Pleasure & Paint: Eric Inkala's Dreamworld Comes To Life

ART

Overflow: A Pleasure Trip

Eric Inkala‘s no
fool. After a good run of years of painting his coloristic, hazy-dazy,
arabesque, Little-Engine-that-Could-meets-Pacman murals (this guy is a
tagger of the most whimsical sort) on walls around town, Inkala’s
finally been hit by the legitimacy bug. That is, in the manner of
graffiti artists gone legit–like Keith Haring in the 1980s and, more recently, Barry McGee, whose work was a highlight of the recent Carnegie International–Inkala’s bringing his particular brand of graffiti stylings indoors to show at The Gallery @ Fox Tax. (Note: Fox Tax
is a tax and financial services company that also has an art gallery.)
Called "Overflow: A Pleasure Trip" and curated by Emma Berg of mplsart.com, this is being billed as Inkala’s first local solo gallery
exhibition. How exactly he manages the transition (from outdoors to
in-; from renegade to law-abider) remains to be seen, but press
materials promise there will be "smoothly cut whales hanging from the
ceiling," "bulbous characters" flowing in and out of the background,
"walking creations of his recurring character," and the sum of these
parts will form an "abstract diary that represents everything from the
day-to-day mundane to his travel experiences…" -Michael Fallon

Friday, 6pm-11pm, The Gallery at Fox Tax, 503 1st Avenue NE, Northeast Minneapolis, Free, Runs through Sept. 6th

PERFORMANCE
Le Cirque Rouge 5 Year Anniversary

I
am not usually a Burlesque fan, I suppose I’d call myself somewhat
indifferent when it comes to it. Not for any particular reason, mind
you, it’s just something that I am relatively "whatevs" to. However,
when you factor in the ambiance of the totally Parisian alley behind
Nick & Eddie, and maybe a pre-show Spicy Steak (to die for) in the restaurant, Burlesque suddenly sounds fantastically, decadently amazing. A likely event for lovers, swarthy art-winos and mysterious, red lipstick wearing babes and gun molls on a warm, starry night of the most seductive variety – with be-tasseled pasties of course! Le Cirque Rouge
has been performing their tawdry, funny and super sexy burlesque show
all over the Twin Cities and beyond for five whole years, so come on
down to Loring Park to see what all the fuss is about. Tonight is what
dreams, memories, (and possibly nipple slips) are made of!

Friday, 10pm, Loring Alley behind Nick & Eddie, 1612 Harmon, Minneapolis, $6





FESTIVALS

Twin Cities Pan African Fest



Wear your dancing shoes to this vibrant festival spotlighting African music in the Twin Cities presented the Non-Profit musician support organization D.E.M.O.,
(The Diverse Emerging Music Organization) and co-sponsored by The Rake!
Friday night will feature the "Hottest Afro-Caribbean Party of the
Summer" at La Bodega Tapas Bar with festive live African and Caribbean music starting at 10pm. Saturday’s main event on the Nomad World Pub’s
outdoor stage will feature Ghanaian rapper M.Anifest and KUT Dance with
an indoor after party to follow with a variety of reggae and hip-hop
acts including local darling Maria Isa. Sunday is a bit more chill with
an evening film festival that will include three music documentaries on
the African hip hop scene, Fela Kuti, and Bob Marley.



Fri-Sun, Times and locations vary, Click HERE for complete schedule





FRINGE FESTIVAL

The Spaceman Chronicles

With their previous entries into the Minnesota Fringe all selling out by the end of their respective festivals, the Four Humors
troupe has become something of an August favorite in Minnesota theater.
This will be their fourth year participating in the Fringe, and the
group is affiliated with three shows that will be playing around town
through August 10th. The Spaceman Chronicles is something they’ve been carrying in their pockets since 2006; they developed Mortem Capiendum earlier this year, and have been touring it at various festivals throughout North America; and Shift
was written in the two months leading up to this summer’s Minnesota
Fringe. The assortment of plays represents a solid cross-section of
what the troupe has been producing since joining together, showcasing
the talent that has prompted critics to say they "offer up such wit and
hilarity that audience members will be doubled over in their seats" (Star Tribune). The Rake
had a chat with three of the four artistic directors – Nick Ryan, Jason
Ballweber, and Brant Miller – to talk a bit about their recent work. Click HERE to read the interview -Max Ross

Saturday 2:30pm, Sunday 5:30pm, Theatre de la Jeune Lune 105 1st Street North, Minneapolis

SPECIAL EVENT

Pizza Luce Block Party



This annual brouhaha takes over the intersection of 32nd & Lyndale,
proving yet again that Pizza Luce and rockin’ out are synonymous.
Mingle with the hipsters while stuffing your face with greasy gourmet
pizza and/or juicy brats, swiggin’ ice cold beer and boppin’ to a
stellar lineup of local bands (bonus points if you can do this all at
the same time without making a mess)! Hosted by king of the
boozehounds, Ian of Drinking with Ian and featuring a slew of awesome
local bands such as Charlie Parr, the Brass Kings, Romantica, the
Evening Rig,
Rockford Mules, the Hawaii Show, A Night in the Box, Kill the Vultures
and Crossing Guards.



Saturday, Noon-10pm, Pizza Luce Uptown, 3200 Lyndale Avenue, Uptown, Free





MUSIC

Melissa Etheridge



Award-winning musician and cancer survivor Melissa Etheridge will rock
the O’Shaughnessy at the College of St. Catherine on Saturday, August
9th at 8 pm. Etheridge, whose hits include "Come to My Window," is a
celebrated gay rights and environmental activist who has two Grammy
Awards to her credit. She also recently won an Academy Award for the
song "I Need to Wake Up," which appeared in the 2006 documentary An
Inconvenient Truth. Of her ten studio albums, five have gone platinum
(including three that have gone multi-platinum) and two gold albums. -Andrew Newman

Saturday, 8pm, The O’Shaghnessy, St. Kates Campus, 2004 Randolph Ave, St. Paul, $36-$101