Thursday, October 14, 2010

Weekend What's What 10/14-10/17

AWESOME AUTUMN

As luck would have it, autumn in the Twin Cities has been a pretty leisurely one, aside from a few minor cold snaps. The leaves have had a chance to slowly change their hue as opposed to being shocked off their branches by premature chills, and fall fashion has had a chance to be enjoyed to its fullest (though we've yet to find an appropriate use for the velvet shoulder wrap we've been saving for a special occasion). This weekend amid art openings, great live music and various celebrations take some time to appreciate the little things and the beauty of our changing season - after all, parka season is just around the corner!

xo-l'etoile

photo by Joe Johnson for l'etoile

ALSO THIS WEEK ON L'ETOILE

Jahna and Lauren update our Sales & Shopping Blog

Jahna and Tara review the Goldstein Fundraiser at the Ritz


THURSDAY OCTOBER 14TH

Jon Langford & Skull Orchard

@ Cedar Cultural Center
416 Cedar Avenue S
Minneapolis

8 p.m. / $12 advance, $14 day of

On his new solo album, Old Devils, alt-country boy Jon Langford (of the Mekons!) sheds a bit of humor onto his position as aging rock veteran while expediting the hidden stories of lost sailors, haunted seas, cruel pirates, Wales pubs and creeping inevitability. Created out of the premise that nothing is more “punk rock” than folk music, Langford harmoniously blends dapper, finger-picking Englishman rock and mod revival with folksy mandolins, violins, accordions and a dash of wry Welsh wit. Don't miss the renaissance man and his band Skull Orchard – featuring fellow Waco Brothers Alan Doughty and Joe Camarillo, and the Zincs/Horse's Jim Elkington – tonight at the Cedar as they prove that rockin' hard is “wot they do.” Alt rockers the Molly Maher Trio open.

Bonus: After the show, head over to the Rogue Buddha Gallery in Northeast for a post-party with Langford, who has art on display in the gallery.

Click HERE for the Cedar site




THURSDAY OCTOBER 14TH

Printmakers Ball

@ Grumpy’s Bar
1111 Washington Avenue South
Minneapolis

9 p.m. / Free / 21 +

More than 500 printmakers from all over the country have had a meeting of the minds in Minneapolis this week, under the blanket title of the Mid America Print Council Conference. But even if you didn’t attend any of the official conference events, Thursday's party at Grumpy’s downtown is where you should be. Two fun local bands, samba soulsters Buffalo Moon and instrumental mind-scramblers Food Pyramid, will be playing, which really, is reason enough to go and go early – especially since both bands are quickly rising into the national sphere (can you say cool points?). But in case you need further persuasion: there will be beer specials and plenty of sexy printmakers from all over the country. Yeehaw!

Click HERE for the Facebook event


FRIDAY ART PICK: JOSIE LEWIS

What's l'etoile looking at this week?

You might want to do a double take at Minneapolis-based Josie Lewis’s works of art: at first glance, her pieces may look like stained glass on steroids. However, Lewis’s creations are actually made out of found paper pieces, layered with resin to create a “square-ish disc” that weighs approximately 75 pounds and is about 3 or 4 inches thick. The obsession that Lewis describes as “Van-Gogh-meets-pixels” is breathtaking in its macroscopic quality, forcing the viewer to contemplate the process a bit more deeply than usual. Lewis is two-parts artist, one-part scientist in her endless sifting; creating new order in a grand artistic landscape.

Click HERE for the Josie Lewis site


FRIDAY OCTOBER 15TH

Endless Winter

@ Gallery @ Fox Tax
503 1st Ave NE
Minneapolis

6-10pm/ free

Don't let the name scare you off. For his latest exhibit, local artist Drew Peterson really isn't planning to be the bearer of an austere evening of cold weather and winter grossums. Instead, Peterson presents viewers with an exhibition of new works inspired by illustrative images used in early 20th century ads. Through a collection of large-scale paintings, paper work and monochrome color, Peterson breaks away from his signature polyhued-vivid-print style to showcase a domain of sculptural obscurities that have a familiar, antique feel while achieving a nod to the futuristic. Like the “overcast skies of an eternal January,” each intricate piece reflects the dismal tone of the impending winter months. Mittens and coats not required!

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


FRIDAY OCTOBER 15TH

"Howl" Minneapolis Premiere

@ Landmark Lagoon Theatre
1320 Lagoon Avenue
Minneapolis

7 p.m. / $9

It was the mid-1950s and American life was...comfortable. Enter Allen Ginsberg. As mind-riot provoker, chronicler of the Beat Generation, and confrontational poet, Ginsberg wrote the famous first lines of a poem that shocked a nation: “I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, staving hysterical naked.” It was a relatively tame opening stanza, in the grand scheme of things, yet continue on and the words become a tangled Blake-esque tangent that unveiled a seedy underground scene, and the words echoed through the ranks of counter-culture. Tonight, come revel in the genius that was Ginsberg as you celebrate the Minneapolis premiere of the inspired biopic, Howl, from award-winning filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. Produced by MN-based Werc Werk Works and staring rebel-without-a-cause Hollywooder, James Franco, the film expands on the story of Ginsberg's timeless poem, “Howl,” his obscenity trial and the graphic ride of homosexuality, drugs, asylums and jazz that influenced his life and helped galvanized a generation. After the film, join IFP Minnesota and fellow Ginsberg fans for a post-screening reception at Chiang Mai Tai where ticket holders can enjoy a free glass of Summit and can enter to win a Howl poster autographed by Franco himself.

Click HERE for the Lagoon site




FRIDAY OCTOBER 14TH

Felabration!

@ The Cedar
416 Cedar Avenue South
Minneapolis

7 p.m. / $8 advance ($10 day of show)

The late, great Fela Kuti would have been celebrating his 72nd birthday on October 15th. This afrobeat pioneer left behind quite the body of recorded work (45 albums will be re-released by Knitting Factory Records), inspired the hit Broadway musical FELA!, and started a musical movement that's still being emulated and advanced by musicians worldwide. Here in the Twin Cities, we’re honoring his life and music with Felabration!, a big ‘ol dance party in the spirit of Kuti’s original Felabrations (performances in the courtyard of Lagos, Nigeria’s Empire Hotel) in the 1970s. Felabration! is happening Friday at the Cedar, so go kick up a sweat to Chicago Afrobeat Project and DJs Paul Harding and Danny Sigelman.

Click HERE for the Cedar site




FRIDAY OCTOBER 15TH (THROUGH SATURDAY)

Stanley's Bar Room opens for Live Music!

@ Stanley's
2500 University Ave NE
Minneapolis
(old Stasiu's Place)

10 p.m. / 21+ / Free

Yep, you heard us: Northeast has a new live music venue! After mangy, rock n' roll dive bar Stasiu's closed sometime last year, a new owner took over the space and has been hard at work renovating it. The reimagined spot boasts a tasteful (and clean) new interior as well as a menu of upscale bar food (think Grainbelt Beer Battered Onion Rings and Brisket Sliders) plus over 30 fancy beers on tap. And keeping with the spirit of the old Stasiu's, Stanley's has retained the services of former booker Christy Hunt (of Ouija Radio, Pink Mink), whose magic touch has turned a handful of Minneapolis dive bars into a rockin' live music venues. The inaugural weekend at Stanley's kicks off Friday night with Gospel Gossip, His Mischief, Young Pretenders, and Eyes Lips Eyes (LA); on Saturday enjoy tunes a la Kruddler, Rank Strangers, and Easy Baby. And in case you were wondering, the famed Staisu's urinals ARE still in tact.

Click HERE for the Stanley's Facebook page

Get a sneak peek at the new spot!



FRIDAY OCTOBER 15TH

Wants vs Needs

@ Clubhouse Jager
923 Washington Ave North
Minneapolis

10 p.m. / 21+ / $3

Once again, the hunky gents from Minneapolis’ own Wants Vs. Needs are bringing you another round of their crazy dance party that we all obviously both want and need. This Friday, join the boys as they blast tons of beats to get Clubhouse Jager really bumpin’. Petey Wheatstraw, Espada, Anton, Booka B and So Gold will be holding down the tunage while designers from The Pressure will be handing out limited edition t-shirts for the first attendees. Plus, don’t forget to visit the Clubhouse bar because as always there will be tons of sweet deals on tasty Jameson drinks.

Click HERE for the Facebook event



SATURDAY OCTOBER 16TH

Rain Taxi Book Fair

@ MCAD
1501 Hennepin Ave S
Minneapolis

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. / Free

We know you heart books, so what better place to be on a Saturday afternoon than this fantastic book fair! The brain child of Rain Taxi, the annual fest showcases a cornucopia of publishers, literary organizations, booksellers, and renowned authors and is a fun hub for general literature madness. The all-day fest includes exhibitors Big Brain Comics, the Minneapolis Observer Quarterly, KFAI Fresh Air, Holy Cow! Press, the St. Paul Almanac, Milkweed Editions, quarterly art-gallery-in-a-book publication, Location and many more! Enjoy a morning mixer to meet local luminaries and enter to win fantastic raffle prizes like signed books, tickets of the Guthrie's The Master Butcher Singing Club, movie passes, t-shirts, a free Loft membership and more. Plus, visit the Rain Taxi Review of Books table to find free copies of rad novels, score deep discounts on subscriptions and merchandise, and get deets on exclusive author signings, talks and readings. Got the kiddies? The Children's Pavilion offers kid-friendly author readings, performances, games, crafts and tons of other awesome activities. Not to be missed!

Click HERE for the Rain Taxi site



SATURDAY OCTOBER 16TH

Art at 801

@ 801 Lofts
801 Washington Ave
Minneapolis

6 p.m. to 9 p.m. / Free

This Saturday, pop over to 801 Lofts for a large-scale visual overload featuring three floors of artwork by four local artists. You may have seen pieces of photographer Sean Smuda's Blueprint series surface around town over the past few years, but for the 801 exhibit, Smuda busts out a complete collection of new, over-sized prints of his odd, photographic dreamscapes. Also on view are the imaginative works of painter Val Frank, the whimsical "Alice in Wonderland" themed photography project of Cris Halverson, and the design-heavy abstractions of Reagan Golden. And, as always, the 801 knows how to throw a killer art party complete with fine wines and tasty hors d'ouevres. A great show to kick off your Saturday night with.

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


SATURDAY OCTOBER 16TH

Vogue/Trash Costume Fashion Ball

@ Patrick's Cabaret
3010 Minnehaha Ave. S
Minneapolis

8 p.m. / $15 adv or $20 door

It’s that time of the year again – Halloween season! What a perfect reason for Patrick’s Caberet to throw a whimsical costume bash unlike any other. This runway event and dance party will offer the chance to feast your eyes on a round up of crazy costumes by local designers and plenty of getting down to electro DJ beats in innovative get-ups of your own. Just be sure to dress in your wildest - the Minneapolis Television Network (MTN) will be filming the entire event.

Click HERE for the Patrick's site


SATURDAY OCTOBER 16TH

Mid America Print Council Conference Closing Party

@ 1419
1419 Washington Ave
Minneapolis
(across from Southern Theater)

8pm-5am / Free for conference attendees, $5 everyone else

Like we said in our Thursday listing, the granddaddy of printmaking conferences is being held in the 612 this week, and plenty of opportunities for you to join in (printmaker or not) are in abundance. For example: Saturday night's epic blowout at the 1419 acts as a sort of closing ceremony for the conference, complete with multiple floors of print-centric art, awesome music, interactive awesomeness, flowing beer and a slew of cute prinkmakers from all corners of the country. Sounds like a solid Saturday night plan to us!

Click HERE for Facebook event


SATURDAY OCTOBER 16TH

Yeti Records benefit

@ Turf Club
1601 University Avenue
St. Paul

9 p.m. / $7

On October 23, the Twin Cities will have another record store for which to fall head-over-heels: Yeti Records, co-owned by Gayng’s Jake Luck and his wife, Lisa (who also happens to be an amazing artist!). The cool duo needs your support! To benefit the new store, the Turf Club is hosting a show on Saturday, and let us assure you, the line-up is awesome. Local psych-rockers Leisure Birds, Vampire Hands, and Daughters of the Sun, and not-quite-so psych rockers Marijuana Deathsquads and DJ Matt St. Germain will be providing some seriously mind-blowing tunes. Even better, Leisure Birds’ highly-anticipated LP Copper Scroll will also be released at the party. Talk about killing two birds with one stone! Your Saturday night couldn’t rock much harder than this.

Click HERE for the Facebook event

Flier by Lisa Luck (love it!)


SATURDAY OCTOBER 16TH

Cyn's Raunch & Roll

@ 501 Club
501 Washington Ave S
Minneapolis

9pm / 21+ / $5

If you're like us, you like your rock with a side of raunch. Bringing forth equal parts rock & roll and potty humor, KFAI's Cyn Collins presents Raunch & Roll this Saturday at the 501 Club. Combining the LOL hilarity of Courtney McLean of the Dirty Curls with a rousing set of country-punk from Bitch N Brown, good-timey tunes from the Gleam, and the foot stomping gypsy punk of the Knotwells, tonight will provide lowbrow raunch just the way we like it. Debauchery and mayhem are bound to ensue.

Click HERE for the Facebook page


SUNDAY MUSIC PICK: GUITAR PARTY

After the crazy success of collab-band GAYNGS, Minnesota is proud to bring you another super-group straight from the heart of Minneapolis. Say hello to Guitar Party! That’s right, folks from Halloween, Alaska, Andrew Bird, Why?, Alpha Consumer, Eyedea and Abilities and more have come together to bring you a dreamy sequence of tunage unlike any other. Relax to weird-sounding experimental guitar riffs straight from the picks of Jeremy Ylvisaker, Andrew Broder and Michael Larsen combined with the dreamy vocals of Haley Bonar and her 1st Grade friend Mijah Ylvisaker (plus some keys, bass beats from Mike Lewes and J.T. Bates on the drums!). Sounds like one heck of a "Guitar Party" to us!

Click HERE for the Guitar Party Facebook


Editor in Chief: Kate Iverson // Contributors: Juleana Enright, Tara Sloane, Lauren Gantner, Natalie Gallagher, Kate Iverson, Robyn Lewis, Jahna Peloquin

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