In the hands of Outkast video director Bryan Barber, this unusual musical boasts gorgeous cinematography, the kind of rich detail that recalls The Sting, and songs that mix hip-hop with the spirit of Cab Calloway. Set in the Prohibition-era South, Outkasters Antwan A. Patton (that’s Big Boi to his fans), and André Benjamin (aka André … Read more
Celebrating its seventh year of mixing music with film, our little Sound Unseen is all grown up now. This month, it will spare nothing to entertain: Dance-partying, rock ’n’ bowling, and fifteen or so films are all on the docket, with a whole lot more. Among our top picks is My Name is Albert Ayler, … Read more
As teenagers, we used to drive past Bob Dylan’s rural Minnesota country home and marvel at all the security lighting. Why, we wondered, was he so paranoid? Who’d want to bother an old washed-up folksinger? Now, at sixty-five, Dylan is a rock ’n’ roll star reborn, making some of the most vibrant and relevant music … Read more
Those who don’t know any better think of Dean and Gene Ween as those stoners who refuse to outgrow their adolescent stage antics. But the fact is—all sweat, grease, and fart noises aside—Ween is as innovative as Radiohead, as tuneful as the Beatles, and as complex as Mozart. Over more than two decades, this duo … Read more
Just when it seemed like the bluegrass revival was about to expire, Boston-based Crooked Still unpacked the cello. This young quartet plays bluegrass with traditional spirit, but they also bring unconventional stylings—and unconventional strings—to their songs. What’s more, the band’s silvery-voiced singer, Aoife O’Donovan, even sounds like a less formal Alison Krauss. But their darker, … Read more
When name-checking guitar gods, technical show-offs like Michael Hedges, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Preston Reed, and Joe Satriani come to mind. But one would be hard-pressed to find a young lady among their ranks, someone who spent her formative years noodling away in string-based obsession. Until Kaki King came along, that is. This twenty-five-year-old is that … Read more
The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne would make a fine old-time carnival barker, beckoning us into a world of wonder and weirdness, dressed in his white suit and flanked by people dressed like stuffed animals. So it is not ironic at all that the Lips are playing the State Fair. Their latest, At War With the … Read more
Capping off the populist Sommerfest series is the catchiest darn opera ever written. Taking the role of the titular seductress in this semi-staged production is the smoky-eyed American mezzo-soprano Angela Horn (pictured on next page), a New York-based singer who’s regarded nationwide as one of the finest interpreters of the sultry Carmen character. In fact, … Read more
As the menu at Café Brenda has long made clear, Brenda Langton was one of the first Twin Cities chefs to recognize the value of local food producers. Her newest venture, Spoonriver, is a stylish, next-generation expression of those ideals. Brunch after the farmers market might consist of tea-poached eggs or a garden leek omelette, … Read more
Not quite ice cream but more than a snow cone, Italian ices are smooth concoctions flavored with purees of fruits like mango and strawberry. At the new Grand Italian Ice Café, the only thing better than a root beer ice is a root beer ice with a giant scoop of custard added to it—creating what … Read more