The Wake

Unfortunately, my interview with Toki Wright yielded far more points of interest than my 500 word limit would allow. Not wanting to just lose all the great things we talked about, I decided to post the rest of the interview here. Enjoy!

Toki Wright on Obama:

“[The economic crisis] has always been there in the urban community, and now its an …

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Toki Wright has been a presence in the Minnesota hip-hop world for some time. As a rapper, he’s performed all over the country and overseas, toured with Brother Ali, appeared on Atmosphere’s crew cut Crewed Up, hosted numerous hip-hop events and rocked mics as a solo artist and with groups The C.O.R.E., Aphrill and The Chosen Few. After steadily releasing material on his Low Budget High Quality series, Wright is gearing up for …

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Bruce Campbell made this movie one time called Evil Dead. Enough people watched it to warrant two more progressively ridiculous sequels, Evil Dead 2 and The Army of Darkness. The dude who directed them went on to direct the Spiderman film franchise. The dude named Bruce Campbell went on to play Bruce Campbell in the new film “My …

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Every Tuesday night, a mighty bellow emanates from the University Baptist Church near campus. The collective sound of multiple people singing together rings out throughout the space. Participants of all ages gather here once a week to participate in the storied tradition of shape note singing.

Shape note singing is also known as “sacred harp singing” because the music is made using nothing but the human voice, the sacred instrument you are born with. A …

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Hello all. Hope you had a good break. Mine was decent enough, filled much more with mashed potatoes than with any sort of cultural writings. But now it’s back to work, so here’s a bunch of things that are going on soon:

There was quite an influx of bad business going on when the Republic National Convention stormed our humble …

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Last night, I caught the band Dub Trio at the Varsity Theater. I don’t wish to wreck any reps here, but Dub Trio have a profound fondness for Celine Dion and listen to her Canadian warbles backstage to prepare for shows. Take that however you will, but that is the case.

Their sound is far from that of the pop diva, but …

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As December approaches, it’s getting to Christmas special season. Last night I went to Bryant Lake Bowl to attend one of the most infamous Christmas specials of all time, the Star Wars Holiday Special. Technically, this is not a Christmas special, as it takes place a long time ago in a galaxy without a Jesus or a …

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When I ran into Military Special for this interview, they were in the midst of an argument over aesthetic. Short songs versus false endings? Are the beats to be hard and heavy or do they just come off as sad bastard music? How much minor key is too much? “I wanted this song like a drunken anthem,” said guitarist Peter …

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Jazz is one hell of a genre. A realm of music all its own, Jazz exists in a different dimension. One could get lost in its many subgenres and forget other music exists at all. Jazz can be as jarring as Metal or as smooth as the voice of Billy Holiday, as mathematical as Electronica or as chaotic as Noise.

Improvisational …

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Fort Wilson Riot are stationing themselves at the Hexagon Bar tonight and next Thursday as part of a series of free shows. Though too busy getting fat and happy on Thanksgiving, every remaining Thursday in November belongs to FWR, as they bring along some of their friends to join them in bouts of old fashioned revelry. Riot …

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This past Saturday, the Sound Gallery Recording Studio and Warehouse held the Clapperclaw Festival, an independent music and arts festival showcasing a large array of local talent. I walked in just in time to catch the $5 ticket, as opposed to the $12 I would’ve had to pay after 7 PM. This was a pretty effective pricing technique, as it encouraged me to come early and take in the event in its entirety. …

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Judging from the rampant celebration over Barack Obama’s historic presidential win, this weekend looks to be a time for great ra-ra and inspired good times. Stop doing your homework, forever, and go do something awesome this weekend.

City Pages Picked To Click artists Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles kicks off a miniseries stint at the Nomad Pub tonight, with the …

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The activist group Substance celebrated Halloween on Saturday with a haunted house in the Dinkytown Oakeshott Institute, based on the events surrounding the Republican National Convention earlier this year. After progressing past the chaotic RNC terror, patrons were greeted with live music from Kill The Vultures, Gay Witch Abortion, Slapping Purses and Tender Meat. The event helped raise money for the RNC 8 and to pay debts incurred from the …

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Halloween night is one of the bigger party nights of the year, yet it’s very nature separates itself from the other booze-addled bouts of self-destruction which populate the Twin Cities resident’s party schedules. Halloween demands a certain tone, an atmosphere not just of getting drunk and silly, but doing so in costumes, with attention to fear and spookiness. Standing around with friends playing beer pong is not going to cut it this weekend, …

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Conor Oberst, known best for his work with Bright Eyes and currently touring with the Mystic Valley Band, is doing a free solo performance at the Loring Pasta Bar in Dinkytown today at 2:30 PM. He is playing in support of the organization Obama Campaign For Change, and tickets are available to anyone who volunteers for at …

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