The Rake Magazine

FILM
Cast Your Vote

Today is the final day to vote on your favorite entry for the 2007 Screenlabs Challenge Audience Award. Have your say. Watch each of the short films. Then vote here. May the best film win.

ART
Consummate Consumers

OVERSTOCKPILE is artist Mari Richards's latest exhibit of "sculptures and installations exploring the results of too much going in and not enough going out." Isn't everyone over-stimulated, over-stuffed, and overwhelmed these days? Consummate consumers--constipated, too. Richards's pieces look like the guts of a gimme-gimme society contained in bulbous piles of plastic bags, which glisten grotesquely like raw meat and organs. Some installations are sordid and clumpy, where others are smooth and well-defined. The way Richards captures ugly truths is beautiful. The show is at Vesper College Art Gallery, a former telephone building built in 1902. Their mission is "to inspire students to sculpt contemplative space with ecological balance." --Eeva-Liisa Waaraniemi

Friday from 4-8 p.m., Vesper College Art Gallery, 201 6th St. S.E., Minneapolis; free.

Art Colony Emulates Ant Colony

There has been a great deal of painting going on at Grand Marais lately. For the past week, artists have been mulling about outdoors, trying to capture the beauty of Lake Superior's North Shore on authenticated canvases for the Grand Marais Art Colony's 5th annual Plein Aire Outdoor Painting Competition. Now it's just about time for the judging to begin. Finished work is due at the Art Colony by 1 p.m. today, after which there will be an artist reception and fish fry from 5 to 7 p.m. Stop by to mingle with the artists and celebrate a week of work well done. The work will be judged Friday evening and Saturday morning, followed by an award ceremony Saturday at 10 a.m. Then, we finally get to view and purchase the art at the exhibition sale, with a little lunch for good measure. BBQ and art? I'm digging it.

Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Grand Marais Art Colony, 120 3rd Ave. West, Grand Marais; 218-387-2737.

MUSIC
Tamino Plays His Magic Lute

As always, there's plenty of good music to pick from this weekend: Rapper Slick Rick tonight at the Varsity, roots pop-rockers Counting Crows tomorrow night at Midway Stadium, and a Happy Apple CD release party at the Artists' Quarter on Sunday. What more do you need? Lute music?

Why he's not at the Renaissance Festival -- or at the Grand Marais Art Colony inspiring the artists as they paint -- is beyond me, but if lute music is what you want, you've got it tonight. "Join lutenist and trickster Richard Griffith for an evening of Renaissance lute music, magic, and mental chicanery," says the invitation. "Richard will perform a delightful selection of Renaissance lute music from England, Scotland, France, Italy and Spain, punctuated with some baffling bits of magic, mentalism, and paranormal illusions." I'm definitely going for the bits of mentalism.

Friday at 7:30 p.m. (and again on Sept. 15th), Tillie's Bean Coffee House, 2803 E. 38th St., Minneapolis; 612-276-0100; free (tips encouraged).

PERFORMANCE
Live! Nude! Drag!

The headline pretty much says it all. (Normally, I would make some sort of snide remark here about overselling what is likely a mere suggestion of nudity, but we're talking Lili's Burlesque here, so I'll refrain from underestimating their suggestions.) I made the mistake a couple weeks ago of saying that Minneapolis doesn't have a strong history of burlesque -- a mistake that resulted in a peeved and well-informed letter from someone in the biz. And while I still have a hard time accepting anything that has transpired in the just-barely-mentionable span of the new millennium as "a strong history," I am certainly willing to concede our current foothold in the field. Not only do I concede, but I strongly support it, and I encourage you all to do the same -- anything fleshy, my friends, anything cabaret -- be it dyke, be it drag, be it tassled or shagged. Enjoy an evening of live drag and performance featuring members of Dykes Do Drag and Lili's Burlesque Revue.

Friday at 9 p.m., Pi Bar, 2532 25th Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-877-4368; $5.

THEATER & PERFORMANCE
Bring Out the Pooka

Some films get so big they have a way of obscuring the plays that preceded them. Such is the case with Harvey. I think Harvey and I think Jimmy Stewart, I think pooka, I think six-foot-tall rabbit -- and I think fondly. If you haven't seen it, you must definitely do so, but not without acknowledging the play behind the film. Oddly enough (only because it's so overlooked), Mary Chase's cooky 1945 play actually earned her a Pulitzer. Now the Lakeshore Players bring you their rendition of the ever-relevant classic -- a great boon to the imagination and a cutting jab to the psychiatric world.

Friday and Saturday ay 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m., Lakeshore Players Theatre, 4820 Stewart Ave., White Bear Lake; 651-429-5674; $17 (seniors and students $15).

Here It Is Here It Is

Also beginning this weekend is Melissa Birch's Here It Is Here It Is --
"a satiric romp where the post-feminist main character navigates through road rage, gluttony, and other new oppressions in a seemingly incongruous American autobiography." Hmmm... let's see. Given the choice, I'd rather watch it than live it, but then nobody offered me a choice, so perhaps then I'll just laugh at it... laugh at it always. It's a good way not to take the serious too seriously.

Sunday (all month) at 7 p.m., Bryant Lake Bowl, 810 W. Lake St., Minneapolis; 612-825-3737; $12.

ART
The Art of War

Megan Rye's brother supervised the regional detention facility in Fallujah and transported Iraqi detainees within the Sunni Triangle. He took more than two thousand photographs during his tour of duty. As a painter, his sister is the real deal; she used these images to make huge paintings that are for keeps. These paintings are part of her current exhibition, I Will Follow You into the Dark. War Mediated, the concurrent group show, is less concerned with combat than with how stories get disseminated on the home front. It includes Megan Vossler's drawings of bands of tiny refugees filing through great blank fields of white, Camille Gage's paintings of flag-draped coffins with blacked-out "censored" areas, and Justin Newhall's photos of World War II battle re-enactments -- works that inflect our fears and desires in interesting ways. --by Ann Klefstad, artwork by Megan Rye

Opening Reception tonight from 7-9 p.m., Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 2400 Third Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-870-3131.

The Press Is Cooling Down

The Hot Off the Press: Eleventh Cooperative Exhibition is coming to a close, so be sure to make time for it today or tomorrow. You know what printmaking is: creating multiple copies of an image, by any means possible. Print is a parallel art-world with its own histories and propensities. Some techniques are ancient, like woodcuts; some are former industrial processes, like stone lithography or screenprint; some are intimately allied with books and illustrations, like intaglio. Print is a fairly democratic medium, too: If you have some skills, you can join Highpoint as a co-op member and work in its fabulously well-appointed studio. The work of the current co-op is notably wide-ranging, with many artists in this exhibition (Clara Ueland and Nick Wrobleski, for example) transmuting the living world into more iconic, resonant forms. (Much as good illustration does, and that's no insult.) Prints are affordable; go shopping. And maybe think about becoming a printmaker yourself -- Highpoint has adult classes. --by Ann Klefstad, artwork by Marty Harris

10 a.m. - 5 p.m., through Friday, Highpoint Center for Printmaking, 2638 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-871-1326.

MUSIC
Two Kings and a Queen

With three permanent but aging legends on the same bill, the only potential drawback to this gig is the possibility that the headliners will give in to the temptation to go through the motions and bask in each other's well-deserved glory. But even if they do, it will still be worth the dough. Many try, but nobody else can quite find the notes that B.B. is able to sting out of Lucille. Many try, but nobody simultaneously sings to Lord and Lover with the heartfelt splendor of Al Green. And many try, but nobody can deliver an R-rated show for a PG-audience (or an X-rated show for an R-audience) with as much flair and humor as vocalist Etta James, and yet still plant the essence of blues and soul in most every tune. -- by Britt Robson

7 p.m., Minnesota State Fair Grandstand, 1265 N. Snelling Ave., St. Paul; 651-989-5151; $42.

Diverse Emerging Music Of Note

For something a bit more low-key, low-budget, experimental, progressive, and chic, head over to the Acadia Cafe for DEMO Low-Fi Thursdays. You'll see newbies and old-timers break out original tunes, and often share new work with what always feels like an intimate audience. Tonight's performers include Matthew Lee; Northfield's Meredith Fierke, who sounds pretty incredible on her myspace page; neo-soul popsters Incognita; the fabulous Lori Wray playing side-by-side in a spectacular match-up with Todd Newman, of Leatherwoods fame (and rightly so!); and finally, the Jacob McKnite Band, which somehow manages to make you want to smile and weep at once. Hmmmm... You won't want to miss this. It's quite lovely.

7 p.m., Acadia Cafe, 1931 Nicollet Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-874-8702; $5.

FILM
I Love You More than a Wasp Can Sting

Oh, yeah -- time for another one of those whacky late-50s sci-fi movies at the Bell. And it looks like we'll even get nice weather, so we can enjoy the courtyard. Tonight's creepy flick is The Wasp Woman, starring Susan Cabot (although it's actually a 60s flick). Cabot plays the aging owner of a cosmetics company who find eternal youth in the jelly of the queen wasp. Go figure: "A beautiful woman by day -- a lusting queen wasp by night." That's what I'm talking about, every woman's fantasy (or every man's). Director Roger Corman is King of the B Movie, and Cabot is brilliant in the lead role.

9 p.m., Bell Museum Courtyard, 10 Church St. S.E., Minneapolis; 612-624-7083; free.

FAIR
Grit, Guts, and Grace

I hate to mention the Minnesota State Fair two days in a row -- particularly after having spent the day there yesterday with Owen -- but today's event is the real deal. The online brochure says it all: "Have a kickin', rearin', rip-snortin' time at the first ever Minnesota State Fair Bullriding Show including a special performance of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Musical Ride. It's grit, guts and grace for one show only." Woohoo. Bring it on.

7 p.m., Warner Coliseum, Minnesota State Fairgrounds, 1561 Snelling Ave N., St. Paul; 651-642-2200; $8.

MUSIC
Winter Makes You Pay

No doubt about it, the two shows to see tonight are the
Velvet Revolver show at the Xcel Center -- with Alice in Chains, and Kill Hannah -- and the Belinda Underwood show at the Dakota -- with Benny Green. But let's face it, our summer days are numbered. It's almost over... again. So it's understandable if you want to get in those last free outdoor concerts before it's time to hibernate. Here are some of your choices:

That Fat Chance Jug Band is playing tonight as part of the Minnehaha Falls Outdoor Concert Series. This is one genuine, old-school jug band with washboard and all -- and by all I mean kazoos, guitars, shakers, a tub bass, a banjo, a mandolin, a fiddle, a muted tuble, a harmonica, and a metalaphone. Good 'nuf?

7 p.m., Minnehaha Park Pavilion, 50th St. and Minnehaha Ave., Minneapolis; free.

Those of you who might be offended by my often crass cynicism can find respite tonight at Father Hennepin Bluffs, with a performance by The Brothers Frantzich. I am by no means into Christian music, per se, and I despise holding hands in circles, but good folk is good folk. And a good harmony is a good harmony. These guys sound pretty. What can I say? Their website describes their sound as "acoustic, sacred folk"; but I ask you this -- what folk isn't sacred? And if they claim to be "filling the space between the sensuality of Saturday Night & the sacred spirit of Sunday Morning," then one has to wonder what they can do with a Wednesday night.

7 p.m., Father Hennepin Bluffs, 100 6th Ave. S.E., Minneapolis; 612-230-6400; free.

Looking for something a bit... quirky? How about some authentic Bavarian folk? (Perhaps it's not so rare around these parts.) Die Bavarian Musik Meisters will be whooping it up in traditional Germanic celebratory style -- Lederhosen, suspenders, and all. If that's not enough to entice you, how about a walk around the canal? Centennial Lakes Park is an unusual park. Though it's actually in an office park, it's incredibly landscaped, and actually quite beautiful in that special cookie-cutter kind of way. The park features an ample walkway around a canal, a wide variety of seating, mini-golf, paddle boats, and a concession stand. It's definitely worth checking out at least once.

7 p.m., Centennial Lakes Park Amphitheater, 7499 France Ave. S., Edina; free.

Acoustic world folk music ensemble Eclectic Blend is playing tonight at Lake Harriet. 7:30 p.m., Lake Harriet Bandshell, 4135 W. Lake Harriet Pkwy., Minneapolis; 612-661-4785; free.

The Judge Bennett trio will be sharing their acoustic blues folk tonight in St. Louis Park's Wolf Park. 7 p.m., Wolfe Park Amphitheater, 3700 Monterey Dr., St. Louis Park; free.

And if you prefer a cajun beat, you can head over to Oak Hill Park for the musical offerings of Gottadidat. 7 p.m., Oak Hill Park, 3201 Rhode Island Ave. S., St. Louis Park; free.

FORWARD
Games for When We Are Older

1. Sag, you're It.
2. Hide and go pee.
3. Twenty questions shouted into your good ear.
4. Kick the bucket
5. Red Rover, Red Rover, the nurse says Bend Over.
6. Musical recliners.
7. Simon says something incoherent.
8. Pin the toupee on the bald guy

FOOD
Food and Fun at the Fair

Don't let a little rain (or job responsibilities) get in the way of your general well-being and nourishment. (Take a mental health day if you need to.) Join us at the Minnesota State Fair as Minnesota cooks and celebrity chefs create award-winning fare in Carousel Park. Though I don't see her name on the schedule, I understand our very own Stephanie March will be participating. Come socialize and sample, and mingle amongst the local chefs and farmers. You'll even get a free Minnesota Cooks calendar.

10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Minnesota State Fairgrounds, 1561 Snelling Ave N., St. Paul; 651-642-2200; admission of State Fair: $11 (seniors $9, kids $8, children under five free).

MUSIC
The Road Goes on Forever... Indeed

Sure, Fergie is cool -- especially if you're privy to the more than occasional upskirt -- and The Goo Goo Dolls will always have a small nook in that 80s heart of mine; but the most fitting and fabulous act to see this year at the Minnesota State Fair is tonight's, featuring The Allman Brothers. "And when it's time for leavin', I hope you'll understand, that I was born a ramblin' man." These men are beautiful. For almost four decades they've been concocting their own blend of blues, country, jazz, and even classical music with such an impact that they've come to define an entire genre of twanged blues rock today. This is the kind of band you want to see live -- even in rain (maybe more so in rain). The greatest thing about The Allman Brothers is their genuine appreciation for music, and their flare for enjoying it, of course. These guys don't go up on a stage to simply play their set. They go up and create, and they're always creating. They jam. They pick a starting point, and they let it evolve, let it loose, let it happen -- sometimes for even an hour. That's what a rock show should be.

7 p.m., Minnesota State Fairgrounds, 1561 Snelling Ave N., St. Paul; 651-642-2200; $35.

ARTS & CRAFTS
Don't Let the Farmers Have All the Fun

This isn't about the State Fair, but if you've been there before, you might remember the fabulous scarecrows they always have on display -- everything from the traditional hobo-type to a goth Madonna. Does this get your synapses snapping? Does it spark any great ideas? If not, this probably isn't for you. But if you think you can create one hell of a scarecrow, then read on. The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum is hosting a Scarecrows on Parade contest and exhibition as part of its Autumn celebration. You have until Friday to register, and the actual scarecrow entries must be delivered to the Arboretum on September 7th and 8th. Register as a design professional, an organization, a family, or an individual. All entries will be on display at the Arboretum from September 15th through November 1st, and you can win prizes, of course.

Register by Friday, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, 3675 Arboretum Dr., Chaska; 952-443-1400.

ON THE NET
See It and Weep

Miss Teen USA 2007 - South Carolina answers a question. There's nothing more to say. You have to see it for yourself.

MUSIC
Quirky and Hypnotic

Tonight the weird and wonderful Twin Cities jazz trio Hips Don't Lie performs the first of a three-night gig at Rossi's Blue Star. Though the group has the consistency of a traditional piano trio -- Tasha Baron on keyboards, Liz Draper on upright bass, and Pete Henning on drums -- their music is pointedly different from traditional jazz. Hips Don't Lie's songs (all of them originals, written by Draper and Baron) contain a good amount of the unexpected, with elements like sound effects and atonality; and the solos, though quirky and even challenging, can be downright hypnotic. --Danielle Kurtzleben

8 p.m., Rossi's Blue Star, 80 South 9th St., Minneapolis; 612-312-2828.

Count on the Dakota for a Dinner Serenade

I used to think the Dakota was over-rated. It's true. I missed the old location in Bandana Square. As inconvenient a location as it was, it was a beautifully intimate setting, which made for some fantastic shows. The first time I went to the new location, however, I went for dinner. I was seated upstairs, behind a wall, where we could not see the show. Stupid. Of course, I used to the think the Dakota was over-rated. I was stupid. I know better now. The Dakota is under-rated. The place is amazing -- and in our own backyard. (My own back yard, literally, as I live downtown.) The food is solid. The space is solid. The service is solid (just don't ask them to slice up your steak and serve it to you as an appetizer). And the acts they bring in -- both local and from out of town -- are truly outstanding. Tonight's performance is no different. Grammy-nominated songstress Jane Monheit serves up her buttery pop-jazz vocals. This is a beautiful date night -- both for old and new loves. Who isn't impressed by a spontaneous Monday night offering?

7 & 9 p.m., Dakota Jazz Club and Restaurant, 1010 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis; 612-332-1010; $35 & $25.

MUSIC RADIO
Listen. Share. Learn.

It seems sometimes that just about everyone in the Twin Cities is or has been a musician at some time. Come on -- remember that band you were in? If you ever took it seriously, you probably know the frustration of trying to get radio play. While anyone with a band and a half-way decent computer has the potential to record and distribute their music nowadays, artists still suffer the frustration of trying to get their voice out there. Even on the Internet -- a seemingly "democratic" space that demands user-shaped content and customized consumption -- we suffer the consequences of corporate control. Yet, as big media desperately grapples for digital real estate -- and our total dependence -- the little guy keeps creeping up with more democratic ideas, more idealist ideas, ideas that require others to help build; and when we don't step up to build them, the ideas get squashed under some warped interpretation of it -- scooped up and controlled by the very entities we set out to defy.

Phew! What am I getting at here? There's a new cat in town -- a has-been musician is-now geek of sorts -- and he has started an internet radio station, called Localtone Radio, to provide local artists of all kinds a platform where they can distribute their work, listen to other's content, and learn about other Twin Cities artists. Any listener can add content to the system (anything from music, to poetry, to broadcast journalism), listen to samples of audio, and cast votes daily for the content that they like. And the votes determine the next audio to be played. It's user contributed radio in its most open and free form -- no big corporations dictating what media you can consume, just audio from your local artists and a community of listeners directly shaping the broadcast. The only problem -- it's takes us all to help build it. So build, my friends. Build. This is ours to be had.

NOT TO BE FORGOTTEN
Laughter and Poetry

While new forms and styles of entertainment greet us daily, we mustn't take for granted the possibilities that are more constantly offered. How long has it been since you've had a good laugh? This city is so full of options: The Brave New Workshop (Is it still Dudley Riggs?), Comedy Sportz, Stevie Ray's Improv Company. They have shows just about every week, and we so seldom go. Let's get out there. And let's start tonight with the open mic at Acme. Think you're funny? Put yourself to the test. Sign up for a three minute act. Otherwise, sit back, relax, have yourself a from-the-gut roar. I guarantee at least two or three acts will provoke it. (Perhaps it will even be yours.)

8 p.m., Acme Comedy Company, 708 1st St. N., Historic Itasca Building, Minneapolis; 612-338-6393; free.

If laughter is not your thing tonight, explore your poetic side at the Artists' Quarters open mic. What I love most about their poetry open mic night is the jam session that inevitably ensues after the words. Your poetry can be in any form -- words or music, and the evening always ends with what I deem to be among the most genuine jazz jams around. (Or at least it used to be so -- I confess, it has been a while since I have been there.) If you feel like getting out of the house early, be there at 7:30 p.m. for the "burning post-pop quartet" Green.

9 p.m., Artists' Quarter, 408 St. Peter St., Hamm Building, St. Paul; 651-292-1359.