rakemag Late in September each year, Gustavus Adolphus College conducts its “Nobel Conference” in St. Peter, Minnesota. But this should not be confused with its namesake back in the Old Country. The actual Nobel Prize awards ceremony is an extravagant affair that takes place far away from academe. In the next couple of weeks, this year’s … Read more
In this offbeat coming-of-age story, a meek seventeen-year-old tries to break a lifelong habit with the help of a transcendentalist orthodontist (Keanu Reeves), group therapy, and ADD drugs. The incentives to remove his thumb from his mouth once and for all are strong (and curvaceous), but in the course of doing so he’s forced to … Read more
Frankly, we’re sick and tired of biopics (Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash? Pshaw!), but this one promises to be a breed apart–as much about the making of an American masterpiece as it is a bio of its author, Truman Capote. He and his childhood friend, the novelist Harper Lee, seemed like an unlikely duo to … Read more
This year’s visual celebration of sound offers rare chances to see documentaries on geniuses like Jeff Buckley, Arvo Pärt, Townes Van Zandt, Leadbelly, and Charles Mingus. Or you might wish to relive the rowdy past in Scene Minneapolis 1977-1986, which chronicles the heyday of the local punk scene and includes recently unearthed footage of Soul … Read more
As stage personalities go, Jay Farrar tends to be a bit of a mute, but his shows are still iAs stage personalities go, Jay Farrar tends to be a bit of a mute, but his shows are still inspired occasions, because his evocative, road-weary songs are that much more powerful when he’s actually on the … Read more
David Knight, of Fridley, and Lori Gerdts recently summited the tallest mountain in the world—Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii, which measured from its base stands at 33,476 feet. They even took time to read The Rake at the top. Most people think Everest is the tallest, but at 29,035 feet (above sea … Read more
Here’s your chance to hobnob with royalty. Norway’s Crown Prince Haaken Magnus will be in the audience on opening night of this performance of Peer Gynt, featuring the Norwegian National Opera and VocalEssence. Henrik Ibsen’s classic tale of an adventuring scoundrel destined to a fate worse than hell is both disturbing and highly amusing, partly … Read more
Count on music folks to ignore all that flapdoodle over “freedom fries” and the pouring of French vintages down the commode. Here in the Twin Cities, a musical partnership has been growing since 2000, when French reed player Michel Portal and record producer Jean Rochard visited and recorded Minneapolis with the help of several local … Read more
The stranger the artist, the more faithful the fans; isn’t that the standard equation when it comes to music? Case in point: Fiona Apple’s followers waited six long years for this album, and when it reportedly was scrapped by its label for lack of “an obvious single,” outraged fans mailed thousands of real and faux … Read more
It took us a long time to warm up to Dar Williams. She seemed like a better groomed, more temperate Ani DiFranco, or a Nanci Griffith without the twang–a little boring, a little forgettable. However, her new album, My Better Self, is a revelation. These catchy urban folk songs display a wry sense of humor … Read more