Thursday, January 21, 2010

Weekend What's What 1/21-1/26

THE NEW CLASSICS

So much to do, so little time! This weekend, as per usual, the Twin Cities throws down its awesome mix of art, music and parties much to our ongoing delight. A number of debuts pepper the landscape this time around, with art-coming-out-parties, stellar CD releases and on the flipside, a landmark anniversary bash for one of most respected local record labels. We certainly have just cause to celebrate this weekend, so prime your parkas and show your support for our local brethren!

xo-l'étoile

photo by Jayme Halbritter for l'étoile agency/mplsart


THURSDAY JANUARY 21ST

Gallery Grooves Studios Series w/ Doug Padilla

@ Dougieland Studios
California Building
#312
2205 California Street NE
Minneapolis
(enter via door adjacent to parking lot)

7-9pm / Free

We love us some Padilla. The local legend has been makin' art and takin' names for almost as long as we've been alive -- though you'd never be able to tell due to his youthful swagger. His colorful paintings and mixed media works have been shown as far away as Paris, and he's been an integral part of our local art scene for many years. Did you know Doug Padilla was one of the original founders of Art-A-Whirl? It's true! That little seed planted by Doug and a handful of other artists so many years ago was the catalyst for what is now the booming Northeast Arts District. Pretty cool, eh? Come up to Dougie's personal studio this evening for a special edition of the Secrets of the City/Jazz88 "Gallery Grooves" event and pay homage to the man himself (and trust us, he really does tell the BEST stories). Enjoy refreshments, hot jazz tunes from Padilla's personal playlist, plus entertainment from post-beat performance artist Ted King and mechano-electronic jazz percussionist Stuart Devaan.

Click HERE for more info on the Secrets of the City site



THURSDAY JANUARY 21ST

I Work For Me: The Reinvention of Michael Cina

@ Honey
205 E. Hennepin Ave
(in the old Jitter's space, below Ginger Hop)
Northeast Minneapolis

9pm / Free

When we first met famed graphic designer and artist Mike Cina, we were like star-struck, awkward fan girls. We're happy to say that Cina has since developed into a great friend and collaborator -- which is why we couldn't help but throw a party for him to celebrate his new career transition! For the past decade, Cina has been at the helm of internationally renowned online design boutique YouWorkForThem with co-founder Michael Young, and has done design work for such big name clients as Pepsi, MTV, Adobe, Victoria's Secret, and Coca-Cola, just to name a mere few. And now he takes a leap into unknown with a brand new solo design agency, Michael Cina Associates. Help celebrate this new endeavor tonight at Honey Lounge in Northeast Minneapolis! Enjoy complimentary appetizers, drink specials, hot tunes, and a chance to rub elbows with the Twin Cities design community. Sponsored by l'étoile, of course!

Click HERE for the Facebook event page



THURSDAY JANUARY 21st

2nd Annual Keeper Awards Party

@The Loft at Spill the Wine Restaurant
1101 Washington Ave S.
Minneapolis

8pm-11pm/$20 at the door

METRO has done it once again! With the help of local artists, family, friends, second cousins, people you saw at a party once (well, everyone) who nominated their favorite creatives, METRO Magazine has hand-picked eight local artistic geniuses as this year’s “keepers” (ie-creative types we want to keep in the Twin Cities). Now it’s our turn to come out celebrate their greatness! Join the likes of ad man Brock Davis, dancer Taja Will, fashion designer Max Lorbach, photog Monica Haller, actor Randy Reyes and more for a night of complimentary drinks and appetizers accompanied by the dancey DJ trax of Millions Billions. Just make sure to get there early -- the event is likely to sell out!

Click HERE for the Metro site

photo of Max Lohrbach by Eliesa Johnson

FRIDAY ART PICK: MISS AMY JO

It's no secret we heart Amy Jo! This former NoDak-ian is known for her rock-and-roll style of poster printmaking. Not only does she design posters for rock shows and for our weekly JagerCon movie night (along with Who Made Who cohorts Tooth and Lonnie Unitus), she has been featured in rags such as Vita.mn and Gasoline Magazine. We definitely recommend putting that extra $20 bucks to good use by purchasing one of her awesome vintage-inspired prints or your very own cat calendar for the New Year. Both, and many more, are available either online at missamyjo.com or at Who Made Who at 158 13th Ave NE, Minneapolis.

Click HERE for the Amy Jo site!


FRIDAY JANUARY 22ND

A Perfect World

@IFP MN Center for Media Arts
2446 University Ave. West, Suite 100
St. Paul

5:30pm-8:30pm / Free

This Friday, photographers Kristine Heykants and Evan Baden boo-up to show off their sets of technology-inspired photography at the IFP MN Center or the Arts. In their exhibit, A Perfect World, the two hope to enlighten their audiences about how exactly technology connects everyone across the world. For Kristine’s set, "Media Stories," she presents a line of leading ladies living in a fantasy world. Alternately, Evan’s "Illuminati" portrays our evolving generation, lightened by a universe of ipods, computer screens and Blackberrys. Stop in to browse many the many telling portraits...and don’t forget your iphone so you can tweet about it!

Click HERE for this art event and more at mplsart.com


FRIDAY JANUARY 22ND

Potter-Belmar Labs

@ Art of This
3605 Nicollet Ave.
Minneapolis

7:30-10pm / $5

Artist/VJs Leslie Raymond and Jason Jay Stevens of Potter-Belmar Labs, present a night of live cinema performance, single-channel video and installation art that both technophile and non-techies can appreciate. Their internationally-known, award-winning artwork mixes large-scale video threads and clips sampled from pop culture with uniquely crafted, originally composed sounds and images for a tidal wave of visual entrapment. Using both concrete and abstract imagery and translation, the labs take the viewer through a dream-like chaos of vivid chroma. REM sleep sold separately.

Click HERE for this art event and more at mplsart.com


FRIDAY JANUARY 22ND

Sick: New Work by Tonja Torgerson

@ XyandZ Gallery
3258 Minnehaha Ave. S.
Minneapolis

7-11pm / Free

The subjects in Minneapolis-based artist Tonja Torgerson new body of work are sick – literally. In her exhibition candidly titled, Sick, Torgerson's life-sized color-splashed self-portrait paintings explore the altered identity of a young woman grappling to live with a permanent illness. Through a “girlish lens of soft aesthetic and sad whimsy,” Torgerson takes an issue heavy on the agenda of American politics and creates a fused-portrayal of the concepts of feminism and privacy via the mediums of printmaking and street art. Join XYandZ for tonight's opening reception and peep the exhibit through March 1st.

Click HERE for this art event and more at mplsart.com


FRIDAY JANUARY 22ND

Dessa CD Release Show

@ The Fine Line
318 North 1st Avenue
Minneapolis

9pm / $10 for 21+ / $13 for 18+

Ok, we'll admit it, we're just a little bit obsessed with Dessa. We think the singer, rapper, writer and educator is one of the most talented people in the Twin Cities, so we're exceptionally excited about her brand new, full-length album, A Badly Broken Code. Celebrate the CD release (and pick up a copy while your at it) tonight at the Fine Line, as Dessa graces the stage with her magnetic presence and her earnest, velveteen vox. The Doomtree-affiliated sweetheart is joined by favored cohorts Cecil Otter, Jeremy Messersmith, DJ Paper Tiger and more. It's a can't miss!

Click HERE for the Dessa myspace



FRIDAY JANUARY 22ND

Modern Radio Anniversary Party

@ Turf Club
1601 University Ave
St. Paul

9pm / $7 / 21+

Modern Radio is turning ten! The traditional ten year anniversary gift is tin or aluminum, so grab a can o' beer at the Turf and join FT (The Shadow Government), Daughters of the Sun, The Chambermaids, Double Bird, and the handsome Sheridan Fox (His Mischief) in several toasts to everything Modern Radio has done in the past decade for the local music scene. Still happy or a little on the young side? Tomorrow afternoon, head to the Cedar Cultural Center to see The Plastic Constellations, Skoal Kodiak, Vampire Hands, and STNNNG, in a continuation of the party.

Click HERE for the Modern Radio site




FRIDAY JANUARY 22ND

Andy Elwell CD Release Party

@ The Kitty Cat Klub
315 14th Avenue SE
Minneapolis

9pm / $5 / 21+

Another Duluth-bred treasure, Andy Elwell's serene, acoustic indie pop is sure to pull at your heartstrings. His anticipated new album No One You Will Ever Know is a collection of charmingly haunted love songs that are as melodic as they are memorable and heartfelt. Elwell is joined by a fun lineup of bands including Zoo Animal, Grant Cutler & The Gorgeous Lords and DJ Skullbuster (who we loved in Nancy Drew Crew).

Click HERE for the Andy Elwell Myspace

We adore this flier art by Matt Scharenbroich!


COOL LINK: ROB CALLAHAN'S PROM QUEEN OF THE DAMNED

It's finally happened: l'étoile contributor, dark lord and storyteller, Rob Callahan, has gone serial...No, we don't mean he's been slashing through local frat boys and girls...why, what have you heard? His latest project, “Prom Queen of the Damned” is a download-accessible installation series – an online serial novel – designed to captivate the imagination of the on-the-go reader in instant format. His serial adventures follow the life of Lily Rose, a rogue, ex-vampiress struggling to pass for human but finding herself entrapped in the world of the blood-thirsty and supernatural. Armed with a ragtag entourage of outcasts, Lily manages to unravel evil enigmas, kick some monster ass, and save her suburban high school – all in time for the prom! In the style of cutesy macabre, undead shenanigans and dark spookiness, Callahan's style recalls Roman Dirge's Lenore comics and Joss Whedon's cult fave, Buffy, complete with a heaping helping of irreverent humor. Get your fill of the yummy serial gore every Saturday for only 49 cents a pop! Or, if your vampire cravings must be satisfied in full, advanced issues are available for $9.99. Callahan at his damnedest!

Click HERE for the Prom Queen of the Damned site



NOW THROUGH JAN 31ST

St. Paul Winter Carnival

@ Rice Park and various locations
St. Paul

9am-9pm / Free

If the Art Shanties is the Twin Cities winter art gallery, then the St. Paul Winter Carnival celebration is certainly our winter adventure park. This year, Minnesota's largest winter-themed festival kicks off with more events, contests and spectaculars then your tiny snowflake-covered eyes can handle. Grab your glow sticks for the Moon Glow Pedestrian Parade; be the next Michelangelo of ice in the Ice Carving and Snow Sculptures Competition; scour the snow banks during the Scavenger Hunt; wear your geekdom with pride at the Vulcan Coming Out Party; and enjoy a mini Deep Blues Music & Film Festival. Plus, sip over 40 different cold ales at the Beer Dabbler, work off extra winter flub during Carnival Disc Sports, the Frozen 5K and Half Marathons or Hockey Tournaments. And while you're on 651 grounds, don't miss the exciting on-going arts and entertainment events like Black Dog Cafe's Juried Art Show; Lowry Theater's “Hockey Mom, Hockey Dad” play; Landmark Center's tribute to Judy Garland, “Born in a Trunk;” and a bit of jazz featuring Jon Weber at the Artists' Quarter. PHEW! If you can't squeeze the Winter Carnival into your weekend schedule this time around, don't worry. The family-oriented fest marches on through the month of January. Cabin fever be-gone!

Click HERE for the full schedule!

photo by Peter Worth

SATURDAY JANUARY 23RD

Get Lucky 2010

@Soo Visual Arts Center
640 Lyndale Avenue South
Minneapolis

7pm / $20 (for members) to $25 in advance- $35 at the door

Get Lucky at this artsy annual Gala at the Soo Visual Arts Center! Spend the evening sipping on cute martinis (mixed by our friends at 45th Parallel Spirits and The Herkirmer Pub and Brewery!) and mingling through local artwork by artists such as Andrea Carlson, Noah Harmon, Bethany Kalk, Kit Lane, Scott Stulen, Amy Rice, Rob McBroom and many more. Take part in the silent art auction or just stop in for tasty munchies specially catered by Chowgirls Killer Catering and the Red Stag Supper Club. Either way, the bumpin beats from DJs Double Trouble will keep the night rolling. Plus, 5 bucks will get you in a drawing for a precious pastel piece by Jen Davis called “Mind Over Matters.”

Click HERE for this art event and more at mplsart.com

art by Jennifer Davis


SATURDAY JANUARY 23RD

Elemental

@ Stevens Square Center for the Arts
1905 3rd Ave S
Minneapolis

7pm-10pm / Free

Margot Dedrick brings us to the cellular level--the basic elements of life. Her large paintings take a microscopic look at the tiniest objects, inspired by a microbiology lab. Using oil paint to study growth and decay, Dedrick’s colors and smears show a different version of what is usually only seen by scientists. Music by James Patrick. Runs through February 21st.

Click HERE for this art event and more at mplsart.com


SATURDAY JANUARY 23RD

Bella Koshka + DJ Demietoile

@ Club Jäger
923 Washington Ave.
Minneapolis

10pm-2am / $5

If you haven't heard yet, this season's SXSW fest is going to overflow with oodles of local flavor as the 45th Parallel Showcase (bands within the 45th latitude line – Minneapolis, Montreal, New York) create a multi-media extravaganza party unlike any other on SXSW grounds. Featuring video projections, DJs between the bands, and live screen-printing by our boys Anthem Heart. We can hardly wait! To benefit the 45th Parallel, locals Bella Koshka and DJ Demietoile have teamed up for an evening of double-trouble mischief and dark carnival-style. Both acts will perform two sets full of dusty, cabaret rock and doom and gloom DJ tracks as you slam down $2 Summits all night long! Now that's our kind of benefit!

Click HERE for the Facebook event


SATURDAY JANUARY 23RD

CLAPS EP Release

@ Kitty Cat Klub
315 14th Avenue SE
Minneapolis

10pm / 21+ / $5

Though they've already snagged a spot opening at The Big Pink’s recent sold-out show at the Entry, minimal synth trio CLAPS is only now set to release their debut EP. No doubt helped by the engineering ear of Ryan Olcott of 12 Rods fame, New Science reflects a new take on a genre that has its roots in the late ‘70s. For the uninitiated, minimal synth takes today’s electro-pop and subtract its gleam and shine for a messier, more organic effect - think early Depeche Mode. The songs, featuring a simple equation of disembodied vocals, patterned synths and sparse drum machine beats, are stripped to their most basic while retaining the elemental and melodic elements. It’s like punk rock for the electronic set. Gospel Gossip and Mercurial Rage open.

Photo by Staciaann Photography


SUNDAY MUSIC PICK: QUINTRON AND MISS PUSSYCAT

We’ve known for a while now that the eccentric pair from New Orleans makes great music and puppetry, but it wasn’t until battling the New Years Resolutions crowds at the Y that we realized that Quintron provides a private dance party for workin' on yer fitness, delivered straight through your headphones. Quintron plays the Hammond organ behind the grill of a car, and his own invention, the Drum Buddy while Miss Pussycat supplies the cheerleader-esque vocals and zany puppets. He describes their music as "swamp-tech and high energy." We’re not sure how to classify it, but it’s raw, wild, and great to move to.

Click HERE for the website


TUESDAY JANUARY 26TH

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:

JAN 26: Earth Girls Are Easy
FEB 1: Return to Oz
FEB 9: Dune
FEB 16: Dreamcatcher
FEB 23: Nightwatch
MAR 2: The Hunger

This week's flick is Earth Girls are Easy



GUEST BLOGGER: A TINY MACHINE

Beth Hammarlund gives us a detailed recap of Golden Globes fashion.

When it rains it pours...fashion!

Ah yes, the Golden Globes. The Double Gs, which interestingly enough is also Heidi Montag's new cup size. Ba dum ching! But really folks, let's get down to business. Since the Golden Globes didn't see fit to honor the actual best picture and best director of the year (ahem, The Hurt Locker), I 'm going to say fuck that noise to the awards and get to what actually matters: the fashion. Hey-o!

Click HERE for the article


GUEST BLOGGER: LE PETIT CONNAISSEUR

Jahna Peloquin offers up a stellar local fashion news roundup!

Click HERE for the article


L'ÉTOILE NEWSWIRE

One Man Minneapolis now accepting nominations & applications!

One Man Minneapolis is once again set to showcase local charities and select the one man who represents the best of the Twin Cities from the perspectives of community involvement, personality, intelligence, and fitness. The application and nomination period for ONE MAN MINNEAPOLIS begins on January 14, 2010, and applications are accepted online at www.onemanminneapolis.com through March 5, 2010. Any man aged 24 – 44 living in the greater Minneapolis St. Paul metropolitan area is encouraged to apply.


Editor in Chief: Kate Iverson Contributors: Lacey Prpic Hedtke, Juleana Enright, Lauren Gantner, Kate Iverson, Beth Hammarlund, Jahna Peloquin

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