1. Physical Schneducation with Alex Schned

    by aschned on Sep 8, 2010

    Yes. 

    Yes. 

    Y-E-mother-truckin’-S.

    Are you ready?  Let me repeat that: are you ready, army of loyal readers?  Ready for what?  You don’t know?  Well let me make myself a little clearer: are you ready for some mamma-jammin’ football!?!?  Good God I’m pscyhed for this season to start.  I may or may not have been blasting Jock Jams all week psyching myself up and I may or may not be embarrassed by this fact.  Seriously, load this, this, and this song onto your iTunes and put it on repeat for the next hour and try to tell me you’re not pumped (actually, scratch that.  If you’re not already pumped, go back to playing World of Warcraft.  Your kind’s not welcome here.)  What’s not to be excited about?  Sure summer’s coming to an end and school’s starting up again and injuries are already taking a frightening toll on our beloved Vikings.  But until the Vikings square off against the reigning Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints for the opening NFL game of the season, we can continue to believe that THIS is the year we have been waiting our whole lives for.  That THIS is the year the Vikings bring home the hardware.  Let us savor these precious few waning moments, Vikings fans.  Let us believe, dammit!

    Now that that’s out of my system, I have to be honest with everyone.  I have a terrible, TERRIBLE feeling about this season that for the life of me I cannot shake.  Now, if you’ve ever read my column before you’ve undoubtedly been made aware of my propensity to fear the worst at all times.  And sure, I felt the exact same way about the team before their historic run to the NFC Championship Game last season.  But I swear to God this isn’t just your run-of-the-mill Minnesota fan pessimism.  As much as I want to dismiss it, every football instinct I have ever felt is on red alert regarding the Vikings this year, and I simply can’t shut the sirens off.  Interestingly enough, I still love the team they’re putting on the field this season, injuries and all.   But when you consider how important the role of luck is to a team’s success in a given year, and the fact that literally everything went our way last year… I feel like our fortune’s gotta balance itself out in one way or another.  And, worst of all, let’s not dismiss any karmic retribution that’s sure to result from the front office literally getting down on their hands and knees and fellatio-ing Brett Favre in front of the whole country, selling the rest of the team down the river in the process.  There’s no way our pathetic courtship of Favre this offseason can go unpunished by the cosmos. 

    Then there are times when I look myself in the mirror and I say “NO!”  I will NOT succumb to this toxic thinking and contribute to the self-fulfilling prophecy that is fan cynicism.  This is, after all, the exact same team, returning all 9 pro-bowlers from their starting squad, that came within one infuriating play of going to the super bowl only a year ago.  Normally this is the sort of factoid that would lead one to NOT feel profound feelings of impending disaster.  So, with that said, I promise to continue with my quest to purge myself of my conditioned Minnesota sports pessimism and quit raining on everybody’s parade.  Skol Vikings.  Skol.

    And this brings me to my next point.  This is a little idea I’ve been thinking about for a while that I would love see come to fruition.  To all you New Yorkers out there, I want to find a bar in Manhattan and I want to f’ing paint that place purple for Vikings games.  I’m talking I want that place PACKED with Vikings fans.  I know Bar None is the current Vikings hot spot, but it also doubles as a Saints bar.  I want a place to ourselves. So I’m gonna go ahead and suggest Stillwater on 4th St. between 2nd Ave. and Bowery.  It’s small, it’s cozy, and it’s ripe for a purple takeover.  If you have any other spots in mind, feel free to leave your ideas in the comments section.  So c’mon Vikings fans.  Who’s coming with me?

    Make sure to tune in for my next post for an in-depth analysis of the Twins recent take-over of the AL Central.  ‘Til then, hold it down for the Purple and Gold.  Hope to see you all on Thursday.  And if you make it to Stillwater, you damn well better have the lyrics to this song down… Lyrics to this will also suffice.

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    If you’re tweeting MN crap, while watching games this season, include us in your tweets. And for God’s sake, “Like” us on facebook!

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  2. We’re definitely not in Minneapolis anymore: Happy 9-02-10 Day!

    by maniezheh on Sep 2, 2010

    Horrendous traffic, earthquakes and smog are the common denominators between Tehran and Los Angeles and probably why a zillion Iranians settled there. My dad was one of eight Iranians that decided to settle in Minnesota instead of California because he met a beautiful Minnesota girl known as my mom. But, egged on by the Power Rangers, Saved by the Bell, California Dreams, Full House and the Beach Boys on vinyl, California was the set of my dream life, at least until I moved to New York.

    Few things were outright banned in my house, but the only thing that mattered on that short list was Beverly Hills 90210. “Everybody here looks like they stepped out of a music video and I don’t even have the right hair,” lamented Brenda Walsh in the pilot. As you remember, her character was a Minneapolis native and one-half of the Walsh twins – the other being Brandon of course. Brenda’s hair did change (as did my first-grade hairstyle to match) and though Brenda was quick to shed her “Minnesota nice” image, the so-bad-it’s-awesome-infectiousness of the show can’t be shed as quickly.

    Beverly Hills 90210 debuted 20 years ago in October, but today is worth celebrating since this is the one and only time the stars (and day, month and year) will align to be … 9-02-10. Inspired in part by Marianne Moore’s blow-out party, Beverly Hills’ mayor Jimmy Delshad will be throwing a wicked shindig to celebrate the day. (He gave more details on Larry King Live.)

    For those of us who can’t make it out to Cali to celebrate, check out the full first episode (thanks CBS for disabling embedding!) and count how many times Minneapolis is name-checked in 93 minutes… I forgot after 11. If you figure it out, let us know on the blog, Facebook, or tweet back on Twitter. I’ll leave you instead with the longest opening credits (and the debut of Dylan McKay *sigh*).

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  3. Cinema Revolution Gears up for ‘Minneapolis Project’ 2010

    by rafi-golb on Sep 2, 2010

    Cinema Revolution and IFP Minnesota have teamed up to put together “Minneapolis Project”, a series of 25 original short films dedicated to different Minneapolis neighborhoods and landmarks (think Uptown, Powderhorn, Sculpture Garden, etc). 

    The project has been compared to “Paris, je t’aime” and “New York, I Love You” but what makes this special (as most things from MN generally are) is that these stories are told through the eyes (and lenses) of 18 Minnesota filmmakers, some living in MN and some simply paying homage to the Motherland.

    These filmmakers include both college students and seasoned filmmakers who have screened their films throughout the world. The collection is nearly as diverse as the directors with a mixed bag of abstract/experimental and traditional narratives. One particularly amusing short directed by Los Angeles based Yoko Okumura is about a mysterious case of a stolen Vikings garden gnome (check out the trailer here).

    For the full scoop on the auteurs involved and synopses of the films, spend some time on the Cinema Revolution site. 

    Be sure to spread the word and tell your friends. The world premier is scheduled for September 30th at the Riverview Theater in Minneapolis.   If you can’t wait until then, enjoy the free preview below.  Also check back for future info on catching one of these screenings in a city near you!

    —-

    Have you heard the good news?  9 of 10 doctors agree that becoming a “fan” of MN Culture Club on facebook and following us on Twitter will increase your chances of living a happy and well informed life! 

    Minneapolis Project 2010 Trailer from Minneapolis Project 2010 on Vimeo.

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  4. Say Like The French Say sounds good in English

    by samutne on Aug 27, 2010

    There are a lot of CDs that teach you how to speak like the French speak but none of them sound so good and impart quite as little actual language knowledge as the new album by Minneapolis band, Say Like The French Say (did that come out right?). “This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” dropped in mid-August and is the debut album by the reformed members of the group, Hunting Club. It’s an ambitious project and rewarding listen. You can listen to the complete album and name your own price for a digital download as well as purchase a physical CD straight from the band here.

    The following is a review by Rick Gebhardt from decoymusic.com:

    If you’re an indie band and you hail from Minneapolis, MN, it’s pretty much a given that you’re going to have a little bit of Motion City Soundtrack in your music. They’ve had such an impact on the Minnesota indie music scene that it’s hard not to feel the influence they have over the current musical landscape. Thankfully, their influence is just that—an influence. Everyone has their influences—good bands use them to shape and craft their own sound while crappy bands just rip them off. Thankfully, Say Like the French Say only use their influences as springboards for new musical endeavors instead of ripping them off outright.

    Throughout This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things, the band’s debut album, you’ll hear nods to the aforementioned Motion City Soundtrack, but you’ll also find post-hardcore leanings and mellow, introspective moments throughout. You’ll notice the Motion City Soundtrack comparison most from the vocals and the occasional song structure, but from there the band ventures out into their own musical territory, synthesizing the Minneapolis indie rock sound with what sounds like a healthy dose of Brand New, mid-90s emo, and post-hardcore. 

    The thick wall of sound approach the band takes on tracks such as “Honestly Honest” and “Cosmonaut” makes them sound huge, almost like a post-hardcore version of early career Jimmy Eat World, a more indie oriented version of Hum, or a male fronted Holy Roman Empire. These large, building moments are when the band are at their best. Beyond the powerful sound they create, the atmosphere of these songs is also quite tangible, having a constrained and controlled mix of anger and angst under the surface.

    However, when the band dabble a little too much into a more streamlined indie rock sound, they start to falter a bit. There isn’t the same sense of emotion in songs like “Call the Guards” when compared to the rest of the album. That’s not to say the less post-hardcore oriented tracks aren’t good, but they don’t have quite the same weight. It’s almost as if they wanted some “safe” moments on the album to pepper the core of their focus.

    Barring the slight misstep noted above, this is a potential-drenched debut album. There are not nearly enough bands trying to recapture the sounds ofJawbox or Sunny Day Real Estate, but Say Like the French Say are doing their damndest to bring that sound back, melding it with the Minneapolis indie rock sound and healthy overtones of post-hardcore.

    You can view the original article here. We’ll post the bands tour dates on MINNEvents when they are announced. Remember to purchase the album here.

    —
    Following us on Twitter and Liking us on Facebook are both nice things to do. We like it when you’re nice!

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  5. John Rasmussen Helps Shape the New York Art Scene

    by nathaniellee on Aug 25, 2010

    Anyone entering the Gladstone Gallery, in New York, this summer, confronted a free-standing row of blue and gray, steel gym-lockers wrapped around –a little too tightly–with nylon straps: the heavy-duty type usually used to secure freight to flat-bed trucks.  The individual locker units at either end of the row are compacted under the pressure of the straps, aided by their hand-cranked tensioners. This leaves a deformed object standing in the main gallery space, like a giant steel bundle of wheat; a testament to the surprising amount of force one can exert with a little mechanical advantage, or–because we’re talking about art–a Richard Serra style impression of action upon form with its own unique pairing of insipid, ready-made, industrial materials. 

    Untitled (Locker Sculpture #01), 2010, by Oslo-based artist Matias Faldbakken, appeared as part of The Mass Ornament, a recent exhibition by Minneapolitan curator John Rasmussen, which closed earlier this month.  The show’s title comes from a collection of essays by Siegfried Kracauer, a German intellectual, and vocal critic of German popular-culture during the tumultuous Weimar Era.  Many of the dozen or so artists included in the show have been featured in Rasmussen’s prior curatorial projects at Midway Contemporary Art, in Minneapolis, where Rasmussen has served as Executive Director, and primary curator, of the not-for-profit gallery space since its beginning in 2001.

    That many of the artists featured in the Gladstone show have made their names at Midway Contemporary, and now hold top-dog positions in art-centers like New York, is a testament to Rasmussen’s strength as a curator. He’s able to distinguish fresh talent before anyone else and is a networking force capable of bringing those talents to Minneapolis (a feat The Walker has also carried-out, with remarkable success, for several decades).

    Most of the artist appearing at Glastone, have little connection to the Twin Cities other than Midway Contemporary, but Jay Heikes–an artist exhibited in the 2006 Whitney Biennial–lives and works in Minneapolis, having shown at Midway Contemporary since 2001.  Heikes, like many of his peers in The Mass Ornament, now shows in Chelsea, and will be mounting a solo show, at Marianne Boesky Gallery, in September. 

    Heikes contributed a rather disturbing photograph to the Gladstone show.  The downward-facing gaze and distorted subject suggest a documentary photograph taken during the aftermath of a suicide bombing.  However, closer examination reveals a half-concealed ploy–a dummy made to pass as a human figure, much like a scarecrow­–composed of carefully arranged elements­–clothing stuffed with twigs, molded-plastic hands, and a mass of indistinguishable material, which serves as a head by virtue of the pair of glasses affixed to it.

    Heikes’s deception hinges on his surface and palate.  The black-and-white image, with its rainbow-tint, softens the ugliness of its subject.  It’s this use of appearances, in the place of facts, that Kracauer sought to characterize within the lay-culture of his own time-period.  This system of bedazzlement and deception, which was just beginning to emerge in German entertainment and advertising during the 1920’s and 1930’s, became a pervasive schematic employed by later generations of western intellectuals to define their own culture. 

    Likewise, artists seized upon these concerns as grounds for their work; roughly characterizing the entire post-war period.  Rasmussen’s exhibition has its own nuances–as does Kracauer’s writing in comparison to his contemporaries like Walter Benjamin and Theodor Adorno–but generally covers familiar ground.  Though in consolation, a thoughtful, introspective investigation of ‘surface’ yields an exhibition filled with charming objects that one can enjoy on behalf of their surface-effects while feeling the usual barrier of critical reluctance, to engage with such effects, has gone unmolested.

    -Nate Lee

    Midway Contemporary Art will be hosting a solo exhibition of Karthik Pandian, from September 18 - November 6, followed by projects from Max Andrews and Mariana Canepa Luna, and castillo/corrales gallery. 

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