Is it finally officially summer? Fluctuating between 100+ degree days and 60 degree days has left us somewhat confused as of late. But fear not languishing lovelies, the forecast appears to be calling for hot, hot temps across the board this weekend (with a couple possible t-storms thrown in the mix to keep us in check, of course). Slap on something skin-bearing and make the scene, because sizzlin' summer in the city awaits!
xo-l'etoile
Photo by Chris McDuffie for l'etoile
THURSDAY JUNE 30TH
Twelve Dark Noons
@ Madame of the Arts
3401 Chicago Ave S
Minneapolis
8 p.m. / $5
In addition to creating music videos for the gothy likes of Zola Jesus and Naked on the Vague and styling for both LCD Soundsystem and Devendra Banhart, Jacqueline Castel can now add directing a psychadelic, 12-chapter “film for the apocalypse” to her list of stellar credentials. Produced by Caleb Braaten (of Sacred Bones Records), “Twelve Dark Noons” features an original soundtrack from Naked on the Vague, artistic collaboration with Wet Hair’s Shawn Reed, a Jodorowsky color palate, and hoards of strange, mythical relics – everything a tantalizingly trippy experimental film should be. Catch the flick at sundown Thursday at Madame.
Click HERE for the Facebook event
THURSDAY JUNE 30TH
The Lovely Dark/The Sunny Era/Hildur Victoria/Grant Cutler and the Gorgeous Lords
@ Hell’s Kitchen
80 9th St. S
Minneapolis
10 p.m. / 21+ / $5
Hell’s Kitchen tonight will be taken over by some of the Twin Cities’ finest offerings in atmospheric rock music, as new group the Lovely Dark debuts their sound alongside world fusion phenoms the Sunny Era, ghost rockers Hildur Victoria, and Grant Cutler’s quietly haunting group GC & the Gorgeous Lords. In case you haven't heard, The Lovely Dark features members of Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo, Self-Evident, Buildings, and Power of 2, so we're pretty sure they know their way around an amplifier. Consider this a rare opportunity to see a brand new band perform their first show ever in the intimate underground lair known as Hell’s Kitchen.
Click HERE for the Facebook event
FRIDAY ART PICK: DAVE MURRAY
What's l'etoile admiring this week?
As the Fourth is upon us Toronto-based illustrator/designer Dave Murray reminds us what's really important in America: beer. In a style heavily influenced by typography, Cubism, pop culture and nu-portraits, Murray's latest series, aptly titled the “Beer Series,” highlights all his favorite “cold ones” – heresy be with anyone who doesn't include PBR on that list. Check out his feature on Juxtapoz Mag's site below.
Click HERE for more work from Dave Murray
FRIDAY JULY 1ST
Lowertown First Fridays
@ various galleries
Lowertown St Paul
5 – 10 p.m. / free
Sometimes you need a bit of an extra incentive to make the trek to St. Paul after a long work week. Enter incentive: Lowertown First Fridays. A monthly St. Paul art crawl, LFF features artists coop open studios, art shows, gallery openings and a chance to check out the hottest up-and-coming artists in the Lowertown loop. This month, don't miss amazing botanical glass art by Jules Keller in the Jax Bldg, watercolor art by Amy Bell, painting from Barbara Evans and T. Young Art and more! Plus, don't forget to hit up fresh local art from l'etoile faves DC Ice and Todd Peterson showcasing ICE T in the AZ Gallery. With DC Ice's “sinister but sweet” style, the vivid paintings of Peterson and the duo's combined coolness, be prepared for an exhibit that combats the summer sweat.
Click HERE for the First Friday's site
FRIDAY JULY 1ST (THROUGH SUNDAY)
CONvergence
@ Sheraton Bloomington Hotel
7800 Normandale Blvd
Minneapolis
Calling all sci-fi geeks, comic fans, fantasy hounds and distorted members of societal undergrounds (aka misfits), the time has come to throw on that adult-size spandex Green Hornet costume, bust out the light saber and for god's sake brush up on your Buffy vs. Angel history. Yes, the Midwest's favorite science fiction convention, the beloved CONvergence, is upon us which (of course) means a 4-day-long shameless play date with all things nerdy...We said “nerdy,” not “dirty.” This year's theme, “Tomorrow Through the Past,” is a kudos to yesterday's visions of tomorrow – think steampunk meets an acidy version of Disney's Tomorrowland. Expect an eclectic cast of guests including Babylon 5's Jason Carter, weird and wacky themed suites, art shows & silent auctions, a masquerade, dancing at Connie's Space Lounge, panel discussions, booze and much more. Believe us when we say, there's never a dull moment. See you there, and may the force be with you.
BONUS: Our party room suggestions? Hit up the Black Lodge room for a Twin Peaks-themed odyssey complete with oodles of cold PBR beer. Looking for something a bit more prim and proper? Hit up the Dr. Who-themed Tardis Tearoom for a Pimm's Cup or some, uh, actual tea.
Click HERE for the CONvergence site
Photo by Stephen Stephens
FRIDAY JULY 1ST
Hope of the Union
@ Altered Esthetics
1224 Quincy Street NE
Minneapolis
7 p.m. / Free
Far left or far right, apathetic or independent, disenchanted or still chanting “Yes We Can,” pretty much all of us can agree that politics are a pretty much a quagmire. The bright side: What artist doesn’t love a good debunking, doesn’t thrive on asking tough questions. making big statements, and otherwise sticking it to The Man. creative discourse style? Just ask the folks at Altered Esthetics, whose latest exhibit, “Hope of the Union,” is a collection of nonpartisan artistic sound offs relating to our mercurial political atmosphere. Taking in to consideration a variety of movements and stances, the photographs, drawings, and paintings are sure to stir things up. The exhibit opens Friday, complete with Pin the Tail/Tusk on the Donkey/Elephant.
Click HERE for this art event and more at mplsart.com
FRIDAY JULY 1ST
Shutdown Street Party
location announced Thursday night HERE
9 p.m. – 12 a.m. / free
Talk of a government shutdown has been all the buzz lately, and for good reason. Thousands will be affected and our world as we know it will function a bit off-kilter. But as any lover of anarcho/social political can tell you, that's not always a bad thing. In fact, the brains behind the local Shutdown Street Party have gone so far as to say it's a cause for celebration. Tonight, grab some pals, art supplies, noisemakers and your best ideas and take to the streets refining what we want our urban community to look like sans an ultra hands-on government. Prepare to debate, debacle and, of course, dance. Because it ain't a revolution if ya can't dance to it, right?
Click HERE for more info
FRIDAY JULY 1ST
The Knotwells LP Release Show
@ The Hexagon
2600 27th Ave. S.
Minneapolis
9:30 p.m. / 21+ / Free
Banjo, mandolin, drums, guitar, and assorted handmade instruments by band luthier “the Joel” blend and clash to create The Knotwells’ sound. It’s one of gruff vocals and woodsy rebellion, what might happen if bluegrass, punk, and country died and someone picked their bones, started strumming and playing with what was left. Friday, the local sextet will release their latest LP, “The Highway Won’t Hide You,” with a show at the Hexagon. Get there early to snag your copy and hear tunes from local boogie n’ blues aces Black Audience and the howling, string-slinging trio Brute Heart.
Click HERE for the Hex site
COOL LINK: CELLARDOOR MAGAZINE
What's l'etoile looking at on the web this week?
In Donny Darko, Drew Barrymore opened a can of worms when she quoted a Spanish linguist:” “What could be more musical than your word cellar-door?” English language musings aside, the question inspired this week’s cool link: a gorgeous, little-something-for-everyone zine based in the UK. Published quarterly, Cellardoor Magazine covers art, culture, music, fashion, DIY, beauty, and everything in between with edge, quirk, keenness, and a dash of British sass. Case in point: an illustration in the current issue jazzes up a certain regal mantra, proclaiming “Keep Calm and Copy Kate.” Adorbs!
Peep the latest via Issuu below or visit their site HERE.
SATURDAY JULY 2ND
Adam Turman's Garage Art Sale
@ Adam’s garage
5530 Vermont Street
Minneapolis
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. / Free
Grandmas, pack-rats, and vintage junkies everywhere agree: few things are more exhilarating than a good garage sale. But you don’t have to fall in to one of those categories to love what will be spilling out of local print master Adam Turman’s garage this Saturday: posters starting at $5. From “scratches and dents” and test prints to original lineart and postcards to whatever else he’s scrounged up from the studio, all sorts of odds and ends will be yours to browse, buy, and mark your bedroom wall as one belonging to a true Minneapolitan. There will also be, Turman says, bevs that rhyme with “deer.” On second thought, maybe leave grams at home.
Click HERE for the Facebook event
SATURDAY JULY 2ND
Storymaking w/ Twin Cities Runoff
@ Walker Open Field
1750 Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis
3:30 – 5 p.m. / Free
Storytime with the Walker? What could be better? You're invited to kick off your Fourth of July weekend with Twin Cities Runoff celebrating one of our favorite freedoms – freedom of speech – laying in the Open Field's perfect backyard. Enjoy classic storytelling games like Surrealist parlor word game, Exquisite Corpse; sentence drawing sentence and the game of 1000 blank white cards; or flaunt your knowledge of local media culture with TCR's take on MadLibs, TCR-libs. And after you've spend your day frolicking around the sculpture garden and perusing through John Water's recent hodgepodge exhibit, we just know you'll be primed with an original, gloriously avant-garde tale to tell.
Click HERE for the Walker site
SATURDAY JULY 2ND
The CandyLand Mini Ball
@ The Exchange
3405 Chicago Ave S
Minneapolis
7 p.m / $5
Anyone who idolized Queen Frostine as a child has secretly fantasized about traipsing through a candy cane forest en route to a CandyLand ball. Or maybe its just us. Anyways, The Exchange has made our dreams come true with the CandyLand Mini- Ball, happening Saturday. While there won’t be a living Molasses Bog or that creepy Lord Licorice, there will be cash prizes for the best candy-colored costumes and props in a variety of categories, each open, and open-armed to all gender identities. The competitions: Foot Fetish (gum drop-colored galoshes, anyone?), School Boy/Girl Realness (collared tops and lollipops), Runway (couture with a candy prop), Face, Vogue Femme (sweet or sour? Be ready to catwalk.), and Bizarre Bizarre (like Gaga’s meat dress, but with candy). See you there, sugars!
Click HERE for the Facebook event
SATURDAY JULY 2ND
C.L.A.P. presents The Chambermaids/Nice Purse/Night Moves
@ Kitty Cat Klub
315 14th Ave. SE
Minneapolis
9:30 p.m. / 21+ / $5
Chicks rule at the Dinkytown staple tonight, as an evening sponsored by the all new girl-powered zine, C.L.A.P. (Creative Ladies are Powerful) rocks the house. Pick up a copy of their Summer issue and enjoy what will surely be an entertaining set from psychedelic indie rockers the Chambermaids, the upbeat folky tunes of Nice Purse, and the chilled out anthems of Night Moves. This will, of course, devolve into the same hot, sweaty, crazy dance night that we have all come to love the KCK for, and you should really take advantage of this golden summer time when school is out and (most of) the douchebags have found other Saturday night bars to slug back their High Life. Don’t let this chance slip past you—those dingy, plushy corner chairs can mean magic, especially when you’ve got Night Moves whispering their gentle choruses at you from the dance floor and a copy of C.L.A.P. in your mitts.
Click HERE for the Facebook event
SUNDAY MUSIC PICK: THE COATHANGERS
What's l'etoile listening to this week?
In the bad boy-saturated world of indie garage and post-punk, a girl has to play pretty seriously. It just isn’t girly to be a rockstar. Not that The Coathangers – a tattooed, pierced, grizzly-haired, doll-eyed, all-girl riot from Atlanta – ever gave an eff about that. With no musical education whatsoever and their first round of instruments purchased as cheaply as possible from a pawn shop, they’ve been laughing at the rules from day one – and snapping up headlining gigs left and right with the likes of the Thermals and the late These Arms Are Snakes. But that’s not to say their obstinate, jarring un-love songs (with titles such as “Go Away” and “Trailer Park Boneyard”) don’t deserve to headline, if only for The Coathangers’
penchant for making wasted youth sound so cool. Now that you’re informed, go rock out with them tonight at the Triple Rock.
Click HERE for the Coathanger's site
MONDAY JULY 4TH
Ten Second Film Festival
@ Soap Factory
514 2nd St SE
Minneapolis
doors 8 p.m., fireworks 10:30 p.m.
films to follow fireworks / free
Don't be so quick to judge the fellows glued to their iPhones. Chances are they're shooting their ten second claim to fame. That's right, the Ten Second Film Fest is back with more bite-sized mega-pixels to make you laugh, cringe or cry. From appeasing the most persnickety cinephile to the YouTube fanatic, the 10 Sec Fest is the ultimate in “uncensored, uninhibited and unexpected” shorts. Daringly dubbed the “Best Festival of the Twin Cities 2011” by City Pages, the fest is a “summer staple” and THE place to be for the Fourth. Head down early to snag a great spot, enjoy tunes by DJ Jam E-Z, catch the epic St. Anthony Main fireworks and take in the top 100 ten second films judged by 89.3 The Current's Barb Abney, Andy Sturdevant and Carolyn Swiszcz.
Click HERE for the Soap Factory site
MONDAY JULY 4TH
Dillinger 4th of July
@ Triple Rock Social Club
629 Cedar Ave S
Minneapolis
8pm / 21+ / Free
Dillinger 4's annual 4th of July throwdown at the Triple Rock has become as much an institution as the band themselves in these here parts, having gone a whopping eight years without missing a proverbial beat. And we can't think of a better way to celebrate the birth of our nation than with D4's brand of reckless, alcohol-soaked punk rawk. The incredible power and energy behind this band’s live performance always leaves minds blown and ears ringing. Earplugs highly recommended! Likeminded locals the Slow Death and San Diego-based rockers Dan Padilla open.
Click HERE for the Triple Rock site
Editor in Chief: Kate Iverson // Contributors: Juleana Enright, Tara Sloane, Natalie Gallagher, Kate Iverson, Robyn Lewis, Jahna Peloquin, Lauren Gantner
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment