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  • August 6, 2008: Easy Forecast/It's In The Hole!

  • Strawberry Fields Overgrow The Fringe

    FRINGE FESTIVAL
    Strawberry Fields Temporarily

    Wear
    your laughing pants (you know, the Zubaz with lightning bolts on them)
    to this uproarious Fringe performance at Interact Center for the Visual
    and Performing Arts. Strawberry Fields Temporarily is a one-man-show written, directed and performed by clever comedian and storyteller Ben San Del, also the brains behind the 2006 Fringe hit Mittens for Fat Kids.
    San Del will weave three true-life tales of "the humiliations
    of stand-up comedy, the consequences of pornography theft, and the
    celebration of life as a long and winding driveway," all of which
    you’ll be able to relate to in one way or another (and no, not just the
    porn part). This show is garnering nothing but praise for its humor,
    sharp delivery and witty, self-deprecating honesty – so make sure to
    mark it on your Fringe itinerary!

    10pm, Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts, 212 3rd Ave N #140, Minneapolis, $12 (plus $3 Fringe Button)


    MUSIC
    Habib Koité and Bamada

    Tonight’s kickoff of the Twin Cities Pan African Festival is a doozy! Malian guitarist and singer Habib Koité and his band, Bamada, hit the Cedar Cultural Center
    for an evening of vibrant rhythms and warm, soulful sounds that will
    have you dancing in the aisles. One of Africa’s most admired musicians,
    Koité and his band put a traditional spin on things by using
    instruments such as polyphonic hunters’ horns, a balafón (wooden
    xylophone), and a n’goni (a Malian lute) to compliment his mesmerizing
    guitar playing and rich vocals. Want to make an evening of it? Keep the
    African theme going with din-din at the nearby Red Sea, where you can not only sample the delicious foods of Ethiopia, but you can listen to music and get your drink on too!



    7:30, Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Ave. S., West Bank, $20





    SPECIAL EVENT

    Lake Hiawatha Neighborhood Festival


    Oh, South Minneapolis circa 1984, how I miss thee. I often reminisce on
    those endless summer months as a child, when being outside from sunrise
    to sundown wouldn’t leave me sun-stroked and cranky. Back when days
    spent swimming, lounging and playing on the beaches of Lake Hiawatha
    or Lake Nokomis would pass in the blink of an eye, and starting my day
    at 7 am didn’t seem unreasonable. Tonight, partake in a bit of summery
    South Minneapolis goodness at the Lake Hiawatha Neighborhood Festival.
    This event is totally family friendly, with all the typical fixin’s
    such as pony rides, face painting, a talent show, a sandcastle building
    contest, and of course, the staple inflatable Moonwalk (most
    likely staffed by a guy with a mullet). And for all you b-ball
    fanatics, the Minnesota Timberwolves will be hosting a basketball
    shooting contest. Summer is fleeting, so get out and work on that sunburn while you still can!



    5pm-8:30pm, Lake Hiawatha Park, 2701 E 44th St, Minneapolis, Free

  • August 5, 2008: Psychic Weather

  • Getting Propositioned

    While Minnesota has long touted its progressive credentials
    – enacting policies to help the nation’s huddling masses, deifying a well-intentioned
    former school teacher    , and allowing
    the irredeemably stupid     to perform police work – California has followed the teachings of its
    favorite son     and popped a cap in the state’s aspirations to be the nation’s
    Leftist Wingnut leader. And recent events have shown that no matter who is in
    control of the Minnesota legislature or
    occupies the governor’s mansion, the title will always rest firmly and
    attractively in California’s
    surgically enhanced décolletage.

    Simply put, it wasn’t enough for California liberals that the past year has
    involved defying
    the Bush administration’s largely ineffective EPA, bizarre sign of the
    apocalypse-esque cooperation between Republicans and Democrats to expand health
    insurance coverage, and the judicially mandated legalization
    of same-sex marriage    . No, the thrice damned Hollywood elite insists on rubbing
    organic Himalayan sea-salt in the wound by demonstrating that, not only is the
    state actually capable of passing its progressive policies, it’s also the home of what
    was recently demonstrated to be the most profoundly inbred and mentally
    deficient religious right population ever to swill merlot in Napa Valley.

    Whether their sad mental state is a result of abusive
    parents passing off lead paint chips as the latest flavor sensation by Pringles
    or simply a sign of the complete collapse of the Fresno
    and Burbank
    gene pools is immaterial. What’s important is what has set
    these ape-like creatures capering and gibbering    , and more importantly –
    lawyering up.

    Yes, now that the California
    courts have ordered the right of marriage extended to the godless heathens
    otherwise known as homosexuals, thus ensuring the sacred marriage bed will soon
    be populated with donkeys, chickens, and the
    pestilential creature now known as Emma
    Bunton    . However, the few conservatives who haven’t run screaming from
    California in anticipation of a Biblical rain of hellfire and the death of
    their firstborn have come up with an answer to this attack on traditional lights-out
    missionary style Judeo-Christian gettin’ it on – a constitutional amendment
    that will negate the thousands of legal marriages that have taken place since
    the judicial decision.

    Make no mistake, this is a historic proposition. Should this
    amendment pass, it will be the first time in the history of these United States
    that a specific population has been singled out in any state, or even federal,
    constitution to strip them of an existing right. This is nothing less than writing bigotry into the California constitution, not to mention a profound failure to uphold the true values of our country. The wording of the proposition
    is similarly stark:

    "Eliminates
    Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry."

    A straightforward, albeit bleak, description of the proposed
    amendment would seem to discharge the California
    attorney-general’s obligation to voters. Not so, say the aforementioned capering
    and gibbering creatures and their lawyers. While in many cases, the truth will set
    you free, in a situation such as this; the truth will result in you being
    accused of attempting to bias voters, triggering a lawsuit to change the
    language to something "less inflammatory."

    Whether or not it’s true that the attorney general’s
    sympathies lie with the friends of the Housewives of Orange County, or if his
    attitudes are influenced by a potential gubernatorial run, it’s largely
    immaterial. If a factual description of the amendment seems negative, then the
    proposition is, in all likelihood, negative. The goal is, after all, to
    invalidate the sanctity of a few thousand marriages, and deny the right to any
    other strapping gay lads and lassies who feel the nigh-irresistible urge to
    affirm their desire to forsake all other penises or vaginas under the auspices
    of God, Jesus H. Motherfucking Christ and the great state of California. And never mind the logistical nightmare that is trying to determine what to do with these now illegal marriages.

    Sure, Bible-thumping conservatives throughout the nation,
    including the Star Tribune’s own perm-wearing deep thinker,
    predict an epidemic of twisted relationships as a result of the perverted critical
    mass created by California
    homosexuals gaining the right to marry. And we have only just begun to see the
    bitter and brutal battle that’s sure to ensure in California courts to change the wording of
    Proposition 8. By the end of this we’ll have seen neighbor turn on gaybor,
    demonstrations in the streets that include far too much leather, and Holly
    Hobby finally having no choice but to turn her back on longtime friend Strawberry
    Shortcake and her alternative lifestyle    .

    But are not equal rights worth the final nail in the coffin
    for Minnesota’s
    dreams of regaining its glory as the number one land of rainbows and progressive
    values, not to mention a spate of man/dolphin weddings?

  • A Rakish Interview with Minnesotan(-by-Proxy) Author Bart Schneider

    This is Minnesota. There’s Café Barbette, there’s Galactic Pizza, there’s the Armajani Bridge stretching from the Sculpture Garden to Loring Park. Except really it’s a month from now, the Republican National Convention is in town, and there’s a right-wing/neo-Nazi plot underway to kill three Jewish abortion doctors. This is the world of Bart Schneider’s new novel, The Man in the Blizzard, a highly Minneapolized – and highly entertaining – page-turner that involves violins confiscated by the Third Reich, minor brainwashing perpetrated by a therapist/hypnotist, and the aforementioned murder conspiracy. The man enlisted to solve it all is private detective Augie Boyer, who is more prone to smoke a bowl and memorize a poem than to follow any leads. The Rake contacted the author – whose previous books include Blue Bossa, Beautiful Inez, and Secret Love– by phone, and talked with him a bit about his new novel.

    The Rake: You make a remarkable amount of references to local landmarks and businesses in this book; did you view this at all as a love letter to Minnesota?

    Schneider: It quickly became like that. For a while I was trying to figure out how to get back out here to California, which is where I’m from, but I spent twenty-five years in Minnesota. I raised a family there, had a career or two, and wrote a few books. And so I’m really fond of the place. I loved it at first because it had such a wonderful inferiority complex compared to California. And, you know, it’s so rich with culture. I wanted just to paint the place as well as I could.

    The Rake: Did you need a little distance from the state to imagine it as you have?

    Schneider: Nah. The three novels I published earlier were all set in California. So I did have the distance from those. But they were also set in the sixties and the seventies, when I was much younger, and couldn’t have been really fully cognizant of the experiences that were going on that I was writing about – the Civil Rights movement. But this one is set in the present tense, so I thought I should just go for it. Be right now.

    The Rake: Did any of the real personalities, like David Unowski (of Magers and Quinn), know they’d be in the book? And were they all right with it?

    Schneider: With David I asked permission, because I actually put words in his mouth. And he said, "Yeah, cool, cool." I didn’t really put words in anybody else’s mouth. So I hope nobody minds. I haven’t heard from Bill Holm, I don’t know if he’s seen it yet.

    The Rake: It seems like you got to have a bit of fun writing this.

    Schneider: It was a fun one. I needed to write something fun after my last book, which was about suicide.

    The Rake: There are some fairly explicit comparisons between right-wing republicans and Nazis…Were you (or your publisher) at all worried about alienating readership?

    Schneider: They publish Anne Coulter. So this is baby stuff compared to her, right? The Nazi thing came from the violin material, and I had that thought early on — it’s kind of fascinating that that’s really true. The Sonderstab music was some agency that sent bureaucrats in after the Nazis had plundered different cities to come assess and collect the instruments. And Hitler really was going to set up a museum of cultural items from vanquished civilizations.

    The Rake: Was politicizing the novel in the way you have your intent from the beginning?

    Schneider: It just seemed like a nice opportunity. I was writing the book before the convention was even coming to town. I just had this Labor Day thing, where women would give birth at the Capitol as a sort of rally. Which I didn’t think was that huge a reach, because if you remember Pawlenty in his first term sanctioned a Christian revival at the State Capitol. It’s just one step beyond, you know. And then, lo and behold, the RNC did me the great favor of setting the convention in the Twin Cities, on Labor Day. It seemed dumb not to work it in. I decided at a certain point that I really wanted to write a present moment novel, and I had a hard time at first before the convention thing fell into place, but that set it in stone.

    The Rake: Moving beyond the plot, you’ve dedicated this book "To the poets and all their mysteries." Just wondering if you’d riff a bit on that.

    Schneider: I came up as a poet, and it’s a part of my life. I get really excited about reading poetry. And Minnesota’s got such a core of wonderful poets. I’m dumb enough to be surprised that more people don’t read poems. It’s the same with fiction, but it’s even worse with poetry. When we listen to music, we don’t necessarily think we’re going to understand it, but I think people really come to poetry with that sense that it’s a riddle to be figured out.

    The Rake: And Augie — as the book progresses he becomes more and more existential. A couple times he mentions wanting to go away alone, turn off the ‘leaky faucet’ that is his world. Has poetry helped him?

    Schneider: I’d be shy of attributing anything practical to it. I think you read poetry and it does you good, but it’s not a cause-and-effect kind of thing. It’s a nutrient to feed yourself. And I like Augie’s pothead approach to it. I love when he says, "Having truly cultivated the dumb part of myself, I must have a fantastic aptitude for poetry."

     

  • The Favor Cafe: Miami Vice to Southern Fried

    It’s a scene enough to bring tears to a restaurant owner’s eyes. As
    we dined Friday night at the new Favor Café (the former Restaurant Miami), 913 W. Lake St., one party after another walked in the door – mostly young women
    dressed for a night of partying. Some of them sat down at tables, while others
    headed straight for the bar. And each time, the owner or a waiter had to inform them
    that, even though there was a well-stocked bar in plain sight, they could not
    order a drink – the restaurant is still waiting for its liquor license. (Our
    waiter said he hoped it would arrive in a week or two.)

    And each party then turned around and walked out the door.

    The food is traditional soul food and Cajun-Creole fare –
    fried chicken, fried catfish, seafood gumbo, po’boys stuffed with catfish or
    shrimp; salads topped with Cajun shrimp or chicken, plus chcken wings, hot
    dogs, a cheeseburger, and various deep-fried items – zucchini sticks, onion
    rings, French fries, hush puppies.

    fried chicken

    My Southern fried chicken dinner wasn’t bad – the chicken was deep-fried instead of
    skillet fried, and some pieces were meatier than others, but the flavor was
    good, and the accompaniments were classics: collard greens, candied yams and
    macaroni and cheese. If you like traditional American plain cooking, you’ll
    probably like the Favor Café. We were disappointed, though, with the Creole
    shrimp salad – the lightly breaded shrimp were plump and tasty, but there was
    no trace of any seasoning beyond salt, and the salad consisted of iceberg
    lettuce, sliced tomatoes and shredded American cheese.

    Favor Café also offers an all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch with
    live music for $18.95, including cooked-to-order omelets, catfish, fried
    chicken, turkey sausage, and biscuits and gravy.

    The old Miami Vice pastel blue and pink color scheme is
    still in place, but the walls are now hung with Afrocentric art, and the 80s
    disco sound track has been replaced by mellow R&B tracks from the same era.

    The previous owner sold the restaurant after he ran into trouble
    with liquor license violations, but I hope this won’t delay the new owners getting a license; they are likely to have a hard time making it on food sales alone.

  • Shakespeare Gets Zombified at the Fringe!

    If you haven’t noticed the trend by now, I plan on highlighting a
    Fringe play each day through the end of the Festival. Did you happen to
    see an amazing Fringe play that you think our readers should know more
    about? Plug it into the comments section below and tell me why you
    liked it – it could be tomorrow’s featured play!





    FRINGE FESTIVAL

    Shakespeare’s Land of The Dead


    I’m always a sucker for anything with zombies (or sharks, but that’s
    another story) so this fun Fringe play immediately caught my eye.
    Described as a "true and accurate account of the Elizabethan zombie
    plague," Walking Shadow Theater Company takes us on a wild ride set during the opening night of Sheakespeare’s Henry V at the Globe Playhouse. Mayhem rages throughout the streets in this well done zombie/Shakespeare mashup
    set in 1599 London. Walking Shadow manages to balance historic
    authenticity with zombie horror in a funny and clever manner – and even
    features some special guest stars such as Queen Elizabeth and Sir
    Francis Bacon for comedic effect. Written by John Heimbuch and Directed
    by Amy Rummenie. Runs through August 10th. Click HERE for specific dates and times.



    Tonight: 10pm, Rarig Center Thrust Stage, 330 21st Avenue S., Dinkytown, $12 (plus $3 Fringe Button)





    READING

    St. Paulitics: Harry C. Boyte



    Don’t think you can make a real difference in the world? Well, Harry Boyte
    believes you can, so much so he wrote a book about it! An activist,
    author and a senior fellow at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs,
    Boyte co-founded the Institutes’s non-partisan Center for Democracy and
    Citizenship – so he definitely knows what he’s talkin’ ’bout. Tonight,
    hear excerpts from his new book, Citizen Solution: How You Can Make a Difference
    which discusses techniques for individuals to raise public
    consciousness and effectively motivate community groups, with inspiring
    true stories about activists in Minnesota to prove it. And since you’re
    already in Highland Park, you might as well try out one of my fave
    Vietnamese joints, Vina, on Cleveland Ave & Ford Parkway, or if you’re in the mood for American fare, try the award-winning Highland Grill
    right across the street. Or, if you really want to be weird, go visit
    my parents – they live 4 blocks away from the library, but they
    probably won’t feed you.



    7pm, Highland Park Library, 1974 Ford Parkway, St. Paul, Free, Click HERE for your free tickets!





    MUSIC

    Bitter:Sweet



    The Varsity Theater scores two wins in a row with last night’s sold out
    Ting Tings show (which you may or may not have read about in yesterday’s Secrets), and tonight’s equally hot Bitter:Sweet show. Dirty dance to this sultry boy-girl duo from the glam land of Hollywood,
    as they seduce the crowd with their jazz-influenced trip-hop that
    wouldn’t be out of place in a James Bond movie. Ginger-haired lovely
    Shana Halligan sets a sexy mood with her sweet, Christina Amphlett tinged vocals set against Kiran Shahani’s beats that almost demand you drink a martini or three. Local Drum & Bass head DJ Hack opens the show with gusto.



    8pm, Varsity Theater, 1308 4th Street SE, Dinkytown, $12

  • August 4, 2008: Back To The Map

  • The Fringe Fest Waxes Poetic at The Ritz

    FRINGE FESTIVAL

    The Chasm: Two Prevailing Winds of Gabriela Mistral


    Based around the work of one of Latin America’s most respected poets, Gabriela Mistral, Disquietude Theater Company
    takes us on a lush journey that brings her poetry to life. This story
    of "the chasm between sorrow and hope" includes a visual feast of
    projected collage that illustrates the almost manic depressive nature
    of the production, along with fluid, unexpected movement – all set to
    the backdrop of a minimalist, post-rock score. Created through
    collaboration, The Chasm: Two Prevailing Winds of Gabriela Mistral ,
    is a battle of mood, passion, light and dark wrapped up in a cloak of
    beautiful words. Want to make an evening of it? After the play, head
    over to the nearby West Bank’s Bedlam Theatre aka "Fringe Central", for eats, drinks and Fringe-y recappin’ with like-minded folks.


    7pm, The Ritz Theater, 345 13th Avenue NE, Northeast Minneapolis, $12 (Plus $3 Fringe Button)



    SPECIAL EVENT

    Theater Talk



    It’s no secret that our very own Guthrie Theater is one of the most
    respected theaters in the country, or that our fine state boasts
    the most theaters per capita outside of New York! Aren’t we lucky? This
    evening’s highly impressive panel discussion will feature Midwest theater
    leaders Guthrie Director Joe Dowling, Children’s Theatre Company Artistic Director Peter Brosius, Chicago Shakespeare Theater Artistic Director Barbara Gaines and Steppenwolf Artistic Director Martha Lavey. It will also mark the very first time long-running PBS television program Theater Talk has been filmed anywhere other than New York City. Cool, eh? To get in on the taping hit up The Guthrie website and order online or call the box office at 612-377-2224 a.s.a.p. to snap up your tickets before they disappear!



    BONUS: This fall, keep your eyes peeled for not only tonight’s episode to air on PBS, but also an entire additional episode of Theater Talk featuring an inside look at The Guthrie along with an informal interview with Joe Dowling.



    7:30pm, Guthrie Theater, 818 2nd Avenue S., Downtown Minneapolis, $15-$35





    MUSIC

    The Ting Tings



    The pure cuteness that is The Ting Tings
    make a not-to-be-missed cameo at the The Varsity Theater tonight! Fresh
    off this past weekend’s Lollapalooza bonanza in Chi-town, this sassy British duo will make you dance, jump, bounce, bop, stomp, romp and shake that ass
    all night with their energizing and catchy electronic pop anthems.
    Perhaps best known for their super-fun hit tune "Shut Up and Let Me Go"
    that was featured in an equally fun ipod/itunes commercial, the Tings remind me of a sexier version of Bow Wow Wow crossed with Ethyl Meatplow
    – worthy of not only booty-shaking, but fist-pumping as well. The
    perfect pep-up for an otherwise mundane Monday. Hometown heroes Solid Gold open the show.



    6pm, Varsity Theater, 1308 4th Street SE, Dinkytown, $10

  • Strippers. On Sale.

    Pictured above: The 2003 EVO RS, the utlimate stripper. And what were you thinking?

    I’ve been away for awhile. Seems the economy is picking up a bit with the price of gas going down a cent. It’s all senseless to me.

    What I find equally senseless is the axiomatic ability for certain headlines to pull in readers on a blog. I would have titled this post differently but then I would not be able to avail my attorney friends of a great chance to save money on their rides. So here goes.

    Schizophrenic economies create opportuniities. To make the most of troubled times it frequently pays to zig while the denizens zag. And when it comes to that dance called buying a new car, it’s time to cast caution to the wind and put your money down on a stripper.

    Strictly, of course, in automotive parlance.

    "Stripper" cars remain the hot rodders’ favorite. They loosely describe a higher performance model with a total "option delete" except for the things that improve the driving experience.

    With gas going up, however (and watch it go down within a year if we simply threaten to drill), the average car guy or gal should take a look at these rides right now. I have never seen them priced so low and, frankly, because they are not penalized by nav systems and other electronics that add weight, they usually turn in respectable MPG.

    Here are my top three picks:

    4-door family cars:

    Used: The ninth generation Mitsubishi EVO RS.

    New: The new Mazda MX-8 R3 Edition

    2- door sports car:

    Used: The Porsche 996 GT-3 Less expensive now that a normal 911 and way faster. Way, way, way, faster.

    I’ve linked these for the details. You might get $5,000-10,000 off the asking prices on E-Bay. Do it now, before we shake down the oil speculators and the price on these road dancers goes through the roof.