Welcome to 2010, and it only seems fitting that the first post of the new year is an invitation to an evening of music, performance and art in order to support a couple wonderful artists. Dancer Anna-Marie Shogren and visual artist Margaret Coleman have been accepted to an artist residency in Skagastron, Iceland, to make new works in a bucolic fishing village of 600 people in one of the most breath-taking landscapes in the world. Which is damn exciting. To help fund this trip (Iceland’s economy may have crashed, but it still ain’t cheap getting there) The Ship Is A Destination, Caroline is an art event fundraiser being hosted at the Art of This Gallery in South Minneapolis. Featuring music from Chokecherry and Bla Bla Blacksheep, a mailable art show (buy the art and then have it sent to you from Iceland!) and performance from McLaughlin&Shogren (Shogren’s new company with KatieRose McLaughlin), Megan Mayer, Charles Campbell of Skewed Visions and yours truly with “The Depressed Person Tells A Joke“, bring yourself for the warmth and support. Takes place Saturday, January 2nd. Doors at 7pm with a sliding scale donation $10-$25. It’s a little bit here, but it’ll take you far across the world.
Minneapolis-based choreographer Morgan Thorson gets a positive review for her new work “Heaven” from the Village Voice, and it is always nice to see CakeIn15 pals get praised in print. “Heaven” is currently in it’s run at P.S.122 in New York City and features a Minnesota based ensemble, with Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker of Low as members of the cast and on stage musicians. Performer Elliott Durko Lynch gets a particularly nice shout-out, and the vocal work is noted as one of the best parts of the performance. Overall, the VV writes that;
“Thorson and her colleagues have created a powerful piece of dance theater…it reveals failed strategies, fits, and penitence in interlocking modules (without any personal relationships developing). What does accumulate, movingly, is the dancers’ fatigue, their sweat, the sound of their breath. When their voices finally soar together, they seem to glisten. Perfection? Who cares? Heaven is the journey.”
“Heaven”, which premiered in Houston, will play at the Walker Art Center, one of the co-commissioners of the work, in March 2010, after criss-crossing the country through the winter. If heaven is in the journey, it must also be in the anticipation.
Alright, so that picture is from Fort Wilson Riot’s Idigaragua and not from the spectacle going down at the Music Box tonight, but it seemed as good a place as any to start. As Hilary Davis of the band Bella Koshka said, “The way to bring in a big crowd in Minneapolis is to bring in other groups,” and there are certainly plenty of people going to descend upon the Music Box tonight. Davis organized the Rock & Roll Circus so that Bella Koshka could play a show with L.A.-based, CMJ-bound buddies Saint Motel and she has pulled out all the stops, with everything from traditional circus acts to burlesque, bands and what promises to be a rollicking good time. You can check out a more at length interview with Davis over at The A.V. Club where she gets into why the Twin Cities is a great place to throw mixed events like the Circus, so get gussied up, grab your flask and cram into your clown car to get over to the Music Box tonight.
***UPDATE***
Awesome party. Thanks to Brody of British Rock Is Always Top for coming out to support and shooting some vids of L.A.’s Saint Motel that you can see here. Vita.mn also sent their man out who shot the opening parade and First Communion Afterparty- see that here.
It is so close to here…the GRINDHOUSE is coming to get you…meaner, fiercer and sweeter than ever…more art…wilder fashion…brilliant theater…ain’t-it-cool film…MUSIC AND BEEER. FREE ENERGY!!!
And that really gets down to it right there. It’s the coolest party with surprises and entertainments around every corner, with some of the best of local arts and national acts. Check out write-ups from City Pages, The Onion, Vita.mn and Metromix. $15 pre-sale tickets at indietickets.com, or $20 at the door on Saturday.
The 3rd Annual Clapperclaw Music & Arts Festival www.clapperclawfestival.com
Intermedia Arts, 2822 Lyndale Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55408
2pm-12am, Saturday September 5 2009
MUSIC: Free Energy (ex- Hockey Night, Philadelphia, PA), Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin (Springfield, MO), City on the Make, Kristoff Krane, Guante, No Bird Sing, The Show Is The Rainbow (Lincoln, NE), Tarlton, Dada Trash Collage, Elite Gymnastics, Phantom Tails
ART: Isaac Arvold, Dillon Bakke, Kate Burgau, Lauren Cotton, Shawn Dalsen, Mayme Donsker, Jesse Draxler, K. Alex Finseth, Dain Germscheid, Eli Hamman, Jake Haugen, Martha Iserman, Matt McGorry, Kristina Perkins, Garrett Perry, Drew Quinn, Justin Sehorn, Jennifer Trotter, Matt Wells, Anthem Heart!
FASHION: Emilee Kuznar, Hilary Falk
THEATER: Lamb Lays with Lion (www.lamblayswithlion.org)
FILM: “All Tomorrow’s Parties” co-presented by Sound Unseen
SPONSORS: 89.3 The Current, Metro Magazine, The Onion, McNally Smith College of Music, Red Bull, Sound Unseen, Robotlove, Mr. Chan Presents, Mutual Design Playground, Love lee Buttons, MPLSart, MNfashion, The Electric Fetus, Copycats Media, IndieTickets.com, ThriftyHipster.com
The Beer Dabbler will be supplying the suds for the 3rd Annual Clapperclaw Music & Arts Festival.
THE BEER DABBLER
This local and national artist showcase had little room for improvement, only artistic craft and microbrews (see below) from The Beer Dabbler could have added to this very impressive lineup of music, arts, film, theater and fashion.
The Deal: The Beer Pass will cost $20. It includes the 5.5oz Beer Dabbler souvenir tasting glass & 12 samples of some very exclusive beers.*
August Schell Brewing – Current 150th Anniversary Draft Series, Octoberfest
The Boston Beer Company – Samuel Adams Octoberfest, Samuel Adams Imperial Series: Imperial White Ale, Imperial Stout & Imperial Double Bock
Summit Brewing Company – Kolsch the first in the Summit Unchained Series. Okobober Fest, Horizon Red Ale
The Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company – Creamy Dark, Leinenkugel Oktoberfest
Flying Dog Brewery – Snake Dog IPA, Gonzo Imperial Porter
Boulevard Brewing Company – Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale, From the Smokestack Series: Double Wide I.P.A, Long Strange Tripel, The Sixth Glass and Saison
Dark Horse Brewing Company – Sapient Trip Ale (Belgian Style Triple) Reserve Special Black Bier
Widmir Brothers – OKTO & W09 Drifter Pale Ale
Redhook Ale Brewery – Late Harvest Autumn Ale, Long Hammer IPA
Breckenridge Brewery – Agave Wheat, 471 Small Batch Mighty Brown Ale
Flat Earth Brewing Co – Double Dry Hopped Angry Planet
Goose Island Beer Company – Matilda & 312
Finnegans Irish Amber – Irish Amber
Sprecher Brewing Company – IPA2 & Imperial Stout
Brau Brother’s – Scotch Ale & Sheepshead IPA
Cold Spring Brewing Co – John Henry
Magic Hat Brewing Co – Roxy Rolles Autumn Seasonal, Circus Boy, #9
Tyranena – Rocky’s Revenge Bourbon Aged Brown Ale & Hop Whore IPA
*The Beer Dabbler reserves the right to change this list at anytime for any reason. Tickets for the tasting will be limited to 600. It’s 1st come, 1st served. Each ticket holder will be guaranteed 12 samples with the purchase of one card. There will be an estimated 50 beers for sampling day-of. The Beer Dabbler Beer Pass does not include entry to the event.
The 16th Annual Fringe Festival opened tonight, and so the time has come to see lots of strange theater in a very condensed period of time. So condensed, in fact, that everybody offers up opinions as to what to see and help the poor lost soul trying to get from the Gremlin Theater in St. Paul to Intermedia Arts in South Minneapolis in 30 minutes during rush hour. It’s just silly. There are better ways to plan. So everyone offers up their pick, including me in this article for The Onion. Yes, lots of shows and I didn’t even pick my own (ethics, or some such palaver.) But you should see that one. It’s called Love Me or Die! and I stand by that. You should also check out the shows that I picked for The Onion, otherwise I wouldn’t have picked them. Even if you don’t go to a fringe show, though, you can catch a whole bunch of cool action at the Bedlam Theatre which acts as Fringe Central and will be serving food until 2 am these next 11 days. God bless you pierogis!
I will also post the first two comments on the AVClub website because a) they provide good information and b) that’s about the median for humor at the Fringe. Without further ado:
Preview Fringe Shows
Posted By Gary Elfert
Trying to decide which Fringe show to attend? You can view 60-second trailers online at www.fringeyawards.org for over 30 of the Fringe shows.
Showing 1 replies
RE:Preview Fringe Shows
Posted By I Am A Truck Driver
what’s a 60-second trailer?
As a trucker, i measure trailers in feet. Mine’s 40 ft.
Artery24 is a performance festival that takes place over the course of 24 hours, a marathon of performative endurance. Starting at 6pm on Friday, July 24th and ending at 6pm Saturday, the event consumes the Soap Factory premises, from the galleries to the haunted basement to those rooms you can only see through a window. Last year there was mass dance, riffs on Caravaggio, giant puppets and I premiered A Piece Too Long To Write Down For The Deaf Man On The Train, an over-stimulated free-form monologue about travel, getting beat up and dying in Minneapolis and smoking in the rain. This year, I didn’t learn anything about shorter titles and will present When I Was Telling You All I Was Telling You I Was Telling You All I Was, a piece about revolutionary love, Beyonce, music from City on the Make and rum. Why rum? Because it’s at 3am in the Haunted basement and Che Guevara told me to give you all courage. So come, check out the amazing artists and stick around for the afterbar, because incredible things happen at the periphery of your vision.
It’s no secret that Staciaann hearts White Rabbits. cas does too, and he jumped at the chance to interview them in advance of their show at the 400 Bar tonight. Their style has tightened up and become fiercer and sharper since Britt Daniel of Spoon took the helm for their sophomore disc. It’s Frightening a record that sounds like Dr. Strangelove looks, full of shadows, bright contrasts, absurdity and the ever-present paranoia. We caught up with one of two drummers Jamie Levinson a while back to talk about the process of making the record, change and that paranoia, but Decider left out our favorite part of the interview (copy editors are the enemies of beautiful language). So, Jamie Levinson on where White Rabbits stand: “Somewhere between bubble gum and black metal, that’s where you’ll find White Rabbits.”
We here at CakeIn15 think you are really nifty. I mean, thanks for coming in and filling the void when the 105s went the way of corporate programming and for providing quality DJs a good home. There’s not much better then when Mark gets giddy about a band, or Mary’s joy for rock, or Barb’s excitability. Dave, Mac, Jill, Steve, Bill, you guys are aces. To all you cats and kittens not listed who work there, thanks. Thanks also for putting White Rabbits’ cut “Percussion Gun” into heavy rotation. That probably helps explain the sold-out, packed status of their show at the 400 Bar on Monday. We here at Cake had a blast, it was great to see White Rabbits again and we danced like rhythm moved us. But, Current DJs, if you could do us a favor and start slipping this in every once in a while, maybe subliminally layering it under tracks; “It is OK to dance. When rock hits you in the face, Minnesotans, you have to react. So dance a little already.” That would really be tops.
I just can’t let the weekend go by without at least mentioning something that has taken up a lot of my free time since January. Something I work hard at and am so very proud of this year. For the past two years (this is my third) I have booked the stages at the Stone Arch Festival of the Arts. Prior to me working there, I didn’t even know this festival existed. 2009, however, marks its 15th year! It’s free, outdoors, family friendly, and has cheese curds!
Staciaann Photography
It also has excellent music this year, if I do say so myself. I know there are other things to do this weekend, but if you can, stop on down to the riverfront. Remind yourself of its beauty while jamming to bands like The Idle Hands, Me & My Arrow, Roma di Luna, Caroline Smith & the Good Night Sleeps, Spaghetti Western String Co., Chastity Brown, Brad Senne, and so many others.
If you hit up the website here you can listen to mp3s by the bands and read a nice little description (in case you’re not sure who to go see). Never fear though – there’s always a classic car show (oooo! Muscle cars!), a giant magnetic poetry board, a stone arch bridge made of legos, a Shakespeare performance, dancers, and so much more… did I mention it’s all FREE?
The festival runs Saturday & Sunday from 10am – 6pm.
Look for the chic with the red ponytail driving a golf cart and looking frazzled. That’ll be me.
FULL STAGES SCHEDULE: Saturday, June 20, 2009
Star Tribune Stage (Father Henn Park)
10:30am Mystik Toyz
11:30am Satin Dolls Dance Co.
12:15pm Koo Koo Kanga Roo
1:15pm Adam Svec
2:15pm Dan Israel
3:15pm Spaghetti Western String Co.
4:15pm The Cloud Hymn
5:15pm Hayor Bibimma Dance Company
City Pages Stage (Water Power Park)
11:00 am Crowd Control
12:00 pm The Alrights
1:15 pm Joey Ryan & The Inks
2:30 pm The Pendrakes
3:45 pm The Idle Hands
5:00 pm Roma di Luna
Cities 97 Stage (3rd Ave Bridge)
11:15am Neal Swanger
12:15pm Peter Lochner
1:15pm Bob & Lynn Dixon
2:15pm Thomas Kivi
3:15pm Shawn Gibbons
4:15pm Brad Senne
5:15pm Eliza Blue
St. Anthony Courtyard Stage
11:00 am Aria Souder
12:15 pm The Badinovs
1:30 pm Brian Just Band
2:45 pm Caroline Smith & the Good Night Sleeps
4:00 pm Farewell Milwaukee
5:15 pm The Smarts
6:30 pm Mississippi Mud
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Star Tribune Stage (Father Henn Park)
12:30pm Mystik Toys
1:15pm Café Accordian Orchestra
2:15pm Anna Laube
3:15pm Cromulent Shakespeare Company
4:15pm Jistoray
5:15pm Pezzettino
City Pages Stage (Water Power Park)
12:00 pm Half Demon Doll
1:15 pm We Became Actors
2:30 pm Wars of 1812
3:45 pm The Absent Arch
5:00 pm Me & My Arrow
Cities 97 Stage (3rd Ave Bridge)
11:15 am Scott Wooldridge
12:15pm Andy Juhl
1:15pm Chicane Theory
2:15pm Andy Elwell
3:15pm Dustin Thomas
4:15pm Kyle Turck & Patrick Henz
5:15pm John Swardson
St. Anthony Courtyard Stage
11:00 am Dustin Thomas
12:00 pm The Suits
1:15 pm Lynhurst
2:30 pm Jenny Dalton
3:45 pm Ryan Paul & the Ardent
5:00 pm Chastity Brown
It’s not a secret that the bloggers here at CakeIn15 are involved in the arts. Beyond just being opinionated documentarians, it is an essential part of our individual and group identities that we are actively engaged in the production of culture. So when we use the phrase “shameless self promotion”, we mean it. We have no shame, nor should we have any. And especially coming off of last weekend, when some of the biggest spectacle shows were in town, it’s aspirational and inspiring. So here we go again!
Dan O’Neil (dano) and KatieRose McLaughlin pair up as part of the Red Eye’s “Works-In-Progress” to present a physical exploration of storytelling. Spun off an adult bed-time story, the collisions of narratives delicately circumscribe love and memory. Plus, there’s puppetry and dynamic choreography (as always) from McLaughlin. Presented along with other new works from Cory Hinkle, Sarah Jacob, Tamara Ober and Andrew Lynch & Katie Melby (3 Sticks, another terrific local company.)
8 PM, Thu-Fri-Sat, June 4-5-6 and 7 PM, Sun, June 7 $8
Dearling Physique + Lookbook + To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie at Intermedia Arts
Last weekend was spectacle, and at Intermedia, MPLS is bringing some homegrown with this show- it will be an immersive evening of performance, featuring music from Dearling Physique, Lookbook and To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie, where the music will be elevated through lights, video, specially designed set pieces and performance. By experimenting, innovating and improvising, the individual parts will function together for greater whole. This multidisciplinary approach will include the bands as well as art pieces by Jesse Draxler and video by Casey Opstad, with Carl Atiya Swanson (cas) as Art Director and performer joined by Alisa Mattson, Brittany Miller and Chelsea K. Vance. Plus, after-party at Moto-I.
Intermedia Arts
Dearling Physique + Lookbook + To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie
2822 Lyndale Ave S
Saturday, June 6 at 8:00pm
$8 pre-sale/$10 door – All Ages
Photo by Cameron Wittig via Walker Art Center
The 3rd Annual Clapperclaw Music & Arts Festival
The 16th Annual 
OMGWHITERABBITS!!!!
