This year’s first Voltage: Fashion Amplified spotlight is bright upon Kathryn V, Voltage first-timer and purveyor of chic, funky wares that even mother Earth would adore (her Voltage line is wrought one-hundred percent from sustainable fabrics). Fresh from the U of M’s design program, Kathryn has had quite the busy year (to say the least!). Her collection at the Minneapolis Fashion Initiative’s "Calamity!" show last spring was equal parts sophisticated and playful, polished with just-so details and textile prints, and at Envision: Artopia, she delighted us with 70s-reminiscent slouchy sweaters, paisley prints, and sailor pants. Kathryn finds inspiration in people and places, a process constantly evolving and manifesting in fresh, interesting new designs. We’re sure her Voltage line will be no exception – and we can’t wait to see what the rest of 2011 brings this keen designer.
Kathryn chatted with us about fabric hunting, her “crafty” first line, and the ever-changing design process behind her Voltage collection.
l’etoile: Your Voltage collection is made entirely from sustainable fabrics. What was it like working within the limits of environmentally friendly material? To what extent, if at all, did the material itself inspire your designs and/or help shape the concept for your line?
Kathryn: Working with sustainable materials has been one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences for my Voltage 2011 line. It uses fabrics that are not only organic cottons, but sustainable in a variety of ways. I am working with a variety of fabrics that use recycled fibers, low impact dyes, and come from suppliers that are using sustainable practices. One of my fabric suppliers ships their fabric in recycled boxes and uses old commercial patterns as packaging; how awesome is that?
Designing with environmentally friendly parameters has forced me to overcome many challenges, like restrictions in fabric color and type. These restrictions have changed the entire way I begin designing a line. In that past I have been able to start with an inspiration, develop a variety of silhouettes, imagine a color palette, and then chose my fabric based on those ideas. While I am often inspired by the textures and patterns that lead to the development of a line, fabric now begins and steers the entire design process. I have to choose my fabrics first since there are slim varieties of sustainable materials available.
Simply finding my materials has been half the battle. It hasn't been as easy as typing "eco fabric" into my Google bar. I spend hours sifting through fabric sites, talking to other designers and comparing fabrics. While it is a challenge now, there has been a fantastic shift in sustainable design with it receiving more and more attention. Especially in recent fashion shows, sustainable design is blossoming. The Organic line by John Patrick was one of my favorites from this past New York fashion week and I can only hope that with more designers working with these materials, the options available will continue to grow.
[photo from Envision 2010]
l’etoile: You started making clothes at the age of thirteen, and selling them at fifteen – that’s an entire young adulthood in the design world! How has starting at such a young age impacted you as you continue to grow as a designer? What principles or aesthetics have you stayed true to over the years?
Kathryn: I hesitate when saying I started selling clothing at fifteen. Not because I don’t feel like I wasn’t taking bold strides at a young age. But, because I started so young, and [being] so inexperienced I was inhibited from entering the fashion scene well built. I mean, my first “line” was a craft fest incorporating a black and white collar shirt paired with a multi colored, ribbon accented skirt (embarrassing). But, while I still need to work up the courage to pull those photos out of the shoebox, the trade-off for an invaluable experience has been worth it.
The first line I’m talking about started in high school with a friend, Andrea Bell. At that time we were mainly altering t-shirts and making simple patterns. We were self-taught but both pursued design in college, Andrea, at SAIC and myself at the University of Minnesota. I continued my design, independently moving to Design Collective and finally to Cliché, where I currently sell my garments. It was a long trek from there to here and I've learned a lot along the way. While those first garments were anything but a masterpiece I wouldn't take back that experience for anything. Trying, and failing, has taught me valuable lessons and I think I am a stronger designer because of it. Mostly, it has taught me that I will always be learning and that’s the main principle that has remained with me since the age of fifteen. There is always something to discover, which makes this industry so amazing. I never want to reach a point where I think I know everything, because there is nowhere to go from there.
[photo from Calamity by Rod Hasse]
l’etoile: From delineation and conception to construction and completed collection, do you find that your design inspiration is an external process, or something more instinctive? What is your typical method for bringing a concept from inception to a blossomed full collection?
Kathryn: Designing isn’t purely external or instinctive. It has been about finding a balance between the two because my designs will eventually be owned and used by someone else, so I need to work to meet their needs. Likewise, it can’t be entirely external or I’ll lose myself, and the things that differentiate my design from others. This balance isn’t something I’ve mastered. I struggle with it everyday. But, I try to stay true to what inspires me and not just follow the trends. I also could not succeed without the input and critique of those around me. My process is never the same but it always involves an inspiration or idea that is so exciting to me I can’t sleep. I love going through the process of ideation to mold that idea into something others want to wear.
l’etoile: What role does music play in your design modus operandi? Are there certain bands or particular songs you put on to cure a design funk?
Kathryn: I cannot work without music. It is the singular most important component to my workday aside from coffee. Done and done.
[Photo of Kathryn V's 2010 Fall Collection by Brad Ogbonna]
l’etoile: Now in its seventh year, Voltage: Fashion Amplified has only intensified in popularity and local talent. To what do you attribute Voltage's success and why do you think it continues to gain momentum?
Kathryn: Minnesota is amping up its enthusiasm for fashion design. This industry is growing in our city and it has come a long way in the past few years. But, in a location where runway shows were not always so accessible, Voltage has offered a generous mix of the well known: rock and roll, with the unfortunately less known: runway show. Voltage has pulled in huge crowds of people each year and acquainted a new population to the fashion design scene. I see Voltage continuing to thrive because of the dedication of those involved, and the always-interesting blend of music and fashion design that makes this show so unique. It is my first year showing in Voltage and I am incredibly excited to be a part of it.
Voltage: Fashion Amplified happens Friday, April 15th at First Avenue Night Club. For more information and to purchase tickets visit www.voltagefashionamplified.com.
Bust out the bikinis, ya'll. It's going to be in the upper 30s this weekend! Well, okay, you can hold off the the barely-there fare for a couple more months, but at least we're making progress. With a smoldering mix of events happening this weekend including dance parties, rock shows, and an over abundance of awesome art, we're sure you'll find an excuse or two to shed some layers. The end of winter is in sight, dear readers!
BONUS: Join us on Wednesday the 16th at the Guthrie Theater for l'etoile night! Discounted tickets and an exclusive after party with the cast, complete with complimentary drinks and treats! Click HERE for more info.
xo-l'etoile
Photo by Eric Eul for l'etoile
THURSDAY MARCH 10TH
Shelter Me 2011
@ Chowgirls Parlor 1224 2nd St NE Minneapolis
5 p.m. to 9 p.m. / $12
The peeps behind the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless and Animal Humane Society truly believe that if the animal troops could talk they would say “gimme shelter.” Tonight, join the coalition and fellow fur-friend lovers for a charity event designed to help our four-legged pals permanently in good homes and fund the local charities that make it happen. Munch down delicious vegetarian fare from local nom nom aficionados Chowgirls Killer Catering, jive to some groove-tastic tunes courtesy of DJ Jake Rudh, sip down ice cold top notch brews from Harriet Brewing and decadent treats from Muddy Paws Cheesecake. Not to mention feast your peepers on custom posters a’la Adam Turman and bring a photo of your favorite pet to get a high-quality sketch on the spot by Sarah of Lintu Art for a mere 20 bones. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to pet-friendly charities, plus the first 25 guests will receive a generous grab bag filled with an event poster from Adam Turman, the grandiose local coupon book Chinook and much more!
@ Rogue Buddha Gallery 357 13th Ave NE Minneapolis
7 p.m. / Free
In a flurry of belles-lettres, the Pocket Lab Reading Series returns to the Buddha on Thursday, featuring an absolutely lavish literary lineup (we can alliterate, too!). Cast number 10 includes co-founder and editor-in-chief of Forklift, Ohio: A Journal of Poetry, Cooking & Light Industrial Safety, Matt Hart; Madison poet Adam Fell; Chaska-based novelist, teacher, and hot sauce addict Seth Michael Berg; “God Save Gertrude” (a punk-rock riff on Hamlet) playwright Deborah Stein; and local film-poetry production company Co-Kisser creator Jen March. For such a bite-sized gathering, we’d say it sounds larger than life.
Golden years, golden years. Just what are the golden years? Are they those fleeting years of passion and realized youth in our 20s and 30s? Oh, to be the artist l’etoile is obsessed with this week, English/Irish figurative abstract artist, Francis Bacon. Though some would say bon vivant artist Bacon may have peaked before his 40th birthday, that doesn’t mean the man didn’t leave behind a bold austere, graphic and emotionally raw catalog of distorted imagery and disambiguatory paintings. A master of provocative subjects such as crucifixion, Papal heads, grotesque figurines and motifs of death, Bacon was renowned as the most astonishingly sinister and original artist in England. Bizarro manifested!
Mix some MN music and your favorite munchies this Friday with the cool people behind Yeti Records at this food-n’-tune-filled soiree. The Somethin’ Else #10 will be the perfect potluck kick-off to your weekend, showcasing a mound of Minneapolis’ most experimental musicians that will both tickle your taste buds and sooth your eardrums. Stop by to nom on homemade hot dishes and get down to the grooves of locals Josh Granowski, Matt Wacker, Radical Cemetery, Grant Cutler’s 2012, Kevin Cosgrove & Lisa McGrath, Oblong Box and the like. Did we mention if you bring your own shareable food you get in on all the goodness for free? It's true.
Since August 22, 1997, the world has seen a lot of Ana Voog. From daily activities like vacuuming and hosting guests to building a free-form crochet hat empire (you can buy one of your own on her website) to the conception and birthing of her first child, the 24/7 of Voog’s life has been on display via anacam, the longest running webcam slash conceptual art experiment to date. Friday at Smitten Kitten, both fans and those unlucky ones who’ve been out of the loop the past fifteen years can enjoy a sampling from the anacham archives and even take a favorite or two home. Be prepared for anything and everything – in Ana’s world, extreme (and extremely sexual) is norm. Not that we’d have it any other way.
Click HERE for this art event and more at mplsart.com
FRIDAY MARCH 11TH
Never Quiet Never Soft
@ Cult Status 2913 Harriet Ave S Minneapolis
7 p.m. – 1 a.m. / free
Tonight, Cult Status gallery welcomes you to the dollhouse (and the forest) as they present Never Quiet, Never Soft, a site-specific installation from local artists Shawn Hebrank and Albie Rock. Make your way through a human-sized birdhouse while you hear tunes from Dark Dark Dark’s Marshall LaCount, harpist Rachel Blomgren and Brute Heart’s Ackie Beckey. Wander through a dialogue that juxtaposes folk-life and "woodsly" aesthetic in paintings, prints and sculpture where it’s no surprise to see art dolls, acorns and antlers, brass instruments and bearded men, wheat and wings, lanterns and lighthouses and other atmospheric anomalies.
Click HERE for this art event and more at mplsart.com
FRIDAY MARCH 11TH
BNLX EP #5 Release Party
@ Cause Spirits and Soundbar 3005 Lyndale Ave. S. Minneapolis
9:30 p.m. / $7
The bill for tonight's BNLX EP release show reads like a dream come true. Idle Hands will deliver haunting hi-fi/lo-fi rock that will make your toes curl, Satellite Voices will charm you into another dimension with their outta-this-world sound, and Byzantine Beatbox is worth showing up for just based on visuals alone--though a little birdy chirped to us that BB's performance will involved a mini Astronaut Wife reunion with Amy and Janey on vocals (covering a Jeremy Messersmith tune, no less). And of course, headliners BNLX whose wall of sound will melt your face and sear your ears in the best possible of ways. Truly an all-inclusive night of solid local music. #WIN
It's another SXSW send-off weekend here in the Twin Cities, with a record number of bands gearing up to head down south to showcase their talents to the masses and represent our scene. Friday night, get a taste of the impending Austin shenannies at the Turf Club, where Christy Hunt has assembled an insane line up of local and national acts, including H.U.N.X., Pink Mink, Brooklyn's JM Airis, Detroit's the Hounds Below, Hastings 3000 and more. All this for only seven bones - that's only a buck a band. The Clown Lounge will be open too! We know where we'll be on Friday night!
March is here and now that all of the post-NY resolution “get skinny” hype has finally worn off we are all for getting Extra Large. Once again, local mix master, Mike 2600, is bringing his usual grab bag of tunage to take over First Ave’s Record Room. This time around, Mike welcomes special guest Kevin Beacham who will play a plethora of rap, funk and homegrown DJ jams. Not to mention, the Record Room bartenders will be serving up 2-4-1 well drinks all hours before the strike of 12 while the dudes for Burlesque of North America and Lee Greenwich will be throwing out tons of free swag to the first clutch of lucky ducks to show up.
Have an insatiable desire to improve your dirty vocabulary? Well, you’re in luck, author Jonathon Green – the nation’s “indefatigable lexicographer of filth, a tierless troweller in the slurry of un unsayable” (according to The Independent) has released a mind-bendingly addictive guide to taboo talk that even the crassest of Brits would shy from. The extensive three-volumed edition is a historical reference as well as a hilariously subversive take on new slang language.
From monstrous Haunted Basements to performance art sanctuaries, the Soap Factory has homed many a site-specific installation. Tonight, join as the Soap presents a special maze-like exhibit, the latest from artist Tim Carroll, encompassing the entirety of the gallery’s 12,000 sq ft space. Using chalk drawings and tar paper, Carroll creates a show inspired by ancient Greek pottery, Victorian needlepoint and the elegance and simplicity of black and white and raw textures. With live music and soundscapes from Teen Anal Terrorist, The Blink Turk, Jason Wade and Jaime Carrera.
Click HERE for this art event and more at mplsart.com
SATURDAY MARCH 12TH
Inside Out: The Self Portrait Show
@ Hennes Art Company 1607 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis
6 p.m. / Free
Believe it or not, the art of self portraiture still exists beyond oh-so dramatic Facebook self-snapshots and extensive Macbook photobooth albums (we know, you were just bored one day). Just ask the twenty-six artists behind Inside Out: The Self Portrait Show, opening Saturday at Hennes Art Company. Curated by naturalist painter John Schuerman, the show features a plethora of artists and mediums, including SooVAC artist and curator Suzy Greenberg, figurative painter Luke Hillestad, immaculate sculpturist Kyle Fokken, puppeteer Michael Sommers, and painter/collage artist Jennifer Davis (we’re particularly fond of her whimsical, storybook-like illustration style, recently printed on a Tapes n’ Tapes t-shirt). Straightforward, thought-provoking, abstract, and totally off the wall, the ways these artists have chosen to represent themselves are bound to surprise you – and hopefully reflect a little something of yourself, too.
Click HERE for this art event and more at mplsart.com
SATURDAY MARCH 12TH
Fresh: 10 artists from the gallery’s first five years
@ Burnet Gallery 901 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis
6 p.m. / Free
Top tens can be so disappointing, but the exact opposite is true with Fresh, opening Saturday at the Chambers’ Burnet Gallery. In a five-year anniversary celebration of sorts, ten artists from the gallery’s brief, but shining history will be on display, including Angela Strassheim, whose visceral, unflinching photographs of family life were first exhibited at the Chambers in 2007; Andrea Stanislav, who dazzled us in 2009 with Holiday in the Sun, featuring paintings decked out in shellac, glitter, and tasty wordage; and Chris Larson, whose chilling sculpture/video installation (literally: the project involved a frozen house) Deep North debuted in 2008. And you know there’ll be valet parking. So fly.
Click HERE for this art event and more at mplsart.com
SATURDAY MARCH 12TH
Scuffle & Scrape: Shawn McNulty
@ Rosalux Gallery 1224 Northeast 2nd St. Minneapolis
7 p.m. / Free
“Scuffle & Scrape” is the shiny new solo show from painter and Rosalux Gallery founder Shawn McNulty – his first in the gallery’s Nordeast nook. McNulty is known for christening his paintings with spontaneous, abstract titles (“turmeric,” “red tail,” and “copacetic,” to name a few), so it comes as no surprise that the title of his show would carry equal significance: “scuffling” is his word for the applying, chopping, slicing, scraping, and reapplying of paint upon his canvas, resulting in the conceptual “skirmishes” (McNulty’s descriptor) that are his final works. Layered as much with meaning as with material, the paintings will be on display at Rosalux starting Saturday. Color your weekend dynamic (the arty word for awesome).
Click HERE for this art event and more at mplsart.com
SATURDAY MARCH 12TH
Share|Space:2 Opening P(art)y
@ Tarnish & Gold 1511 Marshall St NE Minneapolis
7 p.m. to 10 p.m. / $5
Mama always said “sharing is caring” and the artists in Tarnish & Gold’s ultra group show definitely have taken her words of wisdom to heart. Get overwhelmed and visually flustered by the art work of 30 local artist including pieces from Megan Frauenhofffer, Kyle Coughlin, Hilary Berg, Brian Frank, Paige Guggemos, Yoshi Coryne, Victoria Martinez and more! Enjoy epic tuneage from Crimes & DJ Andrew Broder.
Click HERE for this art event and more at mplsart.com
SATURDAY MARCH 12
Fleetwood Magic!
@ Turf Club 1601 University Ave. W. St. Paul
9 p.m. / 21+ / $7
Look at this lineup: Vampire Hands, Me & My Arrow, Nightinghales, Little Foot, Invisible Boy, Hot Roxx DJ. Delicious. Awesome. Now, imagine those bands and Hot Roxx DJs playing a Fleetwood Mac tribute at the one and only Turf Club. Yes. That's right. A Fleetwood Mac Tribute. Join the all-star cast for a magical night of some of the greatest songs in rock history--and hey, maybe think about throwing on a costume or something. It is a tribute, after all, and Stevie Nicks as inspiration is all the excuse we need.
@Nick and Eddie (Warehouse) 1612 Harmon Place Minneapolis
9 p.m. / 18+ / $5
Minneapolis' best-kept secret will be opening up its doors for an epic night of all-out dancing mania--like you could expect anything less from the hipster hideaway on a Saturday night! Be there to check out the awesome sounds of Food Pyramid, Nomia & Delta Lyrae, DJ Overzealous Sound System, with Oil Lights and Projections by Wonderhaus. And try not to geek out too much over the sheer awesomeness of it all.
It’s kind of a shame that Braids is getting so much buzz (and not to mention ceaseless Animal Collective comparisons) on the indie circuit; we’re really hoping they stick around long after the hipsters get bored and move on to the next big (as in mediocre but danceable and named after a cute animal) thing. The Montreal four-piece crafts a haunting, swirling jungle of rises, falls, and clickety-clacks, a dream surprisingly-but-cleverly shattered by the feral cries of singer/keyboardist Katie Lee. And all that comes before the lyrics: astute, sailor-mouthed musings on sexuality and self-discovery (“what I found is that we/ we’re all just sleeping around”), the kind that seems born of an entire young-adulthood spent in ennui. Um, what’s not to love about that? Our verdict: riveting, definitely one of those rare few “it” bands worth risking cliché for.
Bonus: Braids will be playing the Entry on April 3rd!
With a bevy of our most beloved local bands gearing up for the SXSW festival, the Twin Cities is buzzing with excitement. And what better way to express that excitement than with a couple of totally awesome kickoff parties? Music will be in abundance this time around, so put your pants on, come out of hibernation, and check out something new. After all, you want to be able to say "I saw them back when..." right?
Bonus: Follow our music editor, Robyn Lewis, on Twitter at @LOLOMGSXSW as she tweets all the down n' dirty details from SXSW March 15th-20th and this weekend's local showcases!
xo-l'étoile
ALSO THIS WEEK ON L'ETOILE
Beth and Jahna tweet the Oscars from the Hotel Ivy
Jahna and Lauren update our Guide to Sales & Shopping
After a brief hiatus we're back--and at a new home, no less! Join l'étoile's sister site, LOL/OMG, at the 331 Club for the 7th edition of our social media meetup and music blowout! Socialize with your Twitter/Facebook/Foursquare/etc friends IRL, drink some cheap dranks, nerd out, shamelessly hit on people, whatever...just be sure to tweet it so we can LOL/OMG you later! In honor of our move to the 331 Club, we've crafted an all-star lineup for the occasion that will blow minds and ear drums. The night starts off with the beat oddities of The Craigslist Killer, followed by the artfully suave electronic stylings of Dearling Physique, and capped off with the live P.A. mischief of one Slapping Purses. A night not to be missed! Official hashtag: #LOLOMG.
It’s not every day you find an event that encourages attendance in your schoolhouse best. Cute pleated skirts, ruffled knee-highs, and otherwise homework-distraction-causing ware? Yes, please! Thursday at Hell’s Kitchen, designer Samantha Rei (the dame behind neo-Victorian line Blasphemina’s Closet) will be presenting her first solo show, “L’ecole de la mode” (a lesson in fashion). Her full spring 2011 collection, titled “Riot/Reform,” will be featured to new tunes by local folk-goth duo Skittish, with jewelry by Bionic Unicorn, hats by Apatico, and glasses by The Spectacle Shop. BC lookbooks will also be on sale, with all proceeds going to the Civil Society.
Drawing inspiration and raw material from cinema, pornography, street culture and images sampled from the Internet, London-based artist Ian Francis synthesizes his muses into a quasi-literal vision of the “mediated” landscape. His mixed-media paintings and paper drawings are a mini-world of complex interactions amid high-color washes, jagged brushwork and cityscape fragments. From hardships facing the elderly and vulnerable to semi-clad female figurines and hedonistic fantasies, Francis' abstract works suggest a worldview blending the incongruities of modern life – a visual land where the beautiful and the grotesque dance hand in hand.
Humdrum winter got you down? Head over to the Calhoun Beach Club tonight as some of the cities' hottest entertainers perform, dance, mingle and fill the night with dynamic wonder. The evening kicks off with a fab ab fitness fashion show and segues into passion-ridden performances from Buckets and Taps, the Haute Hula Hoop Troupe, Elektra Cute and her Burlesque Babes and LED illuminated logo-Go-go dancers, plus a body painting contest by the Picassos of the flesh, fire dancers and tunes from DJs JD Havens, Jamez, Bryan Gerrad and Jesus Juice with live percussionist Winston. Not to mention all proceeds of tonight's extravagant event benefit the Special Olympics Minnesota, so bring on the neon colors!
@ Altered Esthetics 1224 Quincy Street NE Minneapolis
7 p.m. / Free
Few things are more troubling than histrionic, soul-searching fan fiction about the Cullen coven or an entire generation of impressionable preteens sporting Bieber haircuts. But starting Friday, Altered Esthetics will be shedding new, less annoying light on the notion of fanbois and gurls. For Fanboi 20 artists create work inspired by fandom and devotion to heroes, sagas, and icons in film, music, and gaming culture. Styles range from acrylic and watercolor paintings to charcoal and varnished crayon drawings. Expect appearances (in 2-D, that is) by R2D2, Marilyn Manson, The Good Doctor, and if we’re luck, a Mary Sue or two. You’d be a n00b not to be there.
Click HERE for this art event and more at mplsart.com
FRIDAY MARCH 4TH
Are You Local? SXSW Send-off
@ Varsity Theater 1308 SE. 4th St. Minneapolis
6 p.m. / 18+ / $10
Once again, Minneap is sending a bevy of bands to the biggest fest in the west, representing a unique cross section of what our scene has to offer. Whether or not you'll make it down to South by Southwest this year, come out and help send our budding rockstars off in style. l'etoile faves Phantom Tails, the swoon-worthy Jeremy Messersmith, the lush, alt-country hymns of Ben Weaver, as well as the three finalists from Vita.mn's best new band search (our money's on 4 on the Floor) will share the Varsity stage. One lucky band will be crowned the "best new local band" and be sent down to Austin to play Vita.mn's showcase. PLUS, there will be live art by Chuck U, digital pic snapping by Playatta, and free Speed Blingo with Ellie throughout the night. The show starts early, so be sure to not to miss any of this outstanding talent before they hit the road for the Lone Star State.
BONUS: We're sending l'etoile/LOL/OMG correspondent and music editor Robyn Lewis to SXSW this year to report on and live-tweet ALL the action (including every bit of embarrassing debauchery). She'll be tweeting from tonight's "Are You Local?" showcase as well, so follow her at @LOLOMGSXSW immediately! Trust us, you won't want to miss out.
Wizards Are Real gets the l'etoile award for best awesomely geeky sounding band name ever. Tonight catch wind of the psych-jazz quartet, which features a pedal steel guitar, drums, bass, and--yes--a saxophone! Seriously, it's like the dying art of instrumentation. Tonight's album release is something you surely don't want to miss, because joining the lineup is another onslaught of supremely named bands with talent with which to melt your face off: Dragons Power Up!, National Bird and Seymour Saves The World.
Red Pens, Party House, Hollow Boys, Lillian & the Harveys
@ Hexagon Bar 2600 27th Ave. S. Minneapolis
10 p.m./ 21+ / Free
Ahhhh, the Red Pens. Nothing beats the crazy, manic sounds of the guitarist-drummer pair that is Howard Hamilton and Laura Bennett. They will probably end up shaking the dusty neon signs off the walls of the Hex, and don't you want to be there for that? The noise rock duo are joined by Party House, Hollow Boys, and Lillian & the Harvey for an evening of hell-bent sounds and strong drink swillin'.
So, we already get that Crunk + Hyphy = Cryphy. But, what about Crunk + Hyphy + Rambo? Well, we’ll find out this weekend with another round of the supa’ fly dance installation Get Cryphy at First Ave’s cozy-cool Record Room. Spend your Friday night shakin’ tush to some beats from DJs Plain Ole Bill, Last Word and Fundo while sippin’ down some strong dranks from the VIP bar. As always, be sure to show up in the early hours because their monthly sponsors will be handing out sweet swag for the pre-partiers of the night.
L’etoile came to a shocking conclusion this week: we’re man repellers. But don’t go reaching for the Ben and Jerry’s just yet – we like it this way! Let us explain. Since last April, 22-year-old fashion blogger Leandra Medine has been publishing photographs of herself wearing the treasures of her closet: shoulder pads, drop-crotch utility pants, an ostrich-feather miniskirt, a cape, and other such enviable, utterly ridiculous “sartorial contraceptives.” Catch our drift yet? In that beloved realm known as fashion, it seems the most fashion-forward pieces are also the most sexually unappealing; they’re man repellers, and by golly, we can’t get enough of them. Guided by Medine’s irreverent, totally witty fashion musings, the Man Repeller will make you laugh just as much as it will inspire you. Sorry boys, this one’s definitely a keeper.
Founded by the indie-focused three-headed octopus, locals Meghan Suszynski, Jamie Millard and Regan Smith, literary arts zine, Paper Darts, celebrates its third volume tonight, featuring awesome art, local interviews, music, fashion, comics and some of the best fiction, poetry and nonfiction to come out of the underground lit scene. Tonight's launch party features readings by John Jodzio, Matt Mauch, Michele Campbell, Robert Voedisch, and Maggie Ryan Sandford plus live music by The Chord and the Fawn, a digital art slideshow, giveaways, booze and – of course – a chance to get your paws on the latest killer issue.
The decadence and consequence of Parisian high society is central to La Traviata, opening this weekend at the MN Opera. The story that inspired Moulin Rouge follows Violetta (played Saturday by Elizabeth Fural, who will alternate the role with Georgia Jarman), a courtesan who falls in love with Alfredo, a dashing younger man she must later give up. Full of romance, woe, and towering choruses, this classic opera is a must see. Following the performance, join the MN Opera's young patron group, Tempo, for an exclusive after-party at Kincaid’s, just a few blocks from the theater, complete with saucy hors d’oeuvres and drink specials, beats by Radio K, and more photo ops than Paris fashion week. Merveilleux!
This Saturday is your chance to feast upon a tasty dinner while feasting your eyes upon pretty new art proposals...all with the group behind clever dinner party/art philanthropy project, FEAST. To help Fund Emerging Art with Sustainable Tactics (ya know, FEAST), this time around public and patrons are gathering at the Eagles Club to discuss new and emerging projects around the cities and figure out what they can do to make it happen! Not only will they be checking up on last round’s project winner "Falling Asleep Behind the Lens," but by the end of the night, all attending feasters will be given the opportunity to vote on their favorite new proposal--the night's winner will receive funds raised at the event to begin their new artistic endeavor.
@ Nick & Eddie Restaurant 1612 Harmon Place Minneapolis
9:30 p.m. / 21+ / $8
Join veteran rockers the Idle Hands tonight as they celebrate the release of the latest EP Life is Beautiful off local label Pretty Kids Collective. Channeling their muse by splicing angular new wave and jangly Britpop, the Minneapolis five-piece has been dropping smartly written, well-produced catchy indie pop for quite a few years now and continues to awe fans with rock-ready tracks and an ever-evolving sound. With sets from fellow Brit-inspired electro-rockers BNLX and loud, synth-heavy rock of We Became Actors.
Romantica, Martin Devaney Band, Cactus Blossoms, Jennifer Markey
@ Turf Club 1601 University Ave. St. Paul
9 p.m. / 21+ / $8
Sweet tunes and lush harmonies will fill the Turf Club Saturday, as some of the best local folk artists convene for a show sure to warm your heart and treat your ears. Jennifer Markey & The Tennessee Snowpants start the evening with honky-tonk beats and booze-soaked lyrics as quirky as the band’s name might suggest. From The Cactus Blossoms, expect a wealth of little folk/blues standards so lovely they could make you cry, and from jazz sax-trained Martin Devaney, charming, bleeding heart paeans to the girls he’s loved. Rounding out the evening is the Belfast-influenced (frontman Ben Kyle was born there!), Americana quartet Romantica, whose organic, heart-to-heart tunes never fail to captivate.
Like the sound of waves crashing against a picturesque, putrid shore, Dirty Beaches' music epitomizes a relentless edge and calls to mind a cinematic montage of weary travel on a train car through dusky tunnels. Lead by one-man-band and Trans-Pacific nomad, Alex Zhang Hungtai, Dirty Beaches' slow motion, drum loop melodies yearn with a haunted enchantment draped atop melancholy. Part psychobilly, part lo-fi minimal rock, Hungtai's husky vocals evoke the croony style of minimalist synth provocateur, Suicide's Alan Vega, and the bluesy amour of Elvis. Throw in a little Buddy Long, Rick Nelson and a lonely mai tai cocktail and you'll get the lovelorn, post-retro sound of Dirty Beaches latest release Badlands. We imagine Hungtai's beach bum chic self on the stage of some dimly lit '50s prom, filling the room with tender falsettos, feeding the lusty appetites of star-crossed teens and swoony lovers with each twang of the bass. Ashed, salacious despair you can dance to--and we can get down with that.
@ First Avenue & 7th Street Entry 701 1st Ave NE Minneapolis
6:30 p.m. / 18+ / $20
If you were dumb enough to miss Gayngs prom last Spring, well, we feel bad for you. However, you'll have a chance to redeem yourself this Sunday as the massive super group and all their friends take to the stages at First Avenue AND the Entry for yet another stellar blowout. A kick off for the group's highly anticipated stint at the SXSW Festival, tonight's mega-jam sesh is beyond words, so we'll just say this: if a meteor were to crash into First Avenue this Sunday, our music scene would be totally and utterly screwed. Featuring the epic stylings of Gayngs, Doomtree, Solid Gold, Megafaun, Leisure Birds, Alpha Consumer, DJs Plain Ole Bill and Jonathan Ackerman, Slapping Purses, Har Mar Superstar, Marijuana Deathsquads, Spyder Baybie Raw Dawg, Moonstone, Albert, Radical Cemetery and more. Plus, Doomtree solo sets in the Record Room (can you handle it?!). Presented by the cool kids at Gimme Noise, of course!
BONUS: We're sending l'etoile/LOL/OMG correspondent and music editor Robyn Lewis to SXSW this year to report on and live-tweet ALL the action (including every bit of embarrassing debauchery). She'll be tweeting from tonight's Gayngs showcase as well, so follow her at @LOLOMGSXSW immediately! Trust us, you won't want to miss out.
The ladies of l'etoile live-Tweeted the Oscars last night at the Aegis Foundation's officially-sanctioned Academy Awards red carpet event and viewing party at Hotel Ivy in downtown Minneapolis. Here's a recap from @jahnapeloquin (fashion editor Jahna Peloquin) and @atinymachine (founder/creative director Beth Hammarlund), via their Twitter accounts:
Seriously. No kidding.
We judge celebrities on the red carpet who pay stylists a lot of money to dress them in couture and do their hair. Because we can.
She is a goddess. Bow down to Cate the Great.
Co-host Hathaway scores tons of fashion points, thanks to stylist Rachel Zoe and eight outfit changes.
Our seatmate, legendary local stylist/interior designer Richard Anderson, was wearing a custom crepe bolero and lace ruffled pants he made himself. And he rocked it.
What's the deal, you two?
[Trent Reznor] Are we getting old or something?
[Hailee Steinfeld, aka Mattie from True Grit]
Wouldn't be surprised. Kids these days.
Welcome to the Academy AwARRRRdddds!!!
Visit #oscarsmpls for more Oscar-related Tweets from Jahna and Beth.
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one-hundred percent from sustainable fabrics). Fresh from the U of M’s design program, Kathryn has had quite the busy year (to say the least!). Her collection at the Minneapolis Fashion Initiative’s "Calamity!" show last spring was equal parts sophisticated and playful, polished with just-so details and textile prints, and at Envision: Artopia, she delighted us with 70s-reminiscent slouchy sweaters, paisley prints, and sailor pants. Kathryn finds inspiration in people and places, a process constantly evolving and manifesting in fresh, interesting new designs. We’re sure her Voltage line will be no exception – and we can’t wait to see what the rest of 2011 brings this keen designer.
[photo from Envision 2010]
[photo from Calamity by Rod Hasse]
[Photo of Kathryn V's 2010 Fall Collection by Brad Ogbonna]
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