What’s Happening This Week
On the radar: It’s practically a YouTube music festival in Minneapolis tonight, as artists known for their visual as well as musical cleverness appear at the Triple Rock (Matt and Kim, with Amanda Blank) and at the Entry (Datarock, with Esser).
Under the radar: The Minnesota Independent isn’t quite as old as the Daily Planet, so stop by the Red Stag tonight and give those young upstarts a little moral support. The Indy’s socially-minded fans are also likely to enjoy the controversial play My Name is Rachel Corrie, based on the correspondence of a young woman who died fighting for peace in the Middle East. It opens tonight at the Open Eye Theatre, starring the wonderful Emily Gunyou Halaas.
On the radar: I swear, when I first heard the first single from the new Regina Spektor album, I thought it was Kate Nash. Coming from me, that’s very high praise. The ivory-tickling heart-tugger will be at the State Theatre tonight.
Under the radar: ARP! release parties are always a blast, and this will be their last blast-their next issue will be a book-size compliation that will conclude the remarkable three-year run of Minnesota’s smartest (in both senses of the word) art paper.
On the radar: With the Walker’s Coen Brothers retrospective just starting, interest should be especially high for the Lebowski Fest‘s annual arrival at Memory Lanes. If irony is not so much your bag, head to (where else?) St. Paul for the Selby Avenue Jazz Fest.
Under the radar: If someone’s sneakers are the first thing you notice about them, you won’t want to miss the Sneakerfest party and fashion show tonight at the Suburban World.
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On the radar: Lowertown continues its bid to be the new hipness with a solid lineup at this year’s Concrete and Grass Music Festival. It’s strongest today-the festival’s concluding day; where else do you have a chamber orchestra opening for a hip-hop group?
Under the radar: Who better to headline a show at a doomed landmark than someone named after a landmark that’s already gone? (Well, at least the movie theater’s gone-and the mall might as well be.)
On the radar: If the State Theatre seems like an incongruous venue for a Marilyn Manson concert, bear in mind that it was relocated from the shuttered, battered, and debt-ridden Myth.
Under the radar: St. Paul’s Thomas Liquors and the Highland Grill have worked out a sweet deal for wine-lovers: stop by the liquor store on your way to the restaurant on any Monday night and pick out a bottle of wine to take to dinner. (The store staff select wines that are well-matched to that night’s dinner specials, or you can pick your own.) You get 15% off the bottle of wine, and the restaurant will waive the corkage fee so you can enjoy your new find with no additional charge.
On the radar: What counts as “on the radar” and “under the radar” for any given night depends on what circles you travel in-and that’s especially true tonight, so for “on the radar” I’ll choose the artists who have sold more records. At the State Theatre, Todd Rundgren will be playing his 1973 album A Wizard, A True Star from front to back; and at Bunkers, Michelle Shocked continues the recent parade of distinguished female folkies to grace local stages.
Under the radar: With tonight’s ungulate lineup, indie-rock fans will be yelling themselves, er…you get the idea. Critics’ darlings (but editors’ nightmares) An Horse will be at the Entry, and Megafaun are at the Cedar.
On the radar: The State Theatre caps its dizzying three-night run with a show by the Pet Shop Boys, while Byrds founder Roger McGuinn is at the Cedar-with Caroline Smith thrown in as a bonus for the young ‘uns. If there were a book called 500 Things To Hear Before You Die, “Roger McGuinn playing a Rickenbacker” would probably be in the top 100…so don’t miss it.
Under the radar: Andrew Zimmern has won fans around the world with his Travel Channel show Bizarre Foods, but in the Twin Cities he’s best-known for dishing the dirt on local eateries in his column and blog for Mpls.St.Paul magazine. He’ll be holding court tonight at the Har Mar Barnes & Noble, presenting his new book (wait for it) The Bizarre Truth.
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Daily Planet Arts Roundup
I recommend picking up Peter Eleey’s The Quick and the Dead, a worthy souvenir of the accompanying exhibit at the Walker.
Jim Brunzell took a look at Extract, the new film from Office Space creator Mike Judge, and he didn’t have much good to say about it. I had more good things to say about Barton Fink, which is coming soon to the Walker as part of the art center’s Coen Brothers retrospective, but at least one commenter thought I was too stingy with my praise.
Also this week, Bruce Cochran profiles Uptown filmmaker Patrick Coyle, creator of Into Temptation; and Erik McClanahan has the scoop on what’s doing this fall at the Oak Street Cinema.
Sheila Regan reports on the return of Soul Friday, a monthly dance night by and for queer women of color, which is now held at the Nomad after the closing of its original venue Pi. Also, Dwight Hobbes talks with Brian Charles, the James Curry member who’s just released his solo debut Border Town; and Anissa Stocks takes a look into the mad busy world of Afternoon Records founder Ian Anderson. For my part, I popped into the Clapperclaw music and arts festival and caught a jubilant show by Atmosphere at First Ave.
I saw Ella at the Guthrie as it began its extended run, and I agree with Dwight Hobbes: the music is good, but the dialogue is cheesy. Speaking of Dwight, he talked with playwright Lonnie Carter, whose The Romance of Magno Rubio is now playing at Mixed Blood. Speaking of Mixed Blood, Jane Biliter talked with the theater’s artistic director Jack Reuler: “Being white is my cross to bear in an organization like this.”
I also saw, and really enjoyed, Mary Poppins at the Orpheum; and attended a very unusual press conference announcing a very unusual show by Jeremey Catterton and the music duo Peter Wolf Crier: This Is Not For You.
Gary Farland reports on the fate of the Uptown Bar, which will soon meet the wrecking ball; and Amy Rea logs another day of eating her way across the State Fair.
Not a subscriber? Click here to get Arts Orbit Radar in your inbox every Thursday-and follow ArtsOrbit on Twitter for 24/7 updates on the local arts scene. For a new video on the local arts scene every weekday, bookmark the Daily Planet’s 3-Minute Egg page. André Salvadore will be back with a new column next week.
Jay Gabler (jay@tcdailyplanet.net) is the Daily Planet’s arts editor.
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