Last fall, in conjunction with that music issue we did, there was an Up The Charts poll on our website which asked: Who is your all time favorite Minnesota band/musician? Well, weren’t we surprised to see Tina and the B-Sides fans come out in full-force, taking away top honors. (This was probably due to an … Read more
I’ve been cautioned to be careful with this. Schadenfreude, though a lovely sounding word, is unseemly. Its supposedly beneath a responsible adult. But what the hell is a media blogger supposed to do when confronted with the train wreck ratings for KTLK-FM (100.3), where I very briefly co-hosted a show? I mean, come on kids, … Read more
I recently suffered through a wine and cheese party at Lutsen. I met two investment bankers (I have nothing against investment bankers) who had just turned 40. Our conversation immediately focused on lines and distinctions. The talk centered upon Denver, where one of the bankers had grown up. I mentioned where I have my office … Read more
So by now you know that Five has closed its doors permanently. So has Levain. Two foodie institutions gone, but why? Some people might take this opportunity to wax rhapsodic on the state of the scene, and apply huge, sweeping generalizations about what society is up to, just so that they can be The Expert, … Read more
Ce weekend, la: Nautilus Music-Theater’s production of Carousel opens at the Southern, and I wouldn’t even be mentioning the silly clambake song or the slap that “felt like a kiss” if not for the standup crew involved in putting this thing together–not just Nautilus mastermind Ben Krywosz, but also great local singers like Bradley Greenwald … Read more
Old Joy and Pan’s Labyrinth Old Joy, 2006. Directed by Kelly Reichardt, written by Reichardt and Jonathan Raymond. Starring Daniel London and Will Oldham. Now showing at the Oak Street Cinema. Old Joy begins with a phone call between friends. Mark (Daniel London) is seen talking with his old college pal Kurt (Will Oldham) about … Read more
I’ve been watching the second season of Top Chef, but I haven’t had that much to comment about. Last year I felt I could defend Tiffani because I’d met her, but this year I don’t really care about anybody. Maybe that’s the problem, I don’t seem to have a favorite, no one to root for. … Read more
A couple weeks back at a Minnesota Orchestra concert, when the band was playing 1812 Overture, some Brahms, and a Cello Concerto by Antal Dorai, word has it that a completely sloshed woman showed up and eventually had to be hauled out–and right in the middle of that Dorati concerto! According to an anonymous source … Read more
A generally reliable voice from within the Star Tribune’s reporting ranks defends Ms. Moses in the previously-posted back and forth e-mail spat with City Pages’ Steve Perry. Reliable Voice defends her on the grounds that she may actually be making a defensible argument. Voice argues that Moses probably saw that she was the only one … Read more
A couple good-lookin’ rock concerts to consider: 331‘s (free) Jackson’s Juke Joint show with Tom Hunter, chubby-cheeked Ron Sexsmith at the Varsity, the New Congress at Babalu, and the best new bands of 2006 showcase at First Ave. If you don’t care for a full-fledged concert but still got that hankering to hear great music, … Read more