Holiday Roundup 2014: Old traditions and new

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Whether you’re keeping to old traditions or looking for something new, there’s something to fit everyone’s fancy this holiday season. From seeing classic or quirky theater, shopping local for your loved ones, or enjoying some drinks for a cause, we’ve got our bases covered in our holiday events roundup.THEATERGoing into its 40th year, A Christmas Carol at the Guthrie Theater is a tradition for many Minnesotans. Everyone should see it at least once. Read my review from last year, and also Jay Gabler’s (2012) and Christopher Kehoe’s (2011).Striking 12 at Bloomington Civic Theatre, a “concert-with-a-story musical event,” tells the story of a grump who’s in need of some Christmas cheer and strives to be a new holiday tradition.La Natividad: de Acuerdo a San Mateo y San Lucas (The Nativity: According to St. Matthew and St. Continue Reading

MUSIC REVIEW | GWAR resurrect mythos at Skyway Theater

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To say something was missing in regards to this GWAR show may be a little on the nose. After all, this is their first tour minus frontman Dave Brockie, who for years played the role of Orderus Urungus, and who died of a heroin overdose earlier this year, so that “something” that was missing should seem fairly obvious right from the start. But there seemed to be a sense of enthusiasm missing from the act, an act that, while still very entertaining, felt at times that it was going through the motions emulating the sort of vile, grotesque, and offensive stage show that GWAR has come to be known for rather than sincerely committing to it.Now, this is not at all to say this was a bad show. Let’s get that really clear. As said before, it was entertaining, and overall it was well paced and well performed. Continue Reading

MUSIC REVIEW | Usher’s #URXTOUR elicits fun at the Xcel Energy Center

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When I sit down to try to gather my thoughts to describe last night’s Usher show at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center, only the most idiotic exclamations come to mind.“Wow,” “Holy Crap,” and “Awesome,” leap forth ahead of more poignant prose, and I find myself drowning in an excitement that seems to induce only the most monosyllabic of descriptors to juice out of my mind grapes.So let’s just try to get this out of the way immediately and see where we can go from here: Usher is a fantastic live act. Just great. Energetic. Vibrant. Continue Reading

Sergei Rachmaninoff’s interdenominational concert “All-Night Vigil” rocks the pews

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More than a hundred choristers gathered on Nov. 16 for two performances of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil in Minneapolis. This renowned but rarely heard choral masterwork packed pews and was brought to life through a joint venture between the city’s (Catholic) Basilica of Saint Mary and St. Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral.Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil (1915), often referred to as the Rach Vespers, is broadly acknowledged as one of the most beautiful and powerful large-scale choral works in the Western repertoire. It is also of legendary difficulty, being written entirely for unaccompanied voices (as required by the Russian Orthodox liturgy) that divide into as many as eleven parts in a single movement. Continue Reading

Ars Nova performs at Mill City Nights, Covenant shares his passion for music

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Ars Nova performed at Mill City Nights in Minneapolis on Saturday, Nov. 8, and a member of the group, Covenant, shared his passion for making music.On Saturday, the doors opened at 9 p.m. at Mill City Nights for the “Long Live the Empire: Feed the People Show,” where 11 music groups performed and people brought canned goods to support families for the holidays. The event was hosted by Prince Carlton and featured music artists’ Ced Linus, Sti-lo Reel, and Louie P as the headliners, followed by a group of local artist including: Karma, Airman Heart, Friendly Beers, Skeptic, Ars Nova, Sieed Brown, Nonfic and Korentine.“Mill City was dope. It’s always a lot of energy, it’s always a good crowd,” Covenant said.Ars Nova is a hip-hop group comprised of three people: Covenant (from Chicago), Jaysocreative (from Minnesota) and Monk (from Philadelphia).Covenant said Ars Nova means “new art,” which is what they aspire to create by mixing elements of 90s hip-hop with a modern day feel as they each bring the culture of where they grew up into their music.“It’s really about using the old format and good heartedness of 90s hip-hop with the twist of new art growing up in this generation,” Covenant said.Covenant said they see the 90s as the “golden age of hip-hop.” He said he felt then there was a message with the music as there was a story being told through the lyrics. He said today’s modern music is mainly music that’s meant to be fun which doesn’t necessarily tell a story.“There was a time where music really spoke to people,” Covenant said. Continue Reading

MUSIC REVIEW | Richard Goode tickles the ivory at Schubert Club’s International Artist Series

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The measure of music and musicians is not just in the notes that are played, but also in the spaces between. A melody rendered with too much space becomes clunky and stilted; an Alberti bass line with too much, smeared and lost in a cloud. When just the right balance is found for a passage, piece, or repertoire, though, the notes begin to sing. How much space is appropriate depends on the instrument, the hall, the dynamics of a passage, and even the articulation of a phrase or a single note—but it is artistry that makes all the difference. This intricate attention to detail suffused Richard Goode’s piano recital at the Ordway on Tuesday, November 11.This recital, part of The Schubert Club’s International Artist Series, began with a brief memorial of Stephen Paulus, whose long-time association with the organization began when he competed in their Scholarship Competition and continued through many forms, including several world premieres of his works at The Schubert Club’s concerts. Continue Reading

Warm welcome for Open Mic at The Nicollet

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Taking the stage to share a song, poem, joke or story with a room full of strangers can be quite intimidating. But there has been no shortage of willing participants at The Nicollet’s Open Mic Nights that I’ve attended. The talent has been plentiful, colorful, and as eclectic as the art adorning the café’s walls.  Open Mic kicked off in August after a series of developments, including The Nicollet obtaining a liquor license and adding nightly entertainment. Since then, the spot has established new vitality and a new identity. Continue Reading

Father and son give the audience at Honey a sweet tooth with their live performance in Minneapolis

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“One more, one more, one more,” the crowd at Honey chanted after music artist Ellis Cleve performed his final song, which was a cover to Montell Jordan’s classic hit, “This Is How We Do It.”This is a Community Voices submission and is moderated but not edited. The opinions expressed by Community Voices contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the TC Daily Planet.Last Saturday, Oct. 25, St. Paul native Cleve performed with a full live band at Honey, in Minneapolis. Cleve’s band included a piano, guitar, a set of drums and bass player with one individual being responsible for each of those elements to make his music come to life. Continue Reading