The legions of people who grew up eating at the Convention Grill know to expect the frosty tin when they order a malt. This old-fashioned accoutrement is standard-issue at a restaurant that prides itself on generosity: Its skyscraper burgers come heaped with onions and surrounded by enough fries to satisfy even the most strapping construction … Read more
What a revelation a good order of fish and chips can be. Normally, we are stuck with fish sticks or cardboard nuggets processed from some kind of fish slurry. Proper fish and chips—the kind Mac’s serves—are hot and crispy, never soggy or overtly greasy. On the fish side of the plate, Mac’s batter is touched … Read more
As a North Dakota farm kid, Chuck Klosterman took in a lot of empty roads, endless skies, and fields of corn that stretched to the horizon. His pipelines to the greater world were Top 40 radio and eighties television. And then he heard Mötley Crüe’s Shout at the Devil, which transformed him into a metalhead, … Read more
My favorite question of the moment is “What are you obsessed with?” I realize the idea of obsession scares people off, but I decided to make a list of my current obsessions—is that an obsessive thing to do? Oh well. What’s a little psychiatric disorder going to hurt??The things I am obsessed with, in no … Read more
Well, it isn’t the Fillmore, but Lucinda Williams’ heartbreaking ditties ought to work just as well in a place that keeps animals confined in cages. After all, while Williams is known to belt out the occasional blues-rock wallop, we would never think of her shows as sunny occasions. Instead, her world-weary, weathered voice and her … Read more
We waited all winter long, it seems, to hear the Olympic Hopefuls’ power-pop melodies outside on a sultry evening as the sun goes down. What better setting for serious booty-shaking when the all-stars sha-la-la through the infectious “Let’s Go”? On this occasion, they’ll play the open-air Ruin Courtyard at Mill City Museum, hard by the … Read more
John Hiatt’s sprawling catalog of recordings is chock-full of minor classics and overlooked gems. His latest album, Master of Disaster, was recorded with the legendary producer Jim Dickinson at the equally legendary Ardent Studios in Memphis (where Dickinson also produced Big Star’s Sister Lovers and the Replacements’ Pleased to Meet Me). As they did on … Read more
Those born too late to truly appreciate Carole King’s 1971 classic, Tapestry, might believe that her greatest contribution to pop culture was Really Rosie, the soundtrack for an animated show based on Maurice Sendak’s children’s stories. Catchy numbers like “Pierre,” the cautionary tale about a snotty boy who was eaten by a lion, and “The … Read more
Is this a misprint? Nope. The Suburbs’ Chan Poling, Semisonic’s John Munson, and Steve Roehm (“Your Neighborhood Trio”) are indeed playing American songbook standards on the chill stage at the Dakota. A little Rodgers & Hammerstein, a little “Love is the Law”—it’s a surprisingly sweet blend in the hands of these accomplished local rock gods … Read more
Hmm. Which do you think would be most difficult: Learning English as an adult, starring opposite Hollywood yester-hunk Richard Gere, or kindling a torrid love affair with film star and “Wicked Game” crooner Chris Isaak? Chinese émigré Bai Ling has accomplished all of that, and much more, since leaving her homeland fifteen years ago. In … Read more