The Wake

Tip for theater goers: avoid seeing a traveling musical during the middle of the week, especially at the end of the show’s run. What you’ll get are a few effortless actors disrespecting their characters, themselves and the audience.With that said, I wish I wasn’t referring to Jonathan Larson’s theatrical masterpiece “Rent,” which is an ultra-important story of friendship, suffering, life and death that will never lose its symbolic importance for American society – except when it is not taken seriously by those actors involved in its performance.In its sixth presentation at the Ordway Center in St. Paul, the show, which ended April 18, is now Broadway’s tenth longest running show to date. And because of that popularity and its massive following, one would think that being apart of this musical’s cast would be an unimaginable …

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Josh Hartnett must be one of the luckiest bastards in Minnesota.Not only did he score tickets to The Strokes’ sold out show at First Avenue on April 25, he managed to weasel his way in the VIP Lounge by virtue of his star power alone (I saw him do it with my own eyes).The rest of the 1400 audience members weren’t so fortunate. They had to suffer heady pulse-pounding sets from both The Raveonettes and The Strokes from the floor. Oh cruel fate. I didn’t hear much complaining from them, however.The opening act, The Raveonettes, touring all the way from Denmark, entranced the crowd with their spacey, edgy brand of rock. I mean that literally, too. Never have so many people been so still at one time. The crowd of gently bobbing heads and …

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“Is the concert that boring?” some trashed twenty-something girl asks me. She keeps stealing drags off my cigarette – and it’s starting to piss me off. “No,” I tell her. “But I am getting paid to be here. I’m not a huge fan.”“Oh,” she says, ashing the Camel-filtered over the crowd below.She’s one of many who are hanging-cool upstairs in The Quest’s upscale balcony. From the looks of it, she’s having quite the time. But for the rest of the audience, the real action is taking place two flights of stairs below in the main-room.“Are we having a good fucking time!?” the Ashton Kutcher look-alike on-stage screams to the audience. “Outside, it’s Minneapolis, but in here it’s bright, sunny California.” The hordes of high-school students erupt in cheers – they’re on a Hollister Holiday, and …

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Electric Fetus
Stats:
* Lots of amenities: incense, candles, tobacco pipes, posters, clothing, jewelry
* Band DVDs
* Vinyl (sparse)
* Used CDs
* Local music
* HUGE selection
* Import CDs
* Decent prices
* Cassettes
* Concert ticketsThe Electric Fetus could be equated to your grandma’s attic; that is, if your grandma was a total music nut. The colossal amount of music and stuff packed into the general store-like space makes the Electric Fetus feel homey. Good background music, fun publicity displays, bright lighting and polished hardwood floors lend to a pleasant shopping experience. Fetus also has an excellent jazz selection; hell, they have an excellent selection in Electronic, Blues, Country, Pop, Rock, African and Latin. The large selection is also reflected in the variety of patrons. Price-wise, the Fetus …

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On May 21, audiences around the country will bid adieu to a television show that has long overstayed its welcome. “Friends” originated in a TV era that was obsessed with the fast New York single life. “Shows like Caroline in the City,” “The Single Guy,” and “Seinfeld” all showed single New Yorkers not doing much more than drinking coffee and dating incessantly.This was the way to live it seemed, to be in your late twenties/early thirties, not horribly successful yet somehow rich enough to afford well decorated city lofts and designer outfits. “Friends” opened to rave reviews; how could such a simple equation seem so unique? In the course of its first season, the show made bad dates and oversized cappuccinos a way of life. Women across the country flocked hair stylists for “the Rachel.” …

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When you think of “The Godfather,” do you feel the sadness of a family falling apart, or rather the exhilaration of its seedy characters, bleak violence and street justice? When you think of “American Beauty,” do you remember a father reaffirming his family values, or a renegade, with nothing to lose, giving a finger to society? Movies such as these often claim to have a moral center as they end their subversive stories in dignified fashion. But if you look closely, “The Godfather” celebrates crime and the mafia, while “American Beauty” celebrates rebellion and apathy. Their endings are merely epilogues to a vastly different story. I hope you remember this if you see “Mean Girls,” which ends on a positive note of individuality and self-respect, but spends the majority of its running time as …

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With summer come tank tops, shorts and sandals. The streets we’ve avoided all winter in exchange for force-heated buildings are now in high demand. Not far from campus, at St. Anthony Main, a little restaurant by the name of Pracna on Main is tucked away.Pracna’s scenery is one of its biggest selling points. Its front faces the Mississippi, showing off downtown’s skyline in the distant. A walking trail passes by, giving the area a park feel. The cobble stoned Main Street, the oldest street in Minneapolis, takes its visitors back to another time.This is all great, but even better when you’re sitting in front row seats: Pracna’s patio.Who doesn’t like to sip on a beer—Pracna has 20 different ones on tap—while unwinding in the sunlight, surrounded by urban wildlife? It’s not a bad place to …

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Spring time calls for new things to appear, and this is certainly the case for the Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition, “Refresh,” now at the Katherine E. Nash Gallery in the Regis Center for Art. “Refresh” features the art work of Master’s students David Bowen, Kristina Estell, Allen Peterson, Gregory Rose, Emmet Sandberg, Scott Stulen, Trever Nicholas and Liz Zlot. The show is innovative and imaginative showcasing the work of budding artists. The exhibit includes a variety of mediums and styles, creating a postmodern experience. The craftsmanship is excellent, as are the conceptual themes represented by each artist. Upon entering the gallery, one is confronted with Allen Peterson’s cobble stone-like cast iron sidewalk entitled “Terrain.” Moving across “Terrain” (you may walk on it), one finds the eight imaginative and clever pieces by Scott Stulen. …

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Huddling with the cast of The Rocky Horror Show around take-out food and lip shaped Rice-Krispy bars, I slowly realize I’m not quite prepared for what the evening holds. But I should have known better, considering the subject at hand is one of the most successful cult classics of all time. The Rocky Horror Show is a show like no other: first a play by Richard O’Brien and then a movie – this show is more than a night out on the town. One of the major things that set Rocky apart from other theatrical productions is the fact that participation is nearly mandatory to fully enjoy this cult classic. Yes, I said participation. Calling out whatever comes to mind in response to the action onstage (which I assure you, warrants a response) is welcomed …

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With just two tracks at around 28-minutes in length, Black Dice have created yet another release stimulating on both a musical and intellectual level. Continuing the broad themes that 2002’s Beaches and Canyons explored, Miles of Smiles shows Black Dice adding elements of musique-concrete and minimalism into their already intricate electronic-tinged music. The EP begins with the non-metrical title-track, a 13-minute composition that relies heavily on the stark contrast between a smooth, brooding sound and a dry percussive sound, showing its ultimate reliance on differing sound colors for its effectiveness. The second track, “Trip Dude Delay,” also contains this tension between polar sound colors, but is much closer to the atmospheric sounds of Beaches and Canyons. The track then is more like a vestigial remain than an indicator of what their upcoming full-length might sound …

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It is human nature to define. We love to neatly place and categorize the world around us. This disposition naturally influences our movies, food and CD collections. I have found a new sub-division within Indie Rock, which I have deemed Whimsical Rock I first thought of this branch of music when I was given a Broken Social Scene CD. It seemed different then anything I had ever heard. It used sound to its utmost emotional ability. After that, I began seeking out other bands that sounded like this. I unearthed an entire assemblage of melodically-driven groups that had been buried in the pile of worn-out New Wave and ‘70s Revival bands. These bands were worthy of a name of their own and Whimsical Rock flashed in my head. Whimsical Rock could be defined as rock-based, …

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In the Quest’s main room, platoons of pre-teens are waging a pop-punk war on sadness. But backstage, the mood is decidedly calm.In a small and dingy dressing room, Motion City Soundtrack are awaiting their turn to go onstage. Flanked by empty pizza boxes, bottles of Newcastle and the nuclear-bomb-blast beats of the opening band, the guys in M.C.S. shuffle around, darting in and out of the stage doors like waiters in a cramped downtown-diner. It’s a scene of sustained chaotic calm. Jesse Johnson, keyboardist for the Minneapolis quintet, is quietly patching up his Moog-synthesizer with neon-green electrical tape. Bassist Matt Taylor is greeting various people backstage; only handshakes here though: the noise of the nearby stage drowns out virtually everything else. The atmosphere backstage permeates with anxious anticipation. The band has seen the crowd, and …

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Recently I had the opportunity to speak with Neil Kernon. For those not aware of Neil’s work, he is one of the most talented producers around. In the seventies he worked with jazz fusion bands such as Brand X. In the ‘80s he worked with a wide range of artists, including Dokken, Hall & Oates, Queensrÿche and Kansas. At this point in time Neil produces a great deal of extreme metal, such as Cannibal Corpse, Macabre and Skinless. His productions have been nominated for several Grammy’s and has produced a Grammy winner. Do any particular moments stand out as your proudest as a producer?
I don’t know if I have any really. I never really set out to be a producer. I just wanted to be involved in music. I kind of gravitated to this …

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Liege Lord is a band that is sadly unknown to many metalheads. Their music is of the traditional American power metal variety, meaning it is more aggressive and thrashier than the ridiculously happy European brand of the genre. On Master Control, Paul Nelson truly shows himself as a virtuoso guitar player, boasting his speed, heaviness, and intricacy. Joe Comeau’s vocals are marvelous. They remind me a great deal of Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) mixed with a little bit of Lizzy Borden and Queensrÿche’s Geoff Tate. It has a commanding and masculine power, but is also of the soaring variety. There is a very memorable cover of Rainbow’s “Kill the King,” and the band truly shows their skill here. They own the song on this performance, and by matching Ritchie Blackmore’s playing, Nelson and Tony Truglio …

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Depending on what television networks you watch, what programs pique your interest and what time of day you tune in, you have likely seen vastly different advertisements for The Girl Next Door. Pushed back a month from its original release date, I have watched in amazement as three completely different films have been marketed under this title. The first is a light-hearted film about being a teenager and learning about oneself; the second, a movie about a shy teenager breaking out of his shell thanks to his friends and their wacky adventures; and the third, an all-out frat party, a la American Pie, where sexually-frustrated teenage boys get in trouble with easy women, and nothing is taboo. Three different marketing strategies for the same film, and all of them correct. I am still not sure …

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