Jack Spencer has recently gone from writing curse-laden rants about minor inconveniences and last-minute English papers to writing blurbs about music and half-formulated raps on the back of receipt paper. The transition has been hell.
I knew The Wake knew how to party. In celebration of this fine magazine’s 7th year, a bash was thrown at the Acadia last Friday, featuring a wide range of musical acts, including Military Special, MC Harv, Lucy Michelle, Words, and Zombie Season. Each act was sonically different than the rest, and this made for a really interesting night.
The turnout was impressive, and it was great to see a real …
Be sure to come out to the Acadia Cafe this Friday to celebrate The Wake’s 7th year! The corner pub will be host to a variety of great local acts from 5 PM to bar close, and it’s free! That should leave you with plenty of money to buy some beer from the Acadia’s impressive selection! …
This morning, as the blood poured down the shower drain and I scraped the decaying skin from my face, I stopped to recollect my experiences at last night’s Zombie Pub Crawl:
At 4:00 I began to apply my zombie makeup. The Zombie Pub Crawl web page had some simple makeup tips using random foodstuffs, the likes of which were utilized …
In a local scene as diverse and talented as that of the Twin Cities, Marvelle somehow manages to stand out among the rest. The rock band “with indie and classical sprinkled on top” consists of John Holm on violin, Derek Winter on bass, Brian Herb on drums, and Linnea Maas doing live painting. The band configuration itself sets Marvelle apart from other local musicians. While they sound heavy, with thundering bass lines bellowing beneath haunting …
Brother Ali made a stop at Coffman’s Whole Music Club last night as part of the Making Music Series, a monthly event where artists come to discuss their craft in front of a live audience. Ali talked at great length about his process of writing and recording music, his connections with Atmosphere and Rhymesayers, his childhood and early influences, his belief in Islam, and his views on the racial politics of hip-hop culture. …
Rennie Sparks, one half of the alt-folk duo The Handsome Family, visited the U yesterday to give a lecture on the tradition of dark and violent imagery in the lyrics of folk songs. While her husband writes the music, Rennie writes the lyrics for The Handsome Family, whose often-times Gothic and bizarre content follow in the footsteps of the folk tradition. She has also adapted these themes into a book of short …
First Avenue dominates this week with back to back (to back!) highlighted shows. October seems to be the month for big names at big prices, and I know the economy is basically depression-lite right now, but gas prices are down, hey? Hit your parents up and you might very well be able to afford some of these indie shows in the $14-20 range:
Monday the 13th in the First Avenue Mainroom, Canadian nineteen-piece …
Today at 5th Element, the great beat writer Jake One releases White Van Music, featuring a truly epic amount of guest appearances: Slug, Busta Rhymes, Alchemist, MF Doom, Brother Ali, Prodigy, Keak Da Sneak, Blueprint, and more. The producer who walks the ever-disintegrating line between mainstream and underground has done beats for everybody from De La Soul and I Self …
Head down to the Triple Rock this Friday for a four band rock lineup for a price you should be able to afford even in this economic turmoil. This is a dollar a band (plus tip), so there ought to be plenty of money left over in your wallet to snag some nearby Taco Bell. Magic Castles are self-proclaimed proponents of the “Mysticore” genre, which City Pages calls an “intentionally disorganized style …
As I write this, my back aches, my eyes feel heavy, and my homework lies in its typical state of non-completion. And yet I look back on my packed weekend not as a waste of my time or college money, but as a startlingly inspiring cultural experience. Every time I venture out to attend a local rap show, I am awestruck by the way I feel during the show, and carry that with …
Two great hip-hop shows going on this weekend with two of Minneapolis’ finest underground MCs:
Heads know that Muja Messiah has been in the game for a minute, but not until recently has he gotten the press he deserves. Muja was just Picked To Click by City Pages, coming off the heels of his latest release Thee Adventures of a …
You have the opportunity to see some top local artists this week without any strain on your pocketbook, amazingly enough. I know you all are terrible cheapskates and won’t get out of your TV chair unless an event costs little to nothing, so here you go:
You should already be well aware of the Athletes In Slacks show tonight, because I’m sure you’ve all …
Tonight at the Uptown Bar, Cecil Otter, Building Better Bombs, The Millionth Word and Person Hurter are playing a show in support of their buddy who broke his collar bone after being body slammed by a large man. Ouch. Show starts at 9:30, 5 bucks at the door, all proceeds go to Andrew “FOOD HEAD” Troldahl and …
The debut Doomtree album has been a culmination of many years of building, growing, burning bridges and grinding teeth, symbolized in the piles of black books, show flyers, scribbled notes and candid pictures adorning the album’s liner notes. You can hear the work in the songs: It’s clear that each song on the CD traveled a tough road to be deemed worthy.
If you’ve been …
Beatrix*JAR are couple Bianca Pettis (Beatrix) and Jacob Aaron Roske (JAR), and together they create innovative soundscapes using assorted tampered-with electronics, a technique known as circuit-bending. Any battery-powered, sound-producing device is fair game, and Beatrix*JAR utilize quite the impressive array of drum machines, keyboards, children’s toys, and other non-traditional instruments to play music they describe pretty …