Year: 2002

On a recent weeknight, we had the few odds and ends to pick up at the Mall of America and decided to see what was cooking at Napa Valley Grille. Chef Tom Anderson was up to his usual stuff, so it was extremely hard to decide what to order—not that the menu is terribly long, just thoroughly interesting. We looked to the wine list and were equally challenged. The list, filled exclusively with California wines (get it?), gives some helpful hints: a short list of “unique” whites and reds and an interesting sampler flight for those of us Undecideds who often end up ordering combo meals. Having been recently introduced to the Steele Wineries, we decided on their ’98 Pinot Noir, from Bien Nacido Vineyards near Santa Barbara. From that exceptional bottle, everything became easier, and it seemed we could make no errors in our other choices. Our patient waitress, on her fourth try, finally coaxed our order from us. For an appetizer, we passed on the escargot in favor of fantastic pan-roasted mussels with tiny red potatoes, tomatoes, and a salsa verde. The salads held their own—with an unusual smoked trout dressing on the Caesar, and figs, Stilton, and walnuts to punch up the Arugula. (Never pass up anything prepared with figs: that’s our motto.) After satisfying entrees of salmon and a beef tenderloin special of the day, we turned our heads for the first time during the meal, to see that the Vikings were on the TV in the bar, and the Mall was, in fact, still out there. We considered our surroundings over an after-dinner sip of Beaulieau Muscat, and felt we’d seen more of Napa Valley than Bloomington, Minnesota, that day. Napa Valley Grille, (952) 858-9934

While their movie Run Ronnie Run languishes at New Line Cinema, the comedy duo of Bob Odenkirk and David Cross has released the first two seasons of their now-legendary HBO program, Mr. Show , on DVD. The sketch comedy follows in the tradition other recent HBO hooters such as The Larry Sanders Show and Curb Your Enthusiasm in being too intelligent, ironic, and daring for network television—and maybe too much for cable, too. The two-disc DVD set features both seasons, plus extras including commentary featuring fellow cast members. The collection should stand you in good stead until Odenkirk and Cross bring Mr. Show to the local stage. State Theater, (612) 339-7007

This is one helluva week for the Xcel Center, and it points up why this may be the perfect model for the future of arena entertainment, at a state-of-the-art civic center in the heart of a vibrant city. We can certainly expect major growth in the area of mid-sized geezer rock ’n’ roll shows, thanks in no small part to our VH1 Behind the Music obsessions, rerun TV, and a culture that seems to turn in on itself at an ever-accelerating pace. But let’s give credit where it’s due. Springsteen, at least, has an important new album to trot out for his adoring and rabid fans. McCartney, on the other hand, is essentially the only Beatle left (a cruel joke has been circulating that the Fab Four are dying “in order of coolness”) and let’s not underestimate the draw of hearing the mulleted one belt out some of the greatest pop songs ever co-written. The Who? We don’t know what their excuse is, and it seems in mildly bad taste to put the show on the road anyway, just days after your founding bassist detunes for the last time. At any rate, perhaps you want to rent a cot and stay on Seventh Street for the whole week. In between shows, the Xcel is actually bringing a circus in to help celebrate the madness. Never a dull moment in the Capital City! Xcel Center, (651) 726-8250

For the past several years, the Minnesota Zoo’s outdoor amphitheater has been one of the most reliable venues in town, with a roster of solid locals and national touring acts from John Prine to Ween. This summer’s series winds up well, with two cornerstones of African-American music. George Clinton, of course, is the grandmaster of funk, rainbow-dreaded ringleader of Parliament-Funkadelic. Clinton hasn’t released a new album since 1998’s Dope Dogs , though a Funkadelic collection that had been due out in May is still on hold. Live, he and his crew still tear the roof off with undiminished fervor. Taj Mahal began his career in the 1960s as a roots-blues purist of the first order. That’s still the backbone of his sound, but the man born Henry St. Clair Fredericks quickly became a musicologist of a much wider scope, incorporating black music traditions from all over the world into his sound. That approach didn’t always sit well with critics or audiences, but the rising interest in world music in the 90s made it apparent that Taj had it all figured out way back. Minnesota Zoo, 952-431-9500, mnzoo.org

We’ve been big fans of Greg Brown for a long time now—for almost as long as he’s been obsessed with the Driftless, that rugged beautiful part of the country down where Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota all come together, the land the glaciers forgot to plow under. Seems most of the music-making world is a fan of Brown’s too. Here, Red House Records compiles a tribute to the Mephistopheles of New Folk, with a roster full of talented women performing his songs. It’s not just an exercise in padding the catalog—Red House and Brown are dedicating profits from the album to breast cancer charities. There’s a lot of great stuff here, from Lucinda Williams’ languid take on “Lately” to Iris Dement’s flawless rendering of “The Train Carrying Jimmy Rodgers Home.” Ani DiFranco weighs in with a perfunctory version of “The Poet Game” (the riotgrrl is beginning to lose her quirky sense of modesty, we fear), but the whole thing comes to a throat-tightening crescendo with Brown’s own daughters performing “Ella Mae,” a rarely recorded tribute to his grandmother (and Pieta, Zoe, and Constie’s great grandma) that never sounded so heartbreaking. This pastoral tear-jerker alone is worth several times the cover price.

Well, it’s about time. Nine years since the fondly remembered First Avenue reunion shows, 15 since their breakup, and 22 since In Combo first popped up in the vinyl racks, Beej and the boys’ original albums are finally out on CD. It’s a fine opportunity to reacquaint ourselves with the ’Burbs’ brand of buzzy and bouncy punk-pop. Less angry than Hüsker Dü and less drunk than the Replacements, the Suburbs eschewed the aggressive, deliberate sloppiness of their peers in favor of tightly arranged punk for the dance floor—the sugarbuzz-happy middle ground between Culture Club and Wire. They never broke big nationwide, but a ferocious cult developed out of a string of club hits and memorably weird lyrics about cows, monster men, and wives taped to the ceiling. They broke up for good reason—major-label malaise led to 1986’s uninspired The Suburbs , not included in this reissue—but their place in local rock mythology is completely warranted. One churlish note: the packaging is disappointingly spare. No live tracks, no new liner notes, no B-sides, just the original tracks and artwork. But we’re complaining about the parsley garnish when the steak is sizzling.

More a collection of vignettes than large-scale narrative, Seed: Awesome Vessel of Power is a rumination on a simple, oft overlooked object of nature. Initiated by Associate Artistic Director Beth Peterson in collaboration with four other puppeteers and three musicians, Seed was first performed two years ago at HOBT. Peterson’s vision came in response to the radical changes that had recently come about in the bioengineering industry and the broad impact those changes will have on all of us, from the mother in Bangladesh to the farmer in southern Minnesota. A complex global issue has been grounded in a humane and simple —if a little simplistic—clarity. Music and humor are mixed thoughtfully enough with the gravity of the message, so that all ages walk away with their souls well fed. This one-weekend Minneapolis presentation is part of a four-city tour that will also introduce the performance to some of the state’s breadbasket hubs: Mankato, Fairmont, and Silver Bay. In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre, (612) 721-2535, www.hobt.org

Arm thy wallet with cash and thy chariot with a full tank of gas, for the Minnesota Renaissance Festival is in full regalia once again in its 30th anniversary of entertainment. Twelve stages with everything from the traditional fairy tale of Cinderella told in spoonerisms from the Tory Steller, to a full-contact Armored Joust. You’ll find 270 craft shops including fine jewelry, leather roses, and four-foot broadswords. And your appetite will be aroused by more than 50 food booths where you can slurp soup in a bread bowl for an appetizer, down a turkey drumstick bigger than your arm for the entree, and indulge in a decadent—and enormous—cream puff for dessert. Altogether, the 22-acre “village” comes to life with fairies, chickens, and royalty, but if you’re planning to bring the kids, covering their ears and eyes now and then might be wholly necessary. The humor is occasionally lewd, and characters have no anachronistic qualms about obscenity. One can bypass these, though, with lots of children’s attractions—games and rides galore! Just don’t forget thy “Lady Visa” or thy “Master Card.” Heh heh. Minnesota Renaissance Festival, (952) 445-7361, www.renaissancefest.com

Ragamala Music and Dance Theater is one of the gorgeous, hidden jewels of Twin Cities dance. Exploring and expanding classical Indian dance (based in Bharatanatyam, the ancient classical dance of southern India) with a blend of contemporary choreography, Ragamala has enjoyed 10 seasons of performances that have garnered international attention. Srishti (Creation) begins the new season with an evening featuring the choreography of Associate Artistic Director Aparna Ramaswamy. Ramaswamy, who has been dancing Bharatanatyam since age six, is a recipient of a 2002 Bush Artist Fellowship. Srishti highlights a new duet performed by Ramaswamy and Toni Pierce, which was collaboratively choreographed by Ramaswamy and Uri Sands, a former Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater dancer and Minnesota Dance Theatre resident choreographer. Another highlight of the evening will be Laya , the creation of composer/musician Rick Shiomi. This piece weaves the footwork of Bharatanatyam with the Japanese taiko drum, creating an interplay of two distinct percussive forms. Southern Theater (612) 340-1725

For 10 years, this Minneapolis-based troupe has been working to bridge the gap between Asian and American cultures through the power of the stage, mixing Western-style dramas with Eastern music, dance, and drumming. Their latest offering, “Of Hope and Courage,” is a double shot of one-acts by local Asian-American playwrights, both taking their inspiration from Far Eastern folk tales. In “Distant Song,” Kiseung Rhee retells a Korean fable about a young man who finds adventure and learns hard lessons about life on the way to find a fortune-telling hermit. Jennifer Weir’s “The Demons of Noto Hanto,” based on a traditional Japanese legend, should appeal to anyone who loves The Seven Samurai. Intermedia Arts, (612) 871-4444,www.intermediaarts.org, www.theatermu.org