Author: Cristina Córdova

ART AND NIGHTLIFE
Gallery Grooves

Join us for Gallery Grooves, The Rake’s monthly art, jazz, and wine event. Socialize and discuss the latest jazz with Kevin Barnes from KBEM. Enjoy free libations compliments of The Wine Company and airforce Nutrisoda, and hors d’oeuvres. Featured jazz selections include the Turtle Island String Quartet’s A Love Supreme, Kurt Elling’s Night Moves, and Dean Magraw’s Unseen Rain. Your Arts Desire hosts an eclectic mix of Twin Cities artists, including Sara Rosenblum Jennifer Nelson, Linda Mix, Steven Lang, and Tanya Garvis.

7 – 9 p.m, Your Arts Desire, 12928 Minnetonka Blvd., Minnetonka; 952-988-9772; free.

MUSIC AND ART
Open Art-A-Whirl with a Little Music

Today marks the unofficial start of the Northeast Minneapolis Art-A-Whirl weekend, and what better way to start it than with the Heliotrope music exhibit, which begins this evening and goes all weekend. Heliotrope aims to bring some of the area’s most interesting and exciting musical artists together in a theater setting. Psychedelia, free jazz, damaged folk, sound collage, no wave, improv, noise, instrumental rock, and even some Tin Pan Alley influence will all be on display this year. As in the past, film projections will also be featured throughout the festival.

7 p.m., Ritz Theater, 345 13th Ave NE Minneapolis; 612-623-7660, 612-871-6659; $8.00 per night, $15.00 for two nights, $20.00 for all three nights.

DANCE
Tradition or Truth?

This weekend, you’ll have an opportunity to see Ballet Minnesota’s rendition of Swan Lake at the Fitzgerald Theater — and there are few traditional ballets as beautiful as this one. But start the grand fantasy off with some real tradition — commerce and colonialism. Get a little truth in the form of beauty, with Faustin Linyekula’s performance. Dancer/choreographer Faustin Linyekula of Kinshasa, Congo, is both a powerful dancer and a powerful advocate. His 30-minute solo installation/performance piece deals with themes of displacement and circulation that reference the dark part of his heritage and the commerce of colonization, decolonization, and organized tourism. Don’t miss this. It’s a one-night-only deal. And follow if up this weekend with SwanLake at the 19th Annual Minnesota Dance Festival.)

7 p.m., Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-375-7600; free.

THEATER AND PERFORMANCE by Christy DeSmith
The Savage Joy of Breaking Things

“David Lynch meets Mother Goose“: That’s the vision Hardcover Theater’s writer/director Steve Schroer has for his new play, inspired by an obscure Victorian fantasy called The New Mother. This source material was written for children — it’s a fable that warns, with rich imagery and plenty of fright, against being naughty. And yet Schroer insists his play is for grownups. He lists a secondary source of inspiration as Edgar Allan Poe’s essay, “The Imp of the Perverse,” which allows him to riff on the human compulsion to behave badly at any age. Schroer also has layered in enough sexual tension and bone-chilling ambience (via set, sound, and lighting designs) to turn this creepy kids’ story into a hair-raiser for adults.

8 p.m., The Playwrights’ Center, 2301 Franklin Ave. E., Minneapolis; 612-581-2229; $18.

And this is also the final weekend to see Future Perfect: A Genetically Modified Musical at the Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts, 212 N. 3rd Ave, Suite 140, Minneapolis, 612-339-5145; $15.

FILM
The Imaginative Mind

This weekend, the Walker is running a few Michael Gondry films as part of their Michel Gondry: The Science of Dreams film retrospective. Jumpstart the weekend with a look into the filmmaker’s creative process in the documentary I’ve Been Twelve Forever — a look at some of Gondry’s memories and dreams. The documentary will be accompanied by as number of his eclectic music videos

7:30 p.m., Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-375-7600; free.

Filmmakers: Today is the deadline to register for the Minneapolis Film Race. On May 19th you’ll have 12 hours to write, shoot, and submit an original four-minute film with a pre-determined theme and surprise element.

Share your secrets. If you know of any interesting upcoming events, let me know (cristina@rakemag.com).

DINING
A Rake’s Tour of World Flavors: Milan

Chef William Salvador, born just north of Milan, brings a taste of authentic Italy to Minnesota. TreVina features a menu where everything is made from scratch, from breads and sauces to gnocchi rolled by hand to steaks and fresh fish butchered in house. Enjoy dishes with distinct flavors expertly paired with wine. Join The Rake, Whole Foods Market, and The Wine Company for a monthly food and wine experience. Travel to the best restaurants in the Twin Cities and sample wine and cuisine from regions far and near. Includes a multiple course tasting menu and wine pairings.

6 p.m., TreVina Italian Steak House, 200 North Concord Exchange, South Saint Paul; $40 (plus tip), reservations required.

MUSIC
Casual Classics: All That Jazz

David Alan Miller completes his eighth and final season as conductor and host of The Minnesota Orchestra’s Casual Classics with a concert featuring conversation and New York-style jazz. Snap, swing and dig into cool with pieces ranging from Ellington and Bernstein to Gershwin’s quintessential Rhapsody in Blue. Then join Miller in the lobby for a champagne toast and salute.

7 p.m., Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis; 612-371-5656; $19.25-$44.25.

FILM
It’s That Time of the Month Again

It’s the third Wednesday of the month again, and if you’re a film freak like me, you should know what that means by now. It’s time for Cinema Lounge again — independent short films from Twin Cities filmmakers. Stop by and see short films by SleepyEye; Rick Fuller and Tim Buckley; Koerner, Ray, and Glover; and John Fleetman. Have a drink, hear from the filmmakers, ask any questions you like, and schmooze with other film folks.

7 p.m. (doors at 6), Bryant Lake Bowl, 810 West Lake St., Minneapolis; 612-825-3737; donations accepted.

BOOKS & AUTHORS
Beneath the Surface

Do much fishing? Wanna improve your game? This may be one of the few book readings that can help. Join Bruce Carlson and the Minnesota Historical Society Press for a reading, discussion, and signing of the new book Beneath the Surface: A Natural History of a Fisherman’s Lake. After fishing and studying Ten Mile Lake in central Minnesota since 1955, Carlson explores how the dynamics of a lake shift from day to night and from season to season. He outlines the effects of a storm on the wildlife below and explains the intricacies of a beaver’s lodge design. And through special chapters that reveal the rhythms and constraints of various species of fish, Carlson shows anglers how to hone their techniques to heighten fishing success.

7 p.m., St. Paul Public Library – Highland Branch, 1974 Ford Parkway, St. Paul; 651-695-3700; free.

ON THE NET
Boys Will Be Boys

Warning, some of this material may be inappropriate for work. You might want to make sure your boss isn’t looking over your shoulder — just in case.

Good Magazine: Internet Porn

Taking Sports Too Far

What Is It about Xerox?

Real Men Knit

How To Shower: Women vs. Men

Dear Penis

The Big Woo

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Nonfiction, Neoliberal Globalization, and Social Change

David Bacon spent 20 years as a factory worker and union organizer before becoming a photo journalist in the mid-80s. Since then, he has published numerous essays and photo essays documenting farm labor, immigration, and the impact of the global economy on workers. Bacon represents American working-class journalism at its finest, exposing stories seldom picked up by mainstream media. Tonight Bacon will be discussing a border that few North Americans know anything about — a working-class fight for survival on the unequal playing ground of NAFTA, where labor rights are often dishonored and where activists often end up blacklisted, jailed, or even desparecido (disappeared). Children of NAFTA: Labor Wars on the U.S./Mexico Border investigates the impact of the North American Free Trade Agreement on those who labor in the agricultural fields and maquiladora factories on the border. And since union organizers are in fact the heroes in Bacon’s story, he will be joined this evening by Javier Morillo-Alicea, president of SEIU Local 26. (You’re likely to have heard of him as the organizer behind the recent janitors’ strike.)

7 p.m., Metropolitan State University/, Dayton’s Bluff Branch Library, Ecolab Room, 645 E. 7th St., St. Paul; 651-793-1699; free.

Choose Your Own Adventure

“Child of the ’80s that she is, when local writer and independent public-radio producer Heather McElhatton decided to write a book, she chose to resurrect the literary model made famous by Bantom Books’ classic Choose Your Own Adventure series. The result, Pretty Little Mistakes, is a novel with 150 endings to choose from, where adults can refuse marriage proposals, experiment with substances, and indulge their bi-curiosity.” Join The Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library this evening to celebrate the book launch of McElhatton’s new novel. The program will include an introduction by Kevin Kling, a reading by McElhatton, guitar accompaniment by Robert Bell, and a reception of complimentary desserts, a cash bar, and book signing.

7 p.m., Minneapolis Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis; 612-630-6174; free.

Ink Runs from the Corners of My Mouth

The Carol Connolly Reading Series continues tonight with performances by poets Margaret Hasse and Richard Solly. Author of Stars Above, Stars Below, New Rivers Press and In A Sheep’s Eye, Darling, Margaret Hasse will be performing poems from her latest collection, Milk and Tides. Now a St. Paulite, Hasse works as a consultant to arts and community organizations. With three books to his credit, Richard Solly will read from his newest, From Where the Rivers Come, a gripping collection about loving and rising from the depths of illness and mere consciousness. Whew! That’s a mind-full.

7:30 p.m. (5 p.m. for dinner with reservations), University Club of St. Paul, 420 Summit Ave., St Paul; 651-222-1751; free (dinner not included).

Read “Boundaries” by Margaret Hasse.
Read “White Point, Nova Scotia” by Richard Solly.

MUSIC

It’s no secret that Branford Marsalis is playing tonight at the Dakota. In fact, the show is sold out. But great as Marsalis is, he’s not the only music in town. Irish singer/songwriter Damien Rice is playing a 7:30 p.m. show at Northrop Auditorium, and The Killers are playing at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium at 8 p.m. These are all good acts to catch, but again… no real secret there.

Classical String Instruments in Decidedly Nonclassical Projects

The hot musical secret of the night is the Ponytails & Ivory show at the 331 Club. Liz Draper, of Black Blondie fame, and Jonathan Kaiser, of Blackthorns fame, come together for an evening of double bass and cello duets. Ponytails & Ivory — a reference to the horsehair and ivory used to make the bow of a stringed instrument — gives the two string musicians a forum in which to play 100% improvised music. They never discuss any plans before they start playing; and no two performances are alike. Thus they are able to smoothly incorporate any influences that seem right on the spur of the moment — simple lyrical melodies, percussive rhythms, or even atmospheric sound experiments. Tonight’s show marks their third performance as a duo.

10 p.m., 331 Club, 331 13th Ave. NE, Minneapolis; free.

RAKING THE NET
Goings-on Around Town

Thanks to a hot new local blog full of great daily secrets, I got wind of JimmyOgraphy’s new video project. See what you’ve been missing around town.

Wondering how to spend the day at work?

Here’s some fun for you: the perfect time waster. Isn’t it beautiful?!

Have a secret to share? Send it to cristina@rakemag.com, and don’t be afraid to comment here, folks. This one-way interaction is getting a bit stale.

FILM
Get Ready to Make Your Own

The secret is out. Anyone can make a “film” these days. Granted, many of them bore the pants right off me after only ten seconds; but then as long as the pants are off, who cares? Have you tried your hand at video yet? Be brave and see what you can do in just 48 hours. (Who knows? It might even be a lesson in humility.) This year’s 48-Hour Film Project will take place from June 8th to the 10th. Attend an information session tonight to get more info on registering, watch past films, and talk to producer Ira Livingston in person.

6 p.m., IFP Minnesota, 2446 University Ave. W., St. Paul; 651-644-1912; free.

Yielding to the Great Filmmaking Abilities of Minnesotans

While the 48-Hour Film Festival might produce some amusing results, a film worth watching usually takes at least six days — or sometimes eight years. See what an accomplished filmmaker can do with his time. Wholecrue Productions invites you to an evening of art, cinema, drink, and song. The evening will begin with drinks, mingling, and an exhibition of works by local artists, followed by the premiere of writer/director Gregg Hortgrewe’s Unhinged. Hortgrewe shot this short thriller as a feature last summer, in just six days, and then cut it down in length. But the evening isn’t about this short. Not really. The main event awaits until after dinner. We can’t have our bellies growling during the movie, so fill them up to the music of Coach Said Not To. Once your belly is full, settle into your chair for the world premiere of Holtgrewe’s second feature film (yielding to) a willing breath. After eight years, Holtgrewe’s truly low-budget ($3,500) film is finally bringing local actors Paul Cram, Charles Brin, and T.Mychael Rambo to the forefront with this story about a man coming to terms with the death of his girlfriend. Enjoy the film, and stick around afterward for a question and answer session with Holtgrewe and producer Michael D. Howe.

6 p.m., Suburban World Theater, 3022 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-822-9000; $20 with dinner.

READING AND FILM
Yet Another Piece of the Puzzle

Clearly, most feature films are not a result of 48-hour projects. The screenwriting alone can seem to take an eternity (and often does). So imagine how frustrating it must be to finally complete the screenplay and still have to wait years to see it in action. Get a sneak peak of an upcoming film tonight, before it goes from paper to film. Minnesota actor John Carroll Lynch (Fargo,
Zodiac, and “The Drew Carey Show“) will direct a workshop reading of his next film, Remember Minnesota, a story about the 1987 University of Minnesota Crew team who came from their rusted corrugated tin hut on the Mississippi banks and, for the first time in their history, went all the way to the coveted rowing regatta championships to compete against the most powerful teams the Ivy League had to offer.

7 p.m., The Ritz Theater, 345 13th Avenue NE, Minneapolis; 612-659-8292; $10 (free to Screenwriters’ Workshop members).

BOOKS & AUTHORS
Spiritual Deterioration

Of course, you could always just leave the whole film “thang” to the visually obsessed and go for something more malleable? Two great authors are in town tonight to read from their latest novels. Irvine Welsh, author of Trainspotting will read from The Bedroom Secrets of the Master Chefs, and Minneapolis native Arthur Phillips will discuss Angelica.

The Bedroom Secrets of the Master Chefs is the story of two men locked in a war of wills that threatens their very existence. Troubled restaurant inspector Danny Skinner sinks into alcoholism tortured by his mother’s refusal to reveal the identify of his father. Suspecting the answer may lie with celebrity chef Alan De Fretais, Skinner relocates to San Francisco, where he meets his nemesis, inspector Brian Kibby. Danny finds himself consumed by a seething hatred of his clean-living rival until, during a drunken and vitriolic interior rage, he enacts a hex. Now Danny can drink, fight and snort with abandon and Kibby’s body, not his, pays the physical toll. Welsh’s work is a defiant parable about the great obsessions of our time: food, sex, and celebrity.

7:30 p.m., Magers & Quinn Booksellers, 3038 Hennepin Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-822-4611.

Angelica follows a lowly London stationery clerk who senses the presence of supernatural evil in her house and turns to a spiritualist to help her. As she watches her domestic life deteriorate into disorder and perceived danger, Phillips offers four sections, each taking a different character’s point of view, that delivers a parallel and sometimes conflicting interpretation of her reality. Follow along and see how nothing is as it seems, but how everything fits together. Phillips will sign copies of his book following the discussion. (Read an excerpt from Angelica.)

7 p.m., University of Minnesota Bookstore, Coffman Memorial Union, 300 Washington Ave. S.E., Minneapolis; 612-625-6000; free.

Looking for some good music this evening. Go check out Tyrone Wells with Ernie Halter at 6 p.m. at the Varsity Theater ($10/$12), or go to First Avenue for The Tragically Hip show ($30).

NATURE AND GARDENING
Get Your Hands Dirty and Your Air Clean

Quick, go plant a tree this morning! Celebrate Arbor Day and bring new life to Powderhorn Park. The Home Depot and the National Arbor Day Foundation are heading up a 1,000 trees in 10 cities campaign to increase awareness of the importance of trees in our cities and to create healthier communities in urban areas. As part of this campaign, they’ll be hosting a tree-planting event today at 10 a.m. at Powderhorn.

Friday at 10 a.m., Powderhorn Park, 3400 15th Ave. S., Minneapolis.

MUSIC AND NEW MEDIA

As we get more and more visually-centric with this current gush of new media, artists are being pushed to find creative forms of collaboration. It’s not enough anymore to just have audio; it must be accompanied with visuals — video, performance, anything to keep the eyes engaged. Minneapolis is a great place to be this weekend when it comes to blurring lines and bringing together media forms in innovative ways.

What Came First — the Song or the Image?

It doesn’t get much more innovative than this. Bob Wiseman is a Canadian singer/songwriter and filmmmaker. Remember the Canadian roots rock band Blue Rodeo? No? That’s OK. I might have been one of three people in this country to buy their album. In all fairness, they were quite good — and they’re still around — but Wiseman hasn’t played with them since 1992. Since then, he has been busy making folk and rock jazz music about explicitly political themes. But the kicker came in 2000 when Wiseman began making super 8 films and videos to accompany his music. This is a seriously multimedia event, folks. Don’t miss it. Wiseman has performed with a number of well-known acts, including The Wallflowers, Wilco, and Edie Brickell. He is currently touring with Jason Trachtenburg of the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players and Magali Meagher of The Phonemes — both unique, innovative, and beautiful in their own way.

Another multimedia act, the Slideshow Players are best described as an indie-vaudeville-conceptual-art-rock-slideshow band. The father-mother-daughter combo set vintage slide collections to music, turning anonymous lives into pop-rock musical exposés. While it’s just dad in Minneapolis with Wiseman and Meagher, the show promises to be quite interesting.

Saturday at 9 p.m., 400 Bar, 400 Cedar Avenue S., Minneapolis; 612-332-2903; $8.

Remember, this show is about more than just listening. But if you want to get a strictly listening sample, click the links below.
Listen to Bob Wiseman.
Listen to the Slideshow Players
Listen to the Phonemes.

Electric Eyes: New Music and Media Festival by Christy DeSmith

By commissioning five pieces of original music, each of which is to be accompanied by some form of electronic media, the Southern Theater is hitting upon a big trend in the contemporary composition business. As of late, composers of all stripes have sought collaborations with video and performance artists, thus adding an element of spectacle that blurs the lines between concert, play, and even film. On the docket for the first-ever a Electric Eyes festival: Acoustic playing by New York composer and violinist Todd Reynolds is filtered through a multi-channel manipulative device.

The reverberating sounds of the improvisational Minneapolis band Electropolis get video and aerialist accompaniment. VJ Neverwas, a well-known Electropolis collaborator, combines his handpicked video clips with live, electronically mixed music. And an emerging composer named J. Anthony Allen combines his own electronic sound installations with metronomic images.

Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 7 p.m., Southern Theater, 1420 Washington Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-340-1725; $15/show ($27 for 2, $35 for all).

THEATER & PERFORMANCE
Theatre Unbound and The 365 National Festival

Several years ago, Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks got an idea to write a play a day for a year. The resulting play cycle, 365 Days/365 Plays, is a daily meditation on an artistic life. Some plays are very short, less than a page. Others last forever. This weekend, Minneapolis is participating in The 365 International Film Festival, a grassroots premiere of the play cycle with over 700 theaters from around the country. Enjoy a progressive-dinner-style romp through the Parks’s wild world of art. Each room holds something completely new and wonderful, and a new play starts every 10 minutes. See one or two, or stay for them all.

Saturday at 7 p.m., The College of St. Catherine, Coeur de Catherine Classrooms, 2004 Randolph Avenue, St. Paul; 612-721-1186; free. (Free parking in O’Shaughnessy event parking lot)

Also opening tonight is The Red Nose at Bedlam Theater.

ART
Witness the Birth of Art

What better way to celebrate Mothers’ Day than in The Labor Room? No, silly, not a labor and delivery room; just a labor room, an artistic labor room. Twenty visual artists will come together in a common studio to transform inspiration into art in a variety of media. Think you have the muse in you? The weekend-long event is open to the public in an effort to expose and share the creative process. Stop on by to watch and learn, inspire or be inspired. Witness the creation from start to finish –oil and acrylic painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramic barrel firing, screen- printing, and photography. Plus, join the Artist Reception on Friday from 7 – 9 p.m.

Friday and Saturday from 4-9 p.m., Sunday from 1-6 p.m., Center for Independent Artists, 4137 Bloomington Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-724-8392.

More art? Check out The Dutch Opera, painting by Jil Evans, at Form + Content Gallery.

BOOKS & AUTHORS
The Woman Cometh

Looking for a great Mothers’ Day gift for mom? Take her to see Dr. Maya Angelou this Saturday or Sunday. Whatever this woman has to say will be well worth it. Clearly a poet at the core of her being, Angelou has earned success as a playwright, a best-selling author, a professor, a historian, a civil-rights activist, an actress, a producer, and a director. This woman is without a doubt one of the great voices of contemporary literature. Go partake of her essence.

Saturday at 3 p.m., The O’Shaughnessy, College of St. Catherine Campus, 2004 Randolph Avenue, St. Paul; 651-690-6700; $36.

For more things to do this weekend check out our Events Listing. And don’t forget the Jewish Film Festival wraps up this weekend, and The 2007 Twin Cities Tibetan Film Festival kicks off at the Riverview Theater.

MUSIC
Sisterly Love

They’re gorgeous. They’re brilliant. They’re talented. They’re French. They’re African. They’re multicultural. They’re well-traveled and well-versed. And they draw from everything they know. Les Nubian — a singing sisters duo — bring together music from a wide range of culture, genres, and generations: reggae, Afro-beat, electronica, pop, Afro-jazz, British breakbeat, Cameroonian hip hop, and their own unique French style. Nothing crosses borders more beautifully than music. And this Afropean hip hop/R&B duo use their love of music to connect with people across the globe. In addition to working on their own material, Les Nubians have collaborated with a variety of other artists, spanning the globe and crossing genres — from Towa Tei, Black Eyed Peas, and Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek to the acclaimed Red Hot series on Red, Hot & Riot and Red, Hot & Indigo.

Tonight Les Nubians play with local reggae/hip-hop artists The New Primitives, one of the best bands in their genre. Yes, and we’re so lucky to have them in our backyard. The New Primitives have won a number of awards, including Best Reggae Band for the past four years at the Minnesota Music Awards. Like Les Nubians, they use music as a way to bring communities together under a common voice. And, hell, it’s not just political; it can be pure pleasure too.

9 p.m., The Cabooze, 917 Cedar Ave., Minneapolis; 612-338-6425; $24.

Guitar Chops and Apple Sauce

Looking for something with an all-American feel? Check out Natalia Zukerman and Craig Cardiff at Gingko. Zukerman serves up some genuine folk, bottleneck country jazz with smoky come-hither vocals and some seriously mean guitar playing. Canadian singer/songwriter Craig Cardiff surprises you with his poetry in a combination of forms from spoken word, to heart-breaking songs, to some good old-fashioned folksy stories-telling.

7:30 pm, Gingko Coffeehouse, 721 N. Snelling Ave., St. Paul; 651-645-2647; $12.

Watch and listen to Natalia Zuckerman.
Listen to Craig Cardiff.

THEATER & PERFORMANCE by Christy DeSmith
What the Butler Saw

The Burning House Group was once the darling of the local theater scene, a collective of talented young performers forged in the crucibles of such dearly departed companies as Eye of the Storm and Margolis Brown. Today, the troupe is best remembered for its hit ’97 production Knock Knock, which was an uproarious farce with plenty of mistaken identities and slamming doors. Now, the company hopes to duplicate that success by returning to its physical-performance roots.

What the Butler Saw is a ’60s-era sexual farce smartly written by Joe Orton, the playwright most famous for his black comedy Entertaining Mr. Sloane. This vicious send-up of sexual mores takes place in a psychiatrist’s office where the characters are caught, one by one, with their pants around their ankles.

Minneapolis Theater Garage, 711 Franklin Ave. W., Minneapolis; 612-623-9396; $10 (tonight’s preview price).

WINE AND PHILANTHROPY
A Toast to East Side Neighborhood Services

I never know when to mention a fundraiser of sorts. There are so many of them. And some of them can be quite pricey. I can’t help but to consistently call out the irony of how we stuff our guts for peace, drink against domestic violence, and debauch ourselves for AIDS support. Incredible! And yet, it’s all for a good cause… for many a good cause… and as ridiculous as it may seem, it’s no joke. Let’s face the facts. If this is really the most effective way that others have found to turn our money toward good, then let’s go eat and drink, my friends. Tonight is the Eleventh Annual East Side Wine Tasting. Enjoy 200 different wines, food, music, and a silent auction — all for the benefit of East Side Neighborhood Services.

5 – 8 p.m., Nicollet Island Pavillion, 40 Power Street, Minneapolis; 612-781-6011; $50.

SHOPPING by Christy DeSmith
Estate Sale Opener

Birkeland & Associates hosts some of the best estate sales in the Twin Cities. What’s even better yet, they offer a sneak-peek of their weekend sales every Wednesday night by posting pics on their website. In fact, their professionalism makes it so easy to plan your attack–will it be the south Minneapolis brownstone or the bungalow in New Brighton?–that you won’t think twice about the morbid business of estate sale-shopping. They accept credit cards, too.

See estatesale1.com for details.

DINING
Get a Taste of Your Generosity

It’s no secret. The best way to get us to open our wallets for philanthropical purposes is to offer us food. We’re such caring individuals when it comes to our stomachs. So, be a do-gooder tonight and start the evening off with a Chipotle burrito in support of the theater. From 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., all sales proceeds at the 7 Corners Chipotle will benefit the Mixed Blood Theater. You don’t have to do or say anything special. Just show up and buy something — anything — gift cards, merchandise, burritos, soda, chips. You can even buy a prepaid card and benefit the theater with your next bunch of meals.

4 – 7 p.m., Chipotle, 229 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-659-7830.

The next best way to support the theater is to get out there and see a production. You’ve got plenty of good choices tonight, so pick your poison.

THEATER & PERFORMANCE
Perhaps a Moment of Joy

There’s just no denying the dark recesses of human nature. Are you inclined to ignore them or explore them? If your answer is the latter, than you’ll appreciate a Henrik Ibsen play opening at the Guthrie tonight. A moral preacher and individualist at heart, Ibsen focuses on characters and psychological conflict, usually under threat of a moral cancer. Ghosts is a product of Ibsen’s second phase of playwrighting, in which he wrote mostly social protest dramas. Against a backdrop of social ills, such as infidelity, incest, and venereal disease, Ibsen spins his own version of a love story that somehow illustrates the counterproductive nature of duty, the uselessness of sacrifice, and lack of joy in work. “It is only the spirit of rebellion that craves for happiness in this life. What right have we human beings to happiness?”

7:30, Guthrie Theater, 818 South 2nd St., Minneapolis; 612.377.2224; $18-$20.

A Happy Ending

If Ibsen’s harsh explorations are just too heavy for a Wednesday (And what day is better?), then you might want to turn to The Marriage of Figaro for your happy ending. Wow! Talk about spinning the world on its head. Isn’t it usually the operas that leave us wanting to slash our wrists? More often than not, they all die in the end. Well, not this time! The Minnesota Opera is presenting Mozart’s classic comedy, one of the original versions of the timeless story of two couples criss-crossing to catch their lovers in action. Watch their video clip below, and don’t miss the show.

Click To Play

7:30 p.m., Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, 345 Washington St., Saint Paul; 651-224-4222; $60.50-$118.50.

Apparently, Rabbits Do More Than Just…

Take the music in an entirely different direction and go with straight up dance. Yes, straight up — not in the traditional, classical sense, but in the no frills, no self-aggrandizing, no applause-seeking grandstanding kind of sense. Yeah, you know what I mean. Since when does a dance performance stop for applause? This was never the case years ago. When did we start this horrible practice? Tired of the bull and the pretentions? Bring it on back to the basics with The Rabbit Show. This one-hour cabaret-style showcase offers a wide variety of short dances by John Munger’s Third Rabbit Dance Ensemble and by guest artists representing the rich diversity of Twin Cities dance. With humor, excitement and clarity, this is thoughtful dance for real people.

7 p.m., Bryant Lake Bowl, 810 West lake St., Minneapolis; 612-825-8949; $6-$10 (pay what you can).

FILM
Minnesota Horror

Theater is not limited to stage acting, there’s film as well — altogether a different art in so many ways. And this is a special week in Minnesota film history. Yes, we whine and complain a lot about not having a strong enough local film base, but we’ve got two Minnesota films premiering this week. Yes, two! The first one, Sever is a story of family secrets, hidden obsessions, bizarre cults, mysterious illnesses, and all that scary good stuff. It was produced locally with an all-local cast. (More on the second one tomorrow.)

7:30 p.m., Heights Theatre, 3951 Central Ave. NE, Columbia Heights; 763-788-9079; $8.

DINING
Meet The Chef: Grand Café

One of the great joys of dining out is not having to worry about the cooking, but wouldn’t it be nice to see what happens behind the scenes? Wouldn’t it be nice to watch and learn, and perhaps even be able to recreate the experience at home? Tonight might offer just this opportunity. Join Chef Justin Frederick, of the Grand Café, as he prepares a five course meal designed to celebrate spring cuisine. It’s a dinner and a cooking class all wrapped up in one. How can you go wrong? The evening will begin with an appetizer of Le Lapin Terrine and a salad of fava beans, Spring beans, black truffle pecorino, and shaved artichokes. Then, a lesson on fish, as Justin demonstrates the process of butchering a whole head-on wild Alaskan halibut prepared with a Spring vegetable risotto with pistou, a mixture of crushed basil, garlic, and olive oil. Top off the evening with an Italian dessert of affuccato, fresh espresso poured atop ice cream, with pignoli cookies. Eat and learn, folks. Tonight’s your chance to learn the art of the increasingly hard to find neighborhood café.

6 – 9 p.m., Grand Café, 3804 Grand Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-822-8260; $70.

BOOKS & AUTHORS by Jon Lurie
More Glitterati than Geek

Sherman Alexie was born hydrocephalic, and doctors predicted he would suffer severe retardation. However, the very opposite occurred; he showed signs of prodigy, devouring novels by age five. Still, he endured effects of his condition — seizures and bed-wetting — and was subject to bullying on the Spokane Reservation where he grew up.

In his new novel Flight (Alexie’s first in ten years), the celebrated author of Indian Killer and Reservation Blues seems to channel that ostracism into a fifteen-year-old protagonist whose acne is so bad he’s known simply as “Zits.” Today more glitterati than geek, Alexie is known for acerbic wit that causes his audience to laugh while their hearts break.

7 p.m., Lake of the Isles Lutheran Church, 2020 West Lake of the Isles Pkwy., Minneapolis; 612-374-4023.

ART AND LITERATURE
Can’t Help but Love the Beatniks

What’s our obsession with the Beat Generation. Is it simply our appreciation of the great poetry that came from this? Or perhaps our romanticized ideals of the great characters of the movement: Kerouac, Ginsberg, Burroughs, Ferlinghetti? The celebration of disgust and imperfections? The screeching demand for freedom? Or is it just the associated styles — the black clothes, the bongos, the hats and shades — like some strange film noir apparition tossed into a seedy cafe? Whatever it is, it’s real, and it’s far-reaching. We love the Beats. Why fight it? Join photographer Christopher Felver for his Beat book release and installation of photography, letters, and ephemera from the Beat Generation. Tonight’s opening reception offers wine, hors d’ouvres, and live music by Chuck Solberg. Books will be available for sale courtesy of Magers & Quinn Booksellers, and Felver will be on hand to sign books and photographs.

5 – 8 p.m., The Grand Hand Gallery, 611 Grand Ave., Saint Paul; 651-312-1122.

FILM
Here I Am

The Jewish Film Festival is in full swing, with a number of films at the Hopkins Cinema. Catch two films from the Israeli Heartbeat Series this evening: A Green Chariot and Like a Fish Out of Water. Or catch a most unusual feature at the Sabes Community Center. Hineini: Coming Out in a Jewish High School, just as the title suggests, is a film about a young girl coming out as a lesbian in a conservative Jewish school. Somehow, I can’t remember seeing this one before. Hineini — Hebrew for “here I am” — follows this young girl as she fights to establish a gay-straight alliance at a Jewish High School in Boston. The Jewish Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Initiative is planning discussions to follow the film.

7 p.m., Sabes Jewish Community Center, 4330 S Cedar Lake Rd., Jay and Rose Phillips Building, Edina; 952-381-3400.

MUSIC
Accidents Will Happen

What? You weren’t a big fan of Elvis Costello & the Imposters? How can that be? This guy has done it all — from his early days of punk and new wave, to the muddy backroads of country and soul. He attacks everything with his particular style, and that ever-so-trademark voice, which has matured and solidified over the years. This man is a true musician, and a much better guitarist than he’s ever given credit for. He keeps coming back after all these years, but for how much longer? Get it while it’s hot, baby.

7 p.m., Myth, 3090 Southlawn Dr., Maplewood; 651-779-6984; $45.

MUSIC
No Frills, Just Thrills

What really separates a great singer from the mass of decent voices out there is a certain kind of effortless maturity, a natural grace. When Karrin Allyson sings she does so without pretention, without fanciful ornamentation. Instead, she simple works the song in a genuinely artistic fashion. She tosses in a scat chorus. She sits back on certain beats. She turns from an obvious opportunity to a more meaningful one. This two-time Grammy nominee knows her craft. Allyson has a spectacular voice, and she uses it magnificently, bringing out every layer and expressing every depth of emotion within songs of all genres, from very expressive ballads to upbeat bossa novas, from pop to blues to bebop.

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

Listen to Karrin Allyson.

It’s Dance Night, with an 80s Beat

Gosh, what do we call this now? The new wave of new wave? I think I’ve lost track here. Thanks to their sloppy brand of scratchy post-post-punk, The Rapture was hailed as a forerunner of the post-punk revival that was taking place in the early 2000s. In 2003 they were dubbed “Post Punk Disco Pioneers,” and now, as “new rave” sweeps the nation, The Rapture provides the soundtrack to old-school technicolour rave nostalgia. We’re not talking glo-sticks here, people. What we’re talking is pure dance-inspiring energy. We’re talking upbeat. We’re talking vigor. And believe it or not, we’re not talking noise. The Rapture might be doing their punk-disco best to get us on that dance-floor, but they sacrifice nothing of their wry lyrical angst in the process. Luke Jenner’s asperous vocals and Safer’s melancholic wailing keep the underbelly dark. Basically, yes, life might suck, but get thee to a dance floor and just go mental. The Rapture is joined tonight by another band with a get-up-and-dance attitude and a superbly trashy punk mentality, synth pop band Shiny Toy Guns. Simultaneously retroactive and futuristic, Shiny Toy Guns blends seductive femme-fatale vocals with gritty analog beats and system-igniting synths.

8 p.m., Fine Line Music Cafe, 318 1st Ave. N., Minneapolis; 612-338-8100; $18.

Listen to The Rapture.
Listen to Shiny Toy Guns.

You Can’t Go Wrong with Frigid Primates

If the new dance-punk-thing just isn’t for you, then perhaps you need some freezing monkeys. You can never go wrong with monkeys. I mean, hell, these guys are the real deal. They’re even from the U.K. That still means something, right? In a nutshell, the Arctic Monkeys are part of the indie rock scene alongside similar contemporary guitar bands such as The Libertines (minus the druggy death glow), The Futureheads, and Franz Ferdinand. The frigid monkeys wrap a taut punk rock approach in pop melodies and tomes of adolescent growing pains. Everybody loves growing pains.

8 p.m., First Avenue, 701 First Avenue N., Minneapolis; 612-332-1775; $25.

Listen to the Arctic Moneys.

BOOKS AND AUTHORS
Art-Related Fiction

If dancing isn’t your thing, you might be looking for something a bit more low-key for this gloomy Monday. You’re in luck. Bestselling author Susan Vreeland will be reading from her new novel, Luncheon of the Boating Party, an exploration of Renoir’s painting by the same name. Vreeland, two-time winner of the Theodor Geisel Award, is known for her historical fiction on art-related themes.

7:30 p.m., Barnes & Noble Booksellers at Galleria, 3225 W. 69th St., Edina; 952-920-1060.

BICYCLING, ART, AND ADVENTURE
No Lycra Please – Just Get Out the Rain Gear

The weather is warming up, and the rains will likely prime our lawns, so we mustn’t complain. And we mustn’t be kept indoors. It’s time to pull out the bikes and dig out the plastic rain poncho. Where’s your sense of adventure? You’re too old for hide-and-seek and Easter eggs hunts, but you’re never too old for a good old-fashioned scavenger hunt. Join The Great Northeast Bicycle Scavenger Hunt. Saturday at 2:30 p.m., Logan Park, $5.

After the scavenging, stop by for the Fine Fendered Friends art show at the newly opening Wheel Good Bicycles. Using bicycle fenders as their canvas, local artists will display and sell their work in this unique art show. Purchase a one-of-kind custom bicycle fender set and a restored vintage bicycle on which to wear those custom fenders. Featured artists include Yuri Arajs, Jennifer Davis, Mike Sweere, Tara Costello, Nicholas Harper, Amy Jo Hendrickson, Keegan Wenkman, John Grider, Kate Pabst, JAO, Bill Beekman, Max Arose, Sean Tubridy, Amy Rice, Ingrid Restemayer, and John Diebel.

Friday at 6 p.m., Wheel Good Bicycles, 503 1st Avenue NE floor 3, Minneapolis.

While you’re there, stop by Yuri’s Placement Gallery (509 1st Avenue NE, 2nd floor) for the premier exhibit, Paintings in Place . You’re likely to run into many local artists there for their monthly Algonquin Hotdish night.

Speaking of buttocks…

ART by Ann Klefstad
Des Derrières: Mediating Excess Information with Insufficient Faith

This show features three intellectually hard-charging but often funny conceptual types from New York doing a wide variety of media (painting, sculpture, and video). This goofball name, Des Derrières, opens itself to all kinds of interpretations, from the opposite of the avant-garde (le derriere garde, the rear guard, those in fighting retreat) to pure scatology. All of this will matter, from the high-toned French history of the abject radical to the jokes and irreverence of fringy American art. It is also reminiscent of the old Monty Python joke: “And now for something completely different: A man with three buttocks.”

It opens May 5 with a party everyone is invited to; if the opening is typical for this gallery, there’ll be music and ways for audience members to participate in the work. This is not the kind of gallery where you get something to go above the sofa, but you could figure out something to do behind it. Or maybe under it.

Saturday at 7 p.m., Art of This Gallery, 3222 Bloomington Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-721-4105.

The Traffic Zone Center for Visual Art is also holding their 12th Annual Open Studio Night on Saturday evening, so stop by anytime from 5:30 – 9:30 p.m. and see what they’re up to. 250 Third Ave. N., Minneapolis.

AUTHORS
Make it a Lofty Weekend

The Loft has a great weekend in store for us, with Chinese-American poet Arthur Sze on Friday, and Native American spoken word on Saturday. Call it a weekend of political poetry, poetry of identity, Native word-songs.

In addition to composing six collections of poetry, Arthur Sze has taught at the Institute for American Indian Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico for the past dozen years. He now directs the creative writing program and has received numerous prestigious literary awards and fellowships. Accompanying Sze in his presentation are memoir-writer Laura Flynn and mixed media poet and artist Michele Heather Pollock. Friday at 7 p.m., $5 (free to members).

On Saturday, follow up with the Equilibrium All Native Spoken Word Show – Making Oral History. “I write you this / An emancipation proclamation / Demarcation exclamation / Declaration of my independence” — and that pretty much sums it all up. Sarah Agaton Howes is one of seven artists using their rich oral history to create their own declarations of independence and demarcation exclamations. Saturday at 8 p.m., $5 ($3 students/members).

The Loft Literary Center, Open Book, 1011 Washington Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-215-2575.

And don’t forget the Minnesota Book Awards ceremony on Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

MUSIC
Old School Ska from the Second Wave

English Beat. General Public. Fine Young Cannibals. These guys have had many incarnations, so certainly you must have heard of them. “Underwater deaf and blind / under such pressures you might find / a secret right before the end / that makes you want to breathe again,” sing the Cold War holdovers, the Margaret Thatcher-era hitmakers, the ska music part II trailblazers. The English Beat stormed the music scene in the early 80s (you remember!), kept cranking out hits with the next several records (yes, they were records then), and branched off into various succeeding endeavors. It shouldn’t be too surprising, since their commitment to music is clear, but I never expected to see these guys playing under this name again, and I don’t expect we’ll see it much longer. Use it.

Friday at 8 p.m., The Cabooze, 917 Cedar Ave., Minneapolis; 612-338-6425; $20.

Tugging at the Dirty Old Heart Strings

They’re back in town. They’re free. They’re great. They’re mellow. And if you’re into alt-country-Americana “apartment music,” you shouldn’t miss them. The Ashtray Hearts have a show this Friday at the 331 Club.

Friday at 10 p.m., 331 Club, 13th Ave. NE, Minneapolis; free.

With all the previous booty talk, I can’t fail to mention a booty-shaking opportunity. Stop into Babalú tonight for some Brazilian dance-music rhythms with Dandára Backen. 800 Washington Ave. N., Minneapolis; 612-746-5234; $10.

Also opening this weekend: The Minnesota Opera’s The Marriage of Figaro, The SteppingStone Theatre’s A Lion’s Tale: Somali Folktales, and The Valet.