When talent and friendship meet on stage, magic is bound to happen. And indeed it did. Old School Freight Train left their audience spellbound as they strummed and drummed their way through an energetic and soulful seventy-five minute set at the Cedar last week. For me, the time flew by much too fast. OSFT kept … Read more
The word ‘brain,’ you know, never once occurs in the ancient scriptures of the world. You will not find it in the Bible –the reins, the heart, and so forth were what men felt with. …Every man who thinks for himself and feels vividly finds he lives in a world of his own, apart, and … Read more
OK, I know what cheese is. And I also know — because I researched it once — why it exists. In nomadic societies, back when people had to carry their food on their backs as they moved from place to place, and spoilage was a huge and potentially life-threatening issue, particularly in the heat, tribes … Read more
I’ve been thinking a bit about Mike Huckabee. Of course, I’ve mostly been thinking about what a disaster for the country it would be to follow the idiot currently in the White House with another. But you’ve got to admit Huckabee would be funny. For example, let’s consider his performance on the Confederate flag in … Read more
Sorry I’ve been slow to update, but I wanted to send alert of this upcoming fashion show LATER THIS WEEK (Thursday) that’s titled, appropriately, Avoid The Grey. The show is being produced by Cliché, a fabulous Lyn-Lake area boutique. The intent, even more appropriately, is to inject some color into our beige-um-gray winter palettes, and … Read more
Peer Gynt: It’s a fairly good Guthrie production, in my humble view–although it would’ve been smart, even merciful, of the director, had he condensed the meandering fourth and fifth acts. But what I’m more interested in discussing here is the review penned by Star Tribune critic Rohan Preston, in which he derides lead actor Mark … Read more
MUSICJazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis Ever since Wynton Marsalis seized the reins of the JLCO in the early ’90s, both the orchestra and the organization have been hallmarks of supreme scholarship and top-notch quality control in the effort to enshrine jazz as America’s classical music. The only danger was that Marsalis would … Read more
Okay, this is the day to check and see what’s left in the fridge and needs to get served up before it spoils, and it looks like we have enough left-overs to make up a meal: a half-cooked review of the new Strip Club in Saint Paul, news of an upcoming beer dinner at North … Read more
For a long time, whenever people asked me to recommend a restaurant — not by food critic standards, but a personal favorite — I immediately told them to go to jP American Bistro. Why? It was everything: the simple, clean decor; the mid-priced menu with absolutely drop-dead beautiful, satisfying perfectly-proportioned dishes; the crack staff that … Read more
Judging by the size of last night’s audience, there should be tickets left to see Particularly in the Heartland. And if you happen to be the type who’s a little tired of our pop culture’s present mood (rampant cynicism peppered with ironic snark)–in other words, if the Colbert Report doesn’t entirely resonate, or if the … Read more