My magic 8-Ball tells me that there will be a Steampunk Themed Burlesque and Fashion Show at Station 4 in St. Paul, MN on Wed, 14 July 2010.

There are very few facts to back this prediction up. The listing at Station-4′s website only shows Abby Rhodes’ Psychedelic Spectacle starts at 8PM.Vita.mn agrees.

I suggest you pay attention around 10:15 to catch the fashion portion of the show, but if the 8-ball is correct, there should be plenty of steampunk a go-go to feast your goggles on.

If you know something about this event that the 8-Ball doesn’t, please drop it in the comments.

Yours Darkly,
-Zero

Not sure if anyone told the Phantom Tails that there is no such thing as a Hunchback Whale, but then again, there’s no such thing as a Phantom Tail either.  (Then again, how would you know whether you had a phantom tail or not?)

You can decide for yourself on July 6, 2010 when their CD Sounds of the Hunchback Whale lands in stores.

Then, on Friday, 9 July 2010 the Phantom Tails take the stage at the Hexagon Bar in Minneapolis, MN for their CD Release Party.

If you can’t wait, just drop in on the Phantom Tails MySpace page and give a listen to some mid-fi, electronic-spiced, grungy-guitar goodness. There’s also some Phantom Tails stuff on youtube.

• Phantom Tails on MySpace
• Phantom Tails on Twitter

Touting itself as “The Largest One-Day Festival in the Midwest” Grand Old Day is best described as miles and miles of bands, art, beer and fair fare…and nowhere to park. My suggestion is to go there NOW and find a parking spot and hold it until the festival on Sunday. If you’re the entrepreneurial type, grab several parking spots and auction them off when Grand Old Day kicks into high gear.

Plenty of great Minnesota acts to catch here: Chooglin, Mark Mallman, Doomtree, Red Pens, Hookers & Blow, Jeremy Messersmith…and a bazillion unknowns.

The great thing about Grand Old Day is you can’t get lost. Just stay on Grand Ave and walk until you find something you like. I’d be surprised if you could make it the entire length of Grand Ave and back by the end of the festival. I’ve tried it before. BAD IDEA.

Admission is free.. BUT… To get into the “festival gardens” (read: areas where adult beverages are allowed) requires a $10 wristband. There might be a charge to get into some of the clubs along Grand Ave, but there’s so much going on outside the only reason to go inside is if it’s raining.

Check the online schedule of events here.

For those looking for a pdf of the event schedule to print out, some idiot thought it would be a good idea to place the pdf at some sucktasticly slow third-party website where you can’t download it without registering. I know. You’d probably be wiser to download the exact same pdf right here: Grand_Old_Day_2010_Event_Guide Looks like some kind of print sideways and fold it over thing. Don’t blame me, I just hack here.

And here’s list of social media hipster usuals:

• Grand Old Day on Facebook
• Grand Old Day on Twitter
• Grand Old Day on Myspace

The Sound Unseen 2010 International Film and Music Festival

This year’s Sound Unseen International simply must be seen. Five days of film and music starting today, June 2nd and runs through the 6th.

Cool bands. Cool films. Cool films about cool band. Cool films about cool bands with cool band members hanging out in the lobby, scarfing all the free beer and apps.

I fear this much coolness in Minnesota in such a short period of time might cause it to snow in June. Good thing they’re holding it in Duluth.

A search for Sound Unseen online was frustrating. At first blush you might think the website soundunseen.com has been mostly abandoned. That’s until you discover the correct website is http://soundunseenduluth.com. They also have the requisite Facebook and Twitter pages. Or you can download the program and music schedules right here:

Sound Unseen 2010 Program

Sound Unseen 2010 Film and Music Schedule

World Premiere of Low Film Experience

A hypercool event going on at this year’s Sound Unseen is the world premiere screening of an experimental film by Philip Harder. It’s a kind of documentary about the local band Low…. wait a minute. It really isn’t a documentary… Well, they seem to sum it up best as a “Low Experience”:

Low Film by Phil Harder

Since Low’s debut in 1994 Philip Harder has been shooting cinematic 16mm films for the band: a boat on frozen Lake Superior, Baron Von Raschke with red balloons, a room collapsing in slow motion around the band… Several music videos and film shorts later all Harder’s raw footage of Low, 1994 to 2010 has been re-edited into a film with original on-camera sounds. Rarities, banned clips, and unfinished Low films were unearthed. This is not a compilation, not a documentary- but it definitely documents the Low experience. Perhaps Low’s version of a musical- of sorts… June 6th, closing night of Sound Unseen Duluth, NorShor Theater will once again be turned over to cinema for the “Low Movie”: a sneak preview in Low’s hometown! Maybe you can help us find a title for the film.
Just accept that it’s going to be amazing, and you might want to take the better part of next week off from work to contemplate it after you see experience it.

7:30PM Sunday, June 6th.

SACRED HEART MUSIC CENTER
201 West 4th Street
Duluth, MN 55806-2719
(218) 723-1895

Beyond Low – The Gala After-Party of Coolness (+4)

After the show, (around 9:30) make sure to check out the gala after-party:

Following the film, please join us at the Historic Greysolon Plaza – this time downstairs in their unique Moorish Room. Festival guests will be treated to a feast for the eyes courtesy of featured director/filmmaker Philip Harder’s film/art installation, in addition to complimentary appetizers from Black Woods Catering and free Schell’s beer and drink specials all evening. Entertainment for the evening comes from a band that has helped define the Twin Cities music scene, with 10 studio releases and over 16 years under their belt, we are more than proud to announce our special musical guests of the evening: The Honeydogs.

9:30PM Sunday, June 6th.

Greysolon Moorish Room
231 East Superior Street
Duluth, MN 55802-2165

Ticket Info

Ticket info for all events is here.

For the Low film/gala event, I’m told prices are $20for Film and Gala, $15 for Gala Only, and $10 for Film Only

A Warning To Those Pure Of Heart

The program doesn’t warn you, but be careful – Gay Witch Abortion’s music KILLS angels and incapacitates those pure of heart. You just might not be evil/wicked/cool enough to listen to them. If you think you are, then you probably aren’t.

The Works: a Writer’s Salon is held on the first Tue of each month at the Bryant Lake Bowl in Minneapolis. I’ve never been to the Works before, partially because it sounded more heavily steeped in poetry than prose, but mostly because Tuesday night is usually Jagged Spiral band practice. Turns out practice was cancelled while our guitar player is on vacation this week, so I decided to swing over to the BLB to check out this month’s topic: The New Reading: Alternatives to the Traditional Literary Reading.

The entry fee was $6-$10 on a “Sliding scale,” meaning 6 to 10 dollars is the suggested donation, and you pay what you can. For those who haven’t been to the theater at BLB, it’s cozy, with good sound, lights and stage, and waitstaff. You can order food, apps and drinks right there in the theater.

First up was Todd Boss, who gave a list of thoughtful suggestions for how to make readings more alternative:

• include video during your reading
• memorize your work
• record your work for internet distribution
• collaborate with other artists on stage

Todd also suggested a new book by the Harriet Monroe Poetry Institute filled with ideas that you can download for free called Poetry and New Media: A User’s Guide.

Jamie Buehner & Nick LeMere gave an example of on-stage collaboration. Jamie read her poetry while Nick did some motion/interpretive dance inspired by her words. Someone pointed out how it felt more like watching TV because the poet was reading to the dancer more than she was to the audience.

Alison Morse & Sandy Beach were there to represent the Talking Image Connection, an organization that “connects emerging poets and writers with adventurous visual artists and new audiences.” Alison talked about the TIC group and what they do. Sandy Beach read a poem inspired by a visual work from another artist. Read more about TIC on their website: http://www.talkimage.org/

Punk poet Paul Dickinson gave a highly entertaining presentation of his poetry. Watch the video below of Paul giving a reading of his poems at the Art Shanty Project:

Notice that he has his poems memorized. Paul also hosts a poetry reading at the Turf Club in St. Paul on the first Wednesday of each month.

E.G. Bailey & Shá Cage gave three examples of alternative readings. The first was a beat poetry reading with cool jazz sax accompaniment, broadcast over the house PA while E.G. and Shá sat in the audience, leaving the stage empty.

Second, they went on the stage and performed separate pieces of poetry that they had written about their homelands. What made this alternative was that they both read their poems at the same time, overlapping each other and creating interesting rhythms and textures as they changed the tempo and volumes of their delivery. It was really amazing, and even more amazing that they had never practiced the parts nor heard each others work until they performed it live.

Their third experiment was an audience participation project, which… I won’t talk about. Suffice to say it was alternative.

All in all, I was right that the writer’s salon is dominated by poets. The host, Lightsey Darst made a point to mention that prose readers are also encouraged to participate, and she would love to balance out the poetry with some prose. Go to http://lightseydarst.com/theworks.html to find out more about the Works salon and to sign up for the newsletter.

Its kind of like pointing out that Water = Wet, but in a sea of singer-songwriters, Suzanne Vega is the best by far. There’s very very few people on this planet who deserve to be called a ‘musical genius’, and fewer still who would dare to make a stop here in Minneapolis, but Suzanne Vega is coming to town next week for 3 shows at the Dakota Jazz Club and Restaurant.  Aug 24 through the 26th.

Here are some video clips from a recent live show. At the very least listen to song #1 Gypsy and you will understand why when I die, I want to come back as Suzanne Vega, just to experience how her brain works.

-Zero

Whether you are an ASPCA-er or not, you won’t want to miss tonight’s Benefit to Fight Animal Cruelty at the 7th Street Entry. There’s a great lineup of bands for a good cause, but mostly you will want to see Revolver Modele. This is Revolver Modele’s last show. So come and say goodbye to one of the best bands Flyover Land has to offer:

• The Birthday Suits
• Revolver Modele
• Mercurial Rage
• The Retainers

7th Street Entry – 701 1st Avenue North, Minneapolis.

Thursday, August 20th, 8:00pm
Tickets : $8
Ages : 18+

I saw the show “Power Balladz” last night, and it was a blast! A hyper-talented cast performing some of the greatest Rock Ballads of all time. (Like the flier says, “The greatest songs ever written by man, woman and/or beast”)

No joke. Here’s the list of songs.

• Night Ranger – “Sister Christian”
• Guns n’ Roses – “November Rain”
• Bon Jovi – “Wanted, Dead or Alive”
• Journey – “Faithfully”
• Scorpions – “Winds of Change”
• Poison – “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”
• Ozzy Osbourne/Lita Ford – “Close My Eyes Forever”
• Styx – “Come Sail Away”
• Heart – “Alone”
• Meat Loaf – “Anything For Love”
• Aerosmith – “Dream On”
• Mötley Crüe – “Home Sweet Home”
• Lynyrd Skynyrd – “Freebird”
• Queen – “We Are The Champions”

The talent behind this show are amazing. Dieter Bierbrauer, Randy Schmeling and Katy Hays are spot-on singers. The songs are done pretty much note for note, in some cases better than the originals. All the performances were stellar, but ones that stand out: Dieter’s rendition of Ozzy in “Close My Eyes Forever” was top notch, and likewise with Randy’s cover of Meatloaf’s “Anything For Love”. Katy’s cover of Heart’s “Alone” was worth the price of admission. The musicians are all pro: Mike Menard on Bass/Guitar, Jon Ehresmann and Mike Krajewski on Guitars, Dennis Curley on Keyboards and Andrew Thornbrough on Drums… This is not some lame bar band playing a kegger. These people are truly admirers of the genre, and you’ll be amazed at how close they get to the originals.

Of course it’s not possible to look back on some of this stuff and not laugh, especially the hair. You will see Katy attempt to run her hair through the “way back machine” in about 30 seconds (in exactly 30 seconds). You will see Randy put on a giant wig and cowboy hat and perform a minty rendition of Poison’s “Every Rose Has It’s Thorn”. You will see Dieter in a rowboat-turned-spaceship-pulled-by-aliens while singing “Come Sail Away”. Now I’m no Styx fan, but that part of the show had me laughing so hard, I was literally in tears.

More fun highlights: Free lighters (with built-in bottle openers) to hold up in a non-stop tribute, and some fun facts between songs about the bands that made these songs what they are. A medley halfway through the show touched on what was and was not a power ballad. There’s a T-Shirt Cannon, and if you’re really lucky, they will pull some person out of the audience to answer Power Ballad Trivia who is so drunk she scares the performers. (Hey, they only had to deal with her for a couple minutes. I sat right in front of her for the entire show.)

Oh, and for the grand finale: THREE FREDDY MERCURY’s. Top that.

The show runs through June 28th. Get tickets at the door or the official website, www.powerballadz.com There are no assigned seats. Drinks are served in the venue – CASH ONLY so come prepared. Unfortunately, the discount code I have to get half price tickets is only good for opening weekend, but if you are going, keep an eye out for specials and discounts.

The LAB theatre used to be called the Guthrie Lab, but after the Guthrie moved, now it’s just called The LAB.

Click here for the Google Map to the LAB Theatre

If you saw the show, let everyone know what you think in the comments. If you liked the show, spread the word!

You gotta love the 80′s. Like your weird roommate in college, the 80′s were…  unique… memorable. For those too young to have experienced the 80′s firsthand, here’s your chance to see and hear what you missed.

The new theater production at the LAB (Formerly the Guthrie Lab) will be a cultural awareness event of epic proportions.  The show is called Power Balladz, and runs from May 28 to June 28th 2009. It includes teased hair, colored lights, fog, spandex, and no less than THREE Freddie Mercurys.

The 50% off code for shows between May 28 and May 31 is ROCKSTAR.

Tix list around 30 bucks, but my sources have provided me a discount code that will knock HALF OFF the list price for shows between May 28th and May 31st. The 50% off code for shows between May 28 and May 31 is ROCKSTAR. Simply enter that code when buying your tix and you get them for half price.

Read the American Rockovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 at www.rockstimulusplan.org and know that you are doing your part to help stimulate the American economy.

Then, get your tix at: www.powerballadz.com

50% off Power Balladz tickets for the May 28 – May 31st shows at the LAB. (previously the Guthrie Lab) The 50% off code is ROCKSTAR.  www.powerballadz.com

May 28 through June 28, Power Balladz is a rock n’ roll extravaganza featuring some of the greatest songs ever written by man, woman and/or beast. The show skewers and celebrates 80’s rock – the musicianship the glam, the poetry and the spandex.

Three great rock singers, a full band, lots of lights, a fog machine, video projection and more knowledge about power ballads than is necessary (or recommended). Throw in some comedy, teased hair, three Freddie Mercurys and a t-shirt cannon and theatergoers will leave the show if not cultured, certainly entertained.

The song list includes the following classic hits:

• Bon Jovi – “Wanted, Dead or Alive”
• Night Ranger – “Sister Christian”
• Guns n’ Roses – “November Rain”
• Poison – “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”
• Mötley Crüe – “Home Sweet Home”
• Styx – “Come Sail Away”
• Journey – “Faithfully”
• Heart – “Alone”
• Ozzy Osbourne/Lita Ford – “Close My Eyes Forever”
• Scorpions – “Winds of Change”
• Aerosmith – “Dream On”
• Meat Loaf – “Anything For Love”
• Lynyrd Skynyrd – “Freebird”
• Queen – “We Are The Champions”

The show will also feature a medley of other favorites as voted on by fans on the show’s web site, www.powerballadz.com.

An impossibly amazing set of performances by the female-fronted bands attending the second Flight of the Valkyries show at Station-4.

It seems that every time there’s an event at Station 4, I get to the event late. The only exception was the Jagged Spiral show a couple months ago, which is a good thing, because I was in it. Here, I thought the event started at 6PM, but it actually started at 3PM, and so I managed to miss Aria Sharp, Something to Fear, Earthen and Dendura. My loss.

However, I did get to meet Nathan Block, also known as ‘The SwordLord’ and the promoter of much of the harder edged music that comes to town. It was an honor to meet him and shake his hand. There was enough free stuff handed out by the bands that the $20 cover was well worth the price. I only wish I had gotten there sooner. Station 4 is a great venue for gigs like this, the only thing better would have been an outdoor show with awesome weather! Maybe next year???

Here are the bands from FotV I did get to experience:

Visideon

Visideon played the First FotV in 2007, and were invited back for this year’s show. They’re a great band, definitely worth hearing, I especially liked the vocals. Many metal bands (especially female-fronted ones) push vocals down into dog-barking obscurity or up into piercingly high-pitched screams, both of these techniques are spices to me, best used sparingly, and Visideon understand that. They call their music, “Classical Chording meets Heavy Guitar”, add in some Angelic singing and synth-playing and you’ve got Visideon. Keep an eye on this band, and get out to see them while you can, they might not remain local for long!

Benedictum

The highlight of the evening, Benedictum (San Diego, CA) really stole the show for me. Their power and energy were set to ‘Uber’ and their lead singer, Victoria Freeman channelled and focused all of it. She really pulled the audience into the show, running into the crowd, even taking her wireless mic to the other side of Station 4 to make people watching from the “safe seats” feel like they were in the front row! And any band that can pull off a cover of Accept’s ‘Balls to the Wall’? Wow, these guys are really amazing!

Shadowside

South American Female Fronted Power Metal? Hell yeah! Shadowside was astonishing and beautiful onstage. Check out their myspace page to hear a band that pushes all the power, energy, and intensity of Iron Maiden into their music.

Unexpect

This year’s headliner was Unexpect, a seven-piece band from Montreal. Now lots of bands use the term ‘progressive’ in their band descriptions, and I’ve pretty much crossed that word out of my dictionary, since it’s been misused into meaninglessness. Everybody who writes a song with a bridge or a time-change in it calls themselves ‘progressive’. But I might have to pull that word back out, because Unexpect is really, truly avant-garde. The SwordLord had this to say about them:

“Think Cirque de Soleil goes black metal amidst an acid-trip version of The Dark Crystal”

I can’t think of a better description. The nine-string bass guitar was a trip! I have to admit, their music was a bit over the top for me, chaotic and hard to get ahold of, the same way I feel about ‘System of a Down’. Each member of the band is hyper-talented, but I think they are trying too hard to be different. For me, it was like listening to three bands at the same time, but check out their myspace and hear for yourself.

All in all a great festival, Minnesota is lucky to have an event like this here, and The SwordLord enjoys pointing out that it is the ONLY festival of this kind in the United States! Hopefully he will bring it back again, and it will grow in popularity.

Art Is Resistance
-Zero