Author: Cristina Córdova

THEATER AND PERFORMANCE
Talk about Dark Humor

Tonight is the opening — or rather, re-opening — of Jeune Lune’s Figaro. If you didn’t see it last time around, don’t miss it. And if you did see it last time around, you already know — don’t miss it. First presented in 2003, Jeune Lune’s Figaro is a unique blend of all three of Beaumarchais’s plays about Figaro, set to Mozart’s sublime music. The story begins at the end and incorporates Mozart’s adaptation of Beaumarchais’s second play as a flashback, thereby giving Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro historical context.

8 p.m., Theatre de la Jeune Lune, 105 North First St., Minneapolis, 612-333-6200; $30.

FASHION AND MUSIC
Rocking down the Catwalk

After so much hype, the Voltage: Fashion Amplified has finally arrived.
Bands and designers unite tonight for an incredible runway rock show at First Avenue. Come feast your eyes on new designs by Katherine Gerdes (of Project Runway), Laura Fulk, Anne Seldon, Red Shoe Clothing, and many other designers, as they send their models down the catwalk to the music of The God Damn Doo Wop Band, The Plastic Constellations, The Alarmists, and others. Proceeds from the show will benefit the Springboard for the Arts Artist’s Access to Healthcare program, as well as Mnfashion. And it doesn’t stop there. If you like what you see, be sure to stop by our local boutiques this weekend for Voltage Fashion Weekend. You’ll be able to pick up your favorite collections from the show at Cliche, Design Collective, and Robot Love.

8 p.m. (7 p.m. doors), First Avenue, 701 First Ave. N., Mpls., 612-338-8388; $15($12 advance).

MUSIC
Ahhh, Bliss…

Without a doubt, the best concert I’ve seen in the past decade was last year’s Lucinda Williams concert at the O’Shaughnessy. So perfect was the sound that Lucinda actually stopped midway through the show to comment on it. And, yes, it was perfect indeed. Tonight she’s back — this time at the Historic State Theater — but it promises to be a great show, especially now that Lucinda is no longer happy and in love. Come on — we all know she’s best when she’s downtrodden.

7.30 p.m., Historic State Theater, 805 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, 612-673-0404; $31.50-$36.50.

Watch and listen to Lucinda Williams.

More Female Songstresses

Also performing tonight are Raining Jane and Emilia Dahlin. California’s Raining Jane and Maine’s Emilia Dahlin will share the stage in an eclectic acoustic performance. Composed of four songwriters, three of whom are vocalists, Raining Jane offers a unique interpretation of rock-folk and an unusual array of instrumentation including cello, cajon and sitar. Emilia Dahlin, voted Best Singer/Songwriter of 2006 and Best Female Vocalist of 2005/2006 in Portland, Maine, weaves tales of Greek mythology, robotic messiahs, epic floods, and tax evaders, with raw, rootsy folk and jazz vocals.

7:30 p.m., Gingko Coffeehouse, 721 N. Snelling Ave., St. Paul, 651-645-2647; donations encouraged.

Listen to Raining Jane.
Listen to Emilia Dahlin.

READINGS
150 Years of Minnesota Poetry

If you’re big on local poetry, you really can’t miss this one. Celebrate the publication of a new collection of poetry from the Minnesota Historical Society Press, Where One Voice Ends Another Begins: 150 Years of Minnesota Poetry, with readings and book signings by many of the featured poets. Robert Bly, Bill Holm, Michael Dennis Browne, Deborah Keenan, Heid Erdrich, Wang Ping, and Angela Shannon will read from their work, and many of the other participating poets will attend and sign copies of the new book.

7 p.m., Mill City Museum, 704 South Second St., Minneapolis, 612-341-7555; free.

A Low-Profile Literary Lion Steps into the Limelight

It’s not often we get a chance to see E.L. Doctorow in person, so you might not want to miss this. “And judging from the man’s eclectic body of work, distinguished by its broad historical sweep and social criticism, it’s likely that Doctorow will have something of substance to say. Over a career that’s now spanned almost fifty years, Doctorow’s writing has consistently garnered critical hosannas and literary honors alike: He’s got a National Book Award, a PEN/Faulkner Award, and a couple of National Book Critics Circle Awards under his belt. His last novel, 2005’s ambitious The March, offered plenty of evidence that he’s still got stories he wants to tell.”

7:30 p.m., Ted Mann Concert Hall, 2128 Fourth St. S., Minneapolis, 612-626-1528; free.

Learn from a Master of Comics

Today’s readings don’t leave anyone out of the mix. Are you a comic book fan? Do you long to make your own? Come out and meet Scott McCloud, author/artist of Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics, and Making Comics. Currently on a 50-state tour of the United States, he’ll be in Minneapolis tonight talking about his work and signing books.

7:30 p.m., DreamHaven Books, 912 W Lake St., Minneapolis, 612-823-6161; free.

FILM
Stories from All over the World

As if there weren’t enough to choose from already, there are a few great films to see tonight.

The documentary Darfur Diaries: Message from Home chronicles the history, hopes, and fears of the people of Darfur since the Sudanese Liberation Army in Darfur (the western region of Sudan) responded to decades of oppression by taking up arms against the Sudanese government. Up to 400,000 civilians have died since the beginning of the conflict and over 2 million people have been displaced. And if you’re interested, check out Darfur on Google Earth. Google Earth maps atrocities in Darfur.

6 p.m., Coffman Memorial Union Theater, 300 Washington Ave. SE, Minneapolis, 612-624-INFO; free.

A cross-generational story of ostracism, love and legacy of the past, Dam Street (directed by Li Yu) chronicles the life of a Chinese woman whose teenage indiscretion continues to haunt her years after the event.

7 p.m. (other showings this week), Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, 612-375-7600; $8 ($6 members).

Set in war-torn Algeria in the 1990s, Barakat! (directed by Djamila Sahraoui), follows two women on the dangerous search for the younger woman’s husband, a journalist whose writings resulted in his disappearance. Ignoring curfews and the constant threat of ambush by armed militias, the two women journey across the picturesque landscapes of Algeria, to a deeper understanding of how their lives were shaped by their country’s history.

9 p.m. (2 p.m. on April 22), Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, 612-375-7600; $8 ($6 members).

Academy Award Winner for Best Foreign Language Film (Germany), The Lives of Others chronicles the disillusionment of Captain Gird Wiesler, of the secret police, from 1984, five years before the fall fo the Berlin Wall, to 1991, in what is now reunited Germany.

4 and 7:05 p.m. (today and tomorrow), Heights Theater, 3951 Central Ave. NE, Columbia Heights, 763-788-9079; $5.

THEATER AND PERFORMANCE
High Art Meets Low Art

Who would have thought that The Simpsons and Shakespeare would ever come together? You really have to see it to believe it. MacHomer, written and performed by Rick Miller, is a one-man show featuring over 50 voices from TV’s favorite dysfunctional family, the Simpsons, in a comedic multi-media performance of Shakespeare’s bloodiest tragedy, Macbeth. Yes, it sounds ridiculously odd, but the show has toured the world to rave reviews and awards in Scotland, England, Australia, and New Zealand — and has finally arrived to the Twin Cities. You have to give it an “A” for ingenuity if nothing else. And it’s guaranteed to make Simpsons fans laugh. Of course, if you don’t know the Simpsons (And who doesn’t know the Simpsons?) you might be utterly lost and confused.

7:30 p.m., The O’Shaughessy, College of St. Catherine, 2004 Randolph Ave., St. Paul, 651-690-6700; $25.

A Gothic Fairytale Goes from Screen to Stage

It’s hard to imagine Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands without Johnny Depp (forget Winona Ryder), but… well… now you don’t have to imagine it. You can see for yourself. Tonight, Matthew Bourne and his New Adventures are presenting a new adaptation of the Burton movie, Edward Scissorhands, at the Ordway. This musical adaptation tells the story of a boy created by an eccentric inventor — after his son dies playing with scissors. With only scissors for hands, Edward must find his place in a candy-colored suburban community. Don’t miss it. Edward Scissorhands broke all Box Office records when it premiered at Sadler’s Wells in November 2005.

8 p.m., Ordway Center for Performing Arts, 345 Washington Street, Saint Paul, Box office: 651-224-4222, Main: 651-282-3000; $20-$50.

Watch a video of Matthew Bourne’s Edward Scissorhands.

MUSIC
Swamp Rock Funk

Apparently, there’s more to Florida than a retirement town and a Spring break destination. Hailing from the swamplands, JJ Grey & Mofro serve up some gritty country ghetto music tonight at the Varsity Theatre. Not so appealing? How about Southern funk and soul music? Bringing a fresh take to an old American sound, JJ Grey draws from rock, blues, gospel, and soul to deliver a great show. The lyrics are raw and folksy, telling tales of the Southern life over guitars, organ, drums, and occasionally horns, harmonica, and tambourine. Grey’s vocal range is impressive, as he shifts from a high-range lulling sound to a lower grittiness that seems to fill the space with that wretched Florida heat. Don’t dismiss it ’til you hear it. You won’t be disappointed. Playing with them is Dubconscious, a progressive reggae band from Athens, Georgia.

9 p.m. (8 p.m. doors), Varsity Theatre & Cafe des Artistes, 1308 4th Street SE, Minneapolis, 612-604-0222; $15.

Listen to JJ Grey & Mofro.
Watch and listen to JJ Grey.
Listen to Dubconscious.

Transcendental Virtuosity

Looking for something slightly more conservative — with unleashed passion? Tonight, American pianist Jeffrey Siegel brings his Keyboard Conversations series to St. Paul with Liszt: The Devil Made Me Do It! The program, designed to make classical music more accessible to newcomers and enhance the concert experience for connoisseurs, begins and ends with discussion. Before the performance, Siegel will speak to the audience about the composer and the historical context of the music. Following the performance will be a question-and-answer session. Come learn about one of history’s most sublime musicians, Franz Liszt, inventor of the symphonic poem; and learn from one of the current world piano masters. Jeffrey Siegel has been soloist with the world’s great orchestras, as well as conductor from Minnesota to Pittsburgh to France to South America. In addition to solo piano works of Rachmaninoff (one of the most difficult composers to play), Hindemith, and Dutilleux, Jeffrey Siegel has recorded Gershwin’s complete works for piano and orchestra with Leonard Slatkin and the Saint Louis Symphony.

7:30 p.m., Sundin Hall, Hamline University, 1536 Hewitt Avenue, Saint Paul, 651-523-2459; $17 ($12 seniors and students).

Art-Inspired Compositions

Tonight, award-winning students from the School of Music will be performing compositions inspired by art from the Weisman Art Museum’s permanent collection. Join the Art Sounds concert and reception in the museum galleries, where you can listen to the music as you absorb the art that inspired it.

7 – 8:30 p.m., Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, University of Minnesota, 333 East River Road, Minneapolis, 612-625-9494; free.

LECTURES
Which Way South Africa?

Join South African political analyst and commentator Xolela Mangcu as he discusses the future of South African politics when South African President Thabo Mbeki’s term comes to an end. Often described as the heir to Steve Biko, leader and martyr of the Black Consciousness Movement in 1970s South Africa, Dr. Mangcu calls for a revitalization of the democracy movement as a whole. Founder and past executive director of the Steve Biko Foundation and former director of the Division of Social Cohesion, Identity, and Leadership at the Human Sciences Research Council (the main research body in South Africa), Mangcu is now director of the Centre for Public Engagement at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, syndicated weekly columnist for Business Day, and assistant editor of the Sunday Independent. He is a regular political commentator and has been featured on both local and international broadcasting networks.

8-9:30 p.m., Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, Cowles Auditorium, 301 19th Ave. S., Minneapolis, 612-626-5054; free.

BOOKS
Hang with the Minnesota Book Award Nominees

Don’t settle for being a passive reader. Join April’s Raking Through Books tonight to celebrate the Minnesota Book Award nominees. Come to our Kieran’s happy hour, hang out and chat with the authors, and get your books signed. Rake readers receive 20 percent off the Raking Through Books selections at the University of Minnesota Bookstore at Coffman Union.

5:30-7 p.m., Kieran’s Irish Pub, 330 2nd Av. S., Minneapolis, 612-339-4499; free.

READINGS
Masters of Young Adult Literature

This evening brings together three national award-winning authors of young adult literature. M.T. Anderson, Pete Hautman, and Alison McGhee will all be participating on a panel to share their passion for literature and discuss why they love writing for teens. Anderson is winner of this year’s National Book Award for Young People’s Literature and Printz Honor selection The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party. Hautman, received the 2004 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature for Godless. And McGhee is a Minnesota Book Award winner and author of Falling Boy.

7 p.m., Founders Hall Auditorium, Metropolitan State University, 700 East Seventh Street, Saint Paul, 651-793-1633; free.

Master of Suspense Fiction

Looking for something a little more provocative? Go hear New York Times best-selling author Randy Wayne White read from his new novel Hunter’s Moon. I can’t talk too much about the plot without giving it away, but if you’re a fan of suspense novels, then this one’s for you. With this book, White’s critical acclaim continues to grow. The American Independent Mystery Booksellers Association chose his novel, Sanibel Flats, as one of the Hundred Favorite Mysteries of the 20th Century.

7 p.m., Once Upon a Crime, 604 W. 26th Street, Minneapolis, 612-870-3785; free.

Read the first two chapters of Hunter’s Moon.

BOOKS
Do a Little Reading on Your Own

Forget about being read to, and go pick up a good novel to read on your own. Laura Restrepo’s Delirium hit the bookstores last week. “You’d suppose a writer has to be pretty damn good, not to mention lucky, to warrant dust-jacket blurbs from not one but two Nobel laureates. The U.S. publication of Laura Restrepo’s Delirium carries ringing endorsements from Jose Saramago and Latin American luminary Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and also comes on the heels of a slew of international awards and acclaim. The story of an unemployed professor of literature who has been reduced to selling dog food for a living — how’s that for metaphor? — and is trying to pinpoint the origins of his wife’s sudden and mysterious descent into madness, Delirium is a literary mystery steeped in the crime and corruption of modern-day Colombia.”

Read an interview with Laura Restrepo.

Read another interview with Laura Restrepo.

Also new on the bookshelves is Angelica, a novel about Victorian England written in four different viewpoints, by Arthur Phillips, author of Prague and The Egyptologist.

MUSIC AND POETRY
Bring Your Own Poetry to the Mix

Share your own creative exploits tonight at the Artists’ Quarter in downtown St. Paul. Every Monday night, this historic jazz venue has an open poetry night beginning at 9 p.m. Bring your own poems to share, or simply come and listen to others. It’ll be well worth your while. The poetry is usually quite enjoyable, and well-known musicians have been known to take the stage with their own brands of poetry and jazz jamming. Plus, start off the evening a couple hours early and enjoy the music of Green, a burning post-bop quartet featuring Zack Lozier on trumpet, Rob Dewey on piano, Rich Casey on bass, and Scotty Schultz on drums.

9 p.m. (Green 7 p.m.), The Artists’ Quarter, 408 St Peter Street, St.Paul, 651-292-1359; free.

Note: Tickets go on sale today for Cake, through Ticketmaster for $20. The concert is scheduled for April 20th at the WSU McCown Fieldhouse in Winona, MN.

SPORTS
Damn those Predictions

While Santana is certainly making it difficult to get a hit off the Twins, and Matsui’s injury last week leaves a hole in the Yankees lineup, predictions still lean heavily toward the Yankees for tonight’s game. Apparently, these two advantages may not be enough to see the Twins past the Yankee’s lineup. What can I say. Go cheer the Twins on, and prove the forecasters wrong.

6:05 p.m., Metrodome, 34 Kirby Puckett Pl., Minneapolis, 612-375-1366, $10-$108.

ON THE NET
Wile away the Long Hours at Work

Lucy Liu and Carla Gugino in Lesbian Vampire flick

Bill O’Reilly Loses his mind

Pete Doherty and Kate Moss make music together.

Mystery Science Theater: Spring Break

Boyfriend Killers Trailer

Cooking Somali food with local Safari Express chef Jamal Hashi

The Hold Steady video for “Chips Ahoy”

Thanks again to Rich Goldsmith for his contributions.

DANCE
Contemporary Dance Triptych

The SCUBA Touring Network is a co-operative enterprise bringing together dance artists from Minneapolis, Seattle, New York, and Philadelphia in an effort to take regional talent to a national scale. This weekend, the fifth annual SCUBA Touring Network brings three new contemporary concert dance artists to Minneapolis. At the top of the list is Tania Isaac Dance, from Philadelphia. This St. Lucia-born embodiment of sensuality and strength will present Stuporwoman, a physically explosive, modern, Caribbean dance piece. Justin Jones and New York dancer Chris Yon will present Pear Cowboy Planet, a vaudeville-style tragicomedy about a lonely boy. And Zoe Scofield and Juniper Shuey, from Seattle, will present Find Your Own Way Out, a ballet drama. There’s a meet-and-greet the artists post-show event this evening, and a post-show discussion on Saturday.

Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., The Southern Theater, 1420 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis, 612-340-1725, $16.

THEATER AND PERFORMANCE
Would You Like Some MacMole with Your MacTaco?

Teatro del Pueblo has based their latest performance on Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation. (If you didn’t see it, go find it!) MacTaco Land tells a tale of two Latino brothers living in small-town Minnesota as they try to save the family diner after their father’s death. I haven’t seen it yet, but Teatro del Pueblo puts on some great shows, with a great sense of humor. I’d say it’s definitely worth a shot. Besides, it’s based on Fast Food Nation; how can they go wrong?

Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 7 p.m., The Loading Dock Theater, 509 Sibley St., St. Paul, 651-224-8806; $18 ($14 student/senior/fringe). Sunday’s performance is a pay-what-you-can performance. There’s a suggested donation, but those without means can see it for free.

The Picaresque for the Little Rascals

Do you have the kids this weekend? The niece? The nephew? The grandkids? A boyfriend? Come hear Paulino tell tales of knights and windmills in The Adventures of Don Quixote on Saturday afternoon. This unique, interactive performance about Cervantes’ Quixote is bilingual, and clearly intended for youth, but that’s not to say adults can’t enjoy it. It’s Quixote, for crying out loud! You can never get too much of him, and you’re certainly never too old.

Saturday at 2 p.m., Dreamland Arts, 677 Hamline Ave. N., St. Paul, 651-645-5506; $5-$7.

Hanging on the Edge of Your Seat

If straight out Hollywood-style action and suspense is what you’re looking for, then go watch two mountain climbers get trapped on the edge of a 27,000-foot glacial wall. The Jungle Theater is whipping up some serious storms and avalanches for its performance of K2, directed and designed by Bain Boehlke.

Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., The Jungle Theater, 2951 Lyndale Ave S. Minneapolis, 612-822-7063; $24-$36 (senior, student, and group discounts). Half-price rush tickets are available this evening.

FILM
transcending the i

Well, I can’t say that experimental video is a flawless genre by any means, but if you’re a little adventurous, and a wee bit artsy, it’s always worth a try. Tonight, 12 local artists present their experimental videos in The Glass Eye: Put Fist Into Mouth, by Anthony Rocco Sclavi; Snow, by Lora Stoyanova; fundamental knowledge regarding prototypes in quintessential accomplices?, by Erin Hael; Nicotine Induced Dream, by Benjamin Faga; Duplex, by Peter McLarnan; And they loved, by Katinka Galanos; Doorways, by Nicholas Conbere and Joshua Clausen; Untitled, by Mason Eubanks; to tomorrow, by John Fleischer; where two between, by Cheryl Wilgren Clyne; and Tandem, by Adam Ginsberg. (You just know the ones with no capitals in the titles have to be great!) Stay for free refreshments following the screening.

Friday at 7 p.m., INFLUX Dept. of Art, Regis Center for Art, University of Minnesota, 405 21st Ave. S., 612-624-6518; free.

Up for a more mainstream flick? A few doozies start tonight. Personally, I’m going to a late-night showing of Grindhouse, because, really, you just shouldn’t see a Tarantino film before 10 p.m., and well, it is Tarantino, so it must be seen. But if you’re not into zombies, strippers, and gnarly stuntmen killers — maybe you prefer a more traditional scam movie — you might be up for The Hoax, based on the true story of Clifford Irving. Neither turning you on? Go see First Snow, but in all honesty, who really needs to see another flick about a guy who turns his life upside down after getting his fortune told?

Check local schedules for Grindhouse.
Check local schedules for The Hoax.
Check local schedules for First Snow.

MUSIC AND COMEDY
TV’s Grooviest Variety Show Serves up Timeless Comedy

How long has it been now? 40 years? The Smothers Brothers have been entertaining us with their music and antics for a mighty long time. And chances are, they won’t be around for another 40 years, so maybe it’s time to go see them, eh? It’s a one-night deal, so make it on down to Orchestra Hall tonight to hear the Tom and Dick sing, play guitar and bass, and re-create their signature comedic routines. (What every happened to Harry?)

Friday at 8 p.m., Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, 612-371-5656; $20.25-$49.25.

Watch a vintage Smothers Brothers video.

MUSIC
Her Father’s Daughter, and More

I first heard Greg Brown on a sunny Iowa City afternoon, lounging on a porch swing with an ice-cold beer in my hand and just the right amount of sweat forming on my nose. It was “Dream Cafe,” and it was beautific. When I met his daughter, years later, it was only as a rival, and I never learned she had her dad’s ambitions. Now, about a decade later, I am made wiser by her visit. Pieta Brown definitely shares her father’s soul. While she’ll never resonate and rasp her way into your guts the way her father does, she’ll work her way in just as sweetly. When it comes down to it, it’s so perfectly clear that this young woman grew up embraced by her father’s circle of artists, including Lucinda Williams and Bo Ramsey. I can’t wait to see her.

Friday at 8 p.m., Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis, 612-338-2674; $10.

Listen to Pieta Brown.
Listen to Greg Brown, just because he’s glorious.
Watch and listen to Lucinda Williams, just because she’s incredible and will be here on the 11th.
Watch and listen to Bo Ramsey with Pieta Brown.

The Pod People

While local musicians The New Standards pride themselves in eloquently making cover songs their own, 1964 The Tribute aims to perfectly imitate the Beatles. They look like them. They sound like them. And since half of the Beatles are already dead, they might as well be them. So, if you’re a huge Beatle-head, or you simply want to relive those hair-pulling, lung-screaming days of the fabulous four, then I guess these guys are just for you.

Saturday at 8 p.m., Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, 612-371-5656 ;$19.25-$35.25.

Watch 1964 The Tribute videos.
Listen to 1964 The Tribute.

FILM
Real Life Has No Big Budget

Once again, the Twin Cities proves its cutting edge quality — this time in film. Tonight the Heights Theater offers a screening of RealLive, a unique combination of documentary, action, adventure, comedy and drama. Follow local director, videographer, editor, producer, musician and biker (and Columbia Heights High School graduate), Cory Parkos, on his quest to experience freedom in America. That’s right; it’s a contemporary Easy Rider. Come see what a local filmmaker can do with no script, no sets, and no big production budget.

7 p.m., Heights Theater, 3951 Central Ave. NE, 763-788-9079.

ART
One Man’s Trash Is Another Man’s Art

It’s been a good 15 years since I’ve done any dumpster diving with artist friends, but I still have a weak spot for recycled art. It’s not that I go for the whole green, environmentally-correct thing; my dumpster-diving friends never did it as a political statement. It’s just that everything seems to have that much more context, that much more history. Tonight, at Altered Esthetics, more than 65 local and international artists will display their efforts at transforming clutter and waste into a thing of beauty. Art Reincarnated “is stuffed with everything from candy-wrapper ball gowns to more traditional scrap-steel sculptures — more than a hundred works in all. There’s a lot of range; some pieces might have been better left in the trash, but others intrigue with their wit and resourcefulness.”

Get a sneak peak tonight, or stop in tomorrow from 7-9 p.m. for the opening reception, featuring a Reincarnated Clothing fashion show as well as sound collages made from appropriated music and recycled recordings by Jon Nelson from Radio K’s Some Assembly Required.

1-7 p.m., Altered Esthetics, 1224 Quincy St. N.E., Minneapolis; 612-378-8888.

THEATER AND PERFORMANCE
Too Bad You Can’t Just TiVo It

There are actually a couple worthy performances opening tonight. What are you in the mood for? A saucy opera, or a meandering metaphor?

“Of all the theater companies in town, none has better taste in classic literature than Ten Thousand Things. Now, the troupe takes on Federico Garcia Lorca’s saucy Blood Wedding. Deeply poetic yet also accessible, this play sets up a gut-punching war between the heart’s passion and the human brain’s limited capacity for reason. Armed with nothing but their wits and a bucketful of puppets, the five standup cast members (including local favorites Sha Cage and, again, Barbra Berlovitz) capture a Spanish countryside full of characters. Audience members will get to sit up close at the lo-fi venues to which this show is touring. Performed in the style of street theater, with no set or theatrical lighting, these acts of infidelity, murder, and betrayal are infused with the appropriate stark, emotional rawness.”

8 p.m., The Minnesota Opera Center, 620 North First St., Minneapolis, 612-333-2700, 612-203-9502; $20.

“Always up for an experiment, Flaneur Productions distributed a top-secret passage from an obscure work of literature to a group of six local performers earlier this year. Each was instructed to use the text, along with the show’s creepy venue (a former coffin factory), as inspiration for the beginning of a twenty-minute situationist stroll, or derive in French — the result being that the collected works will share a point of origin but drift from there on. The iconoclastic imaginations tapped for this showcase include a veritable who’s-who of the local experimental-theater scene: John Bueche of the Bedlam Theatre company, Charles Campbell from the site-specific performance troupe Skewed Visions, and Kristin Van Loon, one-half of the renegade dance duo Hijack.”

7 p.m. (through April 14th), The Northwestern Casket Company building, 1707 Jefferson Street NE, Minneapolis, 612-203-9560; $14.

MUSIC
Simple Emotions

Do you know what emo is yet? (If you don’t, you should probably follow that link and get with the times.) Basically, it’s teenage angst music. I don’t see why we needed a new name for it. But I’m straying here, and being a bit unfair. Tonight, Seattle-based acoustic folk-rocker Rocky Votolato is playing at the Varsity Theatre, and while he’ll probably look pretty cool up there holding his guitar with a harmonica strapped around his neck, I can’t resist the emo jab. But growing up in a family of musicians did Votolato well. His simple compositions are beautifully executed and charged with raw emotion.

6 p.m., Varsity Theatre and Cafe des Artistes, 1308 4th St. SE, Minneapolis, 612-604-0222; $10, $12 (all ages).

Listen to Rocky Votolato.

Not up for emo music? Here are a couple other options:

Smart pop rocker and folk singer/songwriter Mara Levi will play selections from her new CD, What Are You? at 7:30 p.m. tonight, at the Ginkgo Coffeehouse, 721 N. Snelling Ave., St. Paul; $8 advance, $10 door.
Download and listen to Mari Levi songs.

Big band master and accomplished musician, Harry Connick, Jr. plays tonight at 8 p.m., at the Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, 612-373-5600; $76.50 – $43.50.
Listen to Harry Connick, Jr.

ART
Superspective Retrostar

Are you a fan of storybook illustrations? How about comic books? I mean, who doesn’t love a superhero? It’s hard to be content with our everyday lives. This is what Barry McMahon’s recent work is all about; he pits the iconic superhero against all the bothersome everyday stuff we have to put up with as mere mortals. Is he challenging our daily realities? Is he challenging our hero worship? You decide. His current exhibit, Retrospective, spans over two and a half decades, features previously unseen work and work from his most recent series, and shows the evolution of McMahon’s artistic endeavor.

Noon-9 p.m., Mira Gallery, Center for Independent Artists, Instituto de Cultura y Educacion, 4137 Bloomington Ave. S., Minneapolis, 612-724-8392; free.

See Barry McMahon’s MN Artists gallery.

ART AND FILM
Glamorous Garbo

Born in Stockholm in 1905, Greta Gustafsson came into the public eye in 1923, when she began her life as Greta Garbo, a strong-willed woman of striking beauty. In 1925 Garbo made her big move to Hollywood and spent the next 16 years making 27 films. But when after her great success, she silently retired and withdrew from the public life after she became an American citizen in 1951. Come celebrate the glamorous film career of Sweden’s first internationally-known film star at the American Swedish Institute’s photograph exhibit, Glamorous Garbo: International Film Star. The exhibit contains more than 40 photographs — on loan from the Greta Garbo Society of Sweden in Hogsby, Sweden — that explore Greta Garbo’s transformation into a Hollywood icon.

Noon – 8 p.m., American Swedish Institute, 2600 Park Ave. S., Minneapolis, 612-871-4907; free (usually $6, seniors $5, students $4).

FILM
So Truffault

I’m not a big fan of books to film, but sometimes you just have to accept the classics (that and I’m a sucker for anti-censorship movements of any kind). François Truffaut’s Fahrenheit 451, based on the best-selling novel by Ray Bradbury, is a futuristic tale of a totalitarian government gone too far. While the overriding story of a bad man turned good by his love for a liberated woman may seem trite at this point, Fahrenheit 451 is, in fact, one of the originals. Yes, it’s the age-old story. Government fireman Oskar Werner meets revolutionary Julie Christie, and through her learns to question the entire book-burning, ignorance-enforcing system. Eventually, he sets out to destroy the very system he’s sworn to protect. Surprise. Surprise. But really, you have to see it.

7-9 p.m., Liberty Center, 799 Raymond Avenue, St. Paul, 651-646-8980; $5 donation. R.S.V.P.

CLASS
For Us Gals, It Ain’t about Viagra

Let’s face it, sex is important. And after a woman reaches a certain age, it’s sometimes necessary to take extra pains to keep our sexuality intact. Not just for our emotional and spiritual wellbeing, but for our physical wellbeing as well. It’s just plain healthy. Keep the Fire Burning – Sexual Health and Libido is a holistic exploration of sexuality and relationship issues meant to awaken the heart, mind, body and spirit, and maintain desire during and after menopause. It might not be something you want to discuss at the next dinner party you go to, but hell, why don’t you? It’ll probably provoke the night’s most interesting conversation.

6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m., Watson Education Center, 2nd Floor, St. John’s Hospital, 1575 Beam Ave., Maplewood, 651-232-7000, 651-232-2273, $15.

ON THE WEB
Hump Day Madness

Perhaps you hate the expression hump day as much as I have since I officially started working (which was at 15). Nevertheless, to help get you through these mid-week blues, here are some angry worker videos you can live vicariously through — or at least get a few laughs from. Many of you have probably already seen these, but they’re just too good not to mention.

Lily Tomlin loses her shit while shooting I Heart Huckabees.
Director David O. Russell loses his shit while directing Lily Tomlin.
A man gets angry with an office printer.
A man gets angry with his office computer.
A professor doesn’t appreciate his student’s cell phone ringing in class.
A record store clerk dislikes his suited client.
God gets angry. Warning: This video could insult your religious sensibilities.

FILM
Spring Passions

Back in 1913, Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring caused riots at its premiere. Almost a century later, directors Thomas Grube and Enrique Sanchez Lansch use Stravinsky’s masterpiece as the catalyst for an educational project involving 250 Berlin children representing 25 nations. The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, under Sir Simon Rattle, ventured out of its ivory tower in order to transform these 250 youngsters — none of whom had ever anything to do with classical music or dance — into a ballet troupe. Tasked with motivating the youth and developing their artistic skills, British choreographer Royston Muldoon helped the disenfranchised teens find their creative centers and unleash a potential they never knew they had. Meanwhile, veteran filmmakers, Grube and Sanchez Lansch got it all on film. Rhythm Is It! provides a thrilling mix of coming-of-age tale, performance film, and music video, culminating with their final performance in an old bus depot before 3,000 spectators. It’s not often we get to see something like this, so don’t miss it.

7:15 p.m., Oak Street Cinema, 309 Oak St. SE, Minneapolis, $8 (seniors $6, students & members $5).

FILM
A Hollywood Musical Favorite

If you’re big on old-fashioned Broadway musicals, you really can’t pass this one up. With lively musical scores and witty dialogue, The Band Wagon, directed by Vincent Minnelli, is one of Hollywood’s finest musicals. British musical star Jack Buchanan plays a flamboyant, self-absorbed producer/director, Jeffrey Cordova (great name choice!), who transforms a lighthearted pop musical into a serious play about a modern Faust. The film is dominated by musical numbers, scored by Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz, including: Dancing in the Dark, That’s Entertainment, By Myself, and I guess I’ll Have to Change My Plans. The climax — a jazz-dance, film noir, dream sequence features Cyd Charisse as a femme fatale in a smoky barroom and Fred Astaire as the noirlike detective dancing a sexually choreographed number. While it does seem a little out of place within the context of the film, it’s certainly worth a watch.

7:10 p.m., Heights Theater, 3951 Central Ave. NE, Columbia Heights, 763-788-9079, $8 (seniors $5, student $7).

MUSIC
Post Apocalyptic Vaudeville with a Socio-Political Tongue

When it comes to putting on a full show, Humanwine has it down to a science of sorts. More than just musicians, they set up a whole scenario in a fictional land called Vinland. Each song is then presented as a sort of mini-movie-soundtrack with plot twists, conflict, and resolution. While this band is typically classified as alternative punk rock, don’t let that dissuade you from enjoying their show. Yes, they certainly have the anger and wit of classic punk rock bands, but their vaudevillian presence, haunting melodies and diverse instrumentation — including layers of glock, accordion, trumpet, mandolin and piano — come together to create a sound more typical of gypsy music, with a modern punk twist. While some of their angry lyrics are a bit on the weak side, singer Holly Brewer has a fascinating voice. And the general story of mindless cogs working under a totalitarian ruler, is certainly something to which many of us can somehow relate. Humanwine was voted Best New Act at the 2006 Boston Music Awards and in the Boston Phoenix/WFNX Best Music Poll 2006.

9.30 p.m. (doors at 8 p.m.), 7th Street Entry, 29 N. 7th St., Minneapolis, 612-332-1775$9.50.

Listen to Humanwine.

LECTURE
Cesar Vallejo Translated

This evening, author and poet Clayton Eshleman will be discussing his new book, Complete Poems of Cesar Vallejo — a true representation of his life’s work in translation. The bilingual volume features Vallejo’s complete works, as well as Eshleman’s long relationship with Vallejo’s poetry, extensive notes on the translation, and a foreword by Mario Vargas Llosa. Vargas Llosa writes in his foreword: “Only the dauntless perseverance and the love with which the translator has dedicated so many years of his life to this task can explain why the English version conveys, in all its boldness and vigor, the unmistakable voice of Cesar Vallejo.” Eshleman is a National Book Award winner for a previous translation of Vallejo’s poetry, and was a finalist for the 2006 PEN Award for Poetry in Translation for the collection Conductors of the Pit (translations of Neruda, Vallejo, Artaud, Cesaire, Holan, Breton, Radnoti and others). At this evening’s event, Eshleman will also read from his latest collections of poetry: An Alchemist with One Eye on Fire, and Reciprocal Distillations.

7 p.m., Magers & Quinn Booksellers, 3038 Hennepin Ave S., 612-822-4611, Free.

THEATER
Banned Book Theater

With all the recent talk about removing Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from local high school reading lists, perhaps it’s time for us to show some support for the ageless classic by going to see the Children’s Theater production of Huck Finn this week, before its Saturday close date. For those of you concerned with the racial slurs in the original text, don’t let that stop you; the stage adaptation focuses in the action rather than on the full social context of Twain’s work. One might call that lacking in substance — counterproductive to its parody of racism — but after all, it’s still a great story.

Facts: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was banned from the Concord Public Library in 1885, the year of its publication. It ranks number five in the American Library Association’s list of the most frequently challenged books of the 1990s. Mark Twain was heavily involved in politics and culture, and even served as vice-president of the Anti-Imperialist League.

7 p.m., Children’s Theater Company, 2400 Third Ave. S., Minneapolis, 612-874-0400, $24-$31.

DINING
Nourish the Mind

It’s really too bad we can’t support our public libraries by reading, but I guess when it comes down to it more people appreciate a good meal over a good book. Do your good deed tonight and come sample the local flavors at the Twin Cities Restaurant Week Kick-Off Event, benefiting friends of the libraries. Rub elbows with your favorite local chefs and media personalities. Support your libraries while sampling from select Twin Cities Originals restaurants, chilling out in the Amstel Light Lounge, or sipping the featured beverages. Featured Twin Cities Original restaurants at the Kick-off will include: the Dakota, The Herkimer, Ike’s Food & Cocktails, Jensen’s Supper Club, Lake Elmo Inn, Spill the Wine, Tejas, and TreVina Italian Steak House.

All proceeds from this event and a portion of each Restaurant Week meal will support Minneapolis and St. Paul Friends of the Libraries.

4:30 – 7 p.m., Minneapolis Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, 612-630-6000, $20 in advance, $25 at door.

MUSIC
Delta Roots Reach up the Mississippi

Tonight, Grammy Award-winning artist Keb’ Mo’ will be playing at the Guthrie Theater. If you’re a Delta blues lover, this is a must see. Keb’Mo’ serves up some traditional Delta blues — Muddy Waters style — along with a mix of pop, folk rock, and jazz spanning multiple eras and genres. First, Mo’ will take the stage with a full band to perform an acoustic set of his Grammy Award-winning music. Following a brief intermission he will return with the band to perform a plugged-in, electric set of songs. This guy was actually selected to play Robert Johnson in Can’t You Hear the Wind Howl, a docu-drama about the blues legend’s life. How can you go wrong?

7:30 p.m., Guthrie Theater, 818 S 2nd St., Minneapolis, 612-377-2224, $42.

Listen to Keb’ Mo’.

READINGS
You Might Love Him Now

Jonathan Lethem, author of You Don’t Love Me Yet, will be reading from his comic pop novel at the U of M today. “Pop culture has always played a huge role in Jonathan Lethem’s invented — and wildly inventive — world. He’s sort of the house DJ for a stable of like-minded contemporary writers, offering deft literary mash-ups of science fiction, hard-boiled detective stories, magical realism, and comic-book mythology. Lethem’s first novel since his 2003 Fortress of Solitude is a bit of a departure, at least from a geographical standpoint; set in Los Angeles rather than the author’s usual Brooklyn stomping grounds, You Don’t Love Me Yet is a comic novel steeped in the world of alternative rock, hipster drones, and the culture of complaint. While early reviews have called it slight, at least by Lethem standards, we’re betting it’s still a whole lot more readable than most of the other stuff clogging the new-arrivals section at Barnes and Noble.”

7 p.m., University of Minnesota Bookstores, Coffman Memorial Union, 300 Washington Ave SE, Minneapolis, 612-625-6564, Free.

Read another Rake review on Jonathan Lethem.

SPORTS
Plaaaaaaaaaaaay Ball!

Yes, it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for — or at least some of us. The baseball season is finally in swing, and tonight you can kick it off watching the Minnesota Twins play the Baltimore Orioles, right here on our home turf. Come cheer our boys on and celebrate the home season opener.

6:05 p.m., Metrodome, 34 Kirby Puckett Pl., Minneapolis, 612-375-1366, $7-$44.

Read Britt Robson’s On the Ball.

ART AND TECHNOLOGY
Cutting Edge Digital Culture

Mobile phone messages mixed with ambient urban soundscape, email relationship maps, architectural software experiments — come see what our local techie artists have been up to this year. Emerging Digerati showcases cutting edge digital culture at the University of Minnesota. Come see how the featured artists are using new digital tools and techniques to do old things in new ways, and new things in ways few have imagined.

5:30 to 8 p.m., Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, University of Minnesota, 301 E River Pky, Minneapolis, 612-625-9494, Free.

ON THE NET
Wile away the Long Hours at Work

Who’s your bagel boy, bitch?

Unibrow Song

Come on, Chuck Norris vs. Bruce Lee just kicks ass!

POS – another bunch of locals.

An unflattering portrayal of the kids from St. Paul College on spring break.

Fashion show at Trocaderos.

Goodbye Craig Ferrence, Martin Williams Art Director.

Slightly exploitive, but local.

What would you do in Minnesota?

Minneapolis-born albino Muslim rapper, Brother Ali, who happens to be releasing a new album next week.

(Thanks to Rich Goldsmith for the video line-up.)

MUSIC
Good Old Boys

I don’t know why most cover bands try so hard to make each song sound like the original recording. In my book, the whole point of covering a song is to make it yours, to add your own touches and stylings in an effort to pay homage to the song. This is precisely what The New Standards do with the songs they cover. I’d even venture to say that many of them sound better than their original counterparts (but don’t let anyone know I said that). With raw, simple instrumentation and a lot of attention to the vocals, The New Standards offer up a wide array of 20th century mellow jazz in a beautifully adept manner. These boys have been around the block a bit, and anyone with an inkling of knowledge of the local music scene here should know them well — John Munson (of Trip Shakespeare and Semisonic fame), Chan Poling (founder of the haute-punk new-wave group The Suburbs), and Steve Roehm, vibraphonist extraordinaire. Roehm actually plays with such ease, and such skill, he’s almost worth the show alone.

Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant, 1010 Nicollet, Downtown Minneapolis, 612-332-1010, $15.

Listen to The New Standards.

And the Dakota’s not stopping there. On Sunday, you can go see John Scofield, one of the “big three” of current jazz guitarists. Scofield doles out jazz improv, somewhere between post-bop, fusion, and soul jazz.

Sunday at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant, 1010 Nicollet, Downtown Minneapolis, 612-332-1010, $35 & $25.

Watch and listen to John Scofield.

Touch Two Torches Together

Why settle for one? This fire is going to burn bright tonight. For the first time ever, Debbie Duncan and Carole Martin will share the stage. Two local icons come together for what promises to be a soulful, romantic, or even gut-wrenching evening — whatever you’re looking for. Gaze into your lover’s eyes as Martin lulls you with her torch songs. Weep from your inner-most recesses as Duncan pelts you with her Gospel-trained vocals. The two know how to put on a pretty good show, alone. I can only assume the best.

Friday and Saturday at 9 p.m., The Artists’ Quarter, 408 St Peter Street, St.Paul, 651-292-1359, $10.

Download Debbie Duncan songs.
Download Carole Martin songs.

Yes, More Jazz Still

“Heeeeere’s Johnny!” I can’t fail to mention Doc Severinsen’s final concerts with the Minnesota Orchestra this weekend. Prior to serving as the Minnesota Orchestra’s Principal Pops conductor for the last 14 seasons, this man was solely responsible for that signature trumpet blast following Johnny Carson’s introduction on the Tonight Show for decades — and he happens to be a pretty darn good trumpet player and composer despite that. In his last hurrah, Severinsen will be presenting hits from the golden age of big bands and American popular song — hits by George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Rodgers and Hammerstein — everything from jazz to film scores to Broadway musicals. Vocalists Lynn Roberts and Joe Wolverton will accompany him, along with percussionist Ed Shaughnessy, (Severinsen’s long-time drummer on the Tonight Show) and the Minnesota Chorale. After the show, there’s a champagne toast to Doc Severinsen in the lobby.

Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m., Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, 612-371-5656, $20.25-$49.25.

Listen to Doc Severinsen.

Fiddles, Banjos, Mandolins, More

Forget St. Patty’s Day. You really want to celebrate those Irish-Scott roots (or those African ones)? Head on over to the Uptown Bluegrass Festival at the Suburban World Theater. Get a little O, Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack of your own — or something like it — with the Roe Family Singers, Pert Near Sandstone, High 48s, Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank, Floor Birds, Free Range Pickin’, and the Sans Souci Quartet. Yes, you can see some of these bands in town on a fairly regular basis (The Roe Family Singers play every Monday at the 331 Club), but this is a great weekend to get a full sampling of the local bluegrass scene. Plus, you can get there early for an open jam (Friday 4-7 p.m., Saturday 2-7 p.m.). Bring your instruments.

Saturday at 8 p.m., Suburban World Theatre, 3022 Hennepin Avenue
Minneapolis, 612-822-9000, $12.50, both days for $17.50.

Listen to Roe Family Singers.
Listen to Pert Near Sandstone.

One in Spirit

The Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus will be performing this weekend at the Ted Mann Concert Hall, following the Faces of Faith conference. All faiths are welcome.

Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m., Ted Mann Concert Hall, 2128 4th Street S., Minneapolis, 612-624-2345, $19-$39.

OPERA
Last Chance for Seduction

This is the last weekend to see Don Juan Giovanni, Jeune Lune’s postmodern mix of Mozart’s 1787 opera, Don Giovanni, and French playwright Moliere’s 1665 Don Juan — two works about the infamous European seducer. Actors and singers join together in a contemporary cross-country road trip that leads them to deeper questions of nature and morality — all on a relatively stark stage, with the Minneapolis skyline looming behind.

Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 7 p.m., Theatre de la Jeune Lune, 105 North First Street, Minneapolis, 612-333-6200, $31.50 (group discounts available), students and seniors $26.50.

Listen to a song from Don Juan Giovanni.

OPERA
Imperial India Hits Minnesota

Saturday is the premiere of The Minnesota Opera’s performance of Lakme, by Leo Delibes. Sung in French with English translations projected above the stage, Lakme tells the tale of ill-fated love and cultures colliding. Wait. Haven’t I seen this before? She dies, right? Oh, no. That was Romeo and Juliet — and it had nothing to do with the British Raj in India. This opera tells the story of Lakme, the daughter of a Brahmin priest, who falls hopelessly in love with the British officer Gerald during a time when the British were forcing many Hindus to practice their religion in secret — clearly not an environment well-suited to their union. Are you up for some tears, honor, and indignation? Go see it.

Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m., Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, 345 Washington S., Saint Paul, Box office: 651-224-4222, Main: 651-282-3000, $70.50-$134.50.

SHOPPING (FOR WEAPONRY)
Bang Bang

All this mellow music and love-story opera just not doing it for you? Get behind the barrel of a gun and let some steam off. (Did I really just say that?) Bill’s Gun Shop & Range is having its Spring Shooters Show this weekend. That’s right. You can come look at the guns on display, meet some of the factory reps, and even try their guns for free. All you have to do is buy the ammo, and the range use is free as well. Not enough incentive for you? How about shooting off a machine gun? Dang!

Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Bill’s Gun Shop & Range, 4080 W. Broadway Ave., Robbinsdale 763-533-9594, Free.

SOCIAL NETWORKING
Twitter away Your Time Looking for a Fella

Thanks to a friendly tip (which you’re all invited to send to cristina@rakemag.com) and a later Metroblogging Minneapolis post, we have an opportunity to make a new friend this weekend — maybe more. Here’s the deal. Have you heard of Twitter? It’s pretty basic — just an online community that allows you to send remote messages saying what you’re up to. OK. Well, a guy here in town, Least Dangerous Game, is using it to host a city-wide hide-and-seek game. This Saturday from noon to 4 p.m., he’ll be “hiding” somewhere in the Twin Cities. Using Twitter, he’ll offer clues as to where he can be found. The first person to find him will receive a prize. His friendship, perhaps? No, apparently, this week it’s going to be a $15 Target gift card — but you can probably work the whole friendship thing into the deal if you’re not too socially inept. Originally, he wasn’t even going to begin the game until at least 50 Twin Cities Twitterers became his friend through Twitter (like on myspace.com); but it looks like he’s going for a trial run nonetheless. If all goes well, and enough people are interested, he’ll keep doing it each week. So, if you’re already a Twitterer, go log in and make him your friend. If you’re not, you can register for a free account. It’s weird enough to merit a try. Savor the awkwardness a while.

Saturday, noon-4 p.m., somewhere in the Twin Cities. (Is it still OK to call it that?)

Also through Metroblogging Minneapolis, I discovered an interesting new “biking” event this weekend. The PedalPub is coming to town! That’s right, folks, you can finally drink, exercise, and socialize all at the same time. Yes, just like a kickball game, but on wheels. Come try it out this Saturday. Get a free ride on the PedalPub, free hot dogs, free sodas (as supplies last), and… give away your free image for their marketing purposes. There’s always a catch.

Saturday from noon to 3 p.m., Father Hennepin Bluffs Park, at 6th Ave SE and Main Street (by the entrance of the Stone Arch Bridge), Free.

MUSIC
A Couple of White Folk

The 400 Bar never ceases to amaze me. Somehow their relatively small, dingy and dirty space seems to draw some of the best folk acts in town — and a few more innovative ones at that. Tonight, James Morrison and Jessie Baylin take the stage (not together). British country boy, James Morrison serves up some soul in a way that only white guys do — when they actually have soul and a voice to boot. No, really. I’m not just making fun here. If you dig Dylan’s style (not that I would EVER compare anyone to Dylan), then you’ll probably appreciate Morrison’s peculiar voice (though sweet), clever lyrics, and soulful song (though he definitely leans more toward the love songs). He’s kind of like a Jack Johnson with soul, actually. How can that be bad?

Oh, and Jessie Baylin — she sounds quite lovely to me (and looks lovely, too). A fan of Steve Nicks and Joni Mitchell, and friend to Scarlett Johansson, Baylin’s sweet melodies have a folkified touch of Natasha Bedingfield.

9 p.m., 400 Bar, 400 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis, 612-332-2903 $12.00.

Listen to James Morrison.
Listen to Jessie Baylin.

MUSIC
White Man Sings the Blues

We’ve all heard of Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, even Robert Johnson; and yet the name John Hammond Jr. rings no bells for some. (Tell me you at least remember his father. The man is responsible for discovering Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Robert Johnson, Bessie Smith, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Pete Seeger, and Bruce Springsteen.) While Junior has not enjoyed his father’s commercial success, he has been entertaining us for the over 40 years, earning himself a Grammy Award and releasing over 25 albums. Emerging from the American folk scene of the 60s, Hammond has since been entertaining blues, folk, and rock audiences around the world with his intense solo-acoustic blues. And don’t miss tonight’s opening act — local, fingerstyle guitarist Phil Heywood. It promises to be a soul-grabbing event.

7:30 p.m., Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis, 612-338-2674, $16.

Listen to John Hammond Jr.
Listen to Phil Heywood.

Looking for something a little more hardcore? Check out Billy Talent at the 7th Street Entry tonight. The Toronto-based quartet has been lauded as one of the premiere punk acts of the new millennium.

5 p.m., all ages, The 7th Street Entry, First Avenue, 701 First Ave. N., Minneapolis, 612-332-1775, $10 advance, $12 door.

Listen to Billy Talent.

COMEDY
What’s So Funny about Facial Hair?

I mean, mustaches I could see laughing at — but beards? Apparently, it’s the people donning them. Tonight some of our finest local writers, improvisers, and comedians will perform their own material in The Bearded Gentlemen comedic showcase. The bearded gentlemen — Mike Fotis, Brian Beatty, Daniel Hetzel, Levi Weinhagen, John Haynes, and Nate Melcher — will each take the stage for 15 minutes of solo comedy. Collectively these writers and actors have performed with the Brave New Workshop, ComedySportz Twin Cities, Ministry of Cultural Warfare, Louie Anderson, and Ferrari McSpeedy.

8 p.m., Brave New Workshop Theatre, 612-332-6620, $10.

THEATER
A Musical Celebration of American Women

If beards just aren’t your thing, maybe a glorification of womanhood is more your style. Tonight is the premiere performance of Suzanna Winter’s Where the Girls Are, brought to you by Blue Umbrella Productions. Using popular music as a vehicle, this musical revue examines the evolution of women’s rights and roles in America. The vast musical repertoire includes such greats as “I Wanna Be Loved by You,” “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend,” “These Boots are Made for Walkin’,” “I Will Survive,” and “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”

7:30 p.m., The Lowry Lab Theater., The Lowry Building across from the St. Paul Hotel, 360 St. Peter Street Saint Paul, 651-646-2943, $15.

Note: Tomorrow’s performance will be ASL interpreted, and the April 7th performance will be Audio described.

LECTURE
A Woman of Substance and Spine

While many of us nestle in our beds dreaming of exotic adventures, there are indeed women in our midst furrowing into the recesses of Conrad’s dark continent . As part of St. Catherine’s Women of Substance Series , Lisa Ling — the first woman host of the award-winning documentary series Explorer from the National Geographic Channel — will be speaking tonight at The O’Shaughnessy . Come hear about this gutsy woman’s travels and adventures from India to the Congo.

7:30 p.m., The O’Shaughnessy, College of St. Catherine, 2004 Randolph Avenue, Saint Paul, 651-690-6700, $32 adults.

Or if you’d rather cut to the chase with something a bit more academic, go hear Kevin Gaines lecture on Confronting History, Race, and Stereotypes. (Lord knows we could all use a little more learning in this arena.) Kevin Gaines is a professor of history and director of The Center for Afroamerican and African Studies at the University of Michigan. He will examine America’s relationship to anti-black racial stereotypes, and the historical connections present in Kara Walker’s work. Plus, if you get to The Walker by 6 p.m., you can take a tour of Paper Trail: A Decade of Acquisitions.

7:30 pm, Cinema, Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, 612-375-7600, Free, but ticket required — available at 6:30 pm at the Bazinet Garden Lobby desk.

SHOPPING
Sprinkle on a Little Latin Sparkle

Sepia — art within accessories — is having their Spring Open House today. Venezuelan-owned Sepia opened in Northeast Minneapolis last Fall, featuring jewelry and accessories designed by Latin American artists. Go be the first to see their spring collections. Drink some wine. Sample the hors d’oeuvre. And make use of the 10-percent discount. Any birthdays or anniversaries coming soon? This might be a good place to find some unique gifts.

4-8 p.m., SEPIA, 201 6th St. SE, Suite 100, Minneapolis, 612-379-0309, 10% off.