We're still questioning where June disappeared to so quickly, but one good thing about the close of this month? It's Twin Cities Pride Weekend! Rainbow flags will be flying high, waxed chests will be flaunted, and love and happiness will be rampant throughout the land. Whether you hit up the festival in Loring Park, the parade downtown, or any number of other special events going on this weekend, take a moment to appreciate how lucky we are to live in such a dynamic, open, and beautiful city. On top of numerous Pride events, we've also got your scheduled spectrum of awesome artsy goings-on. This weekend is definitely RuPaul-level fabulous in every which way!
xo-l'étoile
ALSO THIS WEEK ON L'ETOILE
Juleana Enright interviews Osgood Dogood award winner Bob Malos
Jahna Peloquin reviews Cliche's Crosswalk fashion show
Jahna Peloquin reviews Rock the Garden
Robyn Lewis shoots pix at Rock the Garden
Jahna Peloquin & Lauren Gantner update our Sales & Shopping Guide
Get your weekly social media gossip on LOL/OMG
THURSDAY JUNE 24TH (THROUGH SATURDAY)
Queertopia
@ Bedlam Theatre
1501 S. 6th St.
Minneapolis
7:30pm / $10-15
Call us old-fashioned, but a queer-focused Shangri-La without cabaret, well that's just an utter faux pas. Tonight, join the Bedlam for three queer-tastic evenings – heavy on the radical/prog side – with all the raunchy, rebel-rousing cabaret-style talent you can handle. Featuring performances from a plethora of dynamic local artists including performance art awesomeness from Jaime Carrera; the delightful sounds of Mother's Tongue; a Fetish Gear Opera from Erik Pearson; a lypsinc drag play with puppets; video mash-up from Tyler Jensen; modern dance and much, much more! Hosted by Go Go Pimp Tiff and curated by Jeffry Lusiak, the show is sure to include some of the best and most provocative queer-identifying artists in the Twin Cities. Not to be missed! No one will be turned away for lack of funds, but this is a love fest, so don't be stingy with the Benjamins!
Click HERE for the Bedlam site
Jaime Carerra as "Coqueta"
THURSDAY JUNE 24TH
Knockers for Rockers
@ Turf Club
1601 University Ave W.
St Paul
8pm / 21+ / $10
We’re pretty convinced there’s nothing better than combining great live music with a great cause, and this Thursday the Turf Club is offering both of those things. Stop down for the sweet indie sounds of Sean Na Na (a.k.a. Sean Tilman/Harmar Superstar), Puppies and Trains (ex-Superhopper members!), the unofficial Mayor of St. Paul Martin Devaney and Band, and Company Inc. As if that lineup isn’t cool enough, there’s the mouth-watering DJ sets from Free Energy, Solid Gold, James Diers and Tom Loftus. The cause? All proceeds are going to support the Susan G. Komen 3-day Race for the Cure. Come rock your heart out for a reason, eh?
Click HERE for the Facebook event
THURSDAY JUNE 24TH
Girl Flight
@ Jetset
115 First Street North
Minneapolis
9 p.m. / 21+ / Free
Ring in a weekend bursting with Pride events with the 9th annual Girl Flight Pride kickoff party. Queer DJs extraordinaire Shiek and AJent Orange will be mixing the soundtrack to this girl power dance night, and drink specials will be a flowing all night long. Jet back on Friday for Mpls is Burning II, Jetset’s tribute to the chopping, mopping, fierceness and vogue of 80s underground ballroom culture. Looking for charmed thirds? End your Saturday night family reunion-style at Family: Everything Rainbow, another dance-heavy night set to jams that celebrate the jetsetter in you.
Click HERE for the Jetset site
Jetset photo by Stephen Stephens
FRIDAY ART PICK: TEJAL SHAH
In honor of Pride week, we'd like to share with you an artist whose work is, in her own words, “like herself: feminist, queer, and political.” Working primarily in video, photography, and installation, Bombay-based Tejal Shah is best known for co-founding and curating “Larzish: International Film Festival of Sexuality and Gender Plurality,” one of India’s select few queer-friendly art events. Other notable works include “Encounter(s),” a performance piece that involved Shah and collaborative partner Varsha Nair dragging each other up flights of stairs via a shell of white fabric (to explore the idea of distances between people), and What are you? a film featuring a myriad of transgender subjects who have underwent gender surgery (for research, Shah spent time with sex workers in Mumbai’s red-light district). Equal parts gutsy, thought-provoking, and unsettling, Shah’s work will undoubtedly draw you in, but the way it spits you back out looking at the world a bit differently is what gives it true power.
Click HERE for the Tejal Shah site
FRIDAY JUNE 25TH
Uptown Pride Block Party
@Bryant Lake Bowl
810 West Lake Street
Minneapolis
6-10:30pm / Free
Rain or shine, it’s back for the sixth year and counting! Bryant Lake Bowl is once again hosting their annual Pride Block Party, complete with entertainment, music, food and drink. Hit up the outdoor stage to feast your ears upon tons of tunes from the likes of Tina Schlieske, Black Blondie, Dykes Do Drag and many more. Throughout the evening, skater hotties the North Star Roller Girls will be showing off their sick tricks on the street with the help of B-girls and boys such as Mona-Lisa, Mohini and MN Joe. To make things even tastier, locally produced foods and bevs will be served near a fancy local flea market set-up all evening.
Click HERE for the Uptown Pride site
FRIDAY JUNE 25TH
Bounce Bash
@ McNally Smith College of Music Cafe
19 Exchange St E 3rd floor
St. Paul
7pm / $35 donation
Take a break from the Pride fest to support the arts! Springboard for the Arts and the Artists' Access to Healthcare Program presents their annual benefit gala designed to help local artists receive access to healthcare. The evening features a visual art sale featuring work from fashion designers, Calpurnia Peach; book art by Amber Jensen; paintings from the CSA's Amy Rice; and photography from former l'étoile writer, Lacey Prpić Hedtke. Plus, spoken word by Guante; live music from guitarist Greg Herriges; a performance from poet/comedian Brian Beatty; and performances from South Indian Classical vocalists, Nirmala and Shruthi Rajesekar. And don't miss as the first recipient of the Osgood Do-Good Award for transformational leadership in the arts, Bob Malos, as he's honored for his work on the artist-geared Emergency Relief Fund. Enjoy complimentary food and beverages provided by Artisan Vineyards, Summit Beer and the Red Stag. And don't forget to buy some art because proceeds will go towards the Springboard's AAH program.
Co-sponsored by l'étoile!
Click HERE for more info and tickets
FRIDAY JUNE 25TH
Under the Skin
@ Rogue Buddha Gallery
357 13th Avenue NE
Minneapolis
7pm-11pm / Free
Tonight at the Rogue Buddha plan to see plenty of skin -- inked-up skin that is -- as tattoo artists and aficionados from all corners of the Twin Cities descend upon the Northeast gallery. Check out the vibrant work of Thom deVita, Nick Bubash and John Wyatt, a trio of artists who were among those responsible for the "tattoo renaissance" of recent years. But make no mistake, their work definitely transcends the butterfly tramp stamp -- these guys are fine artists whose styles translate seamless into a gallery setting. In fact, they'll be exhibiting together at the Andy Warhol Museum in May of 2011, but lucky Minneapolis just happens to get them first. In the trio's second showing at the Rogue Buddha Gallery (the first was in ye olde 2005) you'll be immersed in a world of tattoo culture and artistic vision with a blend of illustration, mixed media works, photographs and more. Not to mention, Buddha openings are always a blast so make sure to put it on your arty party pants!
Click HERE for this art event and more at mplsart.com
FRIDAY JUNE 25TH
I Hope We Go Together
@ XYandZ Gallery
3258 Minnehaha Ave S
Minneapolis
7-11pm / Free
Nanty Glo, Pennsylvania sounds kind of like a fictional place, but for the last 3 years MPLS-based photographer, Carrie Thompson has devoted her work to a project based on this very real, yet lethargic little town and two of its aging residents – her grandparents. A town that once thrived on railroad and mining profits in the '40s and '50s, is now left deteriorated from the loss of the railroad lines and depletion of the mountains creating a constant struggle for its elderly citizens. Through a series of photographs entitled, I Hope We Go Together, Thompson showcases the heartbreaking reality of a town forgotten, human frailty and the complexity of family.
Click HERE for this art event and more at mplsart.com
FRIDAY JUNE 25TH
Walker After Hours
@ Walker Art Center
1750 Hennepin Avenue
Minneapolis
9pm-Midnight / $35 ($25 members)
The Walker not only has epic art to dazzle your eyes but they also know how to throw one hell of a rockin' party. Tonight's After Hours preview bash centers around the new Guillermo Kuitca exhibit Everything-Paintings and Works on Paper 1980-2008, a large collection of the much-heralded Buenos Aires-based artist's work. Soak in some 75 pieces by Kuitca, including his sculptural installation of 20 painted bed mattresses and a series of works inspired by Richard Wagner's classic opera series, Der Ring des Nibelungen and more. In addition to getting a sneak peek of the new exhibit, you'll also be privy to tasty Wolfgang Puck treats, a cash bar, the party people photo booth, live music from local faves Red Pens, and fresh beats from fiesty lady DJ duo, Double Trouble -- not to mention all the artsy eye candy you can handle (both on the walls and walking about).
Click HERE for this art event and more at mplsart.com
FRIDAY JUNE 25TH
BNLX EP #2 Release
@ Sauce
3001 Lyndale Ave S
Minneapolis
9pm / 21+ / $5
Hit the Sauce Soundbar this Friday for the second BNLX EP release show of the season (and believe us, we're not complaining). The tasty rock n' roll duo, which features local music vets Ed and Ashley Ackerson, will ring in the release of the simply titled, BNLX EP #2. Laden with hard hitting pop hooks, BNLX's sound channels all things rock by combining a transcendent mix of the Pixies, early 2000's electropunk, and haunting noise jams. Wait, it gets better! Joining them on tonight's red hot lineup is the totally kickass Pink Mink, a new punk rock outfit boasting an all-star cast of players that we're just all in a tizzy about. And the fun doesn't stop there - local rockers Mercurial Rage will get the crowd riled up and to cap things off, this evening also marks the debut of Byzantine Beatbox, the live electronic project from Blue Sky Blackout/Astronaut Wife mainman Christian Erickson. Shut up! If that doesn't wet your whistle, then we just don't know what will.
Click HERE for the Facebook event
FRIDAY JUNE 25TH
Beatrix Jar CD release
@ Clubhouse Jager
923 Washington Ave. N.
Minneapolis
9pm / 21+ / Free
Get your shine on at Jager tonight, where conceptual sound art lovebirds Jacob Roske and Bianca Pettis, better known as Beatrix*Jar, will be celebrating their newest audio release, Art*STAR. The duo is famed for their expertise and workshops in circuit-bending a.k.a. coaxing sound from children’s toys and other battery-powered gadgets, and Art*STAR collages some the oddest and most evocative such sounds from live performances. Past audio feats have ranged from whimsical whirrs and tinkles to those much more dark and sinister, so expect nothing less than a bizarre (and utterly booty-shaking) mishmash when the pair hits the stage at midnight. For added shimmer, dress as an art star or your favorite work of art.
Sponsored by l'étoile!
Click HERE for the Facebook event
FRIDAY JUNE 25TH
Gay Beast, Blind Shake and Kitten Forever
@331 Club
331 13th Ave NE
Minneapolis
10 pm/21+/Free
Neon-wave hot shots, Gay Beast are jump-starting pride weekend this Friday by kickin’ off their big west coast tour! So why not start things off right with some chill music at the 331 Club? Gay Beast will be headlining the night, along with the rock jams of The Blind Shake and the fresh grooves of super cool girl-band, Kitten Forever. Not only is the 331 Club always cover-charge free, but their bar is guaranteed to be stocked with tons of tasty booze at reasonable prices for the whole night.
Click HERE for the 331 Club site
COOL LINKS: PRIDE GUIDE ROUNDUP
Minneapolis hosts one of the biggest Pride events in the country -- the 3rd largest to be exact! Not only do we have the huge festival in Loring Park and the epic annual Pride Parade, but there are a slew of other spin off events happening not only this weekend, but throughout the entire summer. We've taken the liberty of rounding up some of the most informative, loud and proud local links to ensure you're in the know this weekend and beyond! Check out Vita.mn's comprehensive guide to Pride Weekend HERE, which details a plethora of fun events from the clubs to the streets. Our resident GLBT mag, Lavender, has your summer all mapped out for you on their Summer of Pride site! Load up on all the obvious tips as well as more indepth info on theater, film and more. For Lavender's Summer of Pride click HERE. The peeps at Metromix have whipped up a cool guide that fills you in on where to party, where to drink and even where to meet your mate. Click HERE for the Metromix guide. content Of course, you can always check out the official TC Pride site, which will educate you in on the specifics of this weekend's shenanigans in Loring Park including set times, vendors and much more. Click HERE for the TC Pride site or read more about the festival in our listing below!
Photo from Lavender's Summer of Pride Guide
SATURDAY JUNE 26TH
Twin Cities Pride Festival
@Loring Park
1382 Willow Street
Minneapolis, MN
Sat 10am-10pm, Sun 10am-6pm
Pride In Concert: Sat 5:30pm
Free / $5 beer garden / $10 Pride In Concert
As dependable as Kathy Griffin taking a stab at Whitney, Pride has joyously arrived at our doorstep with a full and festive lineup of great activities and music. There has to be five bajillion vendors at this thing (we are currently dreaming of a cheese curd-wonderland), plus no small amount of flamboyant, fabulous fun to be had. Pride In Concert features Village People with CeCe Peniston, and yes, we know how excited that makes you. You’ll also see DJ Shiek, Ellis and Electric Avenue with tunes to help you shimmy your way all over the park. No matter what team you play for, this is the place to be this Saturday. Seriously. You should probably pick out your outfit, like, right now.
Click HERE for the TC Pride site
SATURDAY JUNE 26TH
Luke Hillestad: Phantom Limb
@ Vine Arts Center
2637 27th Avenue South
Minneapolis
6pm / Free
A woman bandages the bloodied side of a grey-haired soldier. Another holds a relic to her cheek, eyes downcast. These poignant images are among those depicted in Phantom Limb, a new collection of work by Luke Hillestad. Exploring themes of loss and healing from war, this series was created during Hillestad’s recent studies in Norway with renowned painter Odd Nerdrum. In the exhibit opening tonight at Vine Arts Center, Hillestad uses the idea of Phantom Limb Syndrome as a metaphor for the memory, sensation, and the longing human beings experience after loss. Painted with oil on canvas and from live models, Phantom Limb is as raw as it is captivating to look at, making for an experience that, as the name would suggest, is bound to evoke strange feelings – and linger.
Click HERE for this art event and more at mplsart.com
SATURDAY JUNE 26TH
Jorge Luis Silva Santana Closing Reception
@ Black Dog Cafe
308 Prince St. #100
St. Paul
7pm / Free
If you missed the opening reception for self-taught Brazilian painter, Jorge Luis Silva Santana during the month's First Friday art crawl, fret not! Tonight, join the Black Dog as they present the exhibit's closing reception featuring color vivid abstracts and landscape paintings from this talented artist. Enjoy beer and wine selections from the cafe as well as live samba grooves from the Robert Everest Trio as you browse. Plus, we heard a rumor the artist himself will roaming around tonight's show presenting a treat for goers to meet the man behind the paintings.
Sponsored by l'étoile!
Click HERE for the Black Dog site
SATURDAY JUNE 26TH
Wings & Teeth: The Art of Doomtree
@ CO Exhibitions
1101 Stinson Blvd NE
Minneapolis
7-10pm / Free
Doomtree dabbles in art too? You're darn right they do! And really, would you expect anything less than multi-talent from the ever-evolving, innovative cast of risk-taking performers? Tonight, the famed hip-hop collective presents Wings & Teeth, a retrospective showcase featuring over 2800 sq. feet of new artwork created and inspired by all things Doomtree. The exhibit will include never-before-seen archived Doomtree material, rare screenprinted concert posters, video footage, and fan-submitted artwork. Throughout the show, enjoy live musical sets from members of the collective, plus visual projections, a limited-edition Doomtree pop-up shop, and exclusive CDs and art prints created in cahoots with the Burlesque of North America team. Tonight is extra special because it marks the premiere of a brand new art space, CO Exhibitions – the gallery lovechild of Burlesque/First Amendment Gallery and design & art agency, Permanent. We happened to get a sneak peek at the new space and, well, it's simply epic. Do. Not. Miss. This. Opening.
Bonus: We've got the deets on the killa Wings & Teeth afterparty immediately following the opening. The party starts at 10:30, goes 'til late and features awesome sets from DJs Plain Ole Bill, Mike 2600 and Paper Tiger at Infinity Productions (2554 Como Ave, 2nd floor, St. Paul) above Station 280 Sports Bar. 5 bucks. 18+. Be there or be de-winged!
Click HERE for this art event and more at mplsart.com
SATURDAY JUNE 26TH
Attitude City
@ Clubhouse Jager
913 Washington Ave
Minneapolis
10pm / 21+ / Free
Our favorite dance party is back! The badass boys of Attitude City are at it again with their monthly installation of music and mayhem. Join the DJ duo for a night of delicious dance beats and Clubhouse Jager’s tasty cocktails. Not only is it free, but we guarantee that you’ll have an awesome time mingling (and sweating) amongst some of Minneapolis’ finest.
Click HERE for the Attitude City site
SATURDAY JUNE 26TH
Femmergy
@ Kitty Cat Klub
315 14th Ave SE
Minneapolis
10 p.m. / 21+ / $1 entry 10 p.m. –11 p.m., $3 after
Tonight’s shenanigans at the Kitty Cat Klub might sound a bit familiar – beats by The Nightstalker, Bach 666, and Sweet Talk Radio, videoactive playtime with Time Squid, an all-new Menergy Drink – but move aside gentlemen, Femmergy is for the ladies. Okay, so maybe it’s not exclusively for the belles, but the beaus of Menergy are proclaiming “fondness for our femmergetic female friends” with an evening of estrogen empowerment (we can alliterate, too!), dance party style. Guest starring at the turntables will be DJ dudettes Monsterbrusten, Loveless Aphrodite, and YourSteppaDujour, so show the love. Looks like boys can play nicely once in awhile after all.
Click HERE for the Femmergy Facebook event
SATURDAY JUNE 26TH
Ev.o.lu.tion
@ Karnak Gallery
256 N. 1st Avenue
Minneapolis
10pm / 18+ / $7
Being that its namesake is a vast conglomeration of ruined Egyptian temples, the forward-thinking newbie, Karnak Gallery, has a whole lot of epic to live up to. But if a recent Star Wars-themed dance night (read: awesomely nerdy free-for-all) is any indication, then the force is certainly with this group, so to speak. So far we've heard about quite a lot of party and not a lot of arty coming from Karnak, but we're not writing it off as simply a cool after party spot quite yet. Keeping the momentum is Friday’s Ev.o.lu.tion, a journey through the evolution of house music from its synth-heavy beginning to its current cult status. Splitting the endeavor are DJs Focus, Reggie, and Kyl3Wyld, who will be spinning disco/original cuts, proto-house/early 90s, and late 90s/current, respectively. Your mission: dance it up.
Click HERE for the Facebook event
SATURDAY JUNE 26TH
LGBT Pride Night: Rocky Horror Picture Show
@ Uptown Theatre
2906 Hennepin Ave S
Minneapolis
Midnight / $9
Like you need a reason, but Pride Weekend is the perfect opportunity to bust out the fishnets, stilettos, tinsel glitter and feather boas and celebrate! Twin Cities' most devoted Rocky Horror cult, Transvestite Soup, leads another interactive screening of the famous campy flick this time with a LGBT Pride theme! Expect racy melodrama, sassy sing-a-longs, and live off-screen action fully determined to get you your money's worth of erotic, theatrical smut. Viva la Rocky!
Click HERE for the Uptown site
SUNDAY MUSIC PICK: THE POINTER SISTERS
Gay, straight, bi, poly-amorous, there's just no going wrong with The Pointer Sisters. Boogie jam queens, hot funk mammas, call them what you will, just be sure to call on them to jump start your Pride libido. In this week's music pick, we'd like to remind you of the original real-life sister trio who went from singing gospel with their Reverend daddy to charting hits over three decades with synthy funk classics, soulful pop and jazzy dance rock. Known just as well for their impeccable fashion sense as their power-packing tunes, The Pointer Sisters are total underrated gay icons. Have you ever seen a gay bar jukebox that doesn't have the track “I'm So Excited?” We didn't think so. So, bust out the neon dresses, lay that eyeshadow on extra thick, paint your nails Mambo Melon, and give your bangs one final tease in honor of Pride and the holy Pointer Sisters. And yes, dudes, we were talking to you too.
Click HERE for more info on the Pointer Sisters
The Pointer Sisters' “I'm So Excited” video on YouTube:
SUNDAY JUNE 27TH
Ashley Rukes GLBT Pride Parade
@ along Hennepin Avenue
Minneapolis
11 a.m. / Free
We've said it before and we'll happily say it again: it’s Pride weekend, everybody! Don your brightest spectrumed apparel and head to the annual Ashley Rukes Pride Parade (named for the late former parade director and LGBT activist), happening Saturday morning along Hennepin Avenue. Hosting this year’s parade are former Miss Gay 90s Monica West and KARE 11’s Joe Fryer, who will be oh-so-wittily narrating factoids and tidbits about each parade unit as it marches by their seat at the 9th and Hennepin Grandstand. Early risers can celebrate Pride Saturday with music and entertainment at the Grandstand beginning around 9 a.m. But you might want to arrive early anyway to get a good seat – with last year’s parade drawing over
125,000 spectators, this parade is the biggest, most lovable (and definitely the most fun) that the Twin Cities has to offer!
Click HERE for the TC Pride site
Photo credit: Twodolla on flickr
L'ETOILE NEWSWIRE
l'etoile night at the Guthrie: Less than 40 tickets left!
Please join us for another fantastic night at the Guthrie Theater for "A Streetcar Named Desire" on Wednesday, July 7th! For the discounted price of $25, you'll not only get a ticket to this amazing play, but also a ticket to attend a l'etoile-hosted post-show party at a NEW event space at the Guthrie, complete with complimentary drinks and appetizers. The cast of Streetcar will be in attendance at the party as well! Tickets are EXTREMELY limited on this one, so get yours now.$25 includes ticket to the play and post-show cast party featuring DJ Matt Perkins! *Meet in front of Target Lounge on Level 4 post-show to be escorted to the reception.
Call the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224 and ask for the "l'etoile night special"
Register now for the 1st Annual High Heel Dash!
The first ever Aegis Foundation High Heel Dash invites both men and women to show off their
glamorous athletic prowess for a good cause! On Wednesday, August 11th at Peavey Plaza in Downtown Minneapolis contestants will compete against each other in 25-yard dash heats wearing heels 3 inches or taller. MyTalk 107.1's Lori & Julia will begin broadcasting live with emcee Foxy Tann at 3pm! Heats will start at 5:30pm to give you time to leave work and dash to Peavey Plaza for a great cause. Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place dashers! The top fundraisers will get Spectacular prizes too!!Participants are encouraged to raise a minimum of $100 to dash (tax deductible). Contestants will receive an official High Heel Dash t-shirt. All proceeds benefit Soles4Souls and the Emergency Foodshelf Network. REGISTER NOW!
High Heel Dash 2010 is proudly co-sponsored by l'étoile!
Editor in Chief: Kate Iverson // Contributors: Juleana Enright, Tara Sloane, Lauren Gantner, Natalie Gallagher, Kate Iverson, Robyn Lewis, Jahna Peloquin
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