as a biography, it would have been nice to learn of the inner Augie. Karlen never met him, and perhaps he was an enigma even to the author’s father. Perhaps the inner Augie was just unknowable. Or perhaps there was none.

Neal Gendler is a Minneapolis writer and editor.

It’s a shame Neal Karlen called his 2004 autobiography Shanda, because if ever a book deserved that title, it’s this one.

Jewish gangsters and racketeers must have been especially mortifying in what was then one of the nation’s most anti-Semitic cities. And a gangster in the family? Double shanda.

“Everybody loved him, which is why they told him everything,” Karlen says.

Some buffoon. Close New York friends included restaurateur Toots Shor and comic Henny Youngman, and Augie’s home was along Lake of the Isles.

Karlen quotes Hartman: “I would walk in with my papers and get half a buck, maybe a buck for a paper. I was selling two-cent newspapers and would walk out of there with ten bucks.”

Neal Gendler is a Minneapolis writer and editor.

MUSIC REVIEW | Father John Misty is the show at First Avenue

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:55:58 +0000

Ann Treacy

TC Daily Planet

Last night on Tuesday, May 21, Father John Misty played to a packed house at First Avenue. Solid Gold was the first band. The hometown heroes got the room swaying and blinking to the strobe lights. It’s become rare to see a Minneapolis stage without the Hanson brothers , but again they got folks going.

The for those of us who have been going to shows at First Ave for decades the strangest thing happened. The first band stopped, the second band started and the curtain never came down! Almost alarming. I overheard someone say he was going to miss the awe of the curtain coming up on the band, rather than witness the inner working of the band preparing. But in a prescient move—they did play The Doors between sets.

Once Father John Misty took the stage we forgot the curtain. He is more than a singer, he’s an outright performer. He is very reminiscent of Jim Morrison on stage—well, based on videos I’ve seen anyways. Tall, super slim and writhing—just replace leather pants and no shirt with ripped blue Chino’s and a button down Oxford, which never came off despite desperate requests from the audience.

The stage setting deserves a mention here too—especially on the cusp of Minneapolis's’ Art a Whirl. The backdrop was a painted mural that included rainbows, fireworks, Barbarella character on the cross and a stunning fish-belly white full nude (but modestly posed) picture of Father John Misty. You just don’t see that kind of ironic self aggrandizement on stage often enough.

Father John Misty’s style is playful and kind of smirky, which offsets the dark and sometimes violent lyrics nicely. The songs were great. I’m always impressed with a band that will play their most popular songs early in the show rather than wait for the encore.

What’s funny is how folksy the band sounds given the sold-out nature of the show. Although again the lyrics are dark. As a former English major I have to give props to any artist who can fit Malapropos and Misanthrope into a set. And the final encore (a new solo song by Father John Misty) was another hit with English major types, poking fun of the well simply incorrect, yet populate over usage of the word “literally.”

It was a fun show. The music was great. I would love to see Father John Misty again somewhere else just to see if the antics and playfulness is the same in each town. There were a couple of local shout-outs. And he himself thanked the audience for putting on with obtuse remarks from the stage —and he is obtuse. But sometimes it seem like it would be nice to see Father John Misty step a little out a character. Along with Jim Morrison, the performance also reminded me of Glen Hansard’s show at First Avenue last fall. Both Misty and Hansard are consummate performers. But Hansard seemed more natural and as if audience was part of the show whereas with Misty he is definitely the show.

Read Lisa Heymans' review of Father John Misty's performance at the Varsity Theater along with Meredith Westin's photos (August 2012)

Coverage of issues and events that affect Central Corridor neighborhoods and communities is funded in part by a grant from Central Corridor Funders Collaborative

Read Lisa Heymans' review of Father John Misty's performance at the Varsity Theater along with Meredith Westin's photos (August 2012)

Coverage of issues and events that affect Central Corridor neighborhoods and communities is funded in part by a grant from Central Corridor Funders Collaborative

Noah Baumbach on "Frances Ha," Greta Gerwig, and Roger Ebert

Tue, 21 May 2013 22:21:10 +0000

Jim Brunzell III

The Optimistic Pessimist

Last month, the Walker Art Center wrapped up a retrospective of the work of New York filmmaker and screenwriter Noah Baumbach, ending the series with his latest film Frances Ha, which opens theatrically in the Twin Cities this Friday, May 24 at the Uptown Theatre.

The film stars and was co-written by the wonderfully zippy Greta Gerwig, the female lead from Baumbach's previous directorial effort, Greenberg. She's front and center in this black-and-white, Brooklyn-shot feature where Frances (Gerwig) is an aspiring dancer (and wannabe dance teacher) who loves hanging out with her best friend Sophie (Mickey Sumner, daughter of musician/actor Sting). When Sophie tells Frances that she has started hanging out with a guy and wants to move out of their place together, Frances is unsure what to do next. So begins the tale of Frances looking for meaning, purpose and fun activities to do in life, without her Sophie.

Baumbach visited the Walker for the final piece of his retrospective (Noah Baumbach: Visibly Human) to take part in a dialogue with chief Variety film critic Scott Foundas. The screening of Frances Ha took place the night before, on a very sad day in film culture—not only in America, but also worldwide. It was the day that Pulitzer-Prize-winning film critic Roger Ebert had passed away. Before the screening, Foundas addressed the sold-out crowd and briefly introduced Frances Ha, but then before he left the stage, he notified everyone about Ebert, and how his impact on cinema and film will never be forgotten. He talked about how he had gotten to know Ebert over the years, meeting him at various film festivals, and how he followed his work for years before getting the chance to finally meet him. It was very appropriate and very touching to hear Foundas speak about Ebert before the audience was going to be introduced to Frances.

A few hours before the dialogue was about to begin, I had the opportunity to sit down with Baumbach at a downtown Minneapolis hotel, where Baumbach asked, “Is it snowing outside?” When I told him yes, he said that he arrived earlier that day and had no idea it would be snowing. He looked a little perplexed, but holding a cup of coffee, he took his seat and we began to discuss Frances Ha, the idea behind switching to black-and-white for the first time, working with Gerwig again, and what Roger Ebert’s reviews meant to him as a filmmaker.

You co-created Frances Ha with lead actress, Greta Gerwig, who you worked with in your last film Greenberg. How did it come into development? Did you start, once Greenberg ended, to collaborate again?

I definitely wanted to work with her again after Greenberg. It wasn’t until about a year and a half after we finished Greenberg that I had the idea of doing another film in New York. I wanted to do something with Greta, although I wasn’t sure what I wanted it to be yet. I wrote to her and said, “If we were going to do something about a 27-year-old woman living in New York, what’s on your mind?” She wrote me a long document about lots of things. Some had more narrative, some were observations, and some were about her or her friends. I found what she wrote was funny and inspiring, and I really felt like [that contained] what this movie could be in some way. So I started to elaborate on them and responded to them. That document was then sent back and forth and we were both working on different things and time went by and then scenes starting to evolve and we would have more ideas. That’s how it started; the script came from those ideas.

Frances Ha seemed to come out of nowhere last fall—people had no idea you were even making another feature. Was that by choice that you wanted to have this be under people’s radar?

It was definitely a choice. I wanted to do something very stripped-down and wanted to work with a smaller crew. I felt like this was the right movie to make like this and I didn’t want to burden it with the army of a big film set. I did a number of tests—camera tests and tests to figure out the black-and-white look—and in that process I did a number of tests with crew to figure out how many people I needed, how are we going to do it this way and also to find the right people, so that was very deliberate. Keeping it off the radar was more of a happy accident. I was proud that it didn’t get on the Internet or anything, but that wasn’t my goal.

You mention the black-and-white aesthetic of the film. Was that something you had in mind when you were developing the story, or did you want to try a different medium?

Yeah. It was the first film I had shot digitally and it was black-and-white, so I was doing two things I hadn’t done before and that’s why I did so many tests. I’ve always liked contemporary movies that were shot in black-and-white. I mean, it's not that period films in black-and-white can’t be great either, I always liked that juxtaposition. Looking at a McDonald’s in black-and-white is beautiful; it makes a movie both new and old simultaneously, and it's immediately nostalgic. All of that felt right for this material.

When I was watching Frances Ha, I was reminded of Woody Allen’s Manhattan, but also there seemed to be a heavy influence of French new wave directors of the 1960s like Francois Truffaut—even with a Small Change poster featured in the apartment—and Jean-Luc Godard’s Band of Outsiders. Was that something you had in mind when you were making the film?

When I started making it, I wasn’t thinking about those, but I do love those films. I looked at black-and-white films, as we were trying to figure out what kind of black-and-white it [would be]—it's different from movie to movie. What was interesting was shooting Frances with Benji [Michael Zegen] and Lev [Adam Driver from HBO’s Girls]. We put Lev in a fedora hat and a cardigan and Benji is wearing a tie. I dressed them like that since I imagined that is what those guys would be wearing today living in Williamsburg or Chinatown or wherever they are living in New York right now—but seeing it in black-and-white, of course it looks like the French new wave style, which is what these kids are getting their styles from anyway, so it came around the other way. It was like, “Oh, now we have an homage,” while we were just trying to shoot Williamsburg. I think it was true for a lot of the movie, in a way. All the influences you mentioned are true for me and were considerations, and definitely the Woody Allen movies. In Manhattan, it wasn’t just the photography, but also the music—especially with the Gershwin music, it’s so romantic, cinematic and big and grand. It supports the black and white and I think in cases of both movies, the stories are not epic, they are both actually small relationship stories, but they can hold this big style and context, which I think can become sort of fun.

Talk a little bit about Greta’s performance. She is featured in just about every scene and I felt that anyone who sees Frances Ha is going to be able to connect with her performance.

She’s so funny. She was [also funny] in Greenberg, but I wanted to see Greta in more of a comic character. I think she can do broader, funnier things while always remaining authentic and it always feels connected, which I think is hard to do. She reminds me a lot like those Carole Lombard movies, almost in like another time, and same thing with someone like Diane Keaton and Teri Garr. But it is something that Greta does that’s very much her own. It’s very pleasurable to work with somebody like that, and she’s that way as a writer. She can write a hilarious one-liner but also keeping in the realm of the character, [in a way] that’s true to the story and it doesn’t feel pushed or forced. I like working with her. As a writer, I would look forward to a scene she would send to me and be working on; I would just enjoy reading it. Likewise, when we started shooting a scene, although we’d written it and discussed, I was always surprised how she came at the scene. Greta can do 40 takes of a scene and find a way to add spontaneity to every take.

I don’t know if you read film criticism of your own films, but Roger Ebert passed away yesterday and I was wondering if you knew him at all.

I got to meet him a couple times, and he reviewed a few of my movies. I stopped reading reviews of my movies a few years ago, but I grew up on him and watching the show. The thing I always responded [to] about him was—and in some ways this is more of a rarity then it should be with criticism—±I always felt like he had an entirely authentic reaction to a movie. Even when I totally would disagree with him, I completely believed [that was] how he felt. He would change his mind on movies—I can’t remember if it was Taxi Driver he gave a bad review to, but then took it back and that was amazing. For as someone as great as Pauline Kael was as a writer, you can’t help but feel a lot of the times she wanted to feel a certain way before she went into the movie and she had an agenda, or too many people have liked this movie so she is going to take it down, whatever her thing was—not that [it] wasn’t her own authenticity. I feel the way that Roger Ebert responded to movies is how we should all hope to respond to art.

What do you hope audiences take away from seeing Frances Ha?

I don’t feel anything in particular; I want people to feel good about it. A friend of mine saw it when I was first showing it to people and he said, “It’s like a happiness machine.” I guess if everyone felt that I would be happy about that. I hope her joy is infectious; I mean, that’s how I felt when I was making Frances Ha.

Frances Ha seemed to come out of nowhere last fall—people had no idea you were even making another feature. Was that by choice that you wanted to have this be under people’s radar?

You mention the black-and-white aesthetic of the film. Was that something you had in mind when you were developing the story, or did you want to try a different medium?

Talk a little bit about Greta’s performance. She is featured in just about every scene and I felt that anyone who sees Frances Ha is going to be able to connect with her performance.

I don’t know if you read film criticism of your own films, but Roger Ebert passed away yesterday and I was wondering if you knew him at all.

What do you hope audiences take away from seeing Frances Ha?

House gives Legacy bill final stamp of approval

Tue, 21 May 2013 19:58:34 +0000

Jonathan Mohr

Session Weekly/Session Daily

First scheduled for floor debate four weeks ago, the House gave the omnibus legacy bill its final stamp of approval Monday afternoon, voting 77-57 to re-pass HF1183*/ SF1051 that would appropriate $496.1 million to fund dozens of arts, parks, trails and natural resources projects during the upcoming biennium.

The bill now goes to the governor.

The allocated money would be divided among four funds endowed by the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment passed by voters in 2008. The appropriations, by fund, are:

Clean Water Fund - $194.9 million
Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund - $115.9 million
Outdoor Heritage Fund - $100.05 million
Parks and Trails Fund - $85.1 million

Those amounts were agreed to by a conference committee that hashed out the final differences in the House and Senate versions of the bill Monday morning. It also removed one of the more controversial provisions of the bill, a $51 million appropriation for the Outdoor Heritage Fund in fiscal year 2015 not originally recommended by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council.

Opponents argued the appropriation ignored the wishes of the LSOHC, which reviews proposals for funding. However, Rep. Phyllis Kahn (DFL-Mpls), who chairs the House Legacy Committee and sponsors the bill in the House, said the Legislature’s role was to change or add to those recommendations as it believed necessary.

She told colleagues that although those funds had been removed, money for habitat restoration in metro parks and funds to combat aquatic invasive species remain.

“Neither of these projects was recommended by the Outdoor Heritage Council and the fact that they’re in this bill represents a big win for the House position of adding legislative priorities into the bill,” Kahn said.

There is also language directing LSOHC to examine transitioning to a biennial recommendation process beginning in fiscal year 2016. The council is required to submit it, and recommendations on heritage fund spending, to House and Senate members by Jan. 1, 2014.

Rep. Denny McNamara (R-Hastings) told Kahn he was “disappointed” she had gone around the LSOHC rather than work with it and had produced a “less than perfect” product. “To just go and do $6.3 million for metro parks because you can is wrong,” McNamara said.

The final version of the bill maintains the traditional split of money from the Parks and Trails Fund. Forty percent would go to state parks and trails, 40 percent to parks and trails in the metropolitan area, and 20 percent to parks and trails in Greater Minnesota. As part of an effort to better develop, support and maintain the parks and trails in the latter category, the bill would also establish a Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission.

The 13-member commission would establish six regional parks and trails districts in the state, encompassing the area outside the seven-county metropolitan area. It would be comprised of two representatives from each district and one at-large member and would develop a strategic plan determining parks and trails of regional significance that are eligible for funding from the parks and trails fund.

Other appropriations in the bill include:

$42.65 million to the Minnesota State Arts Board to support state artists and arts organizations in creating and presenting high-quality arts activities, overcome barriers to accessing them and instill the arts into the community and public life in the state;
$33.7 million to the Department of Natural Resources for state parks, trails and recreation areas to connect people to the outdoors, acquire land, create opportunities, maintain existing holdings and implement long-range plans;
$20.4 million to the Board of Soil and Water Resources for grants to protect and restore surface water and drinking water, to keep water on the land, enhance and restore water quality;
$18 million for the total maximum daily load grant program;
$15.2 million for the Pollution Control Agency to complete 20 percent of the statewide assessments of surface water quality and trends;
$12 million to the Board of Soil and Water Resources for grants to local government units that have multiyear plans that will result in a significant reduction in water pollution in a selected watershed;
$5 million to increase monitoring and evaluation of nitrates in groundwater areas vulnerable to degradation;
$4 million for the DNR to install additional monitoring gauges to help determine the relationship between stream flow and groundwater; and
$3 million to implement an agricultural water quality certification program.

In the Senate, where Sen. Richard Cohen (DFL-St. Paul) is the sponsor, the bill was passed 43-21 Monday evening.

The bill now goes to the governor.

The allocated money would be divided among four funds endowed by the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment passed by voters in 2008. The appropriations, by fund, are:

Clean Water Fund - $194.9 million
Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund - $115.9 million
Outdoor Heritage Fund - $100.05 million
Parks and Trails Fund - $85.1 million

She told colleagues that although those funds had been removed, money for habitat restoration in metro parks and funds to combat aquatic invasive species remain.

Other appropriations in the bill include:

$42.65 million to the Minnesota State Arts Board to support state artists and arts organizations in creating and presenting high-quality arts activities, overcome barriers to accessing them and instill the arts into the community and public life in the state;
$33.7 million to the Department of Natural Resources for state parks, trails and recreation areas to connect people to the outdoors, acquire land, create opportunities, maintain existing holdings and implement long-range plans;
$20.4 million to the Board of Soil and Water Resources for grants to protect and restore surface water and drinking water, to keep water on the land, enhance and restore water quality;
$18 million for the total maximum daily load grant program;
$15.2 million for the Pollution Control Agency to complete 20 percent of the statewide assessments of surface water quality and trends;
$12 million to the Board of Soil and Water Resources for grants to local government units that have multiyear plans that will result in a significant reduction in water pollution in a selected watershed;
$5 million to increase monitoring and evaluation of nitrates in groundwater areas vulnerable to degradation;
$4 million for the DNR to install additional monitoring gauges to help determine the relationship between stream flow and groundwater; and
$3 million to implement an agricultural water quality certification program.

In the Senate, where Sen. Richard Cohen (DFL-St. Paul) is the sponsor, the bill was passed 43-21 Monday evening.

St. Anthony Park Arts Festival is June 1

Kyle Mianulli — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:25:22 +0000

The St. Anthony Park Arts Festival will be held Saturday, June 1, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Como Avenue shopping district of St. Anthony Park.

The festival will feature an art fair with 80 artists, two music stages, kids’ art activities, the St. Anthony Park Garden Club plant sale, and more. If you head to Milton Square between 1 and 3 p.m. you can visit a bald eagle and representatives from the Raptor Center. You can also talk to folks from your neighborhood nonprofit groups, who will have booths set up along Carter Avenue just south of Como Avenue. Groups will include the Park Bugle, District 12 and its Transition Town initiative, St. Anthony Park Area Seniors, Hampden Park Food Co-op and the St. Anthony Park Community Foundation.

Grab a Bugle at any of the information stands or at the Bugle tent at the festival to find out all you need to know about the festival.

The artists for the festival’s art fair are selected by a jury of artists. This year’s jury are the featured artist at the festival. Here are profiles of each of the jury members:

Bob Carls

When the world’s most beautiful wood meets the artistic craftsmanship of Bob Carls, the result is an extraordinary convergence of natural allure and human creativity.

Essentially self-taught, Carls has been making lathe-turned and carved wood vessels and structures for more than 20 years. Through a variety of woodworking techniques he is able to achieve unique effects that set his work apart from traditional segmented wood art.

From sushi trays to salad bowls and other containers, much of his work serves a functional purpose. He says it is his intention that people not only appreciate the aesthetic value of his art but also use it regularly.

A lifetime of artistic interests, including photography, improvisational music and film, leave Carls with an abundance of inspiration, but he says abstract and expressionist painters have particularly influenced his work with wood.

Along with his wife—a studio weaver—Carls runs the Ripple River Gallery in Aitkin, Minn., where the couple also lives. With work from 50 to 60 regional artists on display at a time, the gallery has been a huge success and allows the couple to stay more connected to their work, Carls says.

In addition to Ripple River Gallery, Carls’ work can be found in permanent collections at the Minnesota State Historical Society in St. Paul, the Waage Art Center in Fergus Falls and the Waterloo Art Museum in Iowa.

Guillermo Cuellar

With organic beauty that harkens back to ancient tradition, Guillermo Cuellar’s pottery sits naturally at the intersection of art and utility.

Beyond its aesthetic value, appreciation of his work comes, in part, from using it. “You make it a part of your life, and every time you interact with it you add a little more richness of meaning to it,” he says.

In this way, a baking dish that comes out for company takes on additional significance beyond the object itself. It can signify the relationship you have to your community and friends, he says.

Born in Venezuela, Cuellar’s love affair with the potter’s wheel began in 1971 while attending Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa. He brought this love back to his native country where he later opened his first studio.

In 1992 he founded a nonprofit group with other local artisans called Grupo Turgua that sought to promote quality handmade objects in Venezuela.

Cuellar’s first connection to Minnesota came through several potters who came to teach in Venezuela. He moved to the St. Croix River Valley in 2005, and became part of a thriving community of potters there.

His work has appeared in the Venezuelan National Art Gallery, the Smithsonian Institution and the Northern Clay Center in Minnesota, as well as private galleries in the United States, England, Venezuela and Chile.

Margaret Dittrich

Margaret Dittrich says she has rocks in her head—exquisitely beautiful rocks, that is.

Working as a full-time jeweler for 15 years, she has developed a creative knack for combining mostly silver and gold with both common and unusual stones to create graceful, yet simple, wearable art.

Her jewelry encompasses a variety of styles, from strictly metal pieces to more elaborate works that incorporate various minerals from pebbles and meteorites to pearls and sapphires. She is especially drawn to uncommon material like jaspers, she says.

One of the most rewarding parts of her work is when she takes bold chances that turn into masterpieces. “Every once in a while I’ll really go outside of my comfort zone and make something I just feel like making,” she says.

While pursuing a career as an oncology nurse, Dittrich first became infatuated with stones in Madison, Wis., when she wandered into an unsuspecting rock shop.

“That was it, I just got totally sucked in,” she says.

Dittrich lives and works in St. Paul, where she also enjoys spending time with her husband, two children and three grandchildren.

Her work can be found around town in various galleries, including the Grand Hand Gallery on Grand Avenue and the Minnesota History Center gift shop. She also enjoys participating in regional art shows where she can meet and interact with the people who are interested in her work.

Patti Berg

By combining classic millinery techniques with modern materials, Patti Berg’s hats achieve a timeless charm that never goes out of style. She describes them as wearable but not trendy—capable of standing the test of time.

Traditionally, hats were passed down through generations. Berg strives to achieve this heirloom quality in her work.

Hats should be an expression of those who wear them, Berg says. They are meant to draw attention. “Isn’t that what we’re all here for? To make the landscape more interesting for each other?”

Since childhood, Berg has been fascinated by the ways people adorn themselves. She got her start in the 1960s as a leather smith and has designed many types of clothing and accessories since. It wasn’t until later in her career that she settled down with hats. She especially appreciates the playful elegance they can carry.

“They are a lot of fun. They’re just hilarious. The things people say and do with hats just kills me. I love it,” she says.

Berg lives and works on her Arabian horse ranch in Embarrass, Minn.—the coldest place in the contiguous United States, as she will remind you. She says the most rewarding aspect of her work is being able to lose herself in her studio, where time and space seem to melt away.

The St. Anthony Park Arts Festival will be held Saturday, June 1, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Como Avenue shopping district of St. Anthony Park.

Grab a Bugle at any of the information stands or at the Bugle tent at the festival to find out all you need to know about the festival.

The artists for the festival’s art fair are selected by a jury of artists. This year’s jury are the featured artist at the festival. Here are profiles of each of the jury members:

Bob Carls

When the world’s most beautiful wood meets the artistic craftsmanship of Bob Carls, the result is an extraordinary convergence of natural allure and human creativity.

Guillermo Cuellar

With organic beauty that harkens back to ancient tradition, Guillermo Cuellar’s pottery sits naturally at the intersection of art and utility.

In this way, a baking dish that comes out for company takes on additional significance beyond the object itself. It can signify the relationship you have to your community and friends, he says.

In 1992 he founded a nonprofit group with other local artisans called Grupo Turgua that sought to promote quality handmade objects in Venezuela.

Margaret Dittrich

Margaret Dittrich says she has rocks in her head—exquisitely beautiful rocks, that is.

Working as a full-time jeweler for 15 years, she has developed a creative knack for combining mostly silver and gold with both common and unusual stones to create graceful, yet simple, wearable art.

While pursuing a career as an oncology nurse, Dittrich first became infatuated with stones in Madison, Wis., when she wandered into an unsuspecting rock shop.

“That was it, I just got totally sucked in,” she says.

Dittrich lives and works in St. Paul, where she also enjoys spending time with her husband, two children and three grandchildren.

Patti Berg

Traditionally, hats were passed down through generations. Berg strives to achieve this heirloom quality in her work.

Hats should be an expression of those who wear them, Berg says. They are meant to draw attention. “Isn’t that what we’re all here for? To make the landscape more interesting for each other?”

“They are a lot of fun. They’re just hilarious. The things people say and do with hats just kills me. I love it,” she says.

St. Anthony Park Arts Festival

MUSIC REVIEW | Todd Rundgren brings the unexpected to the Varsity Theater

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:53:14 +0000

Patrick Dunn

TC Daily Planet

Loyal fans of legendary Rock musician Todd Rundgren met up at the Varsity Theater Monday, May 20^th anxious to find out what the unpredictable artist had in store for them. Some probably came expecting to hear hits spanning his 40-plus year music career, but diehard fans know to expect the unexpected. The evening might best be described as a representation of Rundgren’s one man projects with a few specially picked tunes from his extensive production work woven in.

The Crowd:
Considering Rundgren is nearly 65 and his best known performance years where in the 70s and 80s, it makes sense that the crowd was a bit older. The looks on some faces suggested that many weren’t expecting a techno beat driven dance show, but most seemed pleasantly surprised and genuinely entertained. You might say it’s a gutsy move to try and sell this trendy format to an audience of the Classic Rock era, but Rundgren’s creative hunger never allowed him to stay boxed into any one genre. He has always been on the cutting edge of music technology, so a project like this is just the thing that keeps him relevant and interesting.

The Venue:
Since being remodeled, the Varsity Theater has some real charm and was just the right size and feel for this show. Good work as always by Sue McClean and Associates getting shows like this booked in the Twin Cities and in the appropriate venues.

The Band:
Todd Rundgren was nicely visible on a platform center stage, surrounded by electronics and a vintage microphone overhead. He only picked up his guitar a couple times, which may have been disappointing to some, but his impressive vocal stamina more than made up for it. Todd was clearly having fun with this fresh material and was full of energy, jumping up and down and dancing at times like a zombie in the “Thriller” video. Rundgren’s usual bandmates Jesse Gress (guitar) and Prairie Prince (drums) added finesse and dimension to the preprogrammed electronic tracks.

Sound & Lights:
The live instruments and vocals were mixed very well with the electronic tracks at a good volume. Rundgren brought his own hi-tech lighting that contained lasers and strobes. It was very busy at times, which was a good match for the music.

Show Start:
There was an excitement in the air as the band appeared on stage wearing goggles that looked like something from a Mad Max movie. The electronic sound that would dominate the whole show kicked in immediately with three songs of the new release State.

Standout Songs:
Fans perked up with excitement when Rundgren played versions of some of his production work like The Tubes tune “Prime Time” and “Personality Crisis” by the New York Dolls.

Encore:
The audience gave their approval with an unexpected roar that brought Rundgren back to the stage alone for a three-song encore backed by his computer setup. Fans finally got some of the hits they came to hear (“Can We Still Be Friends,” “I Saw the Light” and “Hello It’s Me”), but keeping with the “Toddtronica” theme of the evening they were not immediately recognizable.

Coverage of issues and events that affect Central Corridor neighborhoods and communities is funded in part by a grant from Central Corridor Funders Collaborative.

Standout Songs:
Fans perked up with excitement when Rundgren played versions of some of his production work like The Tubes tune “Prime Time” and “Personality Crisis” by the New York Dolls.

Coverage of issues and events that affect Central Corridor neighborhoods and communities is funded in part by a grant from Central Corridor Funders Collaborative.

MUSIC PHOTOS | Surfer Blood at First Avenue

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:51:10 +0000

Meredith Westin

TC Daily Planet

On Monday, May 20, Surfer Blood played at First Avenue in Minneapolis with Blondfire and Foals to open.

Coverage of issues and events that affect Central Corridor neighborhoods and communities is funded in part by a grant from Central Corridor Funders Collaborative.

On Monday, May 20, Surfer Blood played at First Avenue in Minneapolis with Blondfire and Foals to open.

Coverage of issues and events that affect Central Corridor neighborhoods and communities is funded in part by a grant from Central Corridor Funders Collaborative.

Chicago at the State Theatre: As perfect as they needed to be

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:03:41 +0000

Dwight Hobbes

TC Daily Planet

Once upon a time, way back in the late 1960s there were three bands who played rock music a la big-band style. They were The Electric Flag, Blood, Sweat & Tears and Chicago Transit Authority. Hipster authorities had it that the Flag were the baddest, followed in quality by the Al Kooper-led B, S & T, then the Kooper-less lineup, then the woefully commercial CTA (who quickly shortened the name to Chicago). Well, baddest to the bone or not, Chicago, charting higher and lasting a whole lot longer than the other two put together, wound up leaving an indelible, signature imprint on the music industry.

April 27th, literal living pop-rock legends rolled into the Twin Cities at the State Theatre and regaled a sold-out house with a superb show of what the beauty of doing with it with horns is all about. They delivered sweet melodies, layered texture and excellent musicianship—all with kick-ass power. Even if they did have to do it without key founding members, most particularly the late Terry Kath; Kath's successor Bill Champlin; and veritable voice of Chicago, Pete Cetera, who left the band in the mid-80s. On the face of it, you'd have to wonder who, despite a core of exemplary players, is left worth coming to see, Robert Lamm being the only vocalist still there. You'd be, in a word, surprised.

Jason Scheff, who replaced Cetera in '85, sounds exactly like him, down to the last note. Fact is, when Scheff joined the band, casual listeners never knew the difference. Lou Pardini, touring personnel who stepped in permanently for Champlin in 2009, is more than capable, actually more interesting than Scheff. Where Scheff copies Cetera phrase for phrase, Pardini does some very nice vocal variations on the recordings for which Champlin sang lead. So, between the three singers and axemen with cast iron chops, the magic of Chicago remains very much intact.

On stage, they are something of a hang loose crew, palling around, cheerfully thanking the audience every now and then for keeping them worldwide successes for over 45 years. The lone drawback to the evening, the fella on trombone is such a preening, posturing ham, you'd think the name of the group was Chicago starring James Pankow. Other than that, the performance was about as perfect as it needed to be. They did almost all the hits, threw in a few other artfully executed jazz instrumentals and, at length, created a fine night with a band that made music history.

Correction: When originally published, this article referred to the "late" Bill Champlin, a founding member of Chicago. In fact, Champlin is still alive and was not a founding member of Chicago. These errors have been corrected.

Coverage of issues and events that affect Central Corridor neighborhoods and communities is funded in part by a grant from Central Corridor Funders Collaborative.

What a dufus you are! It's not "the late Bill Champlain", he's STILL alive! And he WAS NOT a founding member of the group either, he didn't come to the band until AFTER Terry died, so your facts leave something to be desired. Also, I LOVE Jimmy Pankow and his "preening and posturing" on stage - many of us die-hard fans DO! Your review is a backhanded compliment, in a sort of 'in your face' way, and I wouldn't recommend any other die-hards read it. - by Nancy Ashby Elsworth on Wed, 05/22/2013 - 6:49am
- Thanks for catching our error regarding Bill Champlin, which has now been corrected. - by Jay Gabler on Thu, 05/23/2013 - 10:02am
I find your review rather bipolar. "I love 'em, I hate 'em, I love 'em, I hate 'em". Your review is full of misinformation. How on earth would you know if "casual listeners" thought Jason Scheff sounded "exactly" like Peter Cetera? You may speculate on that, but it is not a fact unless you have some irrefutabe evidence. Bill Champlin is very much alive. He is not, however, a founding member. I believe he was heard quoting Mark Twain this morning (Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated). Jimmy Pankow's antics are entertaining. I feel they are designed to get the crowd on its feet. One of the guys said at the end, "This is the best crowd of the tour". Now, I am not silly enough to think they said that only to our audience, but I 've been to a lot of their concerts, and they've never said it before. Minnesota crowds usually sit there like bumps on a log. Not that night. The crowd was incredible! But, I suppose your job is to get people talking. Most of the comments I have seen regarding your review are not complimentary to you. If that is your goal, then well done! You did not disappoint. - by Peg Anderson Swearingen on Wed, 05/22/2013 - 9:15am
- Those who can't become critics. - by Kurt Hicok on Wed, 05/22/2013 - 9:40am
- Thanks for catching our error regarding Bill Champlin, which has now been corrected. - by Jay Gabler on Thu, 05/23/2013 - 10:02am
Dwight, Dwight, Dwight...so you write for the Daily Planet. I'm just wondering, what Planet? Bill Champlin isn't "late"...he just doesn't come around anymore. If you're going to write a story, do your homework. - by Debbie Lichtfuss Wright on Wed, 05/22/2013 - 9:25am
- Thanks for catching our error regarding Bill Champlin, which has now been corrected. - by Jay Gabler on Thu, 05/23/2013 - 10:02am