Author: Cristina Córdova

  • Toot Toot

    DANCE
    It’s Getting Hot in Here

    You
    might have to wear your full-body parka snowsuit to the show, but once
    you step inside, The Rabbit Show Dance Ensemble promises to turn up the
    heat with some hotter-than-hot dancing. Representing an elusive Minnesotan summer and sunshine is the goal
    of the thirteen choreographed dances that are part of the performance. Entitled Hot and Cold: The Minnesota-Siberian Express, this train is
    sure to be a one-way ticket to the tropics. —Kate McDonald

    7.p.m, Bryant Lake Bowl, 810 W. Lake St., Minneapolis; 612-825-8949; $6-$10.

    MUSIC
    Mandolin Sans Souci

    Whether or not "Sans Souci" actually means "no problem" in French is quite besides the point. What is more important about the cultured quartet with the possible francophone name is that it includes a banjo. And an upright bass. And a mandolin. And The Sans Souci Quartet plays bluegrass. What more could you want? No problems? Well, you’ll have no problems here. —Kate McDonald

    9 p.m., 331 Club, 13th Ave. N.E., Minneapolis; 612-331-1746; free.

    PERFORMANCE
    Take to the Stage

    Move over internationally-know performers; it’s our chance to be on the Walker’s McGuire Stage! Kinda. New York choreographer Miguel Gutierrez’s new production Powerful People seats the audience on the stage for a theatrical performance that celebrates a close immediate connection between audience and performers in the present moment. Powerful People Everyone is also the first performance of the the Walker’s Out There 20 series. —Kate McDonald

    8 p.m., Walker McGuire Theater, 1750 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-375-7600; $20.

  • Markers on the Road to Decency

    BOOKS & AUTHORS
    Have a Beer and a Book

    Join us for Raking Through Books, The Rake’s monthly happy hour
    book club, at Kieran’s Irish Pub.
    This month, meet authors Biloine W. Young, Wing Young Huie, and David
    Parker. Exploring human rights, activism, the power of story, and
    determination of spirit, these three authors tell their work here and
    around the globe. Featured books include My Heart It is Delicious, Young’s story of the Center for International Health; Looking for Asian America, by Huie; and Before Their Time: The World of Child Labor, by Parker — all of which are for sale at a 20 percent discount from the University of Minnesota Bookstore. Plus, participate in our new Monthly Book Swap: Bring a book, take a book! Meet people who read books! Have a beer. —Jennifer Havrish

    5:30-7:30 p.m., Kieran’s Irish Pub, 330 2nd Ave. S., Minneapolis; free.

    BOOKS
    The Department of Homeland Decency

    What does it mean to bring decency back to America? (Some might even question whether or not it ever existed here in the first place.) Does it mean wishing folks a "Merry Christmas," rather than a "Happy Holiday"? Does it mean never referring to s-e-x as anything other than "it"? According to Susan and Frank Fuller’s new decency manual, it does indeed. The Department of Homeland Decency’s Decency Rules and Regulations Manual
    dissects the Rules and Regulations of the USA Decency Act and describes
    in great detail how such rules may be executed for co-existing in a
    wholesome, more civilized nation. Is this irony? You’ll have to read it for yourself to figure that one out. (But remember, you can choose to interpret it however suits you best.)

    Available today in bookstores nationwide.


    Castro’s Spoken Autobiography

    Regarding Fidel Castro: My Life: A Spoken Autobiography — we’re curious about what the old man has to say, and we’re
    hoping for wardrobe and grooming tips, along with colorful yarns about
    outlasting ten American presidents. Plus, how can you resist a
    two-colon title? —Brad Zellar

    Available today in bookstores nationwide.

    MUSIC
    A Voice that Soars from Lebabon to Canada

    Since she won first prize in the 2000 Operalia competition (founded by Plácido Domingo), soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian has performed in many of the world’s major opera houses. The stunning, young Armenian-Canadian is best known for her work in Mozart operas, which she has sung continuously during the composer’s 250th birthday year: Susanna, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, and Pamina in The Magic Flute have been her calling cards, along with Marzelline in Fidelio, Adina in L’elisir d’amore, and Rosina in The Barber of Seville.

    8 p.m., Ordway Center for Performing Arts, 345 Washington St., St. Paul; 651-224-4222; $22-$45.

  • We Are, After All, Defined by the Cold

    As the cold weather digs in its claws to take hold for the next four
    months, we must keep things in perspective by remembering one key fact:
    This city’s greatness depends largely on the cold. Sounds strange; I
    know. But can you imagine a city as great as this one with decent
    weather? It’d be unbearable! For one, this frozen tundra of ours keeps our lakes and man-made lagoons of ice fully solid and ideal for some serious skating. Go to Winterskate Park or The Depot to experience the fine indoor and outdoor skating venues the cities has to offer. If the weather outside gets too frightful surrender to the indoor push and let your guard down for the local open mic nights. Our state boasts some mad public speaking and performance skills. Try Acme Comedy Club to tickle your funny bone or The Terminal Bar for a musical treat.

    MUSIC
    Another Local Legend?

    The fabulous Minnesota weather — or perhaps the chaos it prevents — has also made the Twin Cities home to many a music legend. The talent with which we’re surrounded on a regular basis here — the talent we so often take for granted — is enough to make any non-native music lover squeal with delight. Take local blues pianist Willie Murphy: His 1969 collaboration with folk/blues legend "Spider" John Koerner (Running, Jumping, Standing Still) has achieved all-time folk/blues classic status. He has continued to perform and impress for 30 years. And he was named as one of the three charter members of the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame, along with Bob Dylan and Prince. Bob Dylan and Prince! This is not just a local blues pianist, folks. And this is not just a West Bank icon. This is a blues icon. Period! You have eight straight Monday nights to see him, so start tonight.

    8 p.m., Minneapolis Eagles Club, 2507 E. 25th St., Seward, Minneapolis; 612-729-4469.

    WORKSHOP
    The Textures of Your Life

    What’s your favorite winter fabric texture? And can it heal you? Apparently, this afternoon’s Well Within art and support group will show you how. The Textures of Your Life: Healing through Art will help you explore the rough and smooth parts of your life through work in textiles and other media in this three-hour workshop. Bring on the polyester! —Kate McDonald

    12:30 p.m., Well Within, 1880 Livingston Ave., Suite 103, West St. Paul; 651-451-3113; $15.

  • The Year's First Weekend Signals Good Things to Come

    FILM
    There Will Be Blood

    The latest from director Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, Magnolia) is rumored to be a front runner for the best-picture Oscar, but that’s highly unlikely. There Will Be Blood is magnificent, epic, and utterly bizarre; films this weird never win the big one. Based loosely on Upton Sinclair’s 1927 novel Oil!, There Will Be Blood features Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano as an oil man and a preacher, respectively, at odds over money, faith, and oil rights. These actors perform like serpents fighting to swallow the film whole and there is vast pleasure in watching them coil around one another in mortal combat. With an equally audacious score by Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood (he summoned Stravinsky’s screeching violins), an impressive cast, and startling direction, Blood is the boldest Western since Sam Peckinpah walked the earth. —Peter Schilling

    Starts Friday at the Uptown Theatre, 2906 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-825-6006; $8.25 (seniors and children $5.75).

    MUSIC
    Bill Carrothers’ Armistice Band

    Jazz pianist Bill Carrothers was born in Minneapolis in 1964 and, even as a tyro getting his artistic bearings, elevated the local jazz scene with his cerebral gravitas (No one, for example, untangled the Gordian knots of altoist Lee Konitz better than Carrothers in concert.) While his best-known disc is probably Duets with drummer Bill Stewart, his masterpiece is the two-hour epic, Armistice 1918,which won the Charles Cros Award (the French equivalent of a Grammy) in 2004. It opens with the innocent pop songs of the pre-World War I era, such as “Hello Ma Baby” and “Let Me Call You Sweetheart,” and then wends through a wellspring/maelstrom of affecting originals and period-covers, brimming with impressionistic details regarding, as Carrothers put it in his liner notes, “the call to battle, separation of loved ones … night raids, rum rations … the disillusionment with ideals and finally the silence of Armistice Day.” Many of the original musicians will join Carrothers for this extraordinary U.S. premiere, including cellist Matt Turner, percussionist Jay Epstein, and vocalist Peg Carrothers. Rounding out the ensemble are bassist Jean-Philippe Viret, drummer Dre Pallemaerts, and bass clarinetist Jean-Marc Foltz. —by Britt Robson

    Friday and Saturday at 9 p.m., Artists’ Quarter, 408 St. Peter St., St. Paul; 651-292-1359; $15.

    Native Pianist Plays Ballard

    When we think Native American music, we tend to think drumming circles and unblended monophony. Some of us — familiar with Buggin Malone and Cochise Anderson — might even think hip-hop. But few of us ever think classical music. Few of us stop to consider George Quincy, Jerod Tate, R. Carlos Nakai, or even Janika Vandervelde. And though his compositions are performed by major symphony orchestras across the globe, few of us consider acclaimed Quawpaw/Cherokee composer Louis Ballard. Well, start considering him, people. Consider him Saturday as his work is performed by another nationally recognized Native musician, classical pianist Tim Hays (HoCak). Enjoy this rare opportunity and stay for a post-concert dialog with the artist. Proceeds will benefit the Two Spirit Press Room and the
    International Two Spirit Gathering.

    Saturday at 7:30 p.m., All God’s Children MCC, 3100 Park Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-824-2673; suggested donation of $10.

    We don’t get a lot of gospel here in the cities, so let me toss in this last minute event: Mama Digdown will serve up some hot New Orleans gospel with hard-hitting brass band music this Saturday (9 p.m.) at the Nomad World Pub (501 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-338-6424). For only $5 you’ll cleanse your soul!

    ART
    Closing this Weekend: Nuestra Frida

    Taken up by fans, feminists, malcontents, ideologists, and ax-grinders, Frida Kahlo has become much more than an artist over the last couple of decades.Yet somehow she is also often presented as less than an artist. In conjunction with Walker Art Center’s Kahlo exhibition, Grupo Soap, an alliance of artists who share a Hispanic heritage as well as robust senses of occasion and humor, will give its take on the Frida phenomenon. Last year the group produced four-by-eight-foot woodcuts printed by steamroller for a Día de los Muertos show. A poster for a2001 show featuring the artists as luchadores (Mexican wrestlers) still hangs on walls all over town (the show was good, too). So expect their efforts to restore Kahlo as a complex artist and Mexican citizen as well as an iconic sufferer—Our Lady of a Thousand Coffee Mugs—to be both serious and facetious. —Ann Klefstad

    Friday and Saturday from 12-6 p.m., Grupo Soap del Corazón and Art Jones Gallery, Casket Arts Building, 681 17th Ave. N.E., Minneapolis.

    Also closing this weekend is the Pompeii exhibit at the Science Museum. Check out our video tour.


    Opening this Weekend: News from the Moon

    If News From the Moon sounds like a children’s story you might want to read, then you’ll especially enjoy the new exhibit at Rosalux. Both Jennifer Davis and Amy Crickenberger Oeth show a childlike quality in their work that emphasizes life’s simple joys. This is definitely not one of those slick, all-dressed-in-black art shows — you won’t spend the next three weeks trying to climb out of the abyss. No, this will be a lovely show, with beautiful images, sweet images, images that will appeal to you on an emotional level and still leave you feeling good. I once said I would want Davis’ images bedecking my child’s nursery. I hold to that.

    Opening reception Saturday from 7-10 p.m., Rosalux Gallery, 1011 Washington Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-396-3947; free.

     

    PERFORMANCE
    Another Year, Another Party in the Rec Rooom

    The celebration isn’t over just yet, folks. This Saturday — and every Thursday through Sunday for the rest of the month — Lorna Landvik will be throwing a Party in the Rec Room comedy bash. Join the local author and actor for a fully improvised evening of comedy mayhem, replete with made up characters.

    Saturday at 7 p.m., Bryant Lake Bowl, 810 West Lake St., Minneapolis; 612-825-3737; $15.

     

    TV PARTY
    The L Word Season Premiere

    Will Alice lose her mind? Will Helena wind up in the slammer? Will Shane cheat on Paige? Do you have any idea what I’m talking about? If not, then it’s time to step it up and rent the first four seasons of The L Word, so you won’t be lost on Sunday when the new season begins. (See, now you know what to do all weekend.) Fittingly, our lovely local "L" bar will be hosting a party for the premiere. Can you think of a better place to see it?! Gay or not, you’ll want to hear the comments flying back and forth during commercials. Jana Shortal, from KARE 11 News, will serve as guest emcee, so maybe she’ll have some interesting insight of her own. You’ll have a chance to win L Word-related prizes, and everyone will walk away with an advanced copy of Season 5, Episode 2.

    Sunday at 4 p.m. (screening at 7 p.m.), Pi, 2532 25th Ave. S., Minneapolis; $5 suggested donation (V.I.P. $35 for reserved seating, waitress service, one drink, and your annual HRC membership).

  • Music as Sanctuary

    ART
    Midwest Sanctuary

    Immigration to the United States is at its highest level since its historic peak in the 1920s; there really are a lot of people roaming the world, either forced by war or economics or driven by curiosity or circumstance. And many of them, artists included, end up here. (Read some of their stories in the current issue of 10,000 Arts, the supplement to The Rake and mnartists.) This show promises an interesting look at the growing local community of international artists. —Ann Klefstad

    1-7 p.m. (though Jan. 26), Altered Aesthetics, 1224 Quincy St. N.E., Minneapolis; 612-378-8888.

    MUSIC
    Those Screaming Cherry Blossoms Certainly Like the Blues

    Apparently, Minneapolis is now home of the blues. Or at least more so than Fairfield, CA, and Tulsa, OK. The Screaming Cherry Blossoms, a punk rock group with an affinity for the blues, traveled far and wide before settling down right here by the Mississippi. Bringing together talents from the coast to the Midwest in a fusion of electronic sounds indeed sounds like the "punk rock version of a traditional Japanese flower" that is their namesake. —Kate McDonald

    8 p.m., 331 Club, 13th Ave. N.E., Minneapolis; 612-331-1746; free.


    Where Are Those Space Lovin’ Fiends A’hidin’?

    Picking the right pseudonym can be a tricky business. Joshua Pederson tried out a couple — a river, a fire — until finally settling on, not a just a name per se, but one that creates a question as to Where Astronauts Go To Hide. The word "where" does much in the conversation-starter department. (Where, in fact, do those space lovin’ fiends hide?) The name does lead to some confusion, as well however, considering it is not quite the title of a band but rather the title of Pederson, the solo folk indie performer. Sure, he does have some help from time to time — a kazoo here in there — but in truth he’s just a one-man band. Most recently, he performed with the metal band Corporate Thunder. Go to the show. It promises to solve the astronaut hiding question. My money is on Chicago since that is where Pederson has just relocated. —Kate McDonald

    9 p.m., Triple Rock Social Club, 629 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612- 333-7399; $5.

  • Start the Year with a Sampler, a Good Read, or Wrestling Mummies

    PERFORMANCE
    Sample This Year’s Goodies

    Who doesn’t love samples? And who wants to sit though one long show when you can squeeze in many, in nice neat ten-minute increments? Sample Night Live: Art in a Trial Size does just that, giving one a buffet of bite-sized upcoming performance options that includes everything from rock bands to dance to comedians. —Kate McDonald

    7 p.m., Bryant Lake Bowl, 810 W. Lake St., Minneapolis; 612-825-8949; $15.

    BOOKS
    The Book of Other People

    File this one under “can’t miss.” Zadie Smith
    asked a bunch of literary cohorts to contribute to her latest project.
    Her only rule: Each story must bear the name of a person, and be about
    that person. The result is a broad-ranging collection of characters (a
    giant, a judge, and a monster, to name a few) presented in formats
    ranging from comic strip to monologue. Indeed, the only common thread
    in this schizophrenic anthology is the fact that each author is hotter
    than the next; George Saunders, Miranda July, Dave Eggers, and Chris Ware
    are among the contributors. Given the spectrum of genres and styles,
    there’s guaranteed to be something for everyone, all of it quality.
    Plus, all proceeds will go to Eggers’s 826NYC organization, a nonprofit that teaches children to write. —Danielle Kurtzleben

    Available today in bookstores nationwide.

    FILM
    Las Momias de Guanajuato

    This is arguably the greatest lucha libre horror film in history. Yes, friends, we know that’s like saying Evan Almighty is
    the greatest congressional ark-building comedy ever, but this
    entertaining schlock—starring those masked Mexican wrasslers—cost a
    hundredth as much, and looks to be ten times more amusing. In Las Momias de Guanajuato
    (1972), the wrestler/sorcerer Satan has been mummified for over a
    century and returns to wreak havoc on the peaceful city of Guanajuato.
    What’s to stop him? Why, those kindly masked wrestlers Santo, Blue
    Demon, and Mil Mascaras, that’s who! Marvel as this trio fights off a
    horde of rotting mummies in tights and those crazy masks. We challenge
    you to find a more memorable film to inaugurate your new year. —Peter Schilling

    7:30 p.m., Parkway Theater, 4814 Chicago Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-822-3030.

     

     

  • Bring on 2008!

    Today is the last day of 2007. Happy almost New Year!

     

    Spend a little time today reflecting on the year gone by; then move onward and welcome the new year head on, without ever turning back. That’s the key, folks — keep moving forward. Always move forward.

    Here are a few items to help you reflect on the past year and send it off:

    "Over the Coals 2007"
    "Top Ten Tastes of 2007"
    "Zagat and the Wisdom of Crowds"
    "One Curmudgeon’s Opinion: The Top Ten Films of 2007"
    "Thumbnail Sketch: Wolves 2007-08 Season Preview"

    Hopefully, you all have your evening mapped out already, having made your reservations weeks or even months ago. But for those of us who don’t like to sign our names on the dotted line without first gauging how we feel that day, here are a few options for the evening’s festivities that aren’t quite sold out yet. Act fast, though, or you may end up quietly toasting on a rooftop somewhere — which might be a great option indeed.

    It’s Going to Be a Zoo Out There
    Join the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory for a buffet dinner and live music by the Honeywagons, in the candlelit gardens of the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory ($195 per couple). Reservations are required; call 651-487-8250.

    Laugh It Up
    If 2007 was a particularly difficult year for you (or a particularly good one, for that matter), you might enjoy sending it off in a fit of laughter. The Scrimshaw New Years Spectacular at the Bryant Lake Bowl ($20) promises "comedy, music, dance, special surprise guests, and more broken resolutions than you can shake a Scrimshaw at!" Catch the early show (7 p.m.) and head to the next location before midnight; or stay through the late show (10:30 p.m.) and laugh your way right into the new year.

    New Ways to Welcome the New Year
    Ever bring in the new year on skates? First Avenue is looking like a bold adventure this evening (8 p.m.) with their Solid Gold New Year’s Eve Celebration ($15). Enjoy a performance by Guerilla Artfare, followed by a midnight roller skate dance and a free Champagne Toast. And if you find yourself up for a little Brother Ali action, you can sidle on over to the 7th Street Entry ($20).

    Of course, you can always forgo the skates and bring it down to the basics with a Lingerie and Loungewear New Year’s Eve celebration at the Varsity Theater (8 p.m.). I can’t promise you boundless sex appeal in 2008, but at least you’ll start off on the right foot. Enjoy music by Mark Mallman, The Alarmists, and Solid Gold, as well as a Lingerie & Loungewear Show by Eclecticoiffeur ($12).

     

    Not sexy enough for you? How about live nude drag?! Celebrate the new year at Pi (9 p.m.) with a Dykes Do Drag burlesque performance ($5).

     

    Nothing’s Quiet on New Year’s Day
    "Naked / I’ll stand naked / if you stand naked with me." Do you think they mean it? Somehow standing naked with the BoDeans sounds like a fabulous way to bring in the new year. The BoDeans are feel good music. Sure, they like to remind us of the horrors out there, but the music makes us bob, hop, and jump, regardless. "See / I can see / good things for you and I." New Year’s Eve at the Fine Line (8 p.m.) might seem a bit on the pricey side ($100), but the cost includes appetizers, drinks, the BoDeans, and Michael McDermott. Bring it on!


    Fine Dining

    Of course, the most standard New Year’s Eve option is simply a nice dinner somewhere, topped off with a Champagne toast at midnight. Sure, many of the finest dining establishments are already booked by now (the Dakota was sold out almost a month ago), but if you do a bit of leg work (finger work, in this case — meaning pick up that phone and make the reservation now), you ought to be able to find something. Word has it Cue at the Guthrie is serving up a five-course, European-inspired dinner with wine and a champagne toast at midnight.

     

    See Jeremy Igger’s Breaking Bread posts, "Where to Dine on New Year’s Eve – Part I" and "Part II" for more fabulous dining options.

  • A Post-Christmas, Pre-New Year Sing-along

    FILM
    A Post-Christmas Story

    I firmly believe that music is for everyone — and there is certainly enough from which to choose this weekend — but if you’re just not in the mood (perhaps puckered out from the holidays), you might prefer to kick back in a nice, dark theater for a post-holiday treat. We get so wrapped up in all the holiday obligations — all the shopping, the traveling, the visits, the eating and drinking and rejoicing (or tearing one’s hair out) — that we forget what it’s all about. No, I’m not talking Christ here. I’m talking about the Fatman, Santa. The man grew up in Finland, and it’s time to get the story from the Finns. Learn about an orphaned village boy named Nikolas at a Twin Cities special premiere of Christmas Story, directed by Juha Wuolilsoki.

    Friday at 7:15 p.m., The Oak Street Cinema, 309 Oak St. S.E., Minneapolis; 612-331-3134, $8 (seniors $6, members & students $5).

    MUSIC
    The Snakes Are in My Water-trough

    What’s at the heart of the blues? Well, according to the Black-Eyed Snakes, playing the blues is a lot like having an epileptic fit or butchering pigs. Maybe both. Alan Sparhawk lets the blues take a hold of him — a firm, almost possessive, hold. This is raw blues. And watching gives new meaning to musical experience. —Kate McDonald

    Friday at 8 p.m., The Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-388-2674; $15.

    A Smorgasbord of Local (and almost local) Hotshots

    Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum and Tim O’Reagan of the Jayhawks are just two of the artists that make up the smorgasbord of local rock talents performing tonight at the Cabooze. Pirner will be accompanied by The Volunteers, and O’Reagan will be followed by the lovely Janey & Marc, whose sweet melodies have accompanied the likes of Astronaut Wife and Sarah Lee Guthrie. It is a night of music perfectly fit for the Friday after Christmas. —Kate McDonald

    Friday at 9:30 p.m., The Cabooze, 917 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis; $13.

    A Spontaneous Pre-New Year’s Show — Up to Your Standards

    What happens when you combine Semisonic with The Suburbs and a vibraphonist? Well, you get a new standard for music, of course, and a new band, The New Standards. It’s almost the New Year — better start thinking about having some standards. And if you look back at our last big fashion spread, it’ll attest to their level of class. —Kate McDonald

    Saturday at 7 p.m., Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant, 1010 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis; 612-332-1010.

    The Eyes Are Still So Bright

    Thrasher Magazine has a great website. It includes pictures of bikini-clad skateboard-welding bitties, documented proof of skater Darren Navarrette’s party throwing abilities, and an interview with Shed, who’s wearing an executioner’s hood and is in the middle of a half pipe talking about his upcoming 13th skate rock album. However, this all seems to stand in stark contrast to the Bright Eyes website, which boasts only a lone tree and the work of a serious indie computer graphics design genius. What, then, are former Thrasher photographer Nik Freitas and Bright Eyes frontman Conor Oberst doing together in Minneapolis? Well, playing a show, naturally — since their alt-indie sound turns out to be oddly similar. It’s worth checking out — almost as much as the Thrasher website is. —Kate McDonald

    Saturday at 9 p.m., 400 Bar, Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-332-2903; $20.

    The Big Stuff

    Should old acquaintance be forgot? Not in the new year, my dears — hence the House of Large Sizes “Re-Union” gig at the Triple Rock. Two-thousand-and-seven was the 20-year mark from the band’s first recorded release, so what better way to ring in the 21st than with a rock-, funk-, heavy metal-influenced performance? Special guests will include Speed’s the Name, Beat Strings, and The Melismatics. —Kate McDonald

    Sunday at 7 p.m. Triple Rock Social Club, 629 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-333-7399; $10.

  • Enjoy a Primitive Chicago Happy Hour

    FILM
    Chicago Restored!

    Who better to tell ya about all that jazz then the people who were actually living it? At the end of the roaring ’20s, a little film was made that incorporated all the music, gin, and debauchery of the times. While the movie originally met with fear, the premise inspired the hit Bob Fosse musical and 2002 Academy Award-winning movie Chicago. Now the original 1927 version has been found and restored, and it’s playing tonight at the Heights as part of a special screening with Harvey Gustafson on the organ. —Kate McDonald

    7:30 p.m., Heights Theatre, 391 Central Ave. N.E., Columbia Heights; 763-788-9079; $8.

    THEATER & PERFORMANCE
    Happy Hours and Olives

    There are many reasons behind my desire to see Martini & Olive’s Holiday Happy Hour show at Illusion Theatre: the fact that they describe themselves as deliberately appalling; the fact that they are channeling the ’70s in their wardrobe and badattitude; and the fact that I have a weakness for all things involving happy hours and olives. Their two-man play is a celebration of all things festive — as long as festive involves crudeness, fruit basket head ornaments, and debauchery. —Kate McDonald

    7:30 p.m., Illusion Theater, 528 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-339-4944; $25.


    MUSIC
    Primitive Appeal

    Minnesota in December might not resemble Winter in Kingston, Jamaica, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have our reggae and play it too. And who better to play it than The New Primitives, who have won the Minnesota Music Awards for best reggae in Minnesota for the last four years? The eight member band doesn’t stop at reggae either; they incorporate R&B, ska, and calypso into their energetic world dance music performance. —Kate McDonald

    9 p.m., The Cabooze, 917 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis; $5.

  • Local Boys Sing, While Heathens Turn Pages

    MUSIC
    Gear Daddies Add Boxing Day Show Just for You

    The English might have Boxing Day, but we have the Gear Daddies. And who needs another commonwealth holiday when we can have good old American country rockers. With their shows on the 28th and 29th already sold out, the band has shown some Austin, Minnesota flexibility by adding an extra show to their tour. Get ready to drive your Zamboni, peeps. "That right there is one expensive machine." —Kate McDonald

    8 p.m., The Fine Line Music Café, 318 1st Ave. N., Minneapolis; 612-338-8100; $31.

    MORE MUSIC
    Not So Bad at All, and Then Some

    A band called The Bad Plus — covering the likes of Black Sabbath and Nirvana — might not conger immediate thoughts of your typical jazz trio, but this is precisely the appeal of the Minneapolis-grown group. From their beginnings, playing weekend gigs in Minnesota in 2000, The Bad Plus has gotten national attention with their unique sound and style that fuses jazz with rock and roll. —Kate McDonald

    7 & 9:30 p.m., Dakota Jazz Club, 1010 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis; 612-332-1010; $40 & $28.

    BOOKS & AUTHORS
    John Allen Paulus — Irreligion: A Mathematician Explains Why the Arguments for God Just Don’t Add Up

    Hot on the heels of the birth of Christ comes yet another assault on
    religious belief. God knows, the godless have been on the pop culture
    offensive of late (see: Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Philip Pullman
    et al.), and if the other side of the barricades didn’t have such an
    overwhelming historical foothold, you could almost accuse the atheists
    of piling on. The irony of so many of the recent irreligious screeds is
    that they tend to be marked by the same brand of repellent intolerance
    that has been the appalling hallmark of God’s zealots through the ages.
    It seems sad that even the unbelievers are reduced to preaching to
    their choirs. As to whether John Allen Paulos
    has any truly fresh light to shed on the subject—hint: It says right
    there in the title that the man’s a mathematician, and his book
    undertakes all manner of logical refutations of God’s existence
    (yawn)—I’m afraid he’s ultimately just another dog barking at cars. —Brad Zellar

    Available today at bookstore nationwide.