What’s happening this week
On the radar
Any definition of “on the radar” this week has to begin and end with WAYNE NEWTON ON A BOAT.
Okay, on with the countdown. Some of you may choose to spurn Mr. Vegas for the Flaming Lips, the New Pornographers, or Janet Jackson. That’s your personal choice. There’s also a three-day block party at the 1029 that will include not just one, but all of the following: karaoke, a lobster boil, a meat raffle, and professional wrestling. Wayne Newton may find it all just impossible to resist.
For the internationally-minded in the St. Paul environs, there’s a Fiesta Flamenca at the Black Dog and a Japanese Lantern Lighting Festival at the Como Ordway Memorial Japanese Garden.
Under the radar
The theme of absurdity continues in this weekend’s lesser-known events: a major cribbage event at the Walker (?!) and the opening of a cat-themed art exhibit called—wait for it—MEOW MEOW, LOL. “Addresses the intersection of satire and kitsch in correspondence to the ever expanding world of internet memes. Each artist has created their subjective interpretations by exploring the vernacular of LOL CATZ through a variety of media and deliverables.” The scary thing is, I don’t think they’re kidding.
Also worth mentioning: a couple of sweet late-night events on Saturday. Club Jäger will be hosting a dance night featuring a ridiculous amount of 70s and 80s awesomeness related to God, a.k.a. Giorgio Moroder. Up at the 331, I’ll be one of the pseudo-celebrity judges at the Drinkin’ Spelling Bee. Obviously, I’m a big draw.
Daily Planet arts roundup
• E-books: What’s hot at libraries (feature by Margo Ashmore)
• The 4onthefloor stomp into the Fine Line Music Cafe (photos by Jeff Rutherford)
• WE Fest Friday: Sugarland, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Willie Nelson, and leathery tans aplenty (review by Kara Nesvig)
• Bon Iver return to Milwaukee, in style (review by Leslie Kruempel, photos by Meredith Westin)
• Wanda Jackson and Justin Townes Earle throw back at the Minnesota Zoo (review by Alex Gaterud, photos by Kyle Matteson)
• Watching Elvis (blog post by Dick Bernard)
• Pitchfork Music Festival, part two: Destroyer, No Age, the Radio Dept., Wild Nothing (photos and review by Jay Gabler)
• Sorry, Miranda July: I walked out on The Future (review by Jay Gabler)
• Reflections of New Minnesotans: May Lee-Yang at the Fringe Festival (feature by Nekessa Opoti)
• Minnesota Fringe Festival review—Deadline—Interplanetary Appeal—Five stars (blog post by Matthew A. Everett)
• Ten Reasons, The Problem (with) Your Mother’s Butt, Sousepaw, and Nightmare in Bakersfield at the Minnesota Fringe Festival (blog post by Kate Hoff)
• Minnesota Fringe Festival review—The Attic Room—RE/Dance Group—Four stars (blog post by Matthew A. Everett)
• Minnesota Fringe Festival review—Nightmare in Bakesfield—Les Kurkendaal—Five stars (blog post by Matthew A. Everett)
• Minnesota Fringe Festival review—Something’s Gone Wrong in the Dreamhouse—Scream Blue Murmur—Five stars (blog post by Matthew A. Everett)
• Minnesota Fringe Festival: Brain Fighters (blog post by Phillip Andrew Bennett Low)
• Minnesota Fringe Festival: Our Freaking Kids Show (blog post by Phillip Andrew Bennett Low)
• Minnesota Fringe Festival: The Folly of Crowds (blog post by Phillip Andrew Bennett Low)
• Minnesota Fringe Festival: The 612 (blog post by Phillip Andrew Bennett Low)
• Box and Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung—or should that be Box and Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung? (blog post by Jay Gabler)
• Green Eyes at the Minnesota Fringe Festival slaps you in the face. You like it like that, don’t you? DON’T YOU?! (blog post by Jay Gabler)
• Minnesota Fringe Festival review—I’m Making This Up as I Go—Samuel Spadino—4 1/2 stars (blog post by Matthew A. Everett)
• Dr. Jekyll and Dr. Jekyll, The Beasts, Phil the Void, and This is Where Your Free Time Goes to Die: Minnesota Fringe Festival (blog post by Kate Hoff)
• Tales of the Perilously Grounded! comes gracefully down to earth at the Minnesota Fringe Festival (blog post by Jay Gabler)
• Minnesota Fringe Festival review—Son of a _____!—Paper Crane Theatre—4 1/2 stars (blog post by Matthew A. Everett)
• Kids’ Fringe final weekend and Anansi, Br’er Rabbit, and Other Wily Creatures (blog post by Wendy Gennaula)
• Minnesota Fringe Festival review—The 612—Rogues Gallery Arts—2 1/2 stars (blog post by Matthew A. Everett)
• Cinderella’s Fella at the Minnesota Fringe Festival (blog post by Wendy Gennaula)
• Minnesota Fringe Festival review—Minnesota Middle Finger—Ben Del Sal—Five stars (blog post by Matthew A. Everett)
• Minnesota Fringe Festival review—Uncle Tom’s Condo—Milliepadd Productions—Four stars (blog post by Matthew A. Everett)
• Tommy’s picks Minnesota Fringe Festival 2011 part 1 (blog post by Wendy Genaula)
• Detached, The Last Ditch, and Losing My Religion at the Minnesota Fringe Festival (blog post by Kate Hoff)
• Minnesota Fringe Festival shows I’m missing, but you don’t have to… (blog post by Kate Hoff)
• Tommy’s picks Minnesota Fringe 2011 part 2 (blog post by Wendy Gennaula)
• Scientist Turned Comedian at the 2011 Minnesota Fringe Festival (blog post by Wendy Gennaula)
• Why I love the Fringe—even more than before (blog post by Jay Gabler)
• Fringe encores: Super Spectacular!: To Opera with Love, 7(x1) Samurai, You Only Live Forever Once, and Yarrrh! (blog post by Wendy Gennaula)
• Minnesota Fringe Festival review—Red Resurrected—Isabel Nelson—Five stars (blog post by Matthew A. Everett)
• Studio@795 opens its doors in St. Paul (feature by Jeanette Fordyce)
• St. Paul food shelf will host first Local Foods Night August 18 (feature by Kristoffer Tigue)
• Fresh food, strong communities: Celebrating Minneapolis’s farmers’ markets (feature by Andrew Ranallo)
• A belated shout-out to Tootie’s on Lowry and their “new” menu… (blog post by John Hoff)
• We’re eating our seeds (op-ed by Lee Egerstrom)
• Twin Cities community gardens: A study in variety (feature and photos by Alleen Brown)
• Munsinger Clemens Gardens: Imagination no longer required (blog post by Amy Rea)
• Why Twin Cities residents volunteer more than the rest of the nation (feature by Cynthia Boyd)
• Awfully artificial (blog post by Erik Hare)
• Choobideh and lefse: Cross-cultural heritages make an interesting blend for Minnesotan teen Jaleh Shambayati (feature by Delma J. Francis)
• Blue Mounds State Park (blog post by Amy Rea)
• Severed roots: Visiting a past I never had (blog post by Steve Date)
• Fact-checking the ways my sociology students think the country is going to hell (blog post by Jay Gabler)
• Why we’re on the phone (blog post by Ifrah Jimale)
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