SCIENCE
Star Gazing
Who would have thought that reaching for the stars only meant a short drive to Champlin. The Jackson Middle School Observatory is hosting a public star gazing this evening. Tour the observatory, see constellations in the Spring sky, and discuss your findings with the staff on hand. The public star gazing will occur whether clear or cloudy, but may be canceled due to foul weather. Check here for news on cancellations. And remember to dress for the weather. Park in the school’s West lot, and walk behind the school — between Park View Kindergarten Center and Jackson — to get to the observatory.
8:30 p.m., Jackson Middle School Observatory, 6000 109th Ave., Champlin; 763-506-5372; free.
MUSIC
Thirteen Clear-Singing Cocks
Named for the “clear-singing” rooster in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, the San Francisco based vocal ensemble Chanticleer was founded in 1978 by tenor Louis Botto. As the name suggests, the Grammy award-winning ensemble is best known for its vivid interpretations of vocal literature, from Renaissance to jazz, and from gospel to venturesome new music. With its seamless blend of thirteen male voices, ranging from countertenor to bass, the ensemble has earned international renown as “an orchestra of voices.” The highlight of this evening’s performance is the premiere of a piece entitled Jalepeno Blues, set to the words of Chicano poet Trinidad Sanchez Jr.
7:30 p.m., Fitzgerald Theater, 10 E Exchange St., St. Paul; 651-290-1200; $27-$27.
Fill a Strange Vacancy
Danny Jack started out playing solo last summer after self producing the LP Three Chords Maybe Four. And while he still plays solo from time to time — you can catch him tomorrow night at Dusty’s — his main focus is now on Strange Vacancy, a new band playing his original music. Other band members include Dane Larson on drums, Hugh Springer on bass and vocals, and Jeff Stender on guitar. Tonight’s show offers an interesting mix of music, as they’ll be playing with The Twin Cities Playboys — who play a wide range of folk, bluegrass and country — and Morrison,
8 p.m., Fine Line Music Cafe, 318 1st Ave. N., Minneapolis; 612-338-8100; get free tickets here.
Watch and listen to Strange Vacancy.
Listen to Strange Vacancy.
Listen to The Twin Cities Playboys.
COMEDY
A Middle-of-the-Week Laugh
Get a good laugh this evening. Tony Woods will be performing his first show in a 4-show stretch at the Acme Comedy Company. Recently brought to the forefront by Comedy Central, Woods knows how to play an audience and bring them into his strange world. His playful and cool demeanor, combined with sharp and mischievous subject matter, create a show that is unmistakably entertaining
8 p.m., Acme Comedy Co, 708 North 1st St., Minneapolis; 612-338-6393; $15 ($27 for dinner and show).
ART by Ann Klefstad
5 @ Gallery Co Ends This Week
This show gathers some of the city’s best younger artists, across a broad spectrum of styles and media. Sean Connaughty takes a thoughtful conceptual approach to the intersection of natural form and cultural tropes, using ink, photo, sculpture, words, and whatever else comes to hand. Clea Felien searches for the essence of portrait subjects in her small, left-handed drawings. Celeste Nelms constructs weird photographic metaphors whose open-ended resolutions act like telescopes that track the psyche’s trail across the sky of time. Ben Olson’s expressionistic self-portraits seem to look for the borders of the bearable. Melissa Stang hasn’t shown around here lately but was an important figure in the ’90s, with shows at the Soap Factory and elsewhere. It’ll be fascinating to see what she’s been up to.
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by appointment, Gallery Co, 400 1st Ave. N., Minneapolis; 612-332-5252.
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