by staff
Summer, it’s been real. We’ve shared block parties, hung out on rooftop patios, went to outdoor music festivals, and saw movies in the park by day, and we danced, rocked out and caroused by night. But we’re not letting you go without a bang! This weekend sees the kickoff of the Great Minnesota Get Together And Eat Things on Sticks (a.k.a. the State Fair) plus the return of the Picnic Operetta, weekend #2 of the Renaissance Festival, S. Carey with O Brother, Where Art Thou? outdoors the Lake Harriet Bandshell, and the first annual Pat’s Tap Block Party with Sideshow Soo.
xo, l’étoile
THURSDAY, AUGUST 23RD–MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3RD
Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts Show & Crop Art Show
@ Minnesota State Fairgrounds
Ag-Horticulture Building & Fine Arts Building
St. Paul
9 am–9 pm daily / All Ages / FREE (with $12 fair admission)
Of all the strange and wonderful things to do at the Minnesota State Fair, perhaps no activity carries the heady mix of highbrow and populist that accompanies the Fine Arts Show. It has the cache of its own building far removed from the squealing masses of the Midway. Though a juried show, we consistently find the exhibition a surreal mix of genuinely stellar art from Minnesota’s deep and complex artistic community along with a selection of, well, more “unique” artifacts. Apparently the jury is rather selective with only about 14 percent of submissions making the cut, so we assume the diversity is intentional. Love it or hate it, the Fine Arts Show is never boring, and for many is the one time of year they actively seek out an artistic exhibition. If nothing else, it’s endlessly entertaining to listen to your fellow patrons’ critiques; they range from the insightful to the ridiculous, which I guess is a good way of describing art in general. For a less serious but no less technically accomplished exhibit, may we recommend you also check out the Crop Art located in the Ag-Hort building (alongside the fruit and vegetable displays). Some of the crop art pieces are really intensely crafted, while others are delightfully kitschy. Hit both buildings in one day and you’ll have a stellar microcosm of the State Fair in all its incongruous glory. -Anthony Enright
Click HERE for the Minnesota State Fair site
THURSDAY, AUGUST 23RD-SUNDAY, AUGUST 26TH
Live Music at the Fair
@ Minnesota State Fairgrounds
1265 Snelling Avenue
St. Paul
Various Times / All Ages / Non-Grandstand shows are free with $12 Fair admission, Grandstand shows $31-44.50 in addition to admission cost
The array of music at the Fair – free and not free – is dizzying, year after year. There’s something about seeing bands at the Grandstand that cannot be duplicated, that heady mix of scent and sound and fresh air (and rain!) that makes for an iconic rock experience. This weekend is country weekend, and besides Bonnie Raitt, there’s not much else cool until the rock takes over next week. The highlight, honestly, is Monday’s “Happy Together Tour,” featuring Flo and Eddie from the Turtles and Micky Dolenz from the Monkees. It’s the smaller stages that are hot stuff this weekend. At the Bandshell on the 23rd and 24th: the ever-popular Dawes (frankly, Semisonic did them first and better, but people love ‘em). At the Heritage stage on the 25th and 26th: the beautifully twee Caroline Smith and the Good Night Sleeps. And the real action is on the Cities 27 stage, which has Fort Wilson Riot on the 24th and Maudlin on the 25th (not to mention the Melismatics on Monday the 27th). Get yourself down, get some curds, and check out some music. -Jon Hunt
Click HERE for the Minnesota State Fair site and HERE for the Rock the Cause/Cities 97 Fair Stage site
Dawes
THURSDAY, AUGUST 23RD (CONTINUING THURSDAYS THROUGH SEPTEMBER 27TH)
NE Pop Up Farmers Market
@ Red Stag Supperclub
509 1st Avenue NE
Minneapolis
3-8 pm / All Ages / FREE
It’s not a swap meet – it’s a crop meet! Summer may be coming to a close, but the farmer’s market season is still going strong. Every Thursday beginning this weekend through September, the new NE Pop Up Farmers Market will be popping up in the Red Stag Supperclub parking lot, and it will be packed with late-summer’s bounty of fresh produce, herbs, ands flowers, plus canned goods, tea, organic free range chickens, eggs, pottery and organic honey from a range of urban and rural producers. Organic and locally-produced has never tasted so good. -Jahna Peloquin
Click HERE for the Red Stag Supperclub site
THURSDAY, AUGUST 23RD
REELS X WHEELS
@ Parkway Theater
4814 Chicago Avenue S
Minneapolis
7–11 pm / All Ages / FREE
We sure do love our bikes here in the Twin Cities, and we have no dearth of cinephiles either, so it seems surprising that we don’t have more events that combine our vibrant bike culture with cinema. For all of you hankering for the intersection of the two, ARTCRANK has a treat for you. This Thursday, REELS X WHEELS presents an evening of bike centered film and music at the Parkway Theater. Four short films inspired by bike culture will be screened, including two world premieres with music by Doomtree. The full program showing four separate times throughout the evening, so you’re sure not to miss a thing. Free bike valet parking will be available and silent auctions & raffles will give you the opportunity to snag some sexy gear for your bike. Pedal on down for some cinematic cycling fun! -Anthony Enright
Click HERE for the ARTCRANK site
THURSDAY, AUGUST 23RD
l’étoile magazine presents “Project Runway” Weekly Viewing Parties
@ moto-i
Second Level
2940 Lyndale Avenue S
Minneapolis
8 pm screening / All Ages / FREE
We here at l’étoile have always been big Project Runway fans, and this season featured one of our very own – Minneapolis fashion designer Raul Osorio. Join l’étoile and Raul to view the show while you sip cocktails, including $3.50 house wines and $4 good-luck cocktails, every Thursday on the second floor of moto-i. Vote for Raul as Fan Favorite throughout the duration of the season by tweeting hashtag #teamraul. The winner gets $10,000 at the end of the season, and Raul has promised to throw a huge party if he wins – and everyone’s invited! (One tweet per user will be counted as a vote within a five-minute period, so you can vote a lot. Vote here.). -Jahna Peloquin
Click HERE for the Facebook invite, HERE for Todd O’Dowd’s Q&A with the designer for l’étoile, & HERE for Todd’s recap of last week’s episode
THURSDAY, AUGUST 23RD
“Adam’s Rib”
@ Heights Theater
3951 Central Avenue NE
Columbia Heights
7:30 pm / All Ages / $8
There’s been some treading in the shady territory of taboo sexual rhetoric in the last several months, with some big mouths going places where none shall pass. There’s been rape jokes and a dope politician trying to label something as “legitimate rape,” in addition to talk about controlling birth control along with some invasive prodding. Of course, most of this talk has been generated by rich white men. Couples at home, watching the news and reading the Internet, consequently are recommended to be careful with their worded opinions. George Cukor’s Adam’s Rib serves as a farcical though sometimes moving dramatization of the “main event” between men and women, with boy (Spencer Tracy) and girl (Katherine Hepburn) cast as married lawyers who become courtroom adversaries after voicing their opinions about a vengeful wife (Judy Holliday) who fires gunshots at her philandering husband (Tom Ewell). Hepburn sees the human element of a jealous and vulnerable woman who’s been jilted by double standards in adultery; Tracy rigidly judges the woman to simply be a criminal. Cukor’s classic comedy hits primal nerves, thanks to the leads’ chemistry meshed with their trademark untamed pride, refusing to give into each other. The reconciliation of love is probably too optimistic for our volatile times, particularly when the pair’s opinions are made equivalent to political wings (she’s the Democrat; he’s the Republican). Nevertheless, as people have lost the nerve to argue. about sexual standards, Adam’s Rib is a refreshing series of arguments which could be called a vital predecessor to Woody Allen’s subsequent sex-wars decades later. -Niles Schwartz
Click HERE for the Heights Theater site
THURSDAY, AUGUST 23RD
Flip Phone: Short Shortz
@ Honey
205 E Hennepin Avenue
Minneapolis
9:30 pm / 21+ / $4
Join in for a trip back in time! Dedicated to music from the “Flip Phone Era,” aka 1996 to 2006, this event will include non-stop jams with music by DJ Fancy Restaurant, a short shortz contest at midnight and some ridiculous drink specials. So, don’t be shy and be sure to dress in you shortest garb and bring the biggest flip phone you can find. -Chelsea Streich
Click HERE for the Facebook invite
FRIDAY, AUGUST 24TH & SATURDAY, AUGUST 25TH
“The Vampire!” on the Padelford Riverboat
@ The Mississippi River
Harriet Island
St. Paul
8 pm / All Ages / $25
We’re trying to hold onto summer as long as we can, and what could be more summery than an evening riverboat ride? Add a vampiric theatrical production and you’d be a fool not to snag up one of these $25 tickets. Adapted from J.R. Planche’s 1920 thriller, this production promises suspense, drama, and genuine spectacle. Scottish vampires, gods and goddesses, shipwrecks…this show has everything you could want while you’re trapped on a riverboat with a group of strangers in the dark. And did we mention it’s a musical?Just don’t forget your garlic and holy water. -Beth Hammarlund
Click HERE for the Padelford Riverboats site
FRIDAY AUGUST 24TH–SATURDAY AUGUST 26TH (CONTINUING THROUGH SEPTEMBER 23RD)
“The Return of King Idomeneo: A Picnic Operetta”
@ Various locations
7 pm on August 24th & 4 pm on August 25th & 26th / All Ages / $10 to $20 (suggested donation)
In case you were wondering, an Operetta is pretty much an Opera albeit typically a bit on the lighter and more comedic side, so the tragedy will at least have a funny side. Think of it as the precursor to the modern musical, light, frothy and meant to entertain. Performance company Mixed Precipitation aims to bring this form into a socially engaging context by staging updated, unique versions of a classic Mozart Operetta in community gardens and parks throughout the Twin Cities. These ‘Picnic Operettas’ celebrate the urban ecosystem with a collaborative multi-disciplinary performance designed to engage both the audience and the venue. Now in its fourth year, the company presents The Return of King Idomeneo, a festive classically inspired tale that draws on Greek myth and legend. Never slaves to convention, Mixed Precipitation has interpreted the music with a 1950’s and 60’s doo-wop and street corner vibe, for something truly unique. The performances run through September 23rd in different venues, so if you can’t make it this weekend check out one of the future dates. -Anthony Enright
Click HERE for the Mixed Precipitation site
FRIDAY, AUGUST 24TH-SUNDAY, AUGUST 26TH (RUNS THROUGH SEPTEMBER 28, WEEKENDS ONLY)
Renaissance Festival
@ Renaissance Festival Grounds
3525 145th Street
West Shakopee
9 am-7 pm rain or shine / All Ages/ $20-$80
Haven’t you ever wanted to be a princess or a knight just for a day? Go back in time and see how people lived, how they ate, what entertained them? Well, if playing renaissance isn’t your thing, you could at least enjoy it by gnawing on a turkey leg or watching a jousting match at the 42nd annual Renaissance Festival. With themed weekends like “Royal Ale Fest,” “Wine, Chocolate and Romance” and for the pet lovers “Ye Old Pet Fest,” the Ren Fest offers more than meets the eye. There are over 250 artisans on site selling anything and everything from the renaissance era hair wraps, fairy outfits, you name it. New this year is a fantasy from the sea, Mermaid Ambrosia. Follow her and the captain through Mermaid Cove. Just because there are new acts, it doesn’t mean your favorites have gone away, Puke and Snot will be on hand with their crude humor to make you laugh…or gag. Still if none of this interests you, think of the people watching! Besides the State Fair or MSP Airport, the Ren Fest tops the list for interesting people. -Alexandra Katz
Click HERE for the Renaissance Festival site
FRIDAY, AUGUST 24TH
Vita.mn Music and Movies featuring S. Carey and “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
@ Lake Harriet Bandshell
4135 W Lake Harriet Parkway
Minneapolis
7:30 pm / All Ages / FREE
Sean Carey, aka S. Carey, is Bon Iver’s drummer/backing vocalist, and on his own, he plays a kind of idiosyncratic electro-pop that’s not at all unlike some of Radiohead’s glitchier moments from Kid A with a healthy dollop of atmospheric drizzled on top. It’s interesting stuff, and I can only imagine it’s probably pretty compelling live, and the songs definitely fit with a late-night-outdoors-in-the-park vibe. Pairing it with the Coen Brothers’ masterpiece of old-timeyness O Brother, Where Art Thou? is inspired, too, and if you’ve not seen that film on the big screen (the music from it, honestly, minus the hype and the sort of old-people-co-option, is magnificent) now is the time. Head thee down. -Jon Hunt
Click HERE for the Vita.mn site
FRIDAY, AUGUST 24TH
Radio K Presents Gigawatt
@ Hell’s Kitchen
80 9th Street
Minneapolis
10 pm / 21+ / $5
Radio K celebrates it’s 100th year of U of M college radio this year, and Friday is a big party at Hell’s Kitchen to celebrate. Its a great three band line up, which is super diverse: up first is indie pop newcomers Wiping Out Thousands, which have a sound that reminiscent of earlier Björk – danceable and hypnotic at the same time. Also playing is psych garage band Leisure Birds, who haven’t been heard of much of late, but are back at it again. Headlining the night is Twin Cites’ favorite Japanese punk band, Birthday Suits. They bring a blistering live show that will make your head spin. BONUS: the party also features a special VIP area to the first 77 Radio K members or U of M students offering special giveaways in between sets. Party! -Danielle Morris
Click HERE for the Radio K site
Birthday Suits
FRIDAY, AUGUST 24TH
Nightosaur + Blackthorne + Svoboda + Bisento
@ Turf Club
1601 University Avenue
St. Paul
9 pm / 21+ / $6
Its a heavy night of music Friday at the Turf Club. The four band line up is some of the best heavy metal offerings of the Twin Cities. Up first is loud ass drone rockers Bisento, followed by angular metalheads Svoboda, which play some epic and delightfully evil-sounding jams. Also playing is Blackthorne, which features members of a bunch of other bands such as Song of Zarathursta, Book of Dead Names, Chiablo, Kill Sadie, and Chariots, so you know it has to be good. Headlining the night is Nightosaur, cock rockers that play with much bravado and serious riff-age and ripping guitar solos. Killer! -Danielle Morris
Click HERE for the Turf Club site
FRIDAY, AUGUST 24TH
A. Wolf & Her Claws Vinyl Release
@ 7th Street Entry
701 1st Avenue N
Minneapolis
8 pm doors / 18+ / $8 advance, $10 at the door
Local singer-songwriter Aby Wolf has been busy as of late collaborating and adding her special touch to many genres of the Minneapolis music scene. From hip hop to jazz to avant-garde experimental, her latest incarnation shows her spreading her wings even further. A. Wolf and Her Claws is an electro-pop project that is challenging as it is tuneful, with different musical textures combine to create something that is almost lush and minimal, filled out with crisp beats and whirring vocal harmonies. On Friday, the band, which also features drummer Joey Van Philips, keyboardist/vocalist Linnea Mohn, and synth/programmer Jesse Whitney, celebrates the release of their debut on vinyl. Experimental electronic-based group Basuketto and Omac Montainya open, with DJ MAKR playing in between sets. -Danielle Morris
Click HERE for the First Avenue site
FRIDAY, AUGUST 24TH
SYSTEM: DVS1
@ Bolt Underground
515 Washington Avenue S (enter at rear)
Minneapolis
10 pm-2:30 am / 21+ / $7 w/ RSVP, $10 at the door
If you haven’t heard of DVS1 yet, be prepared to get schooled. DVS1 – real name: Zak Khutoretsky – is well known within the tight-knit techno scene here in Minneapolis, but mainstream success locally has so far eluded him. He plays five-hour sets in Berlin to a crowd of 1,500. He plays huge electronic music festivals, like the upcoming Decibel Festival, all over the world. He’s been a resident DJ at popular Berlin club Berghain, which has been described as “quite possibly the current world capital of techno.” He was named one of the world (world!)’s top DJs earlier this year by URB Magazine. Is that enough for you? Take up the opportunity to see him play in the intimate confines of the Bolt Underground before Minneapolis gets wind of this guy. -Jahna Peloquin
Click HERE for the Facebook invite
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25TH
Pat’s Tap Block Party & Sideshow Soo
@ Pat’s Tap
3510 Nicollet Avenue
Minneapolis
3-9 pm / All Ages / FREE
Life-sized animal crackers and unicorn mountains, huge fish tanks balanced on a man’s head…no you aren’t having an acid trip it’s just Sideshow Soo, SooVAC’s interactive carnival. Part of the first ever Pat’s Tap Block Party, the event celebrates Minnesota’s art scene with carnival games and oddities created by artists themselves, including Julia Caston, Tara Costello, Jennifer Davis and Mary Jane Mansfield. Grown-ups and kids alike can enjoy this interactive art fest by munching on cotton candy and other delicious treats. There is even a booth to create your own spin art or find out what the future holds for you with a reading by Zoraya (a.k.a. performance artist Jaime Carrera). Catch some live music from the likes of Mariachi Estrella, Romantica and Shot to Hell. If nothing else entices you, haven’t you always wondered what the “Pat” of Pat’s Tap looks like in person? Now is your chance, Pat will be there in person! -Alexandra Katz
Click HERE for the Pat’s Tap site
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25TH
Fifth Element Parking Lot Sale
@ Fifth Element
2411 Hennepin Avenue S
Minneapolis
11 am-7 pm / All Ages / FREE
Spend your afternoon scoring mix-and-match deals, jamming to music and checking out brand new items for sale at Fifth Element’s annual Parking Lot Sale. DJs from the Rhymesayers Entertainment family – Plain Ole Bill, Espada, Jimmy Two Times and others – will jam all day while you shop, and Mastermind of Guardians of Balance, Mike Dreams, Audio Perm and Mankwe will perform live sets. Snag deals like mix-and-match five-for-$10 CDs, 15% off Rhymesayers records, cheap Soundset merch, discounts on vinyl and CDs of 30-60%, and more. Can’t make it? All offers are available online. -Meg Junkermeier
Click HERE for the Facebook event and HERE for the Fifth Element site
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25th
Paul Bunyan’s Rolling Bike Party
@ Loring Park
1382 Willow Street
Minneapolis
7-10 pm / All Ages/ FREE
Don’t be alarmed if you see a few dozen Paul Bunyans, Babe the Blue Ox, Vikings, Prince-s or other famous Minnesota faces riding around downtown streets on bikes. It is just dressed-up bike riders heading out on the Paul Bunyan Rolling Bike Party. Wear the costume of your favorite Minnesotan and bring your bike and that is all you need to participate. If you are extra creative with your choice of attire you could win one of the three prizes for best dressed. This is not a pub crawl and not Critical Mass – it’s all about riding, dancing, eating, drinking from water bottles and enjoying each other’s company. Besides getting to dress like your favorite MN idol, you will be supporting the MOAB, a non-profit bicycle and art community center. I mean, haven’t you ever had the urge to blast “Purple Rain” and ride around on your bike in platforms? -Alexandra Katz
Click HERE for the Facebook invite
Print by Peter Thomas Chang
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25TH
“No Bad Days”: Joe Garvey Art Show
@ Familia Skateshop
2833 Hennepin Avenue
Minneapolis
7-10 pm / All Ages / FREE
Minnesota native and NYC transplant Joe Garvey brings his most recent typographic work back home with a solo show at Familia Skateshop. Garvey’s “No Bad Days” collection will be featuring works similar to those displayed at the NYC Ace Hotel in a project supported by fashion brand Opening Ceremony, in which he turned a blank wall into his love note to New York City. Support this unique and talented artist while checking out the latest skate goodies from Familia. -Chelsea Streich
Click HERE for the Facebook invite
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25TH
Rudy Fig + friends: “Sweet Hot Mess”
@ Cult Status Gallery
2913 Harriet Avenue S
Minneapolis
6 pm-midnight / All Ages / FREE
Have your cake and eat it too. Artist Rudy Fig, known for her paintings of strange girls surrounded by psychedelic sweetness, is teaming up with baker/curator Katie Carpenter to put on a show just as appealing to sweet tooths as it is to art patrons. The show will feature pieces from artists such as Fig, DC Ice and Mike Davis, and pastry chefs will be taking inspiration from the exhibition as they compete to create their own saccharine masterpieces. A judging panel including the Star Tribune‘s Kim Ode, food blogger Stephanie Meyer, and Permanent Art and Design Creative Director and former l’étoile editor-in-chief Kate Iverson will be on hand to make the tough calls. -Beth Hammarlund
Click HERE for the Cult Status Gallery site
Art by Casey Weldon
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25TH
“How to Bocoming Absolete”: Landland Artist Reception
@ Foiled Again Salon
2807 Johnson Street NE
Minneapolis
7–9 pm / All Ages / FREE
Join Foiled Again Salon as they host an artist reception for NE-based design and illustration studio Landland. Started by Dan Black, Jessica Seamans and Matt Zaun back in ’07, Landland is a graphic design studio that doubles as a screenprinting shop known for their gorgeously intricate art prints, posters and record sleeves for bands like Joan of Arc, BFF, Live Current Vol. 4 and Your Loving Tiger. Tonight, come check out the studio’s cache of work and drop a little dough to get your hands on your faves. On view through September 8th. -Juleana Enright
Click HERE for the Facebook invite
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25TH
Friends By Fire + LaLiberte
@ Icehouse
2528 Nicollet Avenue
Minneapolis
11 pm / 21+ / $5
We love Friends By Fire, who sound exactly like they dropped in from 1985 in the best possible way. Synth syncopation abounds, the vocals have that neatly disaffected twinge, and they write magnificent songs with gigantic hooks that will break your heart – not unlike a faster, more energetic M83. Check out their EP Sister Waves for a touch of it – “I’m On Your Side,” in a perfect world, would be a massive Current hit and propel the band to national stardom. It’s that damn good. Openers LaLiberte feature Cecil Otter from Doomtree and Maggie Morrison formerly of Lookbook, and is a decidedly more minimalist affair – you know Maggie’s voice, and if you love it, you’ll probably love this – a bed of atmospherics, minimalist rhythms, that voice. -Jon Hunt
Click HERE for the Icehouse site
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25TH & SUNDAY, AUGUST 26TH
Archers of Loaf w/ Metz (Saturday) and self-evident (Sunday)
@ 400 Bar
400 Cedar Avenue S
Minneapolis
9 pm both nights / 21+ Saturday, 18+ Sunday / $25, tickets for Sunday still available
Archers of Loaf have been around since ’91, which is crazy – it doesn’t seem so long ago that their brand of punky-poppy-indie was thebrand damn new thing. Listening to them, you can hear where a lot of the pop-indie cliches came from in the first place, and they did it better than the bands that came along later. But the upside is that all the bands that have drawn from them have rendered them still relevant and cool. Ironic, though, that they flopped on the Weezer tour – in retrospect, the bands have a lot in common, though at the time these guys sounded way more aggressive/twitchy and had a ton more “cred,” which doesn’t help if you’re playing before “the band that does ‘Buddy Holly’” in the mid-’90s. The Archers are touring around the reissue of four of their LPs on Merge, so no new material, but the chance to check them out if you missed ‘em the first time around. Metz opens on Saturday, and self-evident on Sunday. -Jon Hunt
Click HERE for the 400 Bar site
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25TH
Attitude City Monthly Party
@ Clubhouse Jäger
923 Washington Avenue N
Minneapolis
10 pm / 21+ / FREE
One of our favorite monthly dance jams is here! The crate-digging connoisseurs of Attitude City are at it again with a night of delicious dance beats and Clubhouse Jäger’s tasty cocktails. This month while Jeff Dubois is on hiatus AC friend and vinyl-o-phile Eduardo Regalado aka Superbrush427 will be holding it down with some insane boogie, funk, house, soul, and other hip-thrustable jams. -Staff
Click HERE for the Facebook invite
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25TH
Another Saturday Night
@ Kitty Cat Klub
315 14th Avenue SE
Minneapolis
10 pm / 21+ / FREE before 11 pm, $3 after
The good-lookin’ men and ladyfolk of the Twin Cities are sure to congregate at this month’s edition of Another Saturday Night, the latest dance party concoction from DJs Bach and So Gold. Recline in the shambly, luxe surroundings of the Kitty Cat Klub, or blow off some steam on the dance floor to a sexy mix of classic and modern R&B. Get there before 11 pm for free cover and happy hour drink specials. -Jahna Peloquin
Click HERE for the Facebook invite
SUNDAY, AUGUST 26TH
Literarty Party: An Open Mic
@ Ad Hoc Art Gallery
88 S 10th Street
Minneapolis
6–10 pm / All Ages / FREE
You know that point in the night when you’ve had just enough liquid courage to belt out your fave Hall & Oates song karaoke? Open mic is the writer’s version. Tonight, head down to Ad Hoc early to peep through work by local artists in the gallery, hobnob with lit advocates, engage in on-site interactive fun courtesy Hazel & Wren, snag a prime time slot, and build up some tenacity. Then at 7 pm, prepare for an eclectic reading of fiction, poetry, nonfiction, spoken word and more from local wordsmiths. Each reader will have four minutes to read with a 30-second grace period. After that, watch in glee as stacks of trashy romance paperbacks are pelted at the time elluders. Open mic ends promptly at 8:15, with sets by author and spoken word extraordinaire (and l’étoile contributor) Rob Callahan and Paper Darts Editorial Director, Courtney Algeo. Viva la literati! -Juleana Enright
Click HERE for the Hazel & Wren site
SUNDAY, AUGUST 26TH
Beatrix*JAR Open Experimental Sidewalk Project
@ Ax-Man Surplus
1639 University Avenue W
St. Paul
Noon–5 pm / All Ages / FREE
After a short sabbatical from sound and music and a LA tour, local electronic lovebirds, real life and creative couple Bianca Pettis and Jacob Aaron Roske (aka Beatrix*JAR) return to Minneapolis with a brand new project dubbed, “Open Experimental.” Sponsored by Irrigate – the artist-led St. Paul initiative turning the Central Corridor construction into a “creative placemaking” project – “Open Experimental Sidewalk” is a day-long experiment in play, community and creativity featuring hands-on activities including the duo’s signature circuit bending workshops where attendees can learn to rewire electronics to create customized effects, an electronics demo from local DIY instrument creator Get LoFi electronics demo, impromptu music, complimentary sammies from Jimmy Johns and beverages from Vitamin Water, sidewalk doodling and more! You’ll never look at a Speak & Spell in the same light. -Juleana Enright. For more on Beatrix*JAR and “Open Experimental,” check out Juleana Enright’s Culturator column HERE.
Click HERE for the Facebook invite
Editor in Chief: Jahna Peloquin / Header design by Caroline Royce / Contributors: Juleana Enright, Anthony Enright, Jon Hunt, Niles Schwartz, Danielle Morris, Meg Junkermeier, Chelsea Streich, Alexandra Katz, Jahna Peloquin, Beth Hammarlund
