PERFORMANCE
Studio Stories: Kevin Kling and John McCutcheon
Engaging storyteller Kevin Kling and award-winning folksinger/musician John McCutcheon
join forces to bring you an evening of off-the-cuff performance in the
Guthrie's Dowling Studio. Kling, perhaps best known
for his
commentaries on NPR's All Things Considered, and definitely for his
autobiographical storytelling performances, will enrapture you with
witty tales that are as amusing as they are eloquent. Accompanied by
the seven-time Grammy nominated McCutcheon, tonight's show will
definitely be a riveting performance that might just warm the cockles
of your heart. Want to make an evening of it? It wouldn't be a trip to the Guthrie without at least a pre or post show drink at Cue! Speaking of - hurry to reserve your spot for The Rake's World Flavors Dinner Party at Cue later this month!
7:30pm, Guthrie Theater, 818 South 2nd Street, Downtown Minneapolis
MUSIC
Orchestra Baobab
While the elegant Dakota isn't
quite as sublime as the outdoor quad in front of Northrop Auditorium-where
Baobab played under sunny skies 
and swirling dancers in a beautiful
evening on their last tour-this amazing 11-piece band does have another
superb record's worth of tunes in their arsenal: Made In Dakar,
released in May, and equal or better than their comeback triumph,
Specialist In All Styles. Barthelemy Attisso's multifaceted guitar
lines are the main attraction, but it is hard to discount the vibrant,
beseeching griot vocals, the Afro-Latin polyrhythms (especially the
verbose vocabulary of the talking drums) and the snazzy saxophone phrases.
And like all great bands, the synergy is abundant. - Britt Robson
7:30 p.m. or 9:30 p.m., Dakota Jazz Club, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Downtown Minneapolis, $40-$50
MUSIC
RZA as Bobby Digital
Many years ago, I would hold Wu Tang Clan video game
tournaments at my apartment in St. Paul (yes, I used to live in St.
Paul, and yes, Wu Tang had a video game). Ever since then, the names of
the Clan
have been burned into my mind, along with probably 3 or 4
songs from the game's soundtrack. Members of Wu Tang have come
a long way since Playstation 1 however, with numerous solo projects, as well
as clothing lines, film projects - and in RZA's case, an Internet chess club!
Tonight's show features RZA as "Bobby Digital", his solo alter-ego.
Expect signature dark beats and smooth flow, with a little synth thrown
in here and there for taste, and maybe even some pointers on your chess
game.
8pm, First Avenue, 701 N. 1st Street, Downtown Minneapolis, $18