MinneapolitanMusic

While looking over the calendar updates for HWTS, I noticed a trend in the shows taking place tomorrow night around town. Being the first day of the month of giving and kindness and all those nice things, it's a good night to go out and pony up a small fee to see some great musicians play their hearts out for a variety of good causes. Here's the rundown:

The Cedar Cultural Center presents Concert for Kateri Residence, a 501C3 place of healing for Native American women in recovery, featuring: Trampled by Turtles, Charlie Parr, The Brass Kings, The Intangibles and Native performers such as Jingle Dancers, Aztec Dancers and a Drum Circle to keep the crowd entertained in between sets. 7pm doors, 8pm show, $20, all ages.

The 331 Auxiliary Club (34 13th Ave NE) hosts a World AIDS Day Benefit with Kubla Khan, The Get Up Johns, and Rare Medium. 8pm, $10, 21+.

Over at Big V's this weekend, they are hosting two nights of music benefitting the family Stefan Olson, the longtime Turf Club employee, musician, and local music scene supporter who passed away last month. The lineups:

• Friday: Kruddler, The Congo Eels, Alicia Corbet, Micheal Quinn and The Bourbon Kings, Flink. 9pm, $5-$10 suggested donation, 21+.

• Saturday: First Communion Afterparty, Brian Herb, 10w40, The Autumn Leaves, Ken DeVoe, The Lonesome Fugatives, Henry. 9pm, $5-$10 suggested donation, 21+.

And at Club Underground, Future Lisa is hosting a benefit for the Lewis House (a battered women's shelter) with Seymore Saves the World, Citizens Banned, Shaker Revival, The Axis of Good. 9pm, $5, 21+.

Go out and play nice.

1. It's November.
2. Holidays are depressing.
3. Coldness is creeping in.

But I'm deciding to stay alive anyway.

There's something about the winter that makes me overly dramatic and introspective. I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe it's the way that a gray day seems to seep into every aspect of waking life, with the color of blah washing over every street corner and dead-looking tree and disinterested face, and I just the crave color and contrast and sign of life. Or maybe I'm just wrestling with a funk. Who knows.

I can't seem to move on from the old music I love and venture into new music these days. There is something soothing, fulfilling even about listening to a song that I already know the words to. It's like talking to an old friend who already knows your history; you don't have to waste any time playing catch up and you can go right to the core of the crap you need resolved. Lately, Ani DiFranco has been cutting into the core of me, and even though I've played her records so much that I actually wore one of them out (I didn't know that could happen! Argh.) I still can't get enough. It's the time of year for pulling out the ratty old familiar sweater; the same strands of lights that have been hung every year since high school, with the one red bulb that never glows like it should; the crappy holiday mix tapes and dog-eared caroling books that I can't bring myself to throw away. It's time to revel in a good case of the winter blues.

the sky is grey
the sand is grey
and the ocean is grey

and i feel right at home
in this stunning monochrome
alone in my way

I get a weird satisfaction from the idea that this time of year has always been about trying to stay alive. I feel a bond with fellow Minneapolitans because of this concept. Call it what you will - Seasonal Affective Disorder (how depressing is it that the condition itself is called SAD), the duldrums, whatevs - if you've been there, you know. And you're probably here now.

i smoke and i drink
and every time i blink
i have a tiny dream

but as bad as i am
i'm proud of the fact
that i'm worse than i seem

So here we are, reaching toward life. Clinging to old favorites, settling in for the deep chill. What are you favorite songs to spin as you prepare for hibernation?

Another non blog-related blogging from the distracted girl...

Let's Google Bomb this jerk.

Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King

If you don't understand why I'm doing this, read here.

EDIT: Ahem. To clarify, when I said "Google Bomb this jerk" I was referring to the jerk who made the crappy website, not Martin Luther King, Jr. He is definitely NOT a jerk. Thank you.

I have suddenly become wholly and inexplicably drawn to celebrity gossip blogs.

Help me!

This is a horribly distracting and sickly enjoyable activity.

An experiment.

Anytime I start to feel down or dreary I find some silly way to pick myself up. The sooth-me process usually involves shopping, shoes, or some other asthetic form of tweaking and primping; oddly enough doting over my appearance is something I only do when feeling insecure or unhappy about myself. So I started to slough off on my blog again, and to quench my thirst for self-gratification I decided to make over the whole damn thing. Dig?

Yeah, so in case you hadn't picked up on this already, it's been a while since I let myself do any kind of freewriting, and I can feel my freedom of thought cramping up inside my overly-censored head. I allowed my emotions and my day-to-day stresses to subsume my creativity once again, and it's left me a little discontent. It makes me uneasy to go for days without writing, and much like the new pilates program I'm attempting, it gets harder as more time lapses between spill sessions/exercises.

Let's start fresh. Hello you, it's me. I like music and colors and writing about the things I obsess over. Do you have any interest in maintaining a totally anonymous writer-reader relationship?

Things I am really jiving with at the moment: Roma di Luna, the new Dylan disc (yeah, still), that one Tracy Bonham song about screaming at your mom from the late '90s, Chooglin', and the sound of an apartment with no cable television access.

Another side of the story comes from the 3rd Ward Councilwoman:

Thank you for taking the time in contacting my office regarding the 331 Club.

Unfortunately, misinformation has been put out and hopefully my response will provide you with some factual information about what the status is with the 331 Club.

When Mr. Oulman applied for a license for the 331 Club, and as part of his business plan, he specifically indicated that he was providing “non amplified live music.” Unfortunately, he has not complied with this. There are certain rules, regulations and ordinances which businesses in the City of Minneapolis must adhere to in order to operate. He has been informed of what he must do to be in compliance.

I want to assure you that I am a strong supporter of the arts and of the renaissance that has occurred in NE Minneapolis. This issue however is not one about the arts but of a business being in compliance. I have informed Mr. Oulman that I am willing to work with him to resolve this issue. Thank you for your support of the arts and the businesses in the Third Ward and I ask you to remain engaged. I will contact you next year as I begin the planning process of my Third Ward Summit which will focus on making the Third Ward a “Creative Corridor.”

Diane Hofstede, Minneapolis City Council-3rd Ward

It appears that resolving the issue could have been as easy as filing a few papers, but it was a nice reminder that there are a lot of compassionate music lovers in our community. It is also nice to hear the City Council reaffirm their support of the arts.

Got anything else you need us to rally around?

UPDATE on the Update: The plot continues to thicken. Check the HWTS Forum for more updates.

Mayor R.T. Rybak
Room 331, City Hall
350 South Fifth St.
Minneapolis, MN 55415
jared.nordlund@ci.minneapolis.mn.us

Dear Mayor Rybak:

It is with great concern that I write this letter. I understand that one of the city’s beloved local music venues, the 331 Club in Northeast Minneapolis, is in danger of losing its ability to play amplified music. I also understand that there is reasonable concern about the club’s impact on its surrounding neighborhood. However, as an active participant in the city’s local music scene, you must understand that shutting down music at this club would cause an incredible amount of harm to the community.

The 331 Club has a record of providing a place to showcase some of the city’s best developing musicians. Because of the club’s location, warm atmosphere and lack of a cover charge, the venue is one of the more accessible places to see live music in Minneapolis. The music fans and patrons of this establishment deserve to continue having a place to see music of high caliber, and manager Jarret Oulman has done a fine job developing a reputation for musical excellence.

There are many, many supporters of the 331 Club living in Minneapolis. Just this morning, I received two separate forwarded copies of Mr. Oulman’s letter to the community asking for support, and within a few hours I received several more emailed letters and saw handfuls of bulletins go up on public forums like MySpace and local music blogs. This is an important issue to many of this city’s citizens, and I hope you take that into account when making future decisions about the club.

Live music plays a vital role in developing a cultured, close-knit community. Please think carefully about the impact that the 331 Club has on Minneapolis and the importance of retaining our ability as citizens to support each other in our art and in our lives.

I will also be posting a copy of this letter to my local music-oriented blog and encouraging other concerned citizens to contact you with their thoughts on this matter.

Sincerely,

Andrea Myers
Editor of HowWasTheShow.com
Concerned citizen of Minneapolis

Read it, pass it on, act on it, and whatnot.

Dear Community Member:

As of November 15, 2006, the City of Minneapolis will require the 331 Club to cease providing amplified music and entertainment. We are asking for your support in fighting this ban by the City. With your support, the 331 Club can continue to provide an exciting and progressive music venue in North East.

The city’s concern is that it needs to regulate businesses impact on their communities (ie noise, traffic etc). And amplified entertainment is considered to have an unacceptable level of impact to the community. We think that, rather than harming the community, the music programming at the 331 Club is providing an important opportunity for local musicians and performers and is making the North East community a richer place.

We are asking you to write a letter to your city council member and to Mayor Rybak in support of the 331 Club. Please tell them how the developing scene at the 331 Club has had a positive (or negative) impact on the local community. Your feedback will be important to the City Council’s decisions regarding the future of North East.

Thank you for your support,

Jarret Oulman
General Manager
331club
jarretoulman@331club.com

Note:

Diane Hofstede can be reached at
Minneapolis City Counsel – 3rd Ward
350 S. 5th St. Rm 307
Email: diane.hofstede@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
Phone: 612-673-2203

Mayor R.T. Rybak’s office can be reached at
Room 331, City Hall
350 South Fifth St.
Minneapolis, MN 55415
jared.nordlund@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
(612) 673-2100 phone

An ode to Jim Walsh, the election, and MySpace

Remember, remember
The seventh of November
It's time for a sea change
even pop stars
are waiting
on the whole goddamn world
to change into
a place where children
have hope
a place where Daddy
can cope without
a joint, hidden in the garage
while Momma's out back
digging for gold
to pay the mortgage
and the kids are plugged in
plug in, tune out
plug in, tune out
plug in, tune out
practice posting pictures of yourself
looking slyly unaware
that you are taking your own picture
practice looking the other way
practice aloofness
practice apathy
so you'll have something
good to do
when the world goes down
in flames.