The Wake

“The Rainbow Connection” is a song usually performed by Kermit the Frog. Thanks to karaoke, anyone, amphibian or otherwise, can sing its sweet strains. On August 30 at The Whiskey Rack, Kermit took the form of a young, biped mammal, Bob Dylan was an elderly lady and Britney Spears was Vietnamese.The Whiskey Rack is one of many bars in the Twin Cities area that has karaoke. Most people come to unwind, have a few drinks and a good time. And when the stage lights up, the disco-ball starts spinning, and someone approaches the microphone, you can’t help but listen. There’s …

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Imagine an obsessed Law & Order fan remaking The Exorcist. There probably aren’t many people out there salivating for a supernatural-thriller-turned-courtroom-drama, but those few that have been waiting for such a thing should waste no time before checking out The Exorcism of Emily Rose. While the title makes it sound like a knockoff of the previously mentioned movie about exorcism, or even a documentary on the subject, it’s nothing like what I expected.The story is a very fictionalized version of a court case involving a young woman whose death coincides with an attempted exorcism. In the film, rising star attorney …

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The basic needs of the human body appear simple at first: sleep, food and water. With minimal lacerations, punctures and diseases, it functions at average capacity. However, if average is just not enough, if you strive for excellence as all your grade school teachers taught you to, then you’ll love this easy solution for achieving bodily greatness. I am not talking about exercising, weight lifting, or seaweed protein shakes. You people I saw running at high noon this summer when it was 95 degrees outside are on the wrong path. The path is soulful and sweet, with just a hint …

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In the late 90s, Eminem became hip-hop’s light-skinned rapper with dark thoughts. A couple of years later, his hometown crew attempted to ride this shock wave as far as it would take them. They found success with “Purple Hills,” and showed audiences six similarly twisted, yet diversely gifted personas, each accompanied by a split personality. Proof was considered by many to be the most promising member of d12. Finally, he’s getting his chance to shine on Searching for Jerry Garcia. The album’s design and title allude to an experimental approach of soul searching on this rapper’s first full-length release. If …

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After a seven-year stint of recording as a solo artist, Jay Farrar has resurrected the band Son Volt. Their new release, titled Okemah and the Melody of Riot, finds Farrar’s rich voice embedded once again in the edgy, alt-country sound that this band is known for. Showcasing some of Farrar’s best songs to date, Okemah is both consistent and inventive. The music is well structured without seeming rigid, and ambient without becoming aimless. The lyrics are brazenly free form, lacking repetition and structure in many cases.“The words of Woody Guthrie ringing in my head,” sings Farrar on the opening track, …

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C Rayz Walz, a hip-hop torchbearer for many years now, has earned his title as a real emcee. This didn’t come easily. C Rayz is an embattled veteran of rap competition. His label, Def Jux, claims he was banned from Blaze Battle, a nationwide emcee competition, after beating every contestant he faced. In 2005, he wrote all-new material for his sophomore release, Year of the Beast. Because he uses several different producers, the tracks don’t fall victim to repetition. “Walk Through,” produced by Rob Sonic, is a spaced-out trunk-thumper that uses drums reminiscent of Clipse’s “Grindin’.” Aesop Rock hands over …

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Leo Kottke and Mike Gordon are among the most innovative musicians working today. The former is a finger-picking guitar virtuoso, the latter played bass for Phish, and together they’ve created one of the most musically fulfilling CDs of the past year. Sixty Six Steps, on the RCA Victor label, captures the unbelievable skill and interplay that made their first collaboration, 2002’s Clone, a success. With a little help from percussionist Neil Symonnette, Kottke and Gordon have bottled the sounds and attitude of Nassau, Bahamas, where they recorded Sixty Six Steps. Laid-back tempos and Gordon’s reggae-tinged playing create the foundation upon …

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Every so often, a disgruntled party is looking to voice a complaint. Their cries of injustice may be aimed at a tyrant of a boss, a ruthless leader, or a soulless government. Such protests can take many forms, some of which have considerable artistic merits. The afflicted organization or person may turn to letter writing, distributing pamphlets, or protesting in the form of songs, chants, or signs. However, the creativity does not stop there, as folks will use innumerable materials for their expression of qualms. While songs vary considerably, it is the protest posters that have the widest range …

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Upon entering the Chuck Close exhibit at the Walker Art Center, viewers are confronted with a nearly 8.5 by 7 foot face. A cigarette drools out of a bored mouth as bowling ball eyes stare accusingly. This visage is a self portrait by Close. From across the room I could see his individual facial hairs and the beads of sweat forming on his face. The aptly titled Big Self Portrait is airbrushed to create the flat surface of a photograph. Airbrushing is a technique used most commonly to fix imperfections in magazines or billboards, rather than to create art. “Initially …

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“This is probably the most difficult job I could ever have,” said Trever Nicholas, looking at a gallery filled with his artwork. Nicholas, whose most recent installation showed at Augsburg College this summer, is a graduate of the University of Minnesota’s Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program. The life of an independent artist is full of possibility and uncertainty. “I can pursue any curiosity I want to,” Trever told me. The unbounded freedom an artist has, however, comes with no guarantee of support or financial stability. Whether that sort of trade-off is worthwhile is a question artists must ask themselves. …

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I came to Bret Easton Ellis’s reading at the University of Minnesota Bookstore carrying sizable assumptions. This man wrote an entire novel about a character baring the same namesake as his own, a Wall Street serial killer (American Psycho), and debauchery at all levels. I assumed the drug addled, sexual fervor lore surrounding Ellis would expose itself and make for a memorable reading. I was right. But I was also wrong. I assumed these things about the man, about Ellis, and they mainly appeared in his fiction. He did warn the audience about his subject matter saying, “If people are …

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When the levee breaks down
and the dead come floating
through the living room,
looking like a modern day Bosch,and the oil gets ferried by a Swift boat captain,
sailing through a desert of Elysian Fields,and the tap water runs like a Lethean stream,
from Itasca all the way down to the Gulf,and a cry sounds out like a terrifying wind,
waking up the empathetic child in our hearts,calling: What should I do? And what does it mean?
And how many people are waiting to die?We hear the answer falling
with the beating of the rain, saying:
Send …

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Roommates are like caterpillars…. Don’t see the connection? I hadn’t either until I started to think about how for the past three years, I have shared my life with Molly, my roommate. Now, after those three completely ridiculous, yet entirely enjoyable (ok, maybe not entirely enjoyable) years, we are going our separate ways, transforming, if you will, into two separate butterflies from one cocoon. Still not convinced? Read on…Consider the caterpillar. The caterpillar minds its own business day in and day out – eating whatever milkweed it encounters on its slithery path. …

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As soon as the idea of his death had dimmed, a hand
paused inside a pumpkin, cupping the flesh, and whispered
silently to roots through the flat spines of seeds.
Oh! the red valves that were held down by soft organs, – the
murmur of the dirt accepting its pale box.
In the dusty alleyways white linen was hung on fire escapes, and
drunks rose with their whiskey brides in piles of cardboard as princes
in relief.
An unadorned kite was released into the air. Ripe tomatoes fell into open
baskets amongst the rows.
In the …

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“I am scared in this city,” my mother
told my father, “when you leave
me with myself. We work apart, we errand
apart, we have different cars. But in this city, I am
in this city,
still
with you.” “In days, when we are with our separate
selves,” my father said, “I hold this city close to me. I pull it in walking on
its sidewalk—scratching its back in my shuffled strides. Walking on, I come to the bus stop, and I stop to sit with you. The bench forms
to …

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