THEATER | Frank Theatre’s Eclipsed tells the story of women during the Liberian Wars by Sheila Regan, TC Daily Planet • Last weekend I attended a wonderful play called Eclipsed, produced by Frank Theatre at the Playwrights’ Center. Written by Danai Gurira, the play tells the story of women surviving during the Liberian Civil Wars.
MUSIC | Local Natives’ Andy Hamm: They belong in small clubs, but they’re coming to First Ave by Leslie Kruempel, TC Daily Planet • Local Natives are on a quick ascent. The LA-based band opened for Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros at the Varsity Theater last November, before returning to Minneapolis this May to headline a sweaty sold-out show at the 400 Bar. On October 1st they’ll make the leap to the First Avenue Mainroom in support of their debut album Gorilla Manor.
MUSIC | Pat Dougherty takes it a little too easy on Love Songs and Picture Showsx by Dwight Hobbes, TC Daily Planet • Twin Cities singer-songwriter Pat Dougherty is a fairly busy fella. He’s booked solid through Fall hitting Chicago, New York City, and a Midwest tour of virtually back-to-back dates in November. This in support of The Second-Hand Opera Presents Pat Dougherty-Love Stories and Picture Shows (Keep In Touch Records). It’s a 10-song CD for which Dougherty (guitar) enlists the aid of Dave Afdahl (piano), Joe Finstrom (bass, cello), Andy Myers (drums, timpani), and Tim Binger (cello) with a chorus comprising of Dougherty, Binger, Finstrom, Myers, John Peters, and Kate Wiltgen, recorded “on location” at the St. Paul Opera House.
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FRONT ROW SEAT | The Breakfast Club, Never Let Me Go, and the strange fascination of adolescence by Jay Gabler • NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS (birthplace of the Fig Newton)-On Monday night, I sat on a bench in a bathroom while Isabel painted my hair with Manic Panic Blood Red semi-permanent hair color. It turned my hair a shocking shade of red, most visible in the spots where I had my dark brown hair bleached a few weeks ago and near the temples, where my scattered gray hairs are most copious.
POKING AROUND | Family History Fair this October 23 by Mary Treacy • Autumn is the right time to locate the cold weather gear, check the insulation, dust off the bookshelves and focus on family. The Family History Fair, Saturday, Oct. 23, at Minneapolis Central Library opens up the possibilities to explore the roots and stories that are the family history.
FLYOVER LAND | “The Opposite of Cold” by Amy Rea • For part 2 of Book Week, I bring you this: The Opposite of Cold by Michael Nordskog, with photographs by Aaron W. Hautala. This is a coffee table book in terms of size and lushness of photography, but it’s also surprisingly filled with lively text that does more than just act as captions for the photos. Saunas were introduced to the Midwest by immigrant Finns. Yes, along, with Swedes and Norskes, Minnesota also has a sizable Finnish heritage, especially around the Iron Range and in towns like Embarrass and Finland (the latter of which also has an annual festival celebrating St. Urho, a mythical saint conjured up to compete with Ireland’s St. Patrick).
SAI WERD INK | Truth telling by Ryan “Bugs” Williams-Virden • A truism in life – the truth hurts. Sometimes there is nothing harder to do than tell the truth. None of us like to hear about where we have messed up, or where we have inflicted harm towards others. We surely don’t enjoy hearing about a history of oppression and exploitation — with us doing the oppressing and exploiting.
TERESA ON TCDP | TC Man Walking by Teresa Boardman • TCManWalking is a Twitter name. His real name is Chris. I met him in person about a month ago. Chris is homeless. Up until very recently he was living in his car. He had a job and a home and enjoyed a kind of middle class lifestyle.
HINDSIGHT 2020 | The conservative elected official’s quandary by Jeff Van Wychen • Conservative “no new taxes” state policy poorly positions Minnesota’s local elected officials. It allows a cash-strapped legislature and governor to push their budget problems onto local governments who’ve wrongly caught the blame for raising taxes and cutting service. It’s all part of the conservative kabuki dance, where Governor Pawlenty and his conservative policy advocacy allies criticize local governments for a lack of frugality, knowing full well that Minnesota counties, cities and school districts have made deeper revenue cuts than state government.
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