The Rake Magazine

Category: Blog Post

  • Spring Break

    Ah. . . .spring break.

    I don’t know what the words conjure up for you. For me, a college professor and parent, spring break means two things: a week of stupid, drunken antics that tend to leave my students hungover, pregnant, and/or diseased, and a week of sleeping in, being bored, and watching too much TV that tends to make my children ready to go back to school.

    Either way, not my favorite time of year. Until last week.

    It was spring break in St. Louis Park. My two younger children were home, the 17-year-old newly jobless, the 13-year-old reading Ayn Rand. And somewhere along the line each of them decided to ask every single person they knew to come over and hang out.

    Now, you might not think a parent would like that. But I was just back in town after a long trip and irrationally happy to see my own kids. I was in a rare mellow frame of mind. And the simple fact is, the teenagers who were teeming into my house like droves of ants were just downright cool.

    There were boys ranging from 16-21, sprawled across couches and tables and chairs. They were drinking from enormous cans of Rock Star and Red Bull and Snapple, hauling in bags of chips and burritos the size of my head. And what were they doing: getting high, staging destructive wrestling matches, setting fire to things? No. They were engaged in a week-long Risk tournament that provoked discussions about world history and famous despots, as well as shouts of "You asshole!" that reverberated through the house at two in the morning, but I didn’t mind.

    There was also a younger tier — mostly girls, with a few shy, awkward boys hanging around the edges — from the ages of 12 to 14. They mostly ate pizza and sat on the front steps during those few days in March when it didn’t snow, texting each other even though they easily could have talked. After the boys were gone, the girls had sleepovers during which they held long Disney marathons, watching the videos we’ve owned since my daughter was born. The Little Mermaid. The Lion King.

    And I don’t know that I’ve ever had such a satisying week in my entire life.

    It was noisy and cluttered and SMELLY (at one point there were 14 pairs of boys’ shoes in my front hall). My husband and I slept almost not at all. But we knew exactly where our children were — and where every other St. Louis Park parent’s were, for that matter — and there’s no feeling in the world as good as that. Add to this the fact that we were buying pizzas and burritos at such a mad rate, we could afford nothing else and were drinking what we’ve come to call our "house" wine, a dirt cheap Nero d’Avola by Archeo that retails for about $4.99. And even THIS didn’t bother me. In fact, I rather liked it.

    Nero d’Avola is a Sicilian grape that makes a light, juicy, incredibly quaffable wine. And it seems that no matter how low you go on the price scale, it’s pretty standard and inoffensive. Rather like a happy puppy, the cherry and oak flavor is generally cheerful and easy to like.

    Next year, when my son is in college and only my daughter is home, spring break will almost surely have a whole different tone. I will miss the boys terribly — foot odor notwithstanding — and am grateful that at least I was here to enjoy this year’s Risk-and-pizza free-for-all.

    If you’re in a mood to read more about children and the joys thereof, check out the new Rake sister site: www.gomom.com. It’s a great resource. There’s only one downside: I’m afraid it’s a little short on wine drinking advice.

  • Standard Operating Procedure

    How much of a story can be told by looking at a photograph? What is considered fact and proof? Is seeing truly believing? The documentary film Standard Operating Procedure breaks apart these questions by delving into the lives of soldiers stationed at Abu Ghraib prison, in Iraq. Academy Award winning director Errol Morris used photographs and stories of American soldiers to depict the stained and corrupt system within the interrogation centers in the Middle East. We all remember the horrific photos that leaked into the media, and as you may anticipate from the brief synopsis, the documentary is far from a romantic comedy. Ironically, the film opens with a photograph of a golden sunset in Iraq, which stands in stark contrast to the rest of the film’s morbid and disturbing tone. Within the first ten minutes my weak stomach got the best of me, and I had no choice but to direct my eyes to the dim lights positioned on the walls of the theater.

    Photographs taken by the American soldiers exemplify the unnecessary “standard operating procedures” that include humiliation, forced stress positions (like the photograph of a man forced to stand on a bucket of water with wires attached to his hands), and sexual harassment. While there are re-enactments by actors to underscore the importance of the stories being told by the soldiers, the reality of the documentary is mind-numbing. I was surprised to find most of the American soldiers interviewed in the documentary failed to show much emotion when they described their time at Abu Ghraib. It was as if the lives they lived in Iraq never existed. They illustrated their melancholic experiences with as much grandeur as a trip to the grocery store. In fact, out of the 12 soldiers interviewed, only one seemed to show any signs of distress.

    As the film continued, constant exposure to the pictures and stories caused me to feel the same numbness the soldiers exuded, stripping me of any emotion I may have come in with. Not only did I become deadened by the images, but I actually started to understand where these soldiers’ “survival tactics” came from as a technique to cope with what they were going through. Disturbing images of the humiliating stress positions of the Iraqi prisoners were coupled with the smiling faces and thumbs-up of American soldiers as if they were posing for a picture with Chuck E. Cheese. Many of the soldiers defended this by claiming it was their way of “doing what they were told,” so they could continue to photograph.

    While the gruesome and grotesque picture may seem a turn-off, however, the film is certainly worth seeing. It creates an understanding of the power of stories through film, especially where conclusions and assumptions can very quickly be made without knowing the truth. Although it may feel uncomfortable and gut wrenching at times, this documentary is an important exposé on the war. The 118-minute film leaves you with some unanswered questions, but like the photographs, the documentary is up for some interpretation from the audience.

    Errol Morris will visit the Twin Cities on April 15th for a premiere screening and conversation at the Walker Art Center. Exclusive Twin Cities engagement opens Friday, May 23rd at Landmark’s Lagoon Cinema.

  • Kathie Lee's Return to the Vultures

    AP photo by Richard Drew

    I have been waiting to blog because my topics have changed several times over the last few weeks.

    After settling into what is now my new place of business (Jacobs’ Trading Company), it dawned on me that before I blog about the self-serving topic of working at the same place as my spouse, I should cover Kathie Lee pulling a fast one and returning to morning TV.

    And of course, I had to watch the first couple of days as an objective TV viewer before giving my two cents.

    Now, let me preface my blog with this: Over the years, I have spent time with Kathie Lee, her husband Frank (who always smells good), and her well-mannered, now grown-up children Cody and Cassidy.

    There, I divulged that I may be biased and non-objective in this blog post. Clearly, you know at this point that I am NOT TRYING to pretend that my training in journalism with a personal coach worked, nor did the boring writing classes, so let’s all just move on with it, shall we?

    Like the rest of the world,
    I watched Kathie Lee come out on her first day with her head held high, looking healthy, beautiful, and more content than I have ever seen in all my years of knowing her.

    In Kathie’s own words, she has gained 10 pounds since her last go-around on TV. And since I, too, have enjoyed my way through 10 extra pounds in the last few years, I think it’s safe for me to say that stress=thin=looking old, and stress free=curves=looking younger.

    If I didn’t know Kathie’s real age I would say she looks younger than her co-host, Hoda, and it’s not due to plastic surgery and fake hair. In fact, I would venture to say that it’s probably a case of good meals and conversation on the home front. Yes there is a cryptic message in there, so I better get back on point.

    It came as no surprise to me that Kathie Lee was not only on her game for her national re-emerging but she — as the young ones say — Rocked It!

    What really set me off were the reviews that Kathie got from TV critics. Many of her harshest critics (women) were pleased with her "performance." It was the others (men) that were just plain mean.

    Why? In my opinion it’s because god forbid a woman be 56 years old and be looked at in the same way as, say, a 25-year-old — in a business where your outer shell comes first and what is on in the inside is only secondary.

    Yeah, yeah, I know what some of you are thinking — is this the same woman who used her name to do endorsement deals for laser hair removal and plastic surgery? Guilty as charged, but that girl has left the country and does not plan to return. 🙂

    Which brings me to the disgust I felt when I was about to fall asleep and heard on the TV, in the background, Kathie Lee being associated with "old farts."

    When is the last time that tabloid TV shows (TMZ) have referred to a 56-year-old experienced MALE TV veteran as "an old fart"? I think it’s time the old cocky lawyer/want-to-be TV star got his eyes checked, because he is NO prize to look at it and could use a good teeth whitening!

    So I am going to give you my personal opinion on Kathie Lee Gifford, from someone who has spent time with her over the years and admired her tenacity to hold her head up high when most people would crawl under the sheets and go away, never to return.

    Kathie Lee is a woman that has been through what now up to 70 percent of all married people experience, and that is infidelity. The media acted like preying vultures over fresh raw meat when the Tabloids thought it would be "FUN" to set up the husband of a successful woman and see if he would take the bimbo bait.

    How do these people sleep at night?

    You have a woman, and a mom, whose only fault was to share with the world that marriage and raising children can be done at the same time as having a career and once in a while giving TMI.

    You have a woman that was joyful and happy about the same milestones we all, as parents, feel — but with a much bigger audience and in a much more public way. So what?!

    Are there that many people out there that are so unhappy in their own lives that is makes them feel better to smack down someone who means well, just because she wakes up in the morning and is happy?

    I, for one, would much rather be entertained by someone who has a naughty sense of humor (which Kathie does) than by some miserable old bats that are pissed off at the world because they don’t have something that other people do.

    I will share with you this one story that sticks in my head: I was in Florida with family, having brunch with Kathie and her family. Unlike most moms taking their daughters to the restroom to do their business, Kathie had half the women in the place (without their daughters) following her to the restroom. Instead of drawing the line at giving her a little space with Cassidy, all of these STRANGERS lined up with cameras in tow to take snapshots and inquire about mundane things (which you just don’t do); and instead of doing what most of us would have done, which is to swat people and yell at them to back off, Kathie was gracious and funny, letting these STRANGERS know
    that she was in Mom mode but really did appreciate that they took "THEIR" time to come and share some space with her even if it was in the BATHROOM.

    I called a friend of mine, who is a successful MAN in TV and whose opinion I value, to ask what he thought of Kathie Lee’s return to TV. HIS words sum up not only Kathie Lee’s return but, hopefully, the trend in good and entertaining TV: "Bravo. I think it’s great, and it shows that TV is going back to its roots and using what was successful before, again."

    I can only hope this time around all of the vultures will stay at bay and let this still beautiful and kind-hearted woman be well-liked again, without trying to destroy the myth that women who have a happy home life can have a happy and prosperous work life too.

    Go get ’em, Kathie!!!!!!!!

     

  • No One Is Reading, and Our Libraries Are Closing

    Creative Commons photo by Zachary Korb

    A couple weeks ago, a very quiet takeover of Downtown Minneapolis was staged. Thousands of librarians from around the nation — purse-lipped and padded-soled — convened for their annual convention. (Were it not for the laminated PLA badges that hung on yarn around their necks, they would have looked like any non-Target-employed resident of the city — that is, poorly but warmly dressed, and vaguely literary.)

    During their three-day conference, they would discuss new database software, innovative shelving systems, and learn how to market their respective branches. "It used to be that a library was a library and that was that. People would just show up," said Sylvia Schulman, a librarian from Connecticut. "Now you have to advertise."

    So it goes. The AP announced last August the results of a poll that showed 27% of their respondents hadn’t read a single book in the previous year. A 2004 poll conducted by the National Endowment for the Arts found that 43% of Americans hadn’t read a book in the twelve months prior to the survey. You can read Ursula K Le Guin’s somewhat optimistic analysis of these data here.

    So wouldn’t one expect libraries to be ailing a bit, too? Apparently they’re not. Over dinner at The News Room, Helen Crosson, director of the Cold Spring Harbor Library in Long Island, boasted of one thousand new cardholders in her district over the last year. One of her dining partners, a librarian from Queens, spoke of how they were continually trying to build more libraries; currently they have sixty facilities to accommodate over two million people, which just isn’t enough. "We’re a minority-heavy area," she said, "and libraries act as a real hub for those communities. They’re a place where you can get on the internet for free, and you have unlimited access to pretty much any book you need if you’re trying to learn English." (She sipped from her drink, put it down and said, "Everyone in this restaurant is so white." Which was <sigh> true.)

    When quoted the statistics from the NEA and AP surveys, Ms. Schulman from Connecticut shook her head and said, "I don’t know. You’d be surprised" — and then conceded that she worked in an affluent zone with many residents predisposed to reading.

    I guess the question is, why are the Minneapolis libraries ailing so? Here we have testimonies from employees of both upper-middle-class/suburban and lower-middle-class/inner-city libraries that say their facilities are doing fine, if not thriving. Meanwhile, according to this article published on MPR’s website in 2007, the Minneapolis Public Library had "cut one third of its staff, sharply reduced library hours, and closed three neighborhood branches." (Since then, with the merger of the Minneapolis Public Library and Hennepin County Library, those three branches have re-opened…but still.) Are we just not advertising enough? Are we too white? (Minneapolis as a whole, I would argue, is not quite inner-city in the way of Queens, not quite white-collar in the way of New Haven. I’m reminded of Barack Obama feeling wrongly accused of being not white enough and not black enough. No wonder he got two-thirds of our caucus delegates. This is a long, unnecessary parenthetical.)

    Even with the opening of the new Minneapolis Central Library on Nicollet Mall last year, things are a bit lackluster — I’ve heard more about its architecture than its community benefits. Taking a quick glance at hours of operation is a little disheartening too. At first, it seems normal not to have the Walker or the MCL open on Sundays. But if you think about the foot traffic in Uptown and Downtown on the weekends, it seems Sundays should be one of the higher-traffic days of the week. On two of the five days it’s open, the Walker Library, on the corner of Hennepin and Lagoon, one of the busiest intersections in the city, doesn’t open until noon. To say nothing of Osseo’s library, which is open a grand total of eighteen hours a week.

    If there were a decrease in demand it would be one thing, but according to this Star Tribune report our check-out rates are more than 2.5 times the national average. So either those librarians I talked to were lying through their teeth (and pursed lips, yes, haha, it was funny the first time, too), or really there’s just not enough money to support what has been one of society’s strongest infrastructures since fires, and then campfires, were invented.

    Finally, here is one of the lamest photo tours of the skyway ever to have been compiled.

     

  • Namaste Cafe: A Cut Above

    It sounds like the Namaste Café might have an image problem.
    A couple of days ago, I emailed a friend and invited her to meet me for Happy
    Hour at the Nepalese/Indian restaurant and tea house at 2512 Hennepin Ave. S.

    "I have
    never even noticed Namaste," she replied. "They have wine?? It
    sounds so — vegan?"

    Okay, so
    Namaste does have a good selection of dishes that either are vegan, or can be
    prepared without meat or animal products — like their entrée of cauliflower,
    peas and potatoes ($10), or the Kathmandu curry, with a savory onion and
    tomato-based sauce, which you can order with either tofu ($11) chicken ($12),
    or fish or lamb ($14); or their special bean dishes, like the Raajma, seasoned
    with cumin, ginger, cayenne, paprika, cloves and cardamom ($9).

    But if you think vegan when you think of Namaste, you are missing a lot of what this very fine little cafe has to offer.

    There is
    a depressing sameness to a lot of the local south Asian restaurants. They look
    the same, they have the same menu – think rogan josh and chicken masala and
    dried-out tandoori lamb and shrimp biryani – they have crappy wine and beer
    lists, and the décor is too frumpy for a date or special occasion. (Legend has
    it that the reason the old-style Indian restaurants mostly taste the same is
    because of a very efficient "three-pot" system – everything on their menu is
    concocted from some combination of three basic sauces, plus some spices.)

    Namaste
    is different, and it’s not just the Nepalese dishes, like the momocha dumplings
    and the green soybean soup. It’s one of the few south Asian restaurants in town
    that actually looks stylish enough for a date or a special occasion, and offers
    a decent wine and beer list.

    One big
    difference is, everything tastes a lot fresher than at the usual south
    Asian restaurant. They use local and organic ingredients whenever possible, and most dishes seem to be prepared
    from scratch.

    But another big difference
    is that while the appetizer list at most Indian restaurants leans towards the
    deep-fried – think samosas and vegetable fritters – Namaste’s starters includes
    street-food snacks like paapri chaat, a pile of chick peas, spiced potatoes and
    chutneys topped with chopped raw onion, tomato and cilantro, or chana chatpat,
    a similar snack dish made with garbanzo beans, peanuts and rice crispies.

    There is
    a lot more on the menu that I would like to try, including the coconut curry
    with tofu, eggplant and mushrooms ($12), the squash curry with bison ($14; also
    available with tofu for $11), and the cashew yogurt curry, prepared with
    chicken, fish or tofu.

    The beer
    list includes Summit EPA, Pilsner Urquell, Fat Tire and Finnegan’s on tap ($5),
    and several more in bottles ($4). The wine selection includes about 30
    by the bottle ($16-$70, with most under $30) , and a dozen by the glass
    ($4.50-$8). Most of the labels were unfamiliar, but I can vouch for the Routas
    Wild Boar Cabernet ($7/$21) and the Cristalino Brut Cava ($6/$18), a very
    drinkable Spanish bubbly at a reasonable price.

    During happy hour (Tuesday through Sunday, 3-6 p.m.), all the beers and wines by the glass are
    two-for-one, and the appetizers (regularly $5-$9) are all priced at $5.

    Namaste Cafe Cafe, 2512 Hennepin Ave S, Minneapolis, 612-827-2496.

  • Happy Fun Friday: Hamas Edition

    As snowbirds throughout the southern half of the country
    point and laugh maniacally at the spawn they left behind in this wintry
    hell     known as Minnesota,
    we turn our attention to warmer climes. No, not Eldorado, Texas,
    where, until recently, polygamy was alive and far
    too pug fucking ugly     and insecure to land anything but a harem full of nigh-prepubescent
    brides. Nor France,
    where President Nicolas Sarkozy enjoys the $91,000
    view     every morning on his way to do battle with
    pirates    .

    No, the warmer climes in question are those of the promised
    land. While Iraqi insurgents and terrorist groups are promising upstarts in the
    world of suicide vests and improvised explosives, Hamas – the original
    jihadists – throw 72
    virgin parties like no others    . What’s more, the promise of such a party is quickly
    becoming the gold standard for sex ed in Gaza
    schools, where Hamas has complete control of public services – including the
    education system. While elsewhere in the Palestinian territories, as well as
    other countries in the Muslim world, children get an education grounded in
    science, math, and reading, kids in Gaza
    get the extremist full-court press.

    So this Happy Fun Friday, gentle reader, I bring you the virtual
    experience of a Gaza schoolboy, happily practicing suicide runs and being
    indoctrinated in the nonsensical ways of the martyr whilst Israeli attack
    choppers hover overhead and ground forces "engage targets of opportunity". But
    best of all kids, race home to beat curfew, pour yourself a big bowl of cereal
    and plant yourself on the couch to Tomorrow’s Pioneers – award-winning Hamas
    programming that teaches children the beauty of martyrdom. When Elmo blew himself up for
    the glory of Allah     I was moved to tears.

    Of course, I’m sure when these kids grow up, they’ll see
    that the Western world actually wants nothing but the best for them and won’t
    remember anything the Dane devouring bunny taught them. But hell, the Israelis are embedding
    psychotropic drugs in latkes to ensure their children grow up to be killing machines,
    so fair is fair.

  • The Postponement Blues

    Early April baseball in the Midwest can be a flat-out teeth-kicker. Baseball, of course, can kick your teeth in on a regular basis no matter the month, but shit like last night is brutal, even if it (literally) comes with the territory. Couldn’t they at least have given us a rain delay, so we could have stretched out the night a little bit?

    Remember when the Twins used to play in the American League West, back before the greedy fucks starting monkeying around with the divisions and came up with the utterly inane unbalanced schedule? Back then the Twins played in a division with teams like California, Oakland, Texas, and Seattle. Now you’ve got five northern teams in the Central, and at least for the next two years the Dome provides the only sure refuge from the dodgy weather in the first weeks of the season.

    Maybe somebody can explain to me how the schedule makers manage to send the Twins on their first road trip of the year –in the second week of April– to Chicago, Kansas City, and Detroit. It makes absolutely no sense.

    The weather we’ve been having –on opening night, for instance, and last night (both in Chicago and here)– has already had people wringing their hands about the wisdom of building the new downtown ballpark without a retractable roof. I understand that, certainly; I also wish like hell the Pohlads had poneyed up for a roof, and have some pretty raw memories of making the trek up to Met Stadium as a kid only to have to sit through rain delays that resulted in eventual postponement. I’ve also been rained out in Kansas City, both parks in Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Milwaukee, and New York.

    No doubt about it, it sucks. It always sucks. It messes with the day-to-day, day-after-day rhythms of the game, particularly early and late in the season. But while sitting through close to a thousand games in the Dome –the Twins moved into the dump the year I moved to town– I’ve gained a little perspective on rainouts. For the last ten years, for every game I’ve attended, I’ve made a plus or minus notation in my scorebook. Pluses represent all those games where I would have been at least relatively miserable sitting outdoors watching a baseball game. A double plus generally means either the game wouldn’t have been played were it not for the Dome, or I wouldn’t have slogged through the weather to sit through it. A minus has come to represent sort of the Dome version of a rainout: those are the afternoons or evenings where it felt like a crime to be sitting indoors on a beautiful day watching a game that was invented to be played outside on beautiful days.

    I can tell without going back through all of my scorebooks that the minuses probably outnumber the pluses by at least five-to-one, which is something I suggest we all keep in mind during the dark early days of this season, and when the Twins finally do move into that new ballpark in 2010.

    Shit, just on principle I’m going to feel obligated to gut out games in the new yard even on miserable April and September (and –knock wood– October) nights, because I know how damn grateful I’m going to be for all those beautiful days and nights in between.

  • And Don't Forget the Book Awards on Saturday

    BOOKS & AUTHORS
    What’s so Minnesotan about the Minnesota Book Awards?

    This evening, enjoy a special Raking Through Books featuring the nominees of the 2008 Minnesota Book Awards (on Saturday). How often do you get to discuss literature with some of the top writers our Cities have to offer? How often do you even get them in the same room, for that matter? Tonight you can mix and mingle with the likes of Mary Logue, Annette Atkins, Catherine Watson, Joni Tevis, Wang Ping, and Leslie Adrienne Miller. And when you get out of Kieran’s you’re just a hop, trip, and a jump away from the next event.

    Friday from 6 to 8 p.m., Kieran’s Irish Pub, 330 2nd Ave. S., Minneapolis.

    WINE & DINE
    An Affordable Feast with Big Red Wine Flights and Music

    Last week, Ann Bauer wrote about the wine steals at Cue in Beyond the Cask. This week, the rest of us wine, food, and music lovers can enjoy them ourselves. It’s looking like we’re going to need a little something to warm us up, and I can’t think of anything better than some full-bodied big reds. Enjoy a three-course meal for only $30, and choose from three Big Red Wine Flights (tailored to the size of your wallet). Then sit back, relax, and drink in the big rich sounds of vocalist Arne Fogel and his trio. Try your luck in the silent wine auction, featuring Cue Cellar gems. But before you go, be sure to visit the gem upstairs; the view from the endless bridge is bound to be priceless this evening with the snow falling.

    Friday from 6 to 9 p.m., Cue at the Guthrie, 818 S. 2nd St., Minneapolis.

    THEATER & PERFORMANCE
    Romeo and Rusalka

    What separates the typical Disney flick from most operas is not just
    the animation or the language, but the ending, the resolution. True,
    not all operas end in tragedy (though most do), but even the
    happily-ever-afters come laden with sacrifice and cost-of-learning, so
    to speak. And let’s face it, someone usually dies. This Saturday (through next weekend), the Minnesota Opera brings us Anton Dvorak’s Rusalka, a beautiful Little Mermaid-like
    fairytale without the happy ending. Named after the Vysoka country
    estate (just south of Prague) where Dvorak took residence in 1884 —
    with Rusalka Lake at its core — the Czech opera tells the story of a
    water nymph who falls in love with a prince. But in the world of opera,
    as in Shakespeare, two worlds colliding can only lead in tragedy — a
    tragedy, of course, made all too beautiful by Dvorak’s composition. A
    bit on the Wagnerian side perhaps, the music reinforces the "collision"
    by creating two entirely unique sound-worlds. Conductor Robert Wood, stage director Eric Simonson, and choreographer Mathew Janczewski lead an illustrious cast in this Minnesota Opera performance, featuring the return of Minnesota native Kelly Kaduce in the title role, and Brandon Jovanovich as the Prince.

    Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, 345 Washington St, St Paul, 651-224-4222; $20-$150.

    FILM
    Cave Women on Mars

    This Saturday is the world premiere of Cave Women on Mars, by local filmmakers Christopher Mihm and Josh Craig. You may know them already from previous releases — which also premiered at the Heights — The Monster of Phantom Lake (2006) and It Came From Another World! (2007). It seems like they’re determined to put out a kick-ass black & white ’50s-like flick every year. And that’s ok by me. Their latest quest follows two astronauts to the red planet, where they discover an earth-like atmosphere and sexy warrior cave women. Could it get much better? This stuff is a must for anyone with a little bit of twist. Stick around for cake after the movie, meet the cast and crew, and enjoy a special on-screen trivia/sing-along screening of The Monster of Phantom Lake.

    Saturday at 6:30 p.m. (film at 7:30 p.m.), The Heights Theatre, 3951 Central Ave. NE, Columbia Heights; $5/$6.

    SPECIAL EVENT

    Journey to the Middle East

    It’s Middle Eastern Night at the Suburban World,
    so prepare to be transported. This is no little ride; it’s the whole
    shebang — a full evening of Middle Eastern wonder, and a great
    date-night to boot. Begin your evening, as all good evenings should
    begin, with some lovely wines (Pinot Noir, Beaujolais, Macon-Villages,
    and Cuvee White) provided by Gina Miranda of Bellboy Corp. and Georges Dubeouf French Wines. Then slide down the tongue to the belly, and enjoy a three-course meal prepared by Restaurant Aura:
    Tabouleh salad, pita bread, Kefta meatballs served on a bed of saffron
    rice with a tomato based Chermoula sauce, and baklava for dessert.
    Lovely baklava! As soon as the sweetness hits the tongue you can settle
    back a bit and prepare for the feature film, Promises.
    This heartbreaking documentary shows the making and breaking of a
    relationship between a Palestinian boy and a pair of Israeli twins
    brought together by their shared love of sports. But it doesn’t end
    here. When the movie is done, the belly dancing begins and the Touareg Live Band will make it their mission to get you shaking those hips.

    Saturday at 6 p.m., Suburban World Theatre, 3022 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, 612-822-9000 or 952-451-1400; $30, $36 w/wine.

    And on Sunday, head over to Nina’s Coffee Cafe to learn about Reason, Faith, and Story-telling from former Utne editor Jon Spayde, author of How to Believe.

     

  • Walk It Off

    first published at www.realbuzz.com

    Tapes ‘n Tapes
    Walk It Off

    As disgruntled as Tapes ‘n Tapes
    may try to sound — stretching their voices, writing somber lyrics,
    going heavy on guitars — the songs on Walk It Off, their second
    full-length album, easily remain within the realm of pop music. This is
    a good thing, I think. And, because of their geography, it was
    unavoidable all along. It seems Tapes ‘n Tapes is the latest in the
    line of music acts from Minnesota (Soul Asylum, then Semisonic, then
    Mason Jennings) to sound happy and gain popularity, despite
    themselves.

    And so, the quartet went on to infiltrate the blogosphere, garnering
    the respect of those whose opinions are Truth to hipsters everywhere.
    They even got a mention on MTV’s Human Giant show, which is something
    of a mainstream cult phenomenon (no longer an oxymoron). The rest is
    what’s happening right now.

    The big difference between Walk It Off and all their previous releases
    (an album and a couple EPs) is the production. Their first CD was
    recorded, reportedly, in a fairly primitive cabin in Wisconsin, and
    indeed many of the tracks sound a bit grainy and raw. For Walk, they
    enlisted producer David Fridmann,
    who’s worked with many of the bands to which Tapes ‘n Tapes are often
    compared, such as Weezer, Phantom Planet, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.
    Really the sound is much cleaner, putting the correct emphases now on
    the vocals, now on the instrumentation.

    Their style can be described, I think, as ambient alternative rock.
    All the musical elements seem to hug each other — the guitars and drums
    and lyrics all sort of intertwine and mold to each other — making for
    songs that are atmospheric in their impact.

    Lead singer Josh Grier does that British garage band thing with his
    voice, making it sort of whine and yawn at the same time. This is best
    exemplified on "Conquest," a Latin-tinged track ripe with lyrics about
    solitude. "When you’re next to me, the feeling’s cold," Grier croons,
    but kind of happily. These are songs about heartbreak, sung with
    something like rapture. And when they stick to this aesthetic, as they
    do on "Le Ruse," "Headshock," and many of the songs on Walk
    It Off    , it totally works.

    But on other tracks, they can get a bit too experimental. "Blunt" gets
    blunted when it dissolves into a pile of noisy dissonance. And "The
    Dirty Dirty," an ’80s-infused piece, ultimately tries too hard to sound
    un-like the rest of the album. I’m not saying that a band should find
    one sound they do well and just stick to it for the rest of their
    careers, but change has to come naturally, and here it seems a bit
    forced.

    For the most part, though, their songs maintain an
    upbeat-but-downtrodden character that makes for complex, satisfying
    listening. Walk it Off should help build the group’s reputation, and be
    ample fodder for the next round of blog posts.

    Tapes ‘n Tapes will be playing this evening, April 10th, at First Avenue.

  • Abbreviated Three-Pointer: No D in Wolves

    Game #78, Home Game #40: New Orleans 122, Minnesota 90

    Season Record: 19-59

    1. Trying to Trade Baskets

    The Minnesota Timberwolves shot 73.3% in the third quarter last night, 11-15 FG, including 3-4 from beyond the 3pt arc. The worst shooting performances were Ryan Gomes and Chris Smith at 1-2 FG; Al Jeffeson was 2-3 FG, Rashad McCants was 3-4 FG, and Marko Jaric and Kirk Snyder were each a perfect 2-2 FG. Eight of those eleven baskets were assisted, led by Gomes with three dimes.

    The Wolves were outscored 41-27.

    The front line of the New Orleans Hornets annihilated Minnesota’s frontcourt, shooting a collective 14-18 FG, including a trio of treys by Peja Stojakovic, for a collective 31 points. Chris Paul chipped in 8 points on 3-4 FG and 1-1 FT and dropped five dimes with nary a turnover. Morris Peterson went 2-3 from the free throw line to complete the scoring.

    In the fourth quarter, the Hornets cooled down a tad, shooting only 57.1% (12-21) after the blistering 77.3% of the third. Alas, Minnesota could only muster 5-20 FG, making the final a blowout 32-point loss after being a bucket down at the half.

    Asked how tough it was going up against MVP candidate Chris Paul, Randy Foye was begrudging. A lot of it is the people around him–they have great finishers," said Foye, adding, "we were stopping him."

    The operative word in that last sentence is "were." Yes, Paul failed to register a field goal in the field half, arriving with just two points (2-2 FT) and one rebound at the break. Foye, meanwhile, had exploded for 16 points in the first period, including 4-4 from three point range in his 6-7 FG overall. But Paul also had 8 assists in the first half, compared to Foye’s 2. So if we compared the two *point guards,*, Paul generated only four fewer points–his 2 points and the 16 from his eight assists–than Foye’s 22 generated points (18 scored plus 2 assists).

    And that was the first half. In the second half, Paul shot 6-7 FG, added 3-4 FT, grabbed four rebounds and again dropped 8 dimes in the half, to finish with 16 assists versus one turnover. Foye went 0-6 FG and 2-2 FT in the second half, with three assists and zero turnovers. Final line: Foye outscored Paul 20-19 but got out-assisted, 16-5. Asked about what happened in that second half, he was still begrudging, noting that "I got in a little bit of foul trouble, picked up some cheap fouls."

    Paul’s teammates may be great finishers anyway, but it helps that the frontcourt towered over Minnesota’s front line by 3, 4 and 2 inches, respectively at the center, small forward and power forward positions. That explains how five of Paul’s assists were alley oop dunks.

    2. It’s The Meat (Size) and the Motion (Penetration)

    After the game, coach Randy Wittman bemoaned the fact that his team went with the jump shot as the default position. "We need that guy who will put it on the floor," he said. "We have struggled all year getting free throws–we had 9 tonight–and we’re settling for jump shots." When Foye’s first quarter scoring explosion was mentioned, Wittman re-emphasized, "Yeah he made some jump shots but then he kind of fell in love with that…We moved the ball pretty good but we have got to look for people who will put the ball on the floor and get to the rim."

    Asked if that is the team’s biggest need, Wittman gave an answer that should be applauded for folks who are sick and tired of smallball. "No, we need to get bigger. What is prefereable?" he asked rhetorically, the penetrator or the larger bodies? "Whatever presents itself. We also need outside shooters. Al is a willing passer."

    3. McCants and Brewer

    Whatever drama may have existed between Wittman and McCants is again on the back burner, as Shaddy played 30:09 off the bench and was his usual self, leading the team in points and field goals and tying Foye for the high in FGA. Foye and McCants combined for a gaudy 9-17 in three-point shooting and yet the ballclub still got pasted by 32 points. Not coincidentally, defense has been an achilles heel for both Foye and McCants this season.

    On the other side of the ledger, Corey Brewer continues the out-of-body experience of watching his season disappear down the rabbit hole. As happens enough to be something of a pattern this season, Brewer came out and stuck his first two jumpers, including a nifty dribble-drive left, put on the brakes and nail a fade-away sequence early in the second period. But then he came down and chucked up a heat-check J on the very next possession that clanked, leading to five more misses that were lucky if they clanked. Also in the second period, Marko Jaric drove beneath the hoop and fed the rook on the baseline for about a 10-footer that he flat-out airballed, a shot so inept that the 12,000 or so people in the stands were murmuring about it for the next 15 seconds. Then there was the four footer he was gift-wrapped in the second half that barely grazed the front iron. In all seriousness, I’m not certain giving Brewer any more burn in these final four games is a good idea. Better just to let him keep practing and then proscribe an off-season diet of milkshakes, bench presses, squats and cheeseburgers along with a daily diet of about 10,000 jump shots. The boll weavils have infested his confidence and it will take a few months to clean them away.