We're never disappointed in our dear Twin Cities. Even on the coldest of cold days, our hearty cohorts don't stop makin' the magic happen. In fact, we think they consider it a creative challenge when the weather is working against us! As if it's as easy and breezy as the month of May, this weekend encourages you to frolic and dance and make merry with your pals at various rock shows, parties and art openings. And why not? Spring will be here soon, so we don't see the harm in pretending! Just hold off on the short shorts, please.
xo-l'étoile
Photo by Eric Eul for l'étoile agency
THURSDAY JANUARY 28TH
Dunny Fatale Release Party
@ ROBOTlove
2648 Lyndale Ave. S.
Minneapolis
6-8pm / Free
(after party at Azia's A25 Sushi, 26th & Nicollet, 8-10pm)
Who doesn't love a dame-made Dunny? To the avid toy collector, the Dunny is Kidrobot's most iconic toy. To those not so plugged in, a Dunny is a figurine made of smooth, soft vinyl – the perfect blank canvas for artists to create custom designs on. The latest in the Dunny prototype, the “Dunny Fatale” series features creations ranging from cutesy to fierce designed by 18 talented female artists. To make matters more interesting, Dunnys come packaged anonymously so you don't know which one you'll get -- prompting trading amongst peers to collect the whole set! Stop by the ROBOTlove tonight as they host a Dunny Release/Trading Party featuring refreshments, raffles, special Dunny giveaways, and 10% off all ROBOTlove pop cult products. After you've traded to your heart's content, head over to street-chic A25/Anemoni Sushi for a 21+ after-party! Peep the new installation from artists Eric Inkala and Eric Carlson, which was art directed by none other than ROBOTlove owner Kristoffer Knutson. Save the receipt from your purchases at the shop and show them at A25 to recieve special deals!
Click HERE for the ROBOTlove site
THURSDAY JANUARY 28TH
The Best of Midwest Burlesk Opening Gala
@ Varsity Theater
1308 4th St. SE
Minneapoils
8pm / 21+ / $15 ($10 for festival performers)
Our local Burlesque girls are definitely going to be worn out after this weekend! Tonight’s gala kicks off a weekend of taking it all off in shimmying, curvy glory. Through Sunday, over 75 local and national performers will grace the stage at the Ritz Theater. Tonight's opening gala at the Varsity, however, will offer up a saucy, pastie-riddled expose of the most entertaining proportions featuring Foxy Tann on emcee duties along with Lola Van Ella from St. Louis, Tigger from NYC, and many, many more twirlin' and tantilizing on the stage. DJ Agent Orange spins everywhere in between to keep things lively. The shows continue at the Ritz Theater through the weekend so you've got plenty of options.
Click HERE for the more info on the Midwest Burlesk Fest
FRIDAY ART PICK: MIRANDA JULY IN VICE MAGAZINE
Oh, that Miranda July. What will she do next? Well, for now, the performance artist and creative instigator has gone and done a series of photos for Vice Magazine with the help of Roe Ethridge and a talented styling team. Taking stills from classic films, July dresses herself up as an extra from flicks like Grease and The Outsiders, making you look and look again at the original stills. Somewhat Cindy Sherman-ish, but with a fresh take on anonymity. Clever n' cute!
Click HERE to check out the pics at Vice Mag!
FRIDAY JANUARY 29TH
Instant Film Forever
@ Gallery 122 at Hang It
122 8th St. SE
Minneapolis
7-10pm / Free
In a digital world, artists Nadine Gross and Sam Hoolihan prefer to kick it old school – at least when it comes to photography. Over the last decade, the artists have perfected the art of Polaroid photography, documenting over-looked details and extracting hidden anomalies within the familiar. Tonight, join the artists for a collaborative exhibit featuring over 250 photos and prints emanating the color, minimalism, and instant gratification of Polaroid film. Meet artists and purchase original prints! On view until March 12th.
Click HERE for this art event and more on mplsart.com
FRIDAY JANUARY 29TH (THROUGH SATURDAY)
Channeling Carol
@The Bedlam Theater
1501 S. 6th St.
Minneapolis
7:30pm / $15
Blonde hair has never looked so good! Strut on over to the Bedlam this Saturday for an evening dedicated to icon Carol Channing! That’s right, ten artists have collaborated (including our 2009 “Best Gay”, Jaime Carrera!) to show off their sassy jazz moves, beautiful vocals and fabulous drag at the Bedlam. And Hello, Jaime! His piece, entitled Carolesque, takes house chores and men head on -- altogether a totally feminist hit! Also, keep your eyes peeled for the likes of artists such as Jeffry Lusiak, Kristi Turnes, Kristin Van Loon throughout the night of Carol mayhem.
Click HERE for the Bedlam site
FRIDAY JANUARY 29TH
Glitterball 3
@Music Box Theater
1407 Nicollet Avenue
Minneapolis
Happy Hour @ 6:30, Music @ 8pm / 21+ /$15 adv, $20 at the door
Calling all acid washed jeans, animal print skinnys and fashion mullets - it’s Rock the Cause’s Third Annual Glitterball! This years theme, "Big Hair, Big Hearts," is a trip straight back to the '80s. Chomp on some free jerky with a glass of tap PBR to DJ Jake Rudh’s dance sounds during the pre-show Headbangers Happy Hour. Or show up at the main event for Spinal Tap, AC/DC and '80s tributes by White Light Riot, Alison Scott, The Melismatics, The Notties, and The Bloodsugars. Bonus: free gear from the Twins, MN Rollergirls and The Vikings Cheerleaders, as well as big hair make-overs from Jungle Red Salon. Not to mention, the after hours dance party with Stellar Vector will shake you all night long.
Click HERE for the Facebook event page
FRIDAY JANUARY 29TH
Nightmoves w/ DJ Teikio Westmar
@ Club Jäger
923 Washington Ave. N.
Minneapolis
10pm-2am / 21+ / Free
Imagine, if you will, a magical scene: you're strutting your stuff on the dance floor. Whitney Houston's “How Do I Know” mashes into Passion Pit's “Sleepyhead,” and New Order's “Temptation” trainwrecks straight into “Maneater” by Hall & Oates. Some might call it an eclectic music utopia; we like to refer to it by its more informal moniker, Nightmoves. Led by DJ Teikio Westmar, tonight's dance sesh features a cornucopia of yummy tunes from new wave to hip-hop, indie rock to straight-up funk & groove tracks. Every track is pre-approved for supreme dance quality and guaranteed to make you drop it like it's hot. Per Nightmoves' Facebook invite request: bandito masks are encouraged. Hey, Zorro likes to get down too! Bonus: Our friend Thea will be DJing too!
Click HERE for the Facebook event
FRIDAY JANUARY 29th
Bomp!
@The Bedlam Theater
1501 S. 6th St.
Minneapolis
10pm / 18+ / $5
Finally January is coming to an end. And you know what that means...Bomp! Get out of the frigid January temps on the last Friday of the month to get down and dirty with the Bomp party people. Stop by one of the two dance floors for local faves like The Moon Goons, Jimmy 2 Times & Plain Ole Bill, Wzz Wnshp and Mike the 2600 King. Plus, the beats of Kid Vicious and Shannon Blowtorch will be blaring in the toasty fireplace lounge!
Co-sponsored by your friends at l'étoile
Click HERE for the Facebook event
COOL LINK: LAUNDERETTE
You know what l’étoile loves more than high fashion? High fashion that is making the world a better place. Our good friend (and former Minneapolitan) Sarah Ditty recently debuted her new blog, Launderette. Her mission? To "clean up dirty fashion.” She is constantly on the hunt for the top looks that are both aesthetically appealing and socially/environmentally sustainable via fresh, new designers, big producers, buyers, sellers, activists and creators. Not only are her picks totally hot, but they’re all benefitting the world in some way, shape or form through the materials used and/or how the piece was made. Thoughtful writing, beautiful images, and Sarah's signature wit round out a blog that we insist you bookmark asap!
Click HERE for the Launderette blog
SATURDAY JANUARY 30TH
Game On
@ 1419
1419 Washington Ave S
Minneapolis
7pm-2am / $3-5
Amazing! Participatory art like none other! The tinkerers at 1419 invited ten artists to fill four floors with games and game-like art. Shoot BB guns in Chris Pennington’s shooting gallery, challenge three other people to a game of ping pong, engage in a giant boffing battle, and play sonar tag. Who knows what one of our personal faves, Andy Ducett, has come up with, but we anticipate it’s going to be a blast.
Click HERE for this art event and more at mplsart.com
SATURDAY JANUARY 30TH
Cry Baby
@ Trylon Microcinema
3258 Minnehaha Ave S
Minneapolis
7pm and 8:45pm / $8
Let us set the scene...hot, hot Johnny Depp, crazy and kooky director John Waters and a cozy indie microcinema with only 50 seats. You haven’t seen this movie since the '90s, so let’s recap: Johnny Depp is a 1950s heartthrob who can shed a single tear. He falls in love with a girl from the other side of the tracks (the right side) and no one likes it. John Waters has fun with star-crossed lovers and at bit of inappropriateness, per usual. Iggy Pop, Ricki Lake and Traci Lords show up just to make it that much better. Crybaby also screens on Friday night.
Click HERE for the Take Up Productions/Trylon site
SATURDAY JANUARY 30TH
New Artwork by Nathaniel Smith
@Familia Skateshop
2833 Hennepin Ave
Uptown
8-10pm / Free
Drop in (pardon the skateboard pun, har har) to the Familia Skateshop this Sunday to peruse artist Nathaniel Smith's fresh, supersized Grayscale pieces. Celebrate, comment, critique and take pleasure in his magazine and portfolio inspired drawings. But if for some reason you have to miss out, don’t worry! His black and whites will be hanging on the walls of the local skate store for the entire month of February.
Click HERE for this art event and more at mplsart.com
SATURDAY JANUARY 30TH
Kill to Kill + Grant Cutler & the Gorgeous Lords
@ The Entry
701 1st. Ave. N.
Minneapolis
9pm/ 18+/ $5
Warp through the music eras tonight as 4 local bands deliver rock handed down from the decades. First up, enjoy deliciously distorted '60s garage beats from IS/IS, followed by a gritty, pop-induced set from Blue Sky Blackout. Then, don't miss as Lookbook beat prolific, Grant Cutler, trades in his synthesizers for baritone vocals and minimal guitar chords resulting in the new project, Grant Cutler & the Gorgeous Lords. Featuring members of The Plastic Constellations, Askeleton, and Brutal Becomings, the material strikes a blend between the 70's tunes of ballad prince Scott Walker and the confessional lyrical narratives of folkster, Leonard Cohen -- all pieced together with a modernized feel. Finally, stay tuned as headliners, Kill to Kill, generate moody '90s style noise-rock and caterwauling on par with the Riot Grrls.
Click HERE for the First Ave site
SATURDAY JANUARY 30TH
Red Flags + Poosa + James Loney
@ Nick and Eddie
1612 Harmon Place
Minneapolis
10pm-1:30am / 21+
Off the radar for a few, the down-home rockers of The Red Flags return to crank out the sonic assault and turn up the pop flavor at Loring Park's Nick and Eddie. For one evening only, catch Kill City quartet's Mike Leonard, Todd Petterson, Dave Randall and Tom Lischmann on-stage with fellow locals and indie surf rockers Poosa, as well as star roadie and long-time Twin Cities-based musician, James Loney. Snack on delicious Nick and Eddie eats and have a few brewksies while you enjoy some real rawk!
Click HERE for the Facebook event
SATURDAY JANUARY 30TH
Attitude City
@ Clubhouse Jager
913 Washington Ave
Minneapolis
10pm / 21+ / Free
The Attitude City boys are back at Jager once again for their monthly mix of badditude, blowing up the dance floor with a carefully curated cache of beats and creating the perfect setting to get buck wild. Sweat and shimmy to the glorious disco sounds of this longtime favorite DJ duo while sippin' cocktails and makin' eyes at the beautiful people. Most def one of our favorite parties of the month!
Click HERE for the Attitude City site
SUNDAY MUSIC PICK: JOANNA NEWSOM
We'd like to believe there are two type of neo-folk lovers in the scene – those who heart Joanna Newsom right down to her freak folk, “Peach, Plum and Pear” bones and those who just can't dig her far-out style. We fall on the former side. Her unusual vocals – part pre-pubescent, part untrained Appalachian – invoke a modern psych folk feel packed inside an unsuspecting petite California-based flower child. Veering from the traditional sound of classical harpists, Newsom's harp skills are more experimental than conventional, placing her in the “freak folk” scene beside Devendra Banhart – who she's toured with – and Vetiver. True to her atypical ways, Newsom's latest project/album, Have One On Me, was first introduced to the world through a series of cryptic comics. Now exposed on music blogs like Pitchfork, her album is set to release February 23rd on Drag City. A follow-up to the critically acclaimed Ys, Have One On Me features “81” - a pastoral ballad referencing the Garden of Eden – and more experimental harp riffs than a celestial choir led by Brian Eno. Her new release is confirmed to be a triple album – with over 30 tracks! And the kids say CDs are dead.
Click HERE for the Joanna Newsom Myspace
An oldie but goodie by Joanna Newsom
SUNDAY JANUARY 31ST
The Tattooed Lady: A History
@ Magers and Quinn Booksellers
3038 Hennepin Ave S
Minneapolis
5pm/free
Though it seems like forever ago, there was a time when it wasn’t so acceptable to have a tattoo, especially if you were a lovely lady. Some women took their tattoos on the road and performed live -- and even nude -- As "Tattooed Ladies." Author Amelia Klem Osterud, a tattooed librarian, reveals the secret lives of carnival sideshow women, and will be reading from her her book The Tattooed Lady: A History Sunday evening at Magers & Quinn. Feel free to show a little (tattooed) skin, girls!
Click HERE for the Magers & Quinn site
SUNDAY JANUARY 31ST
Wet Nap: In the Arms of Gladius
@ Gladius
1111 Hennepin Avenue
Minneapolis
9pm-2am / 21+ / Free
Our favorite dirty queens/performance artists, Mysti and Sissy La Poo, are at it again, this time at new-ish gay bar, Gladius. This "Sunday School of Debauchery" will feature DJ Robbie Lee and a screening of "Two Twinks: A Love Story," along with much more that we'd blush to say here! Definitely not for the faint of heart, and guaranteed more wild than your Friday and Saturday night combined. Mysti and Sissy are part of the group that brings us the monthly "Pegasus" performance art events at the Bedlam, so expect some supremely awesome, gay-centric craziness!
Bonus: We hear the bartenders are always shirtless at Gladius.
Click HERE for the Facebook event
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 1ST
JagerCon: Sci-Fi Tuesdays
@ Clubhouse Jager
923 Washington Avenue N.
Minneapolis
Every Tuesday
10 p.m. / 21+ / Free
Join hosts Kate Iverson (l'étoile magazine, Secrets of the City) and Beth Hammarlund (l'étoile magazine, A Tiny Machine) every Tuesday Night for JagerCon! JagerCon is a weekly sci-fi party featuring screenings of classic nerdy movies and television shows -- topped off with 2-4-1 cocktails all night served by Star Captain Paul!
Mingle with like-minded sci-fi geeks, discuss D&D strategies, and use that Captain Picard impression you've been perfecting to pick up chicks at the bar. Snort-laugh the night away while bragging about your MMORPG addiction and enjoy a cozy, nerd-friendly environment.
Upcoming Events:
FEB 1: Return to Oz
FEB 9: Dune
FEB 16: Dreamcatcher
FEB 23: Nightwatch
MAR 2: The Hunger
This week's flick is "Return to Oz"
GUEST BLOGGER: A TINY MACHINE
Beth Hammarlund is posting delectable images from Paris Fashion Week. We so wish we were there!
Click HERE to check out her latest installments
GUEST BLOGGER: LE PETIT CONNAISSEUR
Jahna Peloquin previews the designers in this week's sold out "Avoid the Grey" Fashion Show.
Click HERE to read the entire article
Design by Emily Bryngelson / image by Stephanie Hynes
Editor in Chief: Kate Iverson // Contributors: Lacey Prpic Hedtke, Juleana Enright, Lauren Gantner, Kate Iverson, Beth Hammarlund, Jahna Peloquin
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