Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Weekend What's What 4/30-5/6

TRIP THE LIGHT ELECTRIC

This weekend is literally electrified! Not only do we have an abundance of exciting art exhibits opening but there are no shortages of amazing musical experiences to be had (and danced to). The Bent Festival rolls into Minneapolis for 3 days of innovative electronic music, art, and workshops, while local DJs fill clubs in all corners of the city and experimental musicians tantalize at the Walker. Expect a jolt of artistic inspiration!

xo-l'étoile

photo by Jake Armour for l'étoile
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WEDNESDAY APRIL 30TH

Willie Nelson's 75th Birthday Tribute

@ 331 Club
13th & University Ave NE
Northeast Mpls

9:30pm / 21+ / Free

Some l'étoileites have fond childhood memories of the music of Willie Nelson, while others have fond memories of his cameo in the movie "Half Baked". Either way, none of us can hate on Willie. Tonight at the 331 Club rock your best braids and bandanas and create some "Stardust Memories", or at least enjoy the $2.50 drink specials.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE 331 SITE
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THURSDAY MAY 1ST

First Thursdays in the Arts District

@ Various Locations
Northeast Mpls

5-9pm / Free

Get an Art-A-Whirl sneak peek at this monthly studio tour in Northeast Minneapolis. Visit a number of buildings all over the district, meet the artists, and pick up something artsy for Mom (Mother's Day is next week you know!)

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE NEMAA SITE
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THURSDAY MAY 1ST

Bent Festival Day 1

@ Intermedia Arts
2822 Lyndale Ave. S
Uptown

7pm / $10 ($25 for 3-day Festival Pass)

The Bent Festival kicks off this evening at Intermedia Arts with the premiere of art installations by Jason Wilhelm, Raul Gschrey, and Michael Una which will be on display all weekend, plus a concert with circuit bending electronic music phenoms Igloo Martian, Datura 1.0, Caly McMorrow, Brian McKenna, EraSer, and Beatrix Jar.

Co-Sponsored by l'étoile magazine and MAKE Magazine

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE BENT FEST SITE
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THURSDAY MAY 1ST

Artist Talk: Chris Johanson and Jo Jackson

@ The Walker Art Center
Walker Cinema
1750 Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis

7pm / Free (tickets @ Bazinet Lobby from 6pm)

Chris Johanson and Jo Jackson will be giving a free artist talk this Thursday (during Target Free Thursdays) at the Walker about their graffiti-inspired work and all-around cool lifestyle. Be sure to check out their show at Art of This Gallery opening on Saturday.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE WAC SITE
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ART-A-WHIRL SPOTLIGHT: DC ICE

St. Paul based artist DC Ice will surely charm you with her sugary yet dark painting and illustration work. Rooted in fantasy but also offering a clear window into her own psyche, Ms. Ice weaves a visual story of sensitivity, passionate despair, and girly nostalgia that we can't help but take a shine to.

See the work of DC Ice in "I Dreamed I Dream" presented by mplsart.com at the Fox Tax Gallery, opening over Art-A-Whirl Weekend.


DC Ice sat down for a chat with l'étoile this week...

Your work will be shown in the upcoming show at Fox Gallery curated by mplsart's Emma Berg called 'I dreamed I dream' - What can viewers expect from DC Ice in this show?


My art is thought of as sinister but sweet, hence my website: sinisterbutsweet.com. I used vintage and gilded frames to hold the illustrations of vicious yet playful dogs, deer and other creatures who are all suspiciously clever with questionable intent.

You are a new NEMAA member - are you planning to become more involved in the Northeast art scene? Where is your studio currently?


My studio is actually in my St. Paul home. I have been showing with the St. Paul Art Crawl for a few years and really wanted to start showing in Minneapolis on a regular set basis.

You have already shown your work at various locations town. What is your ultimate goal with your art?

BOOKS. I want to illustrate and write mounds of books that tell quirky short stories that carry semi-malicious imagery but underlie love and honesty.

Can you describe your inspiration for your characters and artistic style?


Drawing characters helps me tell stories and figure out my own feelings. I'm always trying to recreate a mood that I might not otherwise know how to explain. I get inspired from artists that I look up to, Nate Williams, Ann Faith Nicholls, David Choe, Edward Gorey...and the list goes on.

If you were not an artist what do you think you would be?

I'm not sure where I would be without art. It's my outlet and a safe place to store all of my secrets.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE DC ICE SITE
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FRIDAY MAY 2ND

Lutefisk Sushi Opening & AE Fundraiser

@ Altered Esthetics Gallery
1224 Quincy St. NE
Northeast Mpls

7-10pm / Free

Altered Esthetic unveils their art vending machine tonight, along with this year’s issue of The International Cartoonist Conspiracy's limited-edition mini-comics box set. Comic artists around the city have been test printing, inking, folding, and stapling their hearts out for this project. Did we mention tonight is also a fundraiser for one of the most prolific galleries in the city? Prepare for a silent auction, a raffle, door prizes, an even a hand cranked zoetrope! We know you’ve been lusting after one of those Lutefisk Sushi volumes forever - snap one up before it lands at the bookstore for $300.

CLICK FOR THIS ART EVENT AND MORE AT MPLSART.COM
Art by Dank!
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FRIDAY MAY 2ND

Bent Festival Day 2

@ Intermedia Arts
2822 Lyndale Ave. S
Uptown

7pm / $10 ($25 for Festival Pass)

The second day of Bent Fest activities continue with a workshop headed by Chicago's Michael Una, who will demonstrate how to apply circuit bends via MIDI and other applications like drum machines. Stick around for live music from 8pm-Midnight from Ronald J. Schleper, Life as Number Five, Talking Computron, Sounds Happy, The Circuit Ben Reaction (UK), and Loud Objects (NYC)

BONUS: After Party @ The Bedlam Theatre featuring Tentacle Boy and Hot Tony. Midnight / 21+ / Free

Co-Sponsored by l'étoile magazine & MAKE Magazine

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE BENT FESTIVAL SITE
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FRIDAY MAY 2ND

Hotel

@ The Kitty Cat Klub
14th & University
Dinkytown

Join party-starter Jonathan Ackerman for the latest installment of his popular monthly event, Hotel at the Kitty Cat Klub. Special guest Asher Diamonds from The Glamour (Milwaukee) joins in the fray to make your evening a pure dance frenzy.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE HOTEL MYSPACE
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FRIDAY MAY 2ND

Beautiful Losers Screening

@ Walker Art Center
Cinema
1750 Hennepin Ave.
Minneapolis

7pm & 9:30pm / $10 ($8 Members)

Street, Graffiti, and DIY art is here to stay. Similar to the book of the same name, this documentary brings together artists who got their start the 1990s such as Shepard Fairey, Margaret Kilgallen, Barry McGee, and yep, Chris Johanson. Need we say more? Director Aaron Rose will be there to take your questions after the 7pm screening.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE WAC SITE
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FRIDAY MAY 2ND

Todd Bratrud: Volcom Pin-Up Series

@ Umber Studios
3109 East 42nd St.
Minneapolis

7pm / Free

Skate your way over to Umber Studios this Friday and maybe Todd Bratrud will customize your board! Well...probably not, but at the very least you can feast your eyes on some juicy skateboard-inspired pin-up art and sip adult beverages with the cool cats at Umber Studios!

CLICK FOR THIS ART EVENT AND MORE AT MPLSART.COM
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FRIDAY MAY 2ND

Get Cryphy!

@ VIP Room
701 1st Ave. N
Downtown Mpls

10pm / 18+ / $3

You are a VIP, right? Which is why your rightful place is at First Avenue’s VIP Room tonight getting DOWN to the sounds of Jimmy 2 Times and Plain Ole Bill with special guest Deejay Grocery. In case you're wondering, Hyphy + Crunk = Cryphy. Look it up in the Urban Dictionary then get yourselves down to the VIP.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE PUSH MYSPACE
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COOL LINK: DESIGN AND THE ELASTIC MIND

Design and the Elastic Mind is an exhibition of MoMA: The Museum of Modern Art that makes the case that form really does follow function! Spend some time exploring this awesome online exhibit and its equally cool interface, which plays upon the designers' ability to grasp changes in technology and translate them into objects people can easily understand.

The physical exhibit at MOMA closes on May 12th so if you happen to be in NYC, be sure to check it out!

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE MOMA SITE
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SATURDAY MAY 3RD

Walker Art Center Jewelry Sale

@ Walker Art Center
Skyline Room
1750 Hennepin Ave.
Minneapolis

10am-3pm / Free

The Walker Shop presents a special shopping event for those with good taste! The Skyline Room will be bustling and sparkling this afternoon as the WAC offers deals on beautiful pieces from the gift shop jewelry collection. Catch a deal on something shiny just in time for Mom's Day!

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE WAC SITE
Necklace by Karin Jacobsen
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SATURDAY MAY 3RD

Bent Festival Day 3

@ Intermedia Arts
2822 Lyndale Ave. S
Uptown

11am-Midnight / $10 ($25 Festival Pass)

The biggest day of the Bent Festival is here! From 11am-5pm check out a number of workshops and lectures on various forms of circuit bending, then at 5pm get your eat on at the Bent BBQ! Stay put for this evening's music program, which begins at 8pm and features Creme De Menthia, Memory Selector (see last week's edition of the What's What for our interview with Memory Selector), Albino Ghost Monkey, Tim Kaiser, DJ Tendraw (London), and Dr. Rek (Japan).

BONUS: 8-Bit After Party @ The Bedlam Theatre featuring Unicorn Dream Attack and Lameboy. Midnight / 21+ / $6

Co-Sponsored by l'étoile magazine & MAKE Magazine

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE BENT FEST SITE
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SATURDAY MAY 3RD

Second Runway

@ State Fair Grounds
Grandstand
St.Paul

7pm / $10 Adv - $12 Door

After the Living Green Expo stick around for this recycle-friendly experiment in fashion. A number of local designers were challenged to re-use clothing from the Goodwill to create fresh runway-ready styles. Featuring work from Ellen Dahl, Thom Navarro, Hilary Falk and more.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR MORE INFO
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SATURDAY MAY 3RD

Conclusions on Boundaries

@ Art of This
3506 Nicollet Ave. S
Minneapolis

7pm / Free

We are so happy Art of This is getting more funding, thus more amazing shows and well-deserved recognition! Tonight's installation by Chris Johanson and Jo Jackson includes video, found materials, sculpture and painting. The colorful and energetic work of these two artists has them pegged as major players in the contemporary art scene and we are not ones to disagree. We strongly suggest NOT missing this can't-miss show at Art of This!

CLICK FOR THIS ART EVENT AND MORE AT MPLSART.COM
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SATURDAY MAY 3RD

Fashioned

@ MN Center for Photography
165 13th Ave. NE
Northeast Mpls

7pm / Free

Grey Garden’s Little Edie always carefully considered her “costume for the day”, so what do our costumes/wardrobe say about us? Perhaps if we're lucky...fashion revolutionaries! Six photographers take on that question with portraits of clothing and their wearers tonight at the Minnesota Center for Photography.

CLICK FOR THIS AND OTHER ART EVENTS AT MPLSART.COM
Photo by Jessica Rowe
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SATURDAY MAY 3RD

Martin Dosh & Friends

@ Walker Art Center
McGuire Theater
1750 Hennepin Ave.
Minneapolis

8pm / $20 ($18 Members)

Take in the mashed up electro-jazz-hip-hop fused sonic blast that is Martin Dosh tonight at the WAC along with local and national special musical guests, including Andrew Bird, Jel, Jeremy Ylvisaker, Andrew Broder, Mike Lewis, and more!

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE WAC SITE
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SATURDAY MAY 3RD

Background Noise

@ Rosalux Gallery
1011 Washington Ave.
Downtown Mpls

7-10pm / Free

The works of Greg Priglmeier and Ben Garthus compliment each other in this new exhibit as their two totally different mediums reference the same concept: our urban environments and our interactions with them.

CLICK FOR THIS AND OTHER ART EVENTS AT MPLSART.COM
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SATURDAY MAY 3RD

Eccentric Beats 5 Year Anniversary

@ VIP Room
701 1st Ave. N
Downtown Mpls

10pm / 18+ / $8

Local party-bringers Eccentric Beats celebrate their 5-year anniversary tonight at the VIP in cooperation with Black and Bassheadz! In honor of this momentous occasion, the crew brings in influential Austrialian DJ and producer Phil K to rock the party alongside local faves Leon J, Symmetry Jen, and Ricky the Golden Child.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE ECCENTRIC BEATS SITE
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SATURDAY MAY 3RD

Themes

@ The Uptown
Lake & Hennepin
Uptown

8:30pm / 21+

Pianos! Baritones! Altos! This is epic music at its finest. If sound was a season, Themes would be late autumn, when the leaves are off the trees and it's chilly and a little spooky out. Let this charming group woo you with their good looks and good music at the Uptown this Saturday. Little Sister, Lacona, and Red Daughters join in the fun.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE THEMES MYSPACE
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SUNDAY MUSIC PICK: DJ NEOTERIC

Canadian DJ and producer Jeremiah Rusznyak aka DJ Neoteric is a definitely someone you should keep on your radar. His style fuses hip-hop, electro, Baltimore club, house, breaks, and many dance-worthy styles to create epic party fodder for the masses. Neoteric has been getting major play in the electronic music scene, most recently creating killer mixes for XMU Radio and popular music blog Discobelle. Already established and having played alongside such luminaries as Raekwon, Devin the Dude, and DJ Jam, Neoteric will soon take it to the next level by not only releasing a fresh single on the UK's Dubsided, but also starting his own record label (or so a little birdy tells us)!

Click HERE to download a free mix!

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE NEOTERIC MYSPACE
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SUNDAY MAY 4TH

May Day Parade and Festival

@ Bloomington & E. 25th St.
& Powderhorn Park
Minneapolis

1pm / Free

Giant puppets, cute dogs and tall bikes! Just a few of the reasons to anticipate the legendary May Day parade. In the Heart of the Beast Puppet Theater works overtime to create stunning, oversized puppets made with recycled materials for their annual May Day performance, which is as visually enticing as it is entertaining.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE MAY DAY SITE
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SUNDAY MAY 4TH

Face Candy

@ Artist Quarter
408 St. Peter St.
Downtown St.Paul

8pm / 21+ / $10

The Artists’ Quarter seems like that place that never left the beatnik era, and if hip hop was around back then you can be sure they’d be blending it with jazz. Tonight experience Eyedea’s spoken word add new dimension to jazzy bass and drums. We can dig it.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE FACE CANDY MYSPACE
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TUESDAY MAY 6TH

Silver + Gold

@ Clubhouse Jager
923 Washington Ave.
North Loop

Every Tuesday / 21+ / 10pm / Free

Join DJ Jonathan Ackerman and l’étoile magazine for an evening of sly winks and sideways glances every Tuesday at Clubhouse Jager. Create some mystery, sip 2-4-1 cocktails with pretty people, and dance the night away to electro, pop, and so much more. Flirt up a storm then visit letoilemagazine.com on Wednesdays for "missed connections" from the night before!

Sponsored by l'étoile magazine

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE JAGER MYSPACE
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Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Weekend What's What 4/23-4/27

SWEET SATISFACTION

Hopefully you've all recovered from the excitement and wonders of Fashion Weekend! We have, and we're happy to report that, despite a few well-deserved hangovers, we're stylistically satisfied thanks to the many informative and visually amazing events put on by our fashion community. Check out our post-Fashion Weekend coverage below and recharge your batteries for THIS weekend, which contains a treasure trove of art, film, and music events on both sides of the river!

ps-Thanks to all who came out to the l'étoile co-sponsored event, Connoisseur, at the Suburban World Theatre. We had a blast!

xo-l'étoile

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR OUR FASHION WEEKEND RECAP!
photo by Amy Pierce for l'étoile
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WEDNESDAY APRIL 23RD

Minnesota Mid-Fest Party

@ The Red Stag
509 1st Ave. N
Northeast Mpls

9:30pm-1am / 21+ / Free

Following the screening of Minnesota made film "Mondo Bondo", the MN State Film & TV Board throws a mid-fest party for the Mpls/St.Paul International Film Festival at the Red Stag Supper Club. Featuring drink specials, appetizers, and a performance by local burlesque crew "Le Cirque Rouge", not to mention plenty of interesting company.

For a complete Film Festival schedule, click HERE.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE FILM FESTIVAL SITE
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THURSDAY APRIL 24TH

Drawings by Brant Kingman

@ Salon Du Nord
325 Cedar St.
Downtown St.Paul

7-10pm / Free

The always interesting Brant Kingman does not disappoint with this new collection of drawings. His first exhibit in this medium in over 10 years, you can expect this prolific artist to bring the provocative, and the personality to back it up.

BONUS: Can't make it Thursday? Stop by during the St.Paul Art Crawl on Friday or Saturday evening.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE KINGMAN SITE
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THURSDAY APRIL 24TH

Family Funktion

@ 414 Soundbar
414 3rd Ave. N
Warehouse District

10pm / 21+ / $5

It's a dance-off! Featuring some of the cities busiest and most danceable DJs such as Eidolon, theDEVIOUSone, Jon Hester, Aaron Bliss, Little Aaron, Nik Gunz, Ghetto, and Brian Thomas. The perfect pre-cursor to the weekend!

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE SOUNDBAR SITE
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FRIDAY ART PICK: MNARTISTS MASHUP

Finally on YouTube, complete with a disco-fresh soundtrack courtesy of the Moongoons, Alphasuede brings you the mnartists mashup video produced by Clement Shimizu and Kate Iverson for last year's Festival of Appropriation.

See if you can spot your own art!




FRIDAY APRIL 25TH

Rock n' Raffle

@ Station 4
201 E. 4th St.
St.Paul

5pm-9:30pm / All Ages / $2

Up and coming shutterbugs from MCTC throw a rockin' benefit for the Minnesota Center for Photography at Station 4 this evening. Featuring a $1-per-ticket-raffle for over 20 works of photography, plus the sounds of local bands The Nina! The Pinta!, Estate, The Malmbergs, and Ambition Recliner.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE MNCP SITE
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FRIDAY APRIL 25TH (THROUGH SUNDAY)

St.Paul Art Crawl

@ Various Locations
Lowertown St.Paul

Friday 6-10pm
Saturday 2-10pm
Sunday Noon-5pm

The St.Paul version of Art-A-Whirl kicks off this Friday. Enjoy the beautiful weather with a leisurely stroll through Lowertown, explore the vast array of artist studios in numerous buildings in the area, then relax on the patio of the Black Dog Cafe (our favorite art crawl people watching spot) with a nice glass of wine. A perfect first date!

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE ART CRAWL SITE
art by Michael Bahl
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FRIDAY APRIL 25TH

Cursters Fantastico

@ Toomer Gallery
at SOOVac
2640 Lyndale Ave.
Uptown

7-9pm / Free

Painter and Sculptor Erin Currie exhibits her adorably dark work at the Toomer this month. Raised with a background in Scandinavian art and culture, Currie grew up drawing folklore inspired characters. Today her work is still filled with strange creatures, culminating in this interesting and whimsical body of work.

CLICK FOR THIS ART EVENT AND MORE AT MPLSART.COM
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FRIDAY APRIL 26TH

Friendly Freddie's Birthday Bash

@ Clubhouse Jager
923 Washington Ave.
North Loops

10pm / 21+ / Free

Help celebrate the birthday of Jager's most musically inclined Bartender, Friendly Freddie, and his equally friendly better half, Allison. Sit back and listen while Freddie performs his signature brand of funky experimental jazz and hip-hop fusion, then dance the night away to a surprise guest DJ spinning 90's rap and funk! $3 Jager Lagers and $1 Mystery Shots all night long.

CLICK FREDDIE & ALLISON FOR THE JAGER MYSPACE
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FRIDAY APRIL 26TH

Bitch Flowers Party

@ The Varsity Theater
1308 4th St. SE
Dinkytown

8pm / 21+ / Free

Join a bevy of fancy and fabulous drag queens at this festive spring soiree! A parade of performers, aerialists, and illusionists will grace the stage throughout the evening along with DJ sets by Lori Barbero & Irish Paddy and DJ Levine plus super special musical guest Oryon.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE VARSITY SITE
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COOL LINK: LIKECOOL.COM

One of the most fun gadget and design sites we've come across in recent memory. Chocked full of collectable toys, stylish frivolity, funky housewares, and randomly cool, if not useless products that we simply must have!

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE LIKECOOL SITE
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SATURDAY APRIL 26TH

Rox Jewelry Trunk Show

@ Spill the Wine
1101 Washington Ave.
Downtown Mpls

11am-5pm / Free

Stop in and sip a glass of vino with amazing jewelry designer and Fox 9 News babe Robyne Robinson. Set your sights on Robyne's recently created treasures hand-made with rare baubles from around the world, painstakingly selected and collected by the artist herself.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE ROX MPLS SITE
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SATURDAY APRIL 26TH

ArtiCulture Rummage Sale & Art Supply Swap

@ ArtiCulture
3745 Minnehaha Ave. S
Minneapolis

9am-5pm / Free

Come dig for treasure at this artsy weekend rummage sale! Catch deals on clothing, appliances, furniture, coats, purses, and plenty more. Bring your art supplies, swap or sell them to other artists, and meet some new friends while you're at it.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE ARTICULTURE SITE
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SATURDAY APRIL 26TH

Craftstravaganza

@ State Fair Grounds
Fine Arts Building
St.Paul

9am-6pm / Free

For the third year in a row, the artsy cool kids of Craftstravaganza put on an event to stitch, decoupage, and crochet home about. 75 vendors, 6 bands, and 9 hours of rockin' crafty goodness awaits you. Mom's Day is just around the bend, and nothing says I love you more than local artistry!

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE CRAFTSTRAVAGANZA SITE
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SATURDAY APRIL 26TH

So...What is This Really About, Then?

@ Umber Studios
3109 East 42nd St.
Minneapolis

8pm / Free

A grand experiment in collaboration! Local artists Andy DuCett, Ric Stultz, and Michael Joseph Winslow step away from their normal creative fortes to exhibit this 4-year long collaborative project. The artists draw, paint, and write at the same time, on the same piece of paper, to create an immediate-gratification-style piece of art. Over 40 of these works as well as a 6 foot wall mural will be on display.

CLICK FOR THIS ART EVENT AND MORE AT MPLSART.COM
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SATURDAY APRIL 26TH

Who's Piss is This?

@ First Amendment Gallery
1101 Stinson Blvd
Northeast Mpls

7-10pm / Free

The artistic powerhouse that is Aesthetic Apparatus show off their latest, and undoubtedly spectacular, works of screeprinted tastiness. Snap up not only new prints, but not-so-new prints, books, and other AA treasures. Also featuring the musical stylings of Everybell & Whistle and Birmingham Al's Wildcat Revival.

CLICK FOR THIS ART EVENT AND MORE AT MPLSART.COM
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SATURDAY APRIL 26TH

April in Paris

@ The MMAA
50 W. Kellogg Blvd
St.Paul

8pm / $10 - $8 Advance

Partake in this lovely evening event at the Minnesota Museum of American Art as part of the ART HERE series. Enjoy cocktails, live music by Dreamland Faces, and a film screening of the Academy Award winning "La Vie En Rose", an engrossing story based on the life of French singer Edith Piaf.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE MMAA SITE
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SATURDAY APRIL 26TH

Nobot & Estate Magical Remix Project

@ The Nomad
501 Cedar Ave. S
West Bank

9:30 / 21+ / $5

Like-minded electronic music makers Nobot and Estate join forces to bring you the Magical Remix Project, a earbending adventure in sound manipulation...with a danceably cute beat! DJ Bach on decks rounds out the evening.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE NOBOT & ESTATE MYSPACE
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SATURDAY APRIL 26TH

Black

@ The VIP Room
701 1st Ave. N
Downtown Mpls

10pm / $5

If you are old enough to remember the rave days of yore, you'll surely recognize the names Woody McBride aka DJ ESP and Cat in the Hat. Party like it's 1992 at this old school technohead reunion in the VIP Room featuring Woody McBride and DJ Cat in the Hat, along with David Diagonal and Little Aaron.

BONUS: Too Much Love in the Mainroom features resident DJ Soviet Panda with Poptastic & Konsept (CHI). Sweet!

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE BLACK MYSPACE
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SUNDAY MUSIC PICK: MEMORY SELECTOR

This week's dreamy music pick hails from various locations in the Midwest, where creating "harmonic wave patterns" comes naturally and magical circuit bent noises are rampant! The daring trio of Michael Una (Chicago), Cameron Moore (Minneapolis), and Mike Simpkins (Minneapolis) make electro-acoustically charged mood music suitable for a futuristic space odyssey or simply geeking-out on a rainy day.

Gearing up for next week's Bent Festival, May 1st-3rd at Intermedia Arts, the boys of Memory Selector sat down with l'étoile to talk circuit bending, creative process, and more...

We love that you describe your music as "electric-rainbow jams", can you tell us about your creative process for making music?


There's several elements at play here. First, we mostly improvise all our music, but not in a free-jazz-noise way; we've played together a lot and have a similar aesthetic, so we can generally intuit where everyone wants to go in a cohesive way. Another element is this idea of looping and sampling ourselves and each other as we play, folding interlocked layers together in a polyrhythmic swirling mass. The last piece of the triforce is a shared love of bright, bubbly sounds and head-nodding rhythms. While each of us generates sound using different tools, we're still approaching the same idea from different angles. The result is sometimes psychadelic, sometimes dreamy, always bouncy and fun.

What are some of the most unusual items you have used to create sound?

Mike Simpkins has some rare and unique synthesizers that we love, like the MS-101 or his Soundlab Mini-Synth built into a lunchbox. Cameron runs his guitar through many, many effects to achieve textural variations, including a distortion box that was built in Russia. Michael Una has a big box full of circuit-bent toys like the "Wizard Wand," homemade devices like the "Flash Radio Oscillator" that looks like a bomb, and an electrified african thumb piano.

How did you come together to form Memory Selector?


Memory Selector is the result of long-distance friendship between Michael Una and Cameron Moore - we went to college together and moved separate ways. It's similar in concept to The Postal Service, but instead of sending tracks via snail mail, we use email and then travel to practice and play out occasionally. Mike Simpkins runs an internet music label that has featured music by Michael Una, and generally joins us on recording sessions and Minneapolis gigs.

What can we expect at this years Bent Festival?

First of all, there will be lots of brightly colored plastic objects everywhere. And a lot of those will be buzzing, squelching, and bleeping, usually in the hands of someone with a big smile on their face. You can expect to get hands-on with pretty much everything. And you can expect to learn a lot about electronics and cheap-but-effective human interface. Mike Una will be conducting a workshop on building a robot that can be programmed to play acoustic drums, and there's be other workshops about circuit-bending, building a Theremin, and more. There will be live performances by people wearing costumes. There will be a barbeque and beer-drinking, and camaraderie of the geekiest variety. There will be beats and dancing and probably some crazy nerd fashion as well.

What's next for Memory Selector in 2008?

2008 should see a further refinement of process, and maybe a few more gigs. Having the technology to travel lightly and play improvised, high-tech sets has been the real task of this project. We finally have a solid infrastructure to do this, and its only getting better. We're working on a mind-blowing live show involving lasers and sound-reactive wearable LED suits, surround sound output for our live shows, and 3-D projections that will require the audience to be decked out in those blue-red white cardboard glasses. And we have other secret plans in the works involving robots and bicycles and melting your reality.


For more info on next week's Bent Festival co-sponsored by l'étoile magazine and MAKE Magazine click HERE.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE MEMORY SELECTOR MYSPACE
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