MUSIC REVIEW | Damien Rice nails it at Northrop Auditorium

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If there was a single line or moment that perfectly captured last night’s performance at the Northrop Auditorium, it was towards the end of the show when Damien Rice said with a smile after a particularly light-hearted moment, “We’re not supposed to be laughing, it’s a sad concert.”Anyone with a particular interest in Rice’s music could likely see how a “sad concert” is what a Damien Rice show would be on the surface. There really aren’t a lot of upbeat tracks in the Rice collection, a collection overflowing with heartache and longing, the audial equivalent of a rainy day. Rice’s songs are raw, emotional, and terribly intense. They are beautiful, but they are rarely, if ever, “fun.”It is a testament to Damien Rice’s strength as a performer, then, that for almost two straight hours he could work his way through those tracks, bringing to life that illusion of emotional openness that makes you believe that there is a man in terrible pain on the stage right in front of you, sharing something secret and personal, while also managing a wit and charm in between those tracks that allows a large audience to laugh along.Rice’s musical performance throughout the night was fantastic, intense, beautiful, heartbreaking, the list can go on and on. While it seems there is much in music that loses something in the translation from recording to live performance, Rice’s songs are better live, are better with proximity to the performer. Continue Reading

Fight for 15: Protest in Minneapolis for increased minimum wages

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Protestors in Minneapolis rallied on Wednesday, April 15, on the University of Minnesota campus to demand a $15 minimum wage. Numbering in the hundreds, the group blocked traffic on their march to the Dinkytown McDonald’s where union members, advocacy groups, and supporters demonstrated support for increased wages and fair treatment in the workplace. The protest was part of a national movement that has been called the Fight For 15. Continue Reading

Legendary independent animator Bill Plympton presented his new feature Cheatin’ at MSPIFF

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  Academy Award nominee Bill Plympton presented his new animated feature  Cheatin’ on April 13 and 14 at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival. Plympton drew 40,000 images in pencil to create the film, which is a romantic comedy that is touching, hilarious, raunchy, and doesn’t have a single line of dialogue. Cheatin’ is Plympton’s seventh hand-drawn animated feature. He has also animated over 60 shorts, two of which received “Best Animated Short” Oscar nominations.Before and after the two screenings of his film, Plympton sold his DVDs, books, and art while he spoke with fans and drew characters from the film onto postcards. Continue Reading

What is the future of the Council on Black Minnesotans?

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It is a poorly kept secret that racial disparities exist in Minnesota. In literally every measurable aspect, education, income, housing, employment, etc., people of color lag behind their white counterparts. This in spite of the efforts of many to make and keep Minnesota an all-inclusive place to live, that provides equal opportunities.One of those efforts was the creation of the state ethnic councils. Created by the legislature in 1980, “The Minnesota state councils were created by the legislature to represent and advocate for Minnesota’s communities of color, women, and disability communities. The councils include: Chicano Latino Affairs Council, Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans, Council on Black Minnesotans, Minnesota Indian Affairs Council, and Minnesota State Council on Disability and the Office on the Economic Status of Women,” according to the councils’ website.But obviously, even though the councils have existed for 35 years, racial disparities and conflicts remain.The newest race-based conflict is over competing bills in the legislature.The bill at the center of the dispute is HF 1353, whose description reads “Minnesota ethnic councils governing laws revised” and whose lead author is Minnesota State Representative Carolyn Laine, DFL.“The Office of Legislative Auditor in his report last year said that they [the councils] weren’t clear on what their duties were—their duties need to be fine-tuned and clarified,” Laine explained as her reason for drafting the proposed bill.“There was some fine tuning around the edges,” Laine said. Continue Reading

Mizna hosts evening of Arab American poetry and performance

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 Arab American Soundscapes: An Evening of Music, Poetry, and Performance lit up the Cedar Cultural Center. Presented by St. Paul-based Arab American arts organization Mizna, the program highlighted live readings and performances from eight different poets–some local and some national, but all identifying in various ways as Arab American. The event was one of the many offshoots of this year’s massive Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) conference.A video projection of a rippling Euphrates River and digital music from local artist Naj Bagdadi served as the backdrop of the evening, both literally on stage and more symbolically as cultural and historical touchstones. (The video was an original Mizna commission, by Iraq-based video artist Ali Al-Tayar.) Opening the evening were poets Hedy Hebra, Glenn Shaheen, Trish Salah, Philip Metres, and Ahimsa Timoteo Bodhrán. Continue Reading

How the Nicollet Mall Project construction affects you

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Nicollet Mall is going to look a lot different in 2017: refined pedestrian paths, more greenery and better lighting are some of the improvements to transform the Mall into a “must-see destination” as bullet-pointed in the Minneapolis Downtown’s Council 2025 plan. But before the new Mall becomes a reality, there’s the always-dreaded construction, which starts this spring with utility work (upgrading and relocating power, gas, telecommunications, sanitary sewer and water lines); the full construction begins in 2016.So what does that mean for the masses of people who bike, walk and work on Nicollet?The Nicollet Mall Farmers Market will be relocated one block to Hennepin Avenue for both the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Food trucks and vendors will also be moved off the Mall in 2015 and 2016. Sidewalk dining will remain open through construction, but some restaurants may decide to remove it temporarily at some points.You’ll still be able to walk down Nicollet and access every business—one side of the street will remain open at all times. Buses will detour starting sometime this May and will return to normal when construction is done in 2017. Taxis also are not allowed to drive down the Mall, and they will not be allowed north of 12th Street in 2017. With the absence of taxis and buses, bikers will have the street to themselves at least for 2015. In 2016, when the real construction begins, there will be no bikers allowed until the project is complete.Feeling a little bummed about the construction? Just flip through some of the photos above that represent the future Nicollet Mall to keep in mind when times get rough (see all photos here).Coverage of issues and events that affect Central Corridor neighborhoods and communities is funded in part by a grant from Central Corridor Funders Collaborative. Continue Reading