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MAY 2015 - southernminnSCENE.com

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MAY 2015 / VOLUME 3 / ISSUE 5

Tell me about yourself So. The Interview Issue.

I could/should/ would have found someone super awesome to interview for this month’s column, a little something with a Dan Patrick-Just My Type feel would have been neat, right? Oh, wouldn’t it have been fantastic if I got Joe Mauer or Brian Dozier? I think yes!

But I didn’t. Not even close.

I seem to have been crippled with time management issues this spring and I waited much too long to start writing to plan an interview with anyone.

Plus, this is my column; so just let me have 700 self-absorbed words, okay?

You know what kind of interviews are fun? Job interviews.

Actually, they aren’t.

Who doesn’t have a bad/funny interview story to tell though?

Walkouts, botched answers, nerves that lead to fierce coffee spills, late arrivals/getting lost; the list goes on.

Once, while I worked in marketing, I had a co-worker, who, during an initial interview was asked what she knew of the company. She proceeded to rattle off the background information of an entirely different organization, with a similar name.

And she still got called back for another interview and landed the job.

Lesson learned? Confidence is key.

Talent and skill help too. All three of which she had, despite the unprepared-ness. Luck and a gracious member of human resources also.

Interviews are often ungraceful situations; they make you vulnerable.

Remember the Friends episode when Rachel kisses the interviewer? Yeah, awkward.

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MaxSCENE Column

21 The Secret Life of a

6 SoMinn State of Mind

My Chat with Steve Yasgar.

4

Drummer

Tell me about yourself.

24 Alyssa Wunderlich

Careful what you wish for.

7

SoMinn SOUND

Faribault native has her own work studio where she hand-carves violins.

Is anything truly ‘Original’ anymore?

26 Amy’s TV Crush

8 Coming Home

Alyssa Herzog Melby follows her heart back home.

10 Leaving for home

Recently resigned executive director of the Paradise Center for the Arts Ryan Heinritz leaves for the very place he begun.

12 Art in Music

Don’t believe everything you read. Or See. Or remember.

27 The TimeLine

The SoMinn’s most comprehensive calendar of things to be SCENE.

38 Last of the SoMinn Hippies Steven Schwen truly holds the ideals of the 1960’s peace movement dear to his heart.

Southern Minnesota Artist Gregory Euclide.

42 Spring’s sweet treat

14 It’s a family tradition

Southern Minnesota cuisine and the Pappageorge legacy.

16 Cheese signs:

“What your cheese says about you” author Renee Nicholson.

18 A Rock Revival in

Blue lines, maple syrup, and one heck of an experience.

44 A Dog’s Tale

A Golden’s Golden.

4 6 Devour

A journey to my second life.

4 8 CD Reviews:

Northfield

Ray Coudret is producer and creative director for Northfield’s young person extravaganza.

19 Living life on

The Five Count

Dustin Wilmes and Juston “Ton” Cline are co-hosts of KMSU Radio.

• Aero Flynn challenges a very specific audience.

• Madonna returns to reveal an insightful Rebel Heart.

• Swervedriving into Oblivion.

50 The Bearded Life

What we talk about when we talk about beards.

ABOUT

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Publisher & Editor: Rich Larson, 507.645.1104, rlarson@southernminnSCENE.com Calendar listings: 507.333.3130, editor@southernminnSCENE.com Advertising: Northfield/South Metro - Lauran Rott, 507.645.1110, lrott@northfieldnews.com Lonsdale - Lori Nickel, 507.744.2551, lnickel@lonsdalenewsreview.com Faribault - Mark Nelson, 507.333.3109, mnelson@faribault.com Kenyon - Terri Lenz, 507.333.3148, tlenz@thekenyonleader.com Steele County - Debbie Ensley, 507.444.2386, densley@owatonna.com LeSueur & Waseca Counties - Julie Frazier, 507.837.5442, .com jfrazier@wasecacountynews.com

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Got a question about sex, love, romance or the meaning of life? MaxSCENE has an answer. Give her a shout at maxSCENE@southernminnscene.com

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Southe

Being a twenty-something and four years out of college, I’ve been on my fair share of job interviews and likely many to come.

One of the first interviews I went on out of college was at a publishing company in Minneapolis. I spent more time preparing and perfecting anticipated interview answers than

I’d ever spent studying in college. I wanted this!

Things started out smoothly enough. I smiled, recited answers with minimal voice quivers, talked about writing, etc. etc. Yet, in my nervous daze, I had unconsciously picked the skin away from a fingernail, causing it to bleed. Not only did this blood end up on my dry-cleanonly suit, but it was on my right hand-- the hand I shake with.

It gets better. I didn’t realize that my pointer finger was seeping O Negative until I was walking out the door. I was mortified. I mean, there I was, this small town girl, strolling through a crosswalk in Minneapolis’ warehouse district, briefcase in one hand, Blackberry in the other. I’d ditched my contacts for eyeglasses and pulled my icy blonde locks back for an I’m-so-serious vibe and I desperately craved that job and everything I envisioned coming with it: the city, the chic urban lifestyle of polished pencil skirts, swanky lunches, high-profile human interest stories and of course, customary happy hours.

Appearance and daydream aside, it was a perspire-y July day and I had blood specks on the gray hem of my $400 suit and the only thing in that briefcase was a sparse resume, a creative writing portfolio and despair. I had stammered my way through generic interview questions and sweat through my suit.

Do blood, sweat and a shaky voice seem like the way to land a job to you?

Turns out, yes. A week later, while vacationing in exotic Ohio, I got a call from said company. I would start in two weeks.

I spent just seven months at that job and participated in only one happy hour. But that experience and the people there opened every single door I’ve walked in and out since.

Any research will tell you that appearance can make or break an interview. Even the colors you wear-navy is powerful, but not distracting, black is commanding and red should be used only as an accent color.

No one ever mentioned that blood on my skirt or finger and it’s not like I’m the first person, especially right out of college, who’s anxiously perspired or who’s voice shook during an interview.

Since that July, I’ve been on handfuls of interviews and I’ve been offered every job in which I wore that $400 suit and glasses and carried a nearly empty professional looking bag. Sweat and stammer included.

Maybe all this means is that to get where you want to be, it’s going to take wobbly discomfort, a dash of confidence and talent, some sweat and clearly, blood--it’s the accent.

Just don’t kiss the interviewer.

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5

RICH LARSON

SoMinn STATE of MIND

Rich Larson is the publisher and editor of SouthernMinn Scene. You can reach him at rlarson@ southernminnscene.com.

T

here’s an old question passed among journalists and normal people alike. It’s phrased many different ways: if you could have dinner with one person in history, if you could sit on a park bench for one hour with one person in history, if you could sit next to someone on an airplane ride cross country, etc., etc.

For the ink stained wretches of the world, the question is this: “If you could interview one person in history, who would that person be?”

There are standard answers, of course. I think the most clichéd (or common) is Jesus Christ. Adolf Hitler is another common answer. Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare, Descartes, Picasso, and Queen Elizabeth I are all big ones.

The Biebs. He’s big.

Some people want to interview fictional characters.

Sorry. That doesn’t count. Really? You really want to talk to Heathcliff that badly? Knock it off.

Here’s Emily Bronte.

The thing is, if you really think hard about how you answer that question, then you have to be a little careful. There’s nothing worse than going to interview someone you really admire, only to have your hopes and expectations crushed by the reality that your personal hero is kind of an asshole.

Or even worse, you come off as a stuttering fanboy.

Worse yet, your questions are all incredibly stupid, and this person is left with the feeling that you are a moron (I speak from experience on that one more than any other).

A couple years ago, I interviewed a musician whose star was very clearly on the rise, and it was a little bit of a coup for the magazine to score any time at all with this guy. We met at a music festival where he was playing, and sat on the grass on a

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warm summer’s day. I let him really expound on his personal philosophy for a long time (this guy was far more loquacious than I had anticipated).

Two or three minutes into one particular answer, I started thinking about a follow up question, and completely lost track of what he was saying. But I thought I was ok because I was recording the conversation. Two questions later I asked him a question, the answer to which was exactly what he’d been saying while I wasn’t paying attention. That was it. He looked at me like I was a third grader.

Done. Interview over.

Lesson learned.

So when I think of who I’d really want to talk to, there’s always a qualification; a “yeah, but…”

For example: I would love to talk to my favorite guitarist, Duane Allman. I want to ask him what it was like to be the most indemand sideman at the peak of Muscles Shoals’ run. How did he and Dickey Betts develop that amazing chemistry that allowed them to play improvised, harmonizing guitar lines? What was it like to record “Layla” with Eric Clapton?

But then I remember that Duane was a cokedup redneck who was notoriously quiet, and then given to fits of drug fueled rage. Also he didn’t bathe much. So…. maybe not.

Kurt Vonnegut is my favorite fiction writer. I want to know where the hell did he come up with the idea for Slaughter House Five. I want to ask him about writing dialogue and how that works with being descriptive.

But Kurt had a pretty solid ego, and had a reputation for getting creative with the truth sometimes. It would really not be much fun writing up an interview with him and wondering how much of what he told me was actually true.

Lester Bangs is another guy I’d love to spend some time with. Just like the kid in Almost Famous, I’d love to talk to him about the responsibilities of journalism in the age of celebrity.

But Lester was

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known as a world class crank who was not one to suffer fools gladly. One little misstep in that conversation, and I’d probably be looking to go sell Yellow Page ads.

I was a huge fan of Rod Carew growing up. And in fact, when I was working in the Minnesota Twins ticket office, I had many opportunities to approach him and tell him how much he meant to me when I was a kid.

I never approached him. His distaste for nostalgia, small talk and ineptitude is well known. Poor little eightyear-old me would never forgive grown-up me if I messed with the image of our hero.

It’s not about being star-struck or overwhelmed by greatness. It’s about knowing what, or who, will disappoint you, and applying a bit of professionalism to the matter. As journalists, we all get dressed down by interviewees. It’s part of the job. But if we’re allowed to pick our own assignments, then we have to be careful what we wish for.

Sometimes though, it just wouldn’t matter. I would revel in the glory of being called a wimp by Frank Sinatra, an idiot by Ernest Hemingway, or just to get one of those silent quizzical looks from Bob Dylan. I’d wear those insults like a red badge of courage. Back in the day, those guys telling a reporter where to go was a rite of passage.

What it comes down to is deciding if you want a story that would be interesting to as many people as possible, or something that would be personally rewarding. Almost universally, a good journalist will go for the interesting story and damn the personal consequences.

But choose wisely. In the end you just don’t know what you’re going to get yourself into.

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S.O. Minn SOUND

SARAH OSTERBAUER Sarah Osterbauer is the SouthernMinn Scene music columnist. She’s a music critic and loves to meet the people who make the city’s heart beat (and sometimes break). Follow her on twitter @SarahOwrites.

Is anything truly ‘Original’ anymore?

Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke

R

ecently, Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams were found guilty of copyright infringement with their summer hit “Blurred Lines” and were ordered to pay $7.3 million to the estate of Marvin Gaye for the similarities it bears to Gaye’s hit “Got to Give it Up”.

While there are proponents on both sides of the issue, it sparked a conversation in music about what exactly constitutes as “original” in today’s world.

In one of my favorite TED Talks, Mark Ronson, the famed producer behind Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black album and more recently the car dance jammer “Uptown Funk” gives a lesson in the DJ practice known as sampling. In the talk, he specifically calls out Slick Rick and Doug E Fresh’s hit “La Di Da Di” which (according to Ronson) has been sampled 547 times and is the 5th most sampled song of all time. It’s amazing how one song, one simple song at that, can spawn so many different reincarnations of itself and ultimately be recreated as a whole new animal. I was two years old when the original song came out, so when Biggie sampled it on “Hypnotize” I was none the wiser to it being anything other than a Biggie invention, same thing when Miley made it her own on “We Can’t Stop”. Each of those examples took something pre-existing and made it new. But is what they created just a copy of something else or is it an original expression of art? Or is it something in between? People like to think of sampling as exclusive to hip hop and pop music and, as such, condemn the genres as not as innovative or creative as rock or alternative.

But the truth is, sampling or borrowing from the past exists in every genre in one way or another. I agree with Ronson when he said, “I think you would be hard pressed to listen to something today and not find at least four bars of [taht song] that is completely derivative of something else.”

With that sentiment in mind, it begs the question, where is the line between outright copying, sampling and paying homage to a “feel” or a style? And can a style or a feel really be owned by one artist?

The thing that makes me uncomfortable

with the verdict of the Thicke/Williams/ Gaye suit is that it doesn’t happen across the board. A lot of songwriters steal shamelessly from those who came before them, without giving (monetary) credit where it is due.

They gamble that their new song is different enough that it wouldn’t hold up in court or the person they stole from would not put in the effort required to pursue it. Or they assume people simply will not notice the similarity at all. The other side of the scenario is the songwriter doesn’t realize the similarity until it’s out. This was supposedly the case with Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me” which ended up paying royalties to Tom Petty for sounding like his song, “I Won’t Back Down”.

Unlike the Thicke/Williams case, Smith’s camp settled the suit out of court, avoiding trial. Their take was hey, we see it’s the same as yours, please take some of the money from the pool we’ve been swimming in.

If Pharrell and Robin Thicke did something wrong here, (and I’m not saying they didn’t), then I’m waiting for suits to come out against other artists doing throwback style music.

Where are the suits against Bruno Mars?

Meghan Trainor? JD McPherson? St Paul and the Broken Bones? Trainor’s “Dear Future Husband” sounds a lot like “Runaround Sue” and I don’t see Dion’s name mentioned in the songwriting credits, you know? Same deal with Christina Aguilera’s “Candyman,” which could be a carbon copy of The Andrews Sisters’ “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.” Aguilera and Linda Perry openly admitted that they were “paying homage” to the song when they “wrote” it and yet, no lawsuit followed. It doesn’t seem right that in some cases artists get a free pass to copy, and are even championed for creating their modern takes on these songs, where others are pinned as copycats and have to pay for it.

The idea that it should be all or nothing may seem naive and idealistic, because it is.

But we should have a more definitive way of determining what is a copy and and what is recreating a “feel” or a “vibe”. I hear you saying, that’s what copyright laws are for Sarah. Yes, I see that. What I don’t see, is a consensus among artists on the subject. The prevailing status quo is people copy, and you only get in trouble if you 1. get caught

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Haphduzn

and 2. the original creator cares enough to sue. Is that really the best way to handle this scenario? Does it even matter?

In the greater music community, some folks made a big deal about what this verdict would mean for songwriting in the negative sense, that people would feel creatively stunted. Others of course were very quick to say that if you truly have talent, you should be able to write something original.

This brings me back to the whole “La Di Da Di” thing. If this song was sampled 547 times, how many other songs are being used the same way? And if you only sample a line or a phrase or a bassline, is your song still original? It is undeniable that people gravitate toward music that is familiar to them. And when people have been making music for so long, there are only so many melodies that people can create that are ear pleasing. This is why so many pop songs are built on the same chord progression.

Country and blues have a limited standard set of chords they typically use as well. So by default, anything that we create today will ultimately sound like something else. My question is, is anything written today, truly and completely original? And if it’s not, then where do we draw the line to say this is a copy and should be condemned, or this is new and freaking awesome? And if we define this line, what does that say about us as a culture?

Hiss Golden Messenger

Kelly Clarkson

Kendrick Lamar

#NowPlaying Kelly Clarkson - The new mom dropped a pop gem in Piece By Piece, her new album which features my current car-dance-jam “Heartbeat Song” and life uplifter “Invincible”. She also duets with John Legend and he’s like the bacon of collaborators, makes everything better.

The Lone Bellow - This crazy soulful trio continue their good work on their new album, Then Came the Morning. Produced by The National’s Aaron Dessner.

The stand4rd - Local foursome, all age 22 or younger, create what is most easily described as R&B but conjures up far more interest than that definition alone. The staccato raps of Allan Kingdom combined with the jaw dropping so-wrong-they’re-right vocals of Spooky Black make ear candy. Psymun recently did an opening guest spot for Taggart & Rosewood, when Spooky came in on the verse (as a surprise guest appearance), the crowd pretty much lost their shit like I haven’t seen in a long time.

Marvin Gaye

Lord Huron

Go See Haphduzn, Mally & Last Word - The day this issue drops (April 17), these guys, along with Plain Ole Bill and Mac Irv are dropping jams at The 7th St Entry.

Don’t miss out on the chance to see some of the Twin Cities’ hip hop finest in a small venue for the small fee of $10.

Hiss Golden Messenger - April 25 at the Turf Club you can catch this North Carolina alt-country duo. Phil Cook (of Megafaun) opens.

Lord Huron - April 26 in the Mainroom at First Ave with SXSW star Leon Bridges opening

The Lone Bellow

This Happened Kendrick Lamar - Kendrick dropped his new album To Pimp a Butterfly which set a record for the most first day streams with 9.6 million. In case you were wondering how that adds up dollar sign-wise, Billboard estimated it at $44,160. Not too shabby.

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7

Alyssa Herzog Melby as director of education at Pittsburgh Ballet.

Alyssa Herzog Melby:

By Megan Proft megan.proft@gmail.com

I

f home is wear the heart is, Alyssa Herzog Melby has followed hers and it’s led her to the Northfield Arts Guild.

Melby started as the new Executive Director in January 2015 and she’s no stranger to the work or the area. Having grown up in Southern Minnesota, she’s hoping to bring her arts administration experience and passion to the area.

I know you’ve been in your position just a few months – congratulations and welcome to Northfield.

of high school, I did not graduate from Montgomery-Lonsdale, I graduated from Perpich Center for Arts Education in the Twin Cities.

Where did you go to school after that?

Then I went to the University of Minnesota - Morris.

And you were out east most recently?

Very well. I’ve found the community to be so open and receptive to me and my family.

It’s just such a wonderful community to move my family to.

Yes. I graduated from Morris with a theater and English degree and was sort of wondering what I was going to do with my life. I’ve always been a bit of a nerd, so I was like, ‘let’s do grad school.’ I applied and got in to the University of Pittsburgh and so then me and my now husband moved out there.

He attended Carnegie Mellon University. I attended the University of Pittsburgh and I went there for a Masters in Theater Arts, which is a research-based degree, not a practical degree.

And you’re from the area originally, right?

So did you get your first position out there?

Thank you very much.

How’s it been treating you?

Yeah, I grew up in Montgomery and Lonsdale. Then in my junior and senior years

I did. While I was in grad school I was fortunate enough to work for the educational

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outreach arm of the theater department at Pitt, and really reconnect with my love of arts education that was really fostered and built at Perpich. I did a little bit of that in Morris, and then really found a calling out there in that. So then I started as a freelance teaching artist with various organizations in Pittsburgh. That built and built and built until finally I landed a fulltime job as Director of Education and Community Engagement at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre.

Oh how fun. I bet that was a great experience.

It was. Although my background had been more in theater, I did dance when I was younger and always approached theater with a movement background. So my job was trying to figure out ways to educate the community not only about ballet but dance in general. I feel like I heard over and over again, ‘oh it’s so beautiful but I just don’t know what it means.’ So my job was to help people find meaning beyond just the aesthetics, which of course were beautiful – how to really find a connection with that.

So are you a dancer yourself?

Not like what they did at PBT. Although I certainly gained a new found respect

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for professional dancers, especially after working there for four years. Its just so much more athletic than I ever imagined. And the dedication just gave me a whole new respect.

Did you move back to the Northfield area for this position?

I did. My husband and I have two small children and we knew eventually that we wanted to get back to Minnesota to be near the grandparents. I had been checking the Springboard for the Arts job board fairly religiously just for the past few years just to see what was out there. I had sort of gotten into a very niche area in arts education, however at PBT I was helping to assist in fundraising and marketing and things like that. So then when position became open at the Northfield Arts Guild for an Executive Director, I was looking through the qualifications and I was like, ‘well, I’ve done this and I’ve done this… I might be able to do this and do it well.’ So I threw my hat in the ring and here I am.

Well we’re glad to have you here in town. What were some of the things that initially

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Alyssa Herzog Melby in Pittsburgh.

attracted you to the position?

Well for one I’ve always loved Northfield. I grew up nearby… and I just always remember being enchanted

by Northfield as a community. So the community for one drew my eye to it.

But two, the fact that this organization is a community-based organization that uses the arts to foster the community and serve the community really fell in line with my passion for community engagement. Those two things in particular are what really drew me to this position.

So you’re a young professional and an arts administrator – these are big hats to wear. How has it been going so far?

It’s been going well. My first couple months here have been a lot of learning, a lot of listening. I will say that everyone was pretty open with me about the state of the organization when I was interviewing and when I started. I’m a big believer in learning about where we’ve been in order to know where we’re going, and so that’s been really exciting. Just hearing about the deep deep roots this organization has in the community and with so many people, but still getting to see all of the opportunities that are here to reach new people. There are a whole lot of people in Northfield who don’t know who we are and I think that is something we can really work on in the future.

Absolutely. Is that one of your goals – to gain more exposure in the area?

Yes - to gain more exposure, to really figure out what are the community’s needs right now and how can we best serve them. Sure the guild has been around for 50 years and that is awesome… its amazing thinking about this tiny little organization having been around for such a long time. I think that’s so awesome, but the organization and the community are in a different place than they were 55 years ago. So figuring out what’s our role and how are we always helping to meet the needs of the community right now. That’s something we’re investigating right now so I don’t have a strong answer yet, but I’m hoping to as I learn more about the community and organization.

That’s what community

April 11 - Church of Cash

organizations are all about.

Any personal goals?

They sure are.

I guess personally I’m just excited to be meet all the new people here, especially to connect with young families. I’m all about play dates for the kids. And just becoming a part of this community, which is wonderful.

What have been some of the challenges for you since coming on board?

I think in some ways one of the guild’s greatest strengths and one of the greatest challenges is the fact that we’re multidisciplinary. One of the things that drew me to the organization is the fact that, even though my background is in theater, I still have an appreciation and love of all art forms. But in its multidisciplinary focus, it has kind of gotten siloed recently, and so one of the big challenges is how do we get people thinking about the whole organization – that global level thinking… Another challenge has been finances.

As always.

As always with any nonprofit, sure.

We’ve gotten out of the habit of asking and being very honest in saying, ‘we need your support,’ both with members and with donors. So we’re now getting back into that swing and back into that habit. So some of your readers might be hearing from us soon - hopefully they will be. Once again just rebuilding those relationships.

Very good. And you have a good staff and board behind you to propel that mission?

Our board is absolutely engaged and energized. They are also a reason that I came here. It was clear that they were ready and prepared to see this organization move to the next level.

So they were a huge driving force of me coming here. We’re going through some staff restructuring right now.

Which is exciting. We actually have two positions open right now.

That’s great to hear that you’ll be growing. Looking ahead, are there things you hope to accomplish professionally or in your personal life?

I think professionally I want to see us get a stronger sense of what our mission is and ensure that everything goes back to what that mission is – so all decisions that are made stem from those core values and from this idea that we are a community-based organization.

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Get the Party Started!

So when you’re not at the Arts Guild working your tail off, what do you like to do?

April 18 - The Last Revel

My husband and I like to do home improvement projects, although he does more of the actual work and I do more of the planning and aesthetics.

And of course, just being with my kids is of the utmost importance. We love to read books. The Northfield Public Library has already become a staple place for us to go. I love to cook and read. And I’m really excited because our new house has fireplaces and during the winter I’m going to be all about reading by the fireplace.

May 2 - Appreciation Show

That’s a good thing to have in Minnesota.

Yeah, absolutely. And we’re also excited because we’re big campers during the summer. So getting to visit a lot of the Minnesota state parks.

with The Last Jackson

KMSU Listener

May 16 -

The Blue Vipers

May 17 - TBD

You have a lot of great options.

Yeah we do.

And the family is all settled into Northfield?

They are. My kids are excited to be near grandparents again. And my husband is still working for the startup company out of Pittsburgh – just working remotely – so he’s sort of set up shop in our house for right now until he finds a more permanent space.

I’m glad to hear it. Any final thoughts?

I’ll just say that I’m thrilled to be here and all the people I’ve met have been so generous in their time and energy and dedication to not only this organization but the community.

It’s been so fun to see the people in Northfield, because everyone wears twenty million hats… I think it just shows how rich this community is and I’m excited to be a part of it.

Megan Proft is a Southern Minnesota freelance writer and a frequent contributor to SouthernMinn Scene. She can be reached at megan.proft@gmail. com

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9

Ryan Heinritz, former executive director of the Paradise Center for the Arts in Faribault.

Ryan Heinritz:

By Megan Proft megan.proft@gmail.com

R

yan Henritz’s career path hasn’t been a winding one. It’s been one full circle. Henritz recently resigned as Executive Director of the Paradise Center for the Arts in Faribault to take a position at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts – the very place he began.

First of all, congratulations on your new position at the Ordway. That’s very exciting. How long do you have left at the Paradise?

Thank you. As of this conversation, seven days. I resigned back in February and my official start date is April 15th. I wanted to stay through our annual meeting. Our fiscal year is January through December at the Paradise and so we get our taxes done in March, and then we have our annual meeting for the members. We do the year-in-review, state of the finances and future programming. I wanted to do that last final speech on April 6.

That’s a nice way to wrap a job up.

Yeah, it’s very fitting. 2015 is completely programmed and I can officially say we did end the year in the black in 2014.

again. We’re actually going to be making a huge announcement that we’re going to officially go live with online ticketing. It’s kind of my departing gift.

So as I leave I’m going to announce that the Paradise now has an online ticketing system.

You almost have to have that convenience for people nowadays.

There will be some kinks to work out for the first time. Sadly, I’m implementing a system as I’m leaving, but it’s going to be light years ahead of where we’re at and very beneficial for the patrons and customers.

Fantastic. I want to hear more about the Paradise, but let’s jump back a bit.

Tell me a little bit about yourself both personally and professionally. What is your background?

I’m originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I went to Winona State University, originally on a theater scholarship and was an actor there. My goal was to be a theater speech teacher, but the licensure in the state of Minnesota changed after my first year there. You needed to be an English major and get a bachelor of arts in English, and I really don’t like to read unless it’s a really good play.

Congratulations – that’s great news.

Well, that would be a deterrent from pursuing that degree.

Thank you. Not as much as the year before but hey it’s still black. I’m very happy about that. It’s very good to go out on a positive note – that we ended the year in the black

Right. So I thought ‘no, that’s not really for me.’ Then the summer before my junior year I took an advertising class and fell in love with mass communications. So that was really my

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focus – mass communications was my major and my minor was in theatrical arts as a performer.

Did you go straight into the job field after college?

When I graduated in 2001, I did not have a job. Luckily I got an internship at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in public relations. I moved to Northfield and drove to St. Paul for the entire summer for free on an unpaid internship. But it was a great foot in the door, because by the end of the summer they hired me as their Marketing Assistant, and a few months later the Ordway made some changes and offered me a position as Marketing Communications Coordinator.

Why did you leave that position to work in Southern Minnesota?

I left the Ordway in 2003 because I was the media buyer for the Ordway and I was more interested in what the media sellers were doing. I was working with all the major market print and publishing companies… everything you can think of in the Twin Cities. But I also did the outstate

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market trades. So I also developed relationships with KYMN radio and the Northfield News and companies like that. So I actually moved to be an advertising sales consultant for Huckle Publishing at the time… that’s really when I feel in love customer relations.

With a huge sales and customer relations background, what led you to the Paradise position?

Fate, I always say. I was reading the Faribault Daily News and there it was: ‘Executive Director for the Paradise Center for the Arts.’

Was the job your first experience at the Paradise?

I actually performed there in 2008 in the Paradise Community Theater’s first ever production in the building called The Butler Did It. Then in 2009, I was a part of the Faribault Future Leadership program and our service project was to help the Paradise Center for the Arts get ready for the Minnesota Area Community Theater Festival. So come back to 2009, I’ve performed on the stage, I’ve done a service project there and now I’m thinking about applying to run the place. Then I was offered the position and here we are five years and two months later having this conversation.

So you have background in theater – have you always been a performer?

I played varsity soccer for four years in high school but I always liked musical theater. I saw a high school production when I was in middle school of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and absolutely fell in love with the show and fell in love with the dancing and thought ‘ah, that would be cool to do someday.’ But I really didn’t have time for it. And most people in my position would go out for track in the spring to stay in shape for soccer… so I was literally going to try out for track and a good-looking girl was running down the hallway and said, “Are you coming to the musical auditions?”

And I said, “Yes!” That’s how I got involved in theater.

That’s pretty good motivation. Did your acting experience come into play at the Paradise, especially combined with your business background?

I truly think so. Because I have a passion for live performance and an appreciation for music, especially live music and world music, has really made it easier to do what I do because I love what I get to do for a living. They always say you’ll never work a day in your life if you love what you do. And that’s truly the way I’ve felt over these last five years.

Absolutely. Thinking back on your time at the Paradise, what have been your biggest accomplishments?

First and foremost, to be very honest, making sure we got paid every two weeks. I came into the organization in a very interesting time. The checking account balance was $4,634.67 on my first day. I had to pay payroll that week.

And then there was 20-some odd thousand dollars in bills, not including a mortgage of $4,257.31. After my first week on the job I paid payroll and didn’t have enough money for the next payroll, so I do truly believe the one of the greatest accomplishments over the last five years we have never missed a payroll.

That’s huge for a small nonprofit.

Thank you. It’s what I told my staff from day one. I’m a single father of two children and I literally said, ‘I have mouths to feed. My boys are going to eat. We will get paid every two weeks.’

What are some other things you’ve been proud of?

Programmatically, in the 2012-13 school year we started the Children’s Theater Field Trip Program with support from the Bahl family foundation. Programmatically [I’d say] the creation of the seasons...with very affordable programming.

And in the last five years we’ve opened up three additional art galleries. We’re on pace to potentially open up a fourth gallery at another business in town… and fifth one hopefully – we’re working with a restaurant in the area.

Was the idea of the Paradise going beyond its doors out into the community like that one of your main objectives?

Not initially. The directives I was given by the Board when I was hired were: number one, increase the professionalism of the organization; number two, increase the visibility of the Paradise Center for the Arts; and number three, create new generating revenue streams to pay down the debt. I pretty much did the three things I was supposed to do.

In your departure, what are your hopes for the future of the Paradise?

I hope they don’t lose sight of the hard work that’s been put in by our committees, by our staff and personally by myself. We have put a lot of hard work into keeping the doors open, getting this place up and running again, and moving forward in a direction of stability. Don’t lose sight of what’s been done. to build relationships with businessmen and women and find out what they’re passionate about. Hopefully it’s the Ordway and the arts.

What advice would you give to the incoming Executive Director?

The new executive director needs to understand they have a really amazing staff and trust them. Trust your staff. I can’t thank the current staff at the Paradise enough. I have to thank them everyday. They’re amazing… Another good piece of advice would be to get everybody on board to the same vision of how are we going to move this to the next level. A bad golf term, but its teed up. Hopefully they hit one down the fairway.

That’s great advice. As for your future, you’re kind of coming full circle with the new position at the Ordway. How do you feel about that?

I’m so excited. I don’t know why but I can stand on the corner of Fifth and St. Peter… I don’t know if it’s nostalgic… but every single time I’m on that corner I just feel like I belong. Even driving up for the interview, I couldn’t believe I was driving away from something I really had poured my heart and soul into for five years, but still I felt I was driving towards this place where I just belong.

What’s the job title?

Corporate Relations and Sponsorship Manager.

Right in your wheelhouse.

It’s directly in my wheelhouse. At the end of the day, I get

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It’s a little funny to ask with you just embarking on a new job, but when you look into the future are there things you want to accomplish professionally and personally?

I really don’t know what my 5 to 10 year plan is. I mean, I think I do, but because this is also a new position for the Ordway and is right where I want to be and there’s a lot of work to do… I will speak to a goal I have in the future, I don’t know when it would be but probably later: I have a very strategic vision of owning and operating a performance venue. More music club style. I’m a huge fan of the Dakota Jazz Club. I love their look and style. So where do I see myself in 10 years? Probably working really hard towards that goal.

Let us know when you get there and we’ll do a story.

Deal. From the personal aspect, I have two boys. So where will I be in 10 years? Probably at Sechler Park watching a baseball game. I still stay in the Northfield area. Northfield’s my home and this is where I want to raise my boys. I’d like to get back on stage and I’d like to direct... I’d like to stay involved in the arts.

Megan Proft is a Southern Minnesota freelance writer and a frequent contributor to SouthernMinn Scene. She can be reached at megan.proft@gmail.com

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11

Southern Minnesota Artist

Euclide has created the album art for, among others, Bon Iver’s self-titled album and The Ericksons’ Bring Me Home.

Gregory Euclide

By Sarah Osterbauer editor@southernminnscene.com

I

n Minnesota, we are lucky to have a thriving arts community. Places like the Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona and the Carnegie Art Center, as well as local arts center galleries, deliver time and again giving us the opportunity to see amazing, and world famous, works of art.

Within the community, we’re also blessed to have a seemingly endless number of people creating amazing art. Down in Southern Minnesota River Valley, for example, you’ll find Gregory Euclide. Euclide created the cover art for Bon Iver’s self-titled album and for our SoMinn friends, The Ericksons (whom he also calls his neighbors). His work has been shown all over the US and you can count him as one of our local gems.

I know that you reside in the Minnesota River Valley now, is that where you’re originally from?

Originally I am from north of Milwaukee in a little town called Cedarburg.

Were you always an artist? Or when did you start creating things and when did it become something more serious for you?

When you were growing up did art play a

role in your childhood? Were your parents encouraging?

sense to me conceptually/visually, then I feel that I can use it.

I liked to draw and take photos when I was young. We moved out to the country when I was in middle school. I think that had the most profound influence on me. I learned a lot about the world – or at least I became curious about the world through my long walks through rural Wisconsin.

My parents would purchase art supplies for me on special occasions and probably most importantly, they never discouraged me.

I know that you’re a relatively new dad, has parenthood changed the way you look at your art? Has it changed the way you create?

Nature plays a big part in your creations, was that always your muse so-to-speak?

Are there places near your home now that are an inspiration to you?

I was interested in painting portraits in the beginning.

I think because it was a way to prove that I knew how to paint. If you paint a portrait and it looks like the person, then there is a certain amount of accomplishment one feels.

I quickly moved away from focusing on the portrait and started to create works that considered the entire atmosphere around the subject. Eventually I dropped the figure completely and started to present landscapes and the effects of humans on those landscapes.

What mediums do you enjoy working with the most and why?

I like not being restricted to a specific format. If it makes

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Yes, I have an 8-month-old daughter. I have not had that moment where my art changes because I am a father. I am continually amazed by the entire process – from the first moments we knew we were going to be parents until the moment she started to crawl. It is fascinating to me how she learns and instinctually knows what to do. It has changed how I create. I do it a lot less and in shorter bursts of time.

Whereas before I could pretty much manage anything that was thrown at me, I now need to be realistic and pick and choose what things I will work on.

You have shown your work across the country, would you say Minnesota is a good place for an artist? How would you describe the art community here? Is it supportive? Is there a lot of opportunity here?

In Minnesota artists have a huge range of support.

Whether it be the State Arts Board grants, the McKnight and Jerome Foundation fellowships or regional arts grants – the climate is very supportive. I don’t sell many works in the

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state, but the infrastructure is very encouraging.

How did you end up doing the cover art for Bon Iver’s album? Were you a fan prior? Who reached out to whom? Was the art they chose created for them or was it something you had, that they saw and loved?

I have some friends who know Justin Vernon very well.

They showed him my work and he was interested in using it for the cover of their new album. He contacted me with some ideas and we went back and forth on email for a while. I created the cover artwork listening to the new songs on a website, one at a time, for a week.

I would snap a photo and send it to Justin. We would then discuss the direction the work was taking. It was a really nice collaboration. I was a fan of Bon Iver before I ever met him. I had listened to the first album before it was

picked up by JagJaguar (the record label that Bon Iver is now on) and thought it was pretty unique and heartfelt.

Did you connect with the Erickson’s to do their cover art through doing the Bon Iver art or was it independent of that?

I know the Erickson’s because of the same connection I have to Justin, but we became friends independently of any Bon Iver involvement.

We moved to a rural location and did not know a single person where we were. We found out that Bethany and her family lived in the next down over. We were excited to meet such a wonderful group of people. We became friends and when it came time for them to do the album, they asked me if I would want to help. I had heard the songs and was thrilled to be a part of the project. Bethany and Jenny would come over and play songs for us in the living room as they were being developed. The entire process felt very natural - like a bunch of

friends making something together. It was beautiful.

Would you allow a musician to use your art for their album if you didn’t love their music?

I am lucky that, so far, I have not had to worry about that.

Everything I have done I have really felt a connection with.

What message do you want to communicate through your work?

When I start making a work it is about the wonderment – the joy of being in the land. But it always needs to be about more than that. I am not looking to make pretty things that glorify nature. I am looking to make something that demonstrates the complexity of our relationship to nature – as resource, as playground and as inspiration.

Where do you see the future of your work? Do you have a major goal (fame, fortune, huge curated piece for X location..etc)?

Walser Chevrolet Buick Cadillac The work is always about the work. I only want to be able to keep making the work and keep having an audience that would like to view it.

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Art is a beautiful and powerful way to explain and explore the world. It is a language that succeeds where other languages fail.

You can find more of Gregory’s work and keep up with him via his website http://gregoryeuclide.com.

I also recommend following his gorgeous work in Instagram @gregory_euclide.

Sarah Osterbauer is the SouthernMinn Scene music columnist. She’s a music critic and loves to meet the people who make the city’s heart beat (and sometimes break). Follow her on twitter @SarahOwrites.

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13

Jay C. and Layla Pappas, owners of Pappageorge (photo by John Cross/ Mankato Free Press)

legacy

Southern Minnesota cuisine and the

By JILL MACKEY editor@southernminnscene.com

I

interviewed Jay C. (Flip) Pappas, the owner of Pappageorge for two reasons: I have a real affinity for family-owned restaurants (as opposed to chains), and this family had a great start in an American Dream kind of way. What I found was an unassuming cozy place with a great menu! Flip’s Great Grandfather, Michael Pappageorge, came to this country from Greece and ended up in Chicago in the early 1900’s.

He changed his name to Pappas, opened a restaurant and a legacy began. The family spread to Rochester, Northfield and Mankato, leaving a trail of wonderful cuisine in their wake.

Pappas says he does not have all of the details regarding how his Great Grandfather came to Minnesota from Chicago but he does know that while he was in Chicago he was an “extra” in the original Robin Hood movie! He said that his Great Grandfather’s four sons ended up in Rochester (where the family opened the late great Michael’s Restaurant), Northfield, and Mankato. Maggie’s Café and Saloon was opened in 1982 by Jay C.’s Dad (Jay T.) and a partner and served 200 guests. This is where Jay C. got his start in the restaurant business as the daytime dishwasher at the age of 15. His Dad made

an offer of staying in school or working fulltime days at the restaurant for a little over $3 per hour. In those days money in the pocket carried a lot of weight.

By 2006 his dad was ready to leave the business and Charlie’s Restaurant bought Maggie’s. Jay C. spent the next year working a “regular job” at FedEx. He was approached by a friend who let him know that his current location was up for sale. “The place was ‘turn-key’ so I couldn’t resist.” The location had been remodeled in 1990, had new equipment in the kitchen and was the perfect manageable size. And so was born Pappageorge.

How did the nickname ‘Flip’ come about?

I was very young. I loved eating ‘banana flips’ so the name stuck. Could that be an alternate name for banana splits?

What advice do you have for someone starting their first restaurant?

I got this advice from my Dad: When you have a plan for a restaurant, double the amount of money you think you’ll need and double the amount of time it will take to complete the plan. I have found this advice

to be very accurate.

What do you want for your life?

I haven’t really given it much thought. I just put one foot in front of the other. I will work the restaurant until I am ready to retire.

I have two young children to raise first.

What is your least favorite element of the Restaurant business?

Most definitely the hours. I (Layla) get to go home at 5 p.m. every day but Jay is here 6 days a week until after closing at 9 p.m.

What is your favorite meal to eat?

What is your most important business philosophy?

Jay loves to eat pizza!

Just work hard.

At this point Jay C. needed to leave the interview and pick up his youngest child so he asked if I would continue the interview with his wife, Layla

To prepare?

He loves to prepare a steak and he’s very good at it.

What is your favorite ingredient?

Jay loves to use Tarragon; he makes sauces for Salmon dishes and soups using it. It is not a common herb.

What is the #1 piece of advice for your first born?

Don’t go into the Restaurant Business. Go to College.

What is your favorite element of the Restaurant business?

Jay would say: the daily interaction with the people, the love of cooking and that the staff becomes your family.

Pappageorge is located at 1028 North Riverfront Drive in Mankato. Find them at pappageorge.net.

Jill Mackey is a Faribault foodie. Got a question about food or drinks for Jill? Email editor@southernminnscene.com

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Cheese Signs:

What Your Cheese Says About You

By Autumn Van Ravenhorst editor@southernminnscene.com

O

n the shelves of bookstores across Southern Minnesota awaits a goat with a monocle longing for you to discover what your favorite cheese says about you. Forget about that daily horoscope Facebook notification or your discontent with what animal the paper placement from the Chinese restaurant assigned you.

After years of research and surveying, Renee Nicholson of Owatonna discoverd she is a delectable Manchego through what she calls “an all-natural approach to the fissures and holes of human personality.”

Filled with clever witticisms, Cheese Signs is a book that takes the reader on a journey of self-discovery through one of the most beloved and diverse foods in the world: cheese. Renee gave up her gallbladder so we all can learn where we sit on the Cheese Wheel of Life (okay,

Author Renee Nicholson.

so maybe she didn’t lose it intentionally, but it is gone partially due to her adoration for cheese). While enjoying a platter of gourmet cheeses, she filled me in on what it really means to be a Blue.

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Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Houston Texas. My parents had moved and were living in Peru but my mother didn’t want to have a baby in Peru. Everyone was getting Hepatitis at the clinic in Santa Maria. So my mom, at 8 months pregnant decided to get on a plane and fly to Duluth because her parents lived on the Iron Range. So, I was born in Minnesota, and like an upper river salmon, I came back to my birth place. That is kind of how my life has gone.

Did you attend college?

Yes, I graduated from Sam Houston State University, formerly known as Sam Houston Institute of Teaching. I love this part. Who would name their school with the acronym of shit?

Is this your first book?

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This is my first book but not my only. I am working on my second.

What inspired you to write about cheese, specifically? Can cheese really tell us about our personality more than say, fruit or candy bars?

Okay, I’m gonna preface this with a story because I am a storyteller. My grandfather was French and from Marseilles. At the time, they were living in Venezuela and my grandfather loved his French cheese. It was his reminder of his French heritage. And he loved a really smelly Blue. That was his passion, that was his favorite but it stunk to high heaven. So, my grandmother would force him to eat the cheese outside. She devised a dolly system with a clothesline and would wheel the cheese out to him on a clothespin and he would eat it on the little picnic table outside. I am not joking. So, picture this little old lady out her kitchen window. It was so stinky she refused to have it in the house. As a child growing up, my mother loved goat cheese. Because we lived in Peru, she had this Peruvian cheese stick, but it was made with goat and she would wrap it in a dough. I would think “Wow! there is not just cheddar in the world.” My grandfather has his stinky Blue and my mother has her goat. I was so intrigued that there were these cheeses that smelled like my shoes after a day in the bayou and people actually ate them. Unbelievable.

Like, I eat Velveeta but you eat this cheese that smells like my shoes.

Is writing a book something you had always hoped to do?

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I always wanted to be a singer in Vegas but that didn’t work out. But honestly I was an English major so it is sort of in the back of your mind. Like, could I write the great American novel?

Do you believe in the personality characteristics behind zodiac signs and horoscopes? How does your book differ from those?

I think everybody has [something more than] “you are born under a sign and this is your path.” I don’t quite agree with that. They’ve already proven that there is a 13th sign. It’s not just that though, I want people to understand we are all compatible to a certain extent and we can all celebrate and enjoy each other. We can all get along, but sometimes we have to understand that someone operates a little differently based on their past and what they have learned. In order to recognize that, we need to understand that background. My soul may not recognize yours initially, but once I get to know what journey you’ve been on and your “culturization” process has been, I’m gonna get you. We are like cheese, we are all just curds in the whey. That curd is gonna go through a life process, to become a brick, a ball, or wheel of cheese.

How did you conduct research?

Part of the research came from eating various cheeses.

A lot of cheeses. Hence the fact I have no gallbladder.

And then, there was a survey that I developed. While waiting among literally thousands of unemployed fellow citizens in Las Vegas in 2009, I went to my car, took a ream of resume paper, and started asking people questions; random, various questions. They would pour their heart out. They would come to Vegas, get a job and then it was gone. They were stuck in sin city and they were scared. They didn’t know what the fuck they were gonna do. So they poured their hearts out in a sense and I was like damn. And they loved cheese. Of course they loved cheese. But they would be like, “I can’t afford certain cheese, but if I could afford some good cheese, I would buy . . .” I just started asking questions and they all answered.

Did you find that the characteristics of people who love the same cheese were pretty similar?

Exactly. I started making piles of different answers I had received. So all the mozzarellas would be in one stack, all the parmesans would be in another, and so on.

I would go through and read their answers and there were things about them that were consistent. A lot of the people that were from L.A., they like mozzarella. I researched mozzarella and how it was made and realized it had to “make the cut.” The people who moved to L.A. wanted to audition, do everything they can, to have a chance to show and perform for someone and get found. They had to make the cut.

Do characteristics of a cheese align with the characteristics of someone’s personality?

A bit of nature and a lot of nurture go in to your cheese as well as your personality. Not only are you influenced about the surrounding culture, your cheese personality type resembles the creation and properties of cheese.

Has anyone ever said to you and been like, “my favorite cheese is Swiss and that sounds nothing like me at all!”

Yes. In fact, it was my friend. She was working at the library and she didn’t agree with what I had written. I told her maybe it is her alter ego coming out and she has been surprising it for a really long time. Sometimes the cheese that you really like is not the cheese that represents you. Everyone has a side of themselves that they repress. You may really like a cheese and be like that’s not me, so then you have to read on and find your cheese. Maybe you’ve never tried a Gouda? You need to find your cheese.

What was the hardest part about writing your book? How long did it take you to finish your book?

Can it go the other way around— could I find my favorite cheese based on the personality traits you’ve outlined in your book? I think my favorite is Blue, but I mean, I could be wrong.

What is your most proud moment through all of this?

Correct. Because I thought my favorite was Blue and I loved Blue. There is a part of my personality that is a Blue but as I have aged, I have become an aged cheese.

I have acquired different tastes and I have changed.

You may discover that the cheese you adore is nothing like your Cheese Sign; hence, a side to you has been discovered, and your desire for this cheese may indicate your alter ego. For example, you may crumble like the artsy Blue with emotions to match, but on a daily basis you are striving to be more like the dependable Cheddar.

Some of you might recognize this condition as the sign of the Huntsman cheese, a serious combination of Stilton and Cheddar. You adore both; therein lies your dilemma and your strength. We all have multiple sides to ourselves and that is why the horoscope thing didn’t work for me. Understandably, we cannot lump all cheese together. Every cheese country produces a particular Blue. Charles de Gaulle once asked, “How can I govern a country that has hundreds of kinds of cheese.” He was the first to have this concept in his mind.

What was most surprising during your research?

I was surprised how people could relate to my question and actually, so many people had a favorite cheese and knew right away which cheese represented them. I had thought about it for years, I knew it attributed to my crazy mental state, but I never knew there were so many cheese heads. There was such a geographical connection, too. Like the Midwest had so many more cheddars and Swiss than the West Coast. I assumed, but when it really came and I started looking at the data, I was like why do all of these Midwesterners fall in to these categories and why do these West Coasters fall in to this.

Did you ever find out?

Read the book (laughs). I think certain personality types are drawn to certain locals.

During your surveying, were you getting positive feedback? Were you worried about, for lack of a better word, “failing”?

No, I never worried about that at all. Someone once asked me, “What about people who don’t love cheese?”

And I was like, yeah, there were some and they couldn’t care less what personality they are or you are. One guy in Vegas once said “I couldn’t give a rat’s ass what kind of horoscope a girl has, as long as she has big tits.” I got all kinds of people. I was on the sidewalk asking these people questions so I had a variety. I’ll never forget that guy, he hated cheese! He was antisocial. The antisocial people, I found, hated cheese. And that made sense to me.

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Finding those spaces of time to write. Setting aside that time, ya know? Once you start writing you can’t stop. So I needed period of time to write where I wasn’t going to be interrupted and I could flow. That is why it took so long. The research time took 10 years; the actual writing of the book took 8 months.

After I had been on the Fox 9 interview, there were so many “likes” on the internet and positive feedback from those who saw it. It was so fun to see hundreds of “likes” come in. It was really exciting. Or even, I guess too, just to have M.A. Rosko send me an e-mail and say, “Hey, I found your book on cheese signs and we want to interview you.” That was a very proud moment. Even you. Seriously. I was happy.

Cheese is thousands of years old—do you think your book contributes to cheese culture? Is that even a thing?

My hope is that my book will intrigue people in to trying new cheeses. My hope is they will explore. I think cheese is really representative of life, it is definitely a culture. It is a biological process that is also an art and it is representative of human life. Every culture has a culturization. I think people should experiment more and try different things. Fling off their plastic wrapper!

What advice do you have for aspiring authors? What helped you the most through all of this? What would you have done differently?

Just keep writing. I think the best advice is to write and rewrite. If you have an idea in your mind and you can visualize it, it can come out on paper. Just keep writing. Don’t give up. If you can see this story, just keep trying to get it out. Walk away from it and come back to it if you have to. That is sometimes how it will develop if you just take a couple days and come back to it. I really believe in the rewriting process.

Finally, what does the future hold for you? Do you plan to write another?

If so, do we get a little insight on what that may be?

The working title of the book number two is Cheese Plates: Who’s on Yours? It’s a pun, of course. Everyone has their particular person that they congeal with. It’s gonna be about that and how it works. It’s like the zodiac and the people you are drawn to, but also the people you aren’t drawn to and how you can understand them better. So you can unpeel their wax paper and get down to their creamy, insides. Creamy and delectable. You know like when you are opening a Gouda and trying to get down to this delicious cheese but it is hard because you have to peel off this wax. And you may not have even approached it, but it’s worth a shot.

Cheese Signs: What Your Cheeses says about you is available on Amazon.com and independent book stores throughut Southern Minnesota.

Autumn Van Ravenhorst is a staff writer for SouthernMinn Scene. Drop her a line at autumn.vanravenhorst@gmail.com.

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A in Northfield Ray Coudret (courtesy Jon Fried)

By Nick Gerhardt editor@southernminnscene.com

N

orthfield High School math teacher (and this year also the interim Middle School Assistant Principal) Ray Coudret recently completed his second go-around as producer and creative director for Northfield’s young person extravaganza, “Rock ‘N’ Roll Revival.” Also known as a top notch musician and sound tech in the Northfield area, Coudret was made steward and custodian of the event when original organizer Tom McKown left Northfield to teach overseas.

The show gives students the opportunity to display their musical abilities outside of the traditional choir or band performances. It takes about two years of planning to put the show together, which is part of the reason it runs every other March. While it is very clearly a labor of love for Coudret and the other organizers, the show has taken on a near mythic aura in Northfield itself. The 2015 run sold out quickly. More than 5,000 tickets were purchased for the six performance dates (leaving the editor of this magazine mildly annoyed that he didn’t try harder and faster to get tickets).

At the end of a long journey and the beginning of another, Coudret took a few minutes to talk about the show and his hopes for the future.

What does it take to plan for Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival?

It starts now. I was actually looking at the set list for next time, last night. I met this week with the choreographer and vocal coach, met with all of our people who did the ticketing and all of that. We kind of start there. Idea-wise it comes from everyone.

People send me emails with song lists and stop me downtown.

How do you develop the theme of the show?

To start with, anything that makes me want to listen is fair game. You only get a couple of slow tunes so you have to be careful with that. You have to choose those wisely. This year we had a really killer piano player, Gabbi Sparby, so I was kind of listening for tunes that had a neat keyboard line in them. Then we concentrate on songs that want to make you dance, make you tap your foot.

What’s the casting process like?

We had more than 180 kids who were interested in auditioning. We spent 19 hours casting, over the course of a weekend. About half of that was trying to come up with the list of kids we were going to have in the show and the rest was placing them where we wanted them to go, where we thought they’d be successful. We pick the songs in advance and we look for kids that have a vocal quality and a range that’s going to fit that song.

How many do you cast?

We had 105 in the cast, we had eight in the rhythm section, we had 11 horn players, we had five string players. We had about eight kids that worked backstage. From the moment they hit the green room to the moment they leave the stage all of that is run by students by the time we get the show going.

Has the talent level surprised you?

Talent is a funny thing because there’s a lot of kids, everyone else would say they’re talented, I would say they worked really hard.

I think all these kids have talent.

What is it like to get the volunteer response that you get?

The show doesn’t work without [the volunteers]. Most of them come in because their kid has been in the show and they know how much their own child got out of it and they want to just give something back. There were like eight dads that worked on the set and it was crazy the amount of time they put in. Two, three days a week they’d work for six hours a day.

How do you select the music for the show?

I work with (choreographer) Shari Setchell to pick the music and we both bring a wide variety of tastes including, Rock-a-Billy, Motown, punk, New Orleans funk, soul, and indie pop. We are covering a wide swath of Rock ‘N’ Roll music, so there’s not enough room to concentrate on one or two genres.

We’re basically throwing tunes at each other. I start a big list, matter of fact, I have a Google spreadsheet that I keep that basically has any ideas I think are worth it. I have a

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running set list that has all the songs that I think are good ideas, so there’s like 200 songs there and Shari keeps sending me stuff all the time. I went through and took out everything we used in this show. Then I have another sheet here that shows me every song we’ve done in the past. To this point we’ve done 350 songs already, which is a lot but not really.

What is the hardest part of putting on this show?

The logistics are mind-numbing. We have 130-plus kids, dozens of adult volunteers, three different rehearsals going on at one time, costumes, set builders, lighting, sound, electricians and so on. Then you throw in the purchasing, selling 5,000 tickets, creating programs, DVD production, and the list goes on. With all of these details it is inevitable to have obstacles pop up on a daily basis.

I spend a lot of time planning the logistics, removing obstacles or finding a way around them. With all of that going on, it’s sometimes hard to remember to thank everyone.

What are you looking for in a lead singer?

A good ear is important and can be developed in choir but tone and timbre are genetic. We work hard to cast kids who have a voice that fits each particular song. I find that (vocal director) Bob Gregory-Bjorklund, Shari and I hear these things in a very similar way, such as auditions for this year, where Bob and I both wrote a note by the same cast member for a certain lead. I am also a sucker for a voice that has an unusual character (e.g.

Bonnie Raitt, Adele, or Springsteen).

What would you say to Rock ‘N’ Roll Revival creator Tom McKown if he called?

Thank you. You have created an incredible legacy and I hope that you take pride in what you’ve given to this community through your vision and effort. Tom actually sent the cast a telegram two years ago. It was pretty cool and we read it to them before opening night.

I believe it said, “To the cast of ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Revival,’ Stop; Break a leg Stop.”

What is your favorite “Rock and Roll Revival” memory?

of the first act we had a video gimmick where we dropped a large, gray curtain in front of the band to make it look like there was a giant TV screen. We then made it look like an actual black and white broadcast on the TV by projecting onto the TV a grainy, black and white feed of the kids on stage. This was the focal point around which we designed the set. When the lights came up and the song began, there was no video feed. Taylor Herlihy, a cast member, saw the problem, and while on stage, opened up the giant prop camera, reached in and reconnected the actual video camera that was providing the feed. Nobody else notice the issue except for Taylor and me. Without it, we lose one of the highlights of the production, but a 16-yearold had the presence of mind to notice, figure out the issue and fix it.

Tell us something about this year’s show that most people wouldn’t know.

During the two performance weekends of the show we had several vocalists who were struck by colds that settled in their vocal chords. During each of the six performances we had to restrict different kids from singing anything but their leads. This meant that on some nights a person would sing a part from back stage while the actual performer would dance and lip-sync the part. On other nights we just dropped a singer from a performance and had her partners fill in. In one case we had a cast member learn a complete song because we didn’t think the lead was going to recover in time to sing. The lead ended up seeing a specialist and getting a clean bill of health so we went with the original singer but it was close. We also had the band change the key change for one of the songs on closing night because the singer couldn’t hit high notes due to a cold. Any one of these issues could have led to a train wreck of major proportions but it ended up being quite a tribute to the preparation of our cast.

The kids were very professional in handling this.They just put in thousands of hours. We tell the kids all the time: this show is bigger than all of us. The cool part is that hard work brings a lot of joy.

Nick Gerhardt is a frequent contributor to SouthernMinn Scene and the sports editor at the Northfield News. You can reach him at ngerhardt@northfieldnews.com, or follow him on Twitter @NorthfieldNick.

Opening night, two years ago, at the end

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Dustin Wilmes, left, and Juston “Ton” Cline are co-hosts of KMSU Radio’s “The Five Count,” which has been on the air Saturday nights for more than 10 years. (courtesy of Dustin Wilmes and Juston Cline)

Living life on

The Five Count Actor John C. Reilly was a celebrity guest on “The Five Count” on KMSU Radio. (courtesy of Wikimedia.org)

By Amanda Dyslin editor@southernminnscene.com

O

n the night of June 12, 2004, two guys gave their best shot at a new FM radio show called “The Five Count.” They admit that first one was pretty hard to listen to, considering they weren’t quite sure what the show was going to be yet.

More than a decade later, however, the KMSU Radio show has developed a cult following and the co-hosts, Dustin Wilmes and Juston “Ton” Cline, have managed to land more big-name interviews than any other media outlet in the Mankato area. And all of this has been achieved without getting paid.

“Five Count” co-host Dustin Wilmes had a crush on Melissa Joan Hart as a kid and got to tell her so when she was a guest on the show. (photo by Kathryn Indiek/ImageDirect)

One of the biggest gets for Dustin Wilmes and Juston Cline was Weird Al Yankovic, whom they interviewed on “The Five Count.” (kylecassidy.com)

Their motives for consistently putting on a good show week after week have centered around playing music they like to hear and interviewing musicians and celebrities that they themselves are interested in learning more about. Many of their choices go back to childhood favorite bands, TV shows, or big moments in pop culture: Melissa Gilbert, Pauly Shore, Melissa Joan Hart, Ron Jeremy, Eddie Money, John C. Reilly, and Weird Al Yankovic to name a few.

With horror icon Bill Moseley as their first celebrity guest in 2004, the duo have had about 200 diverse celebrity guests over the years. Here’s a bit more about the show and its creators.

How do you decide who to interview on the show?

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Dustin Wilmes: We usually just seek out people who we enjoyed as kids. If you look at ‘The Five Count’ alumni, a lot of them were involved in something in the ’80s or ’90s that we loved growing up. A lot of times we’ll being watching a movie or listening to an old song and say, “I wonder what this person is up to now?”

After a lot of phone calls and emails, we have pretty good luck tracking them down. Other times, we keep an eye on who’s releasing a new album, who’s writing a book, who’s touring in the area, who looks like they need to plug something. We set up a lot of interviews that way, too. It’s sort of like collecting baseball cards at this point. It’s always fun to see who we can get on the show.

Turn

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Who were some of your favorite people to interview and why?

DW: We’ve had a lot of interviews with people who I never imagined we could get. If you had told me as a kid that someday I’d be shooting the breeze with people like Henry Rollins, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Ernie Hudson, Jesse “The Body” Ventura, Harry Shearer, Les Claypool, John Waters or Crispin Glover, I’d a called you a dingus. I’ve admired these people for most of my life. Luckily, they were all down to earth and cool people. So far I’ve never been crushed by finding out a person I admired was an a-hole in real life.

JC: To be honest, I would say most of them feel like a lucky get. KMSU is a small station, and we are just volunteers. But we have found that the interviews just keep coming and usually get more “high profile” each year.

DW: A lot of my favorites are people who maybe aren’t huge names to most people, but they meant a lot to me personally. Having both the surviving Fat Boys on the show was awesome. We once helped Kyle Gass, one-half of Tenacious D, order dinner while we interviewed him. We had John C. Reilly try to convince us he’s not Dr. Steve Brule.

We traded “Little House on the Prairie” trivia with Allison “Nellie Olsen” Arngrim. We were invited by movie director Lloyd Kaufman to be in the next “Toxic Avenger” movie.

We were able to reunite Carl Edge and Kevin Graves, the actors behind a cable access show I loved as a kid called “The Fishmasters.” I got to profess my love to my childhood crush Melissa Joan Hart. Things like that make the thousands of volunteer hours all worth it for me.

Juston Cline: There have been so many over the years, but some that really stick out for me would be Steve Cropper, Bernie Worrell, Fred Wesley and Larry Graham. These are some of the people that have made such a huge impact on music and, really, society for decades!

Who’s on your dream guest list?

Are you willing to share the details on any dud interviews?

JC: Chuck Norris, Sylvester Stallone, Peter Weller and Mike Tyson.

JC: I hate to say it, but Frank Stallone was the biggest dud I can remember. It was so terrible we didn’t even air it live on the show. He tried to take shots at his brother’s career and kept blowing his nose the whole time.

DW: Some have been better or more memorable than others, but I think all of them have been fun. Even though the Frank Stallone interview was a bit of a bust, at least it makes for a funny story. The biggest disappointment with some of them is we didn’t have more time to speak with them.

One thing I was a bit bummed about is not being able to interview country legend Tom T. Hall. We did eventually have him on the show, but because he has trouble hearing these days, he was only able to record answers to questions we sent him. It was still cool he went to the trouble, though.

Considering KMSU is a small station, did you land interviews with anybody you thought you wouldn’t have a shot at?

DW: Sadly, most of the people on my dream list are dead.

As far as the living go, I’d love to speak with Paul Reubens, Mr. T, Little Richard, Mike Tyson, Molly Ringwald, Gene Ween, Hulk Hogan, Pam Grier, Ozzy Osbourne, Prince, Mike Judge, Rowan Atkinson, Meiko Kaji, Rick Moranis, Kurt Russell, Alice Cooper, Amanda Dyslin, the list goes on and on.

Haha, I’m in! Juston, who’s on your dream list?

With so many cool interviews behind you, how do you keep the show fresh and interesting for both you and your audience?

DW: Since day one, we’ve always been all over the map when it comes to things we discuss on the show, the music we play, and the interviews we feature. It was always important to us to not paint ourselves in a corner when it comes to the show. If you’re a big fan of hip hop and start a hip hop show, what do you do when the mood strikes you to play some Charley Pride? You’re out of luck, right? If you have a metal show and the opportunity to interview Richard Marx comes up, you have to politely decline. Without those constraints, we can keep things weird. Especially after being on the air for so long, it keeps things from getting stale.

Have you been able to get a feel for who tunes into your show every week? What is your audience like?

DW: Like a lot of shows, we’ve had to change with the times and embrace more of the online platforms and social media. We have a lot of locals who are regular listeners, but we also have a lot of listeners from around the world who download our show through podcasts. We make them available on our website and iTunes for people who are used to listening to shows at their leisure. We have sort of a bad timeslot on KMSU, so people appreciate being able to listen to it when they’re at the gym or driving to work.

Also, because of the interviews we have on our show, there are a lot of people who are interested in hearing it, but would never know about KMSU. We put all our interviews on YouTube, too. We’re approaching 1 million views. It might not seem like a lot, but considering we have no videos of kittens or dudes getting hit in the groin, it’s not bad.

Who do you have coming up this spring and summer on the show?

JC: If we told you them all we would have to kill you.

DW: We have hall of fame musicians, pro wrestlers, porn stars, classic TV actors, former boxing champions, ’80s heartthrobs, you name it. We never know who might turn up. The interviews are just a part of the show, though. We always have a healthy dose of fun music and plenty of nonsense. I’d tell you more, but Ton looks antsy.

Give people the details on how to catch your show.

DW: “The Five Count” is live every Saturday at 10 p.m. on KMSU 89.7 FM-Mankato, KMSK 91.3 FM-Austin, in the Fairmont and Albert Lea areas at 91.9 FM, and streaming at www.thefivecount.com.

You can find the episodes every Sunday on our website and on iTunes. We’re also on Facebook, YouTube, and @thefivecount on Twitter. We’re friendly dudes.

Amanda Dyslin is a freelance writer in Mankato. She can be reached at amandadyslin@gmail.com.

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(courtesy Steve Yasgar)

By Sarah Osterbauer editor@southernminnscene.com

I

met Steve at Mancini’s which, for those who are not familiar, is an old school steakhouse/supper club that has been an institution in St Paul for many years. The bar area is dimly lit; there’s mirror pillars and those leather button booths in the shape of half moons. Steve insisted that we conduct the interview from one of those booths because this was my first Mancini’s experience. Steve is a renaissance man of sorts. He is the drummer for Communist Daughter but he also plays guitar, bass, has played and recorded with many Twin Cities bands including Roma di Luna, A Whisper in the Noise and Satellite Voices, not to mention that he also curated the Eyes and Hands music festival. This is our third time meeting, first time was at a mutual friend’s party a few years ago, second time was more recently at Brewfest in Duluth where Communist Daughter opened for Trampled By Turtles. My plan was to discuss all of the above with him, which I did, despite all his efforts to talk about “cooler stuff” like Doomtree and Taggart & Rosewood.

Were you always a music person? Did you know when you were younger, this is what I want to do?

Yep, yeah music was always a big part of my life. You

know sometimes when you talk to people and they’re like, oh my dad used to be into music, my parents really did not like music at all.

So your parents weren’t into music, are they supportive of what you do now?

My dad has always been very supportive, my mom wishes I were a dentist.

All moms do.

How did you end up in Communist Daughter? From what I’ve read there’s not a lot of detail on it, it’s just you knew (lead singer, guitarist and songwriter) Johnny (Solomon), and that was it.

Yeah, umm, Johnny used to be in a band called Friends Like These. I was in a couple of bands that were playing shows with Friends Like These.

And you were in another band called A Whisper- something- something Yes, I was in a band called A Whisper in the Noise, and there was actually this other band I was in called The Swiss

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Army and a couple of the dudes involved with that were involved with Doomtree and stuff and we were just like, who are these Friends Like These assholes? So we knew of each other, and then he got in touch with me, sent me an email “I know you’re a good drummer” which was like, he had no idea, “I know you’re a good drummer and I’m starting this new band and you should be my drummer.”

And I was like sure you know, lets get together and we got together and rehearsed these songs and they sounded good and he was still technically in Friends Like These and not in Communist Daughter. But he then dropped off the face of the planet and I found out he was in jail. He had a very bad drug problem, it’s well publicized. I had just met him when he was bad. The second rehearsal I went to the practice space and he was sleeping on the floor and he had maybe been there for like two days and I had Burger King because I was eating on the run and he was like “please just give me a bite of your burger” it was crazy. I don’t know why I stuck with him but I was seeing another person, her and I dated for 7 years and it was the very end of that relationship and he knew I was going move out, because we lived together.

And so he got out of jail, swore to me he was clean, which was a lie, and got a house in Wisconsin and said he was going to open a restaurant. He said “I will pay you $700 if you come move in with me and make a record and help me open up a restaurant, all food and drinks will be cov-

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21

From 21 ered.” So I left my relationship with that girl, moved in with him, and we recorded 6 songs in this house he was renting, which became all those we later re-recorded for the first Communist Daughter record. But we literally in 2 weeks, 3 weeks, made a record.

That’s the craziest story ever.

What were you thinking while this was going on? Were you like, this is cool or this kinda weird but I’m just gonna roll with it.

It was really tough because, being a drummer, if you can play drums fairly well, you can be really busy in the Twin Cities. So I was in two other bands at the same time that were dream things for me. One was this group called Roma di Luna, which was Channy from Polica’s old band and her husband at the time Alexi, who is one of my good friends.

So he and Channy used to play farmers markets just the two of them and call themselves Roma di Luna. And they were just a two piece. And I just kept bugging them like, I know you guys are going to need a drummer and I’m going to be your drummer. Finally they were like, ok we need you now. And so I was in Roma di Luna, this other band called A Whisper in the Noise AND Communist Daughter I had just started with Johnny and it got to be too much and it got to be too busy and I eventually I had to choose. So I quit everything but Communist Daughter because I believed in what we were doing that much. It really does say a lot to John’s ability to write a song because I was like, you’re a fuckin’ nutcase and you make my life worse by being involved in it, but I want to see what we can do with this, so then Lee [Steve’s fiance] got a job in Boulder, working for Hilton, in 2011 and we decided to get out of Minnesota because of the cold and we had to quit the band and, um so I put my drums in storage. I didn’t play drums for two and half years and worked at Apple and I was in charge of their repair team at one of the stores.

You didn’t play drums for 2 years? Were you..

Going crazy? Yeah, that’s the first time that I can think of that I stopped playing drums ever since I started, but we moved to Colorado and I was like, new state, new leaf, I’m just going to be turning over and be like a 9 to 5 guy and I got a good job and made great money and all that stuff but it just drove me crazy. (**editor’s note -- I realize that should not be one sentence, but, please, tell me where to break that up.)

So Lee and I had a talk and they actually asked me to be a manager and I freaked out, I was like, a manager at a freaking Apple store does not sound like what I want to do for the rest of my life. So I put in my notice and I was like I have to go do something else. I didn’t leave on bad terms, I was like “I’ll train in my replacement but I just need to go do something else.” So I started an electronic group that could be in the same category as Polica, it’s down tempo

with a female vocal and Johnny wrote me and he was like, if you’re playing music again, I can pay you to be in Communist Daughter. And so, last July, I played my first shows with them since 2011.

So it seems like you came back and left a number of times, is that true or did it just seem like that?

No, that’s true, I did leave Communist Daughter for a short time, to do more stuff with A Whisper in the Noise and Johnny started hanging out with this other drummer, his name is Christopher McGuire who has also been in this band called 12 Rods, and Kid Dakota. But he has had some very public drug problems, so those two started doing weird shady shit and I was like, it just started feeling dirty hanging out with them cause we would go to Grumpys downtown and weird sketchy people would meet up. And it just got weird and I was like, I’m done. So I started doing more with A Whisper in the Noise and I actually created a different band called Satellite Voices that was me, Lee, this dude Noel Tate, if you know him. He and I were in another band before. Satellite Voices was really fun, kinda dark band. So I was out of Communist Daughter for maybe 4 or 5 months?

McGuire was a drummer so he was the drummer and then I came back. I was still friends with them, I mean, they were rehearsing like in the basement that was outside of my bedroom when I wasn’t in the band so. We were all still family, I just wasn’t drumming.

It’s crazy because a lot of bands, especially in the Twin Cities are just a clique of friends and they just happen to play in a band.

The funny thing is even though I wasn’t in the band, it’s like you have this group of friends and that group of friends and it was like I was just hanging out with this other group of friends more. Now it kind of counts on your resume almost.

[This is where we talked about Brewfest and I mentioned I ran into Dave Simonett at the bar after their performance he was not sober.]

Might have been my fault. I bought he and I four Makers shots. He’s very kind, so nice.

I put on this music festival a while ago and I asked them to play and I was actually closer friends with Doomtree, and Doomtree was like, we need this, we need that, we need hotel rooms, da da da, and I was like, dudes, you know me.

You know I can’t afford all that. But fortunately Summit sponsored it and gave me a bunch of money. And I asked Trampled by Turtles and Dave was so awesome, cause he said, there were 6 members so he said, we need $600 and 6 bottles of Jameson in brown bags that we can bring on stage. This was to headline. Sure. Done.

So I haven’t talked to him since then, so at soundcheck [at Brewfest] I shook his hand and he was like, “I think I know you” and and I said funny story, I did a little festival called Eyes and Hands Festival, and he was like, “Oh my God” and I said do you remember what you asked for to

headline? and I reminded him and he was like, dude we were just happy to be the headliners of something. He’s really sweet.

[Over the intercom: Lidley for 5, your table’s ready] Communist Daughter had a little crowdsourcing thing to get ourselves a van and our goal was $10,000 and we ended up being $200 shy of our goal with a week to go.

And Dave donated $300 took us over the goal. I mean he’s just that nice.

Is indie folk rock the genre you want to be playing?

I think it’s the genre that we are in and we’re really excited, so right before we ran into you [at Brewfest] we spent a week in Indiana recording six songs so we could finish up our record. We’re about to release our second full length record and it’s been so long that the first full length record came out when I was in the band [before he left] and now we’re about to release our second one. But it’s gonna be full of rock songs like psychadelic stuff. The guy who’s mixing it right now, tentatively, is the guy who just did the new Alabama Shakes record, so it’s a little grittier, because Johnny is... I think he understands that he’s being pigeon holed as living-room-concert-guy or sappy-songs-guy and stuff so, he writes great rock songs too, they just haven’t been kicking out as many so we made a point of doing that.The one thing that I told the guy that produced this last recording is I don’t wanna sound like Coldplay when they try to sound like a rock band, because it sounds like a wimpy rock band. I mean, I like some aspects of Coldplay, but when they’re trying to be rock its like blegh, so I wanted to sound like a rock band so I’m really stoked about what we have.

Do you have a release date? Are you putting it out on your own or shopping it?

We’re shopping it. We have this really awesome entertainment lawyer Richard Graebel. I’ve only met him once but he’s been an entertainment lawyer for a lot of big bands in the 90’s so he’s made his money and he came to watch us play the Brooklyn Bowl and liked it, so he’s actually shopping our record on our behalf with some really awesome labels. Distribution is done through this group called Orchard and they just offered up some money up front to help mix and things like that. And we’re really stoked because that first record is just getting out of its contract that we were previously in so we’ll own the rights again. Cause it’s actually still selling.

Are you guys thinking big tour after it’s out then?

Yeah, until the first of the year we’re just gonna push it as much as we can.

Sarah Osterbauer is a die-hard music lover. When she does her budget each month, food comes after concert tickets. Find her on twitter @SarahOwrites.

(courtesy Steve Yasgar)

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23

Wunderlich and the magic of violins

By GRACE WEBB editor@southernminnscene.com

G

rowing up, Alyssa Wunderlich, 25, knew she wanted to do something with her life that would include her passion for playing the violin. But it wasn’t until recently she realized that there are different ways to make music—including making the violins themselves. Now, this Faribault native has her own work studio where she hand-carves these precious instruments.

When did you first get involved in music?

I’ve loved music my whole life. I started taking piano lessons when I was 12. When I was 16, I begged and pleaded for a violin, and my parents said if I could find a violin and a teacher, I could do it. Both the violin and the teacher magically showed up the same week.

Which do you prefer, violin or piano? Why? I tend to go to the violin more. When it’s played correctly, it’s just so pure and so sweet. I’ve been told that it is the closest sound to the human voice. There’s so much movement and so much freedom in how you play it. The possibilities are endless.

With a piano, you hit a key and that’s the note you get. But with a violin, you can do a lot of different things. So there’s a lot of freedom and flexibility.

Do you have a favorite type of music?

Classical. It’s my favorite type to listen to and to play. When it comes to composers, it’s probably Bach.

TOP PHOTOS: Alyssa Wunderlich at her workbench. The 25 year old Wunderlich has been building violins for 4 years. (courtesy Alyssa Wunderlich) 24 w w w. s o u t h e r N m I N n SCENE. c o m u M AY 2 0 1 5

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After high school, you wanted to become a music teacher.

How did that work out?

I went to MSU-Mankato for a year and studied music education for a semester, but I didn’t like it. They stole the freedom that I had been taught in my private lessons. I was taught, “You play it how you think it should be played.” At MSU, they said, “You must play it this way or we’ll fail you.” And I discovered that I didn’t want to work in a public school system. So I had no idea what I wanted to do. I even took some of those tests where you give your strengths and weaknesses, and they tell you what you should end up doing. I took of three of them, and I got the same answer for all three: instrument repair technician. I kind of blew it off. In my mind, I thought, “That’d be working on trumpets and flutes, and who wants to work on trumpets and flutes?” I didn’t even think about how somebody has to make violins.

So how did you get into instrument repair after all?

My mother saw an ad in the paper for an antique violin for $50. I was looking for a violin that was a notch better than the one I’d been playing, so we called up the lady.

Well… it was a piece of garbage. It had guitar pieces glued onto the top with a hot glue gun; the strings were glued onto the bridge with a hot glue gun. The neck was crooked; the fingerboard was going the opposite direction. The thing was a mess. But I bought it anyway. And as I was standing there gently wiping the dust off it, I thought, “I’d love to do this for a living. I have this broken instrument in my hands, and I’d love to take it and fix it and give it its voice back.” My mother was on the computer faster than I’d ever seen her move before, and she found a technical college in Red Wing [Southeast Technical College] that has a one-year violin repair program. We went and saw the school two days later, I applied four days later, and I was accepted two weeks later.

What was that like?

It was a lot more than I expected. I went

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“I’d like to get the point where the building is my main focus. That’s where my passion lies. I look at my instruments and think, “Wow, I did that.””

- Alyssa Wunderlich into it thinking, “It’s a violin… this isn’t going to be that hard.” I was wrong. I took took a class that teaches you how to actually build an instrument from scratch, start to finish.

That was the part that intrigued me the most. It was very much an eye opener: I get to take this little block of wood and turn it into an instrument that is actually playable, that actually sings and actually sounds halfway decent. It’s a lot of bench work and requires a lot of patience—and an OCD brain. So it fits me.

How long does it take you to create a violin?

been a God thing. So I kind of get the impression that I’m where I’m supposed to be.

How’s work going so far?

With two orchestras and nobody else in the Faribault area doing any repair work, it’s been sort of steady. Right now, I’ve got two basses, two cellos, and five violins that all need work. So that will keep me busy for a while. Then there’s building the two instruments. Ideally that would be the first priority, but that doesn’t always happen. I also have nine students that I give lessons to, either in piano or violin.

The first one took about nine months, but now I’m to the point where it takes about 6-8 months.

How much do you hope to charge for your violins?

Once you graduated from Red Wing, what did you do next?

I’m hoping to get $5,000 for my current project. I’m told the one I play on, which is the second one I made, could easily go for $8,000, but I won’t part with that one. It’s very near and dear to my heart. I’m starting to discover its quirks, which is one of the fun things with a violin. Some people have the mentality that every violin is the same, which is so not true. There are no two violins that are exactly the same, so you can’t treat them the same. Once you discover your violin’s quirks, you can take them and amplify them, and that just makes the playing experience so much better and makes the sound so much better. So I’m starting to connect with my instrument that way.

Through one of the instructors, I was offered a job at a violin shop up in Minneapolis. I worked there from November to March doing some basic setup work. I stuck with that job until I was laid off in March because the owner had run out of work.

What did you do then?

One of the instructors from the program had been paying close attention to my work, and he offered me a job once I was done in Minneapolis. That turned into a paid apprenticeship, which never happens in this industry. I probably worked with him for three years, until last June. I learned a lot from him. We did a lot of repair work, a lot of restoration work. I even learned about making mandolins.

What’s the best part of your job?

Watching people who are satisfied when they get their instrument back. A lot of people bring them to me and say, “This is my baby, and it’s broken.

And I want it fixed.”

And when I bring it back to them, they say, “It’s even better than before it broke.”

Seeing that is really rewarding. And it’s incredible to be able to take plain, ordinary wood and turn into something that can make a sound that is so beautiful.

But now you have your own studio?

Yes, I started my own studio, doing my own repair work, in the summer of 2013.

It’s called “Wunderstrings.”

Take me My grandma had a through the house sitting on her process of plot that was empty, making a violin. and I looked at that house and thought, I start with a TOP TO BOTTOM: Violin workshop, and Alyssa’s signature.

“Boy, if I had a piano, mold and six blocks, (courtesy Alyssa Wunderlich) and a workbench and which is the foundation some power tools, I could for the whole instrumake that space work.” ment. Some parts are bent to fit the unique shape. Other And the piano, and the workbench, and the power tools just parts are carved by hand. In fact, about 90 percent of a violin kind of magically appeared… The whole studio has really just

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TOP TO BOTTOM: Head stock, body, and finished products. (courtesy Alyssa Wunderlich) is done by hand carving. So I basically build the outline. Then I take the back and the belly and shape them, before gluing the three pieces together. Finally, I carve out the neck. Once the neck is carved out, I glue that to the body, and then you have an instrument.

What kind of wood do you use?

The back, sides and neck are maple. The top is spruce.

All the internal parts are spruce. The fingerboard is ebony.

I mostly order from dealers online. I’ve ordered wood from North Carolina, Colorado, Canada… This year, I ordered varnish from Madrid. All together, it costs about $700 for all my supplies.

What are your plans for the future?

The teaching is rewarding, but I don’t see myself doing that forever. The repair work is enjoyable, but it’s not as much fun as the building. I’d like to get the point where the building is my main focus. That’s where my passion lies. I look at my instruments and think, “Wow, I did that.”

Grace Webb is a freelance writer in Southern Minnesota. She can be contacted at grace.webb2013@gmail.com

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25

AMY’S TV CRUSH

AMY MERRITT Amy Merritt is a renowned cynic, skeptic and critic of all media. She has been overjoyed by the recent announcement that The X-Files will return for a short run next year. Contact her at amystvcrush@gmail.com

Don’t believe everything you read.

Or see.

Or remember.

I

think I’m a pretty savvy consumer of media. I don’t automatically believe what I am seeing or hearing. I pay attention to the source of the information. I look for bias, I don’t trust soundbites or Fox News. I don’t trust MSNBC even if they say what I like to hear. I know “spin” when I see it. Or so I thought.

I recently learned that spin is subtle. Really sneaky and subtle.

My own

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memory has betrayed me. It is entwined with the collective “truth” we’ve all been told. I’ll tell you what happened: I learned that Tom Cruise did not jump up and down on that couch.

Don’t freak out. He did hop up on it and stand there briefly, two separate times. He did act alarmingly enthusiastic and frankly, more than a little weird. But in my mind I can see him jumping up and down on Oprah’s couch like a madman or a monkey jumping on a bed. That is what most of us see, and that never happened. The difference is in the context, and the difference does matter. Cruise was appearing on Oprah in front of an audience of handpicked fanatics. To date, it was literally the loudest audience Oprah had ever had, and that’s saying something.

(Apparently George Clooney’s crowd beat this record, a phenomenon I will never understand). The audience was so completely out of control that Oprah herself is visibly annoyed, and Cruise is pretty clearly reacting to the sudden circus in which he was named head clown. The whole thing is absurd and pretty uncomfortable to watch, but the less-than-three seconds Cruise spent on that couch (again, not jumping up and down) is all that we remember.

So why did I see it so clearly in my mind? Why couldn’t I remember if this was before or after I decided I hated him? What Tom Cruise didn’t know was that YouTube was a few weeks old, and celebrity news was about to be taken over by Perez Hilton, TMZ, and bloggers with cell phones. Most celebrities had yet to imagine how manipulative the internet could truly be, and many of us had not heard

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the phrase “viral video.” A TV interview seemed like a safe option. But then it happened…Tom Cruise was spread around the world in a highly-edited video titled “Tom Cruise Kills Oprah.” There was Star Wars music involved. Hilarious, actually. But it’s not what happened. And then the video was picked up by MSNBC and USA Today, a rarity at the time. Even now, if you search for “Tom Cruise on the couch,” you will find many videos that mash up all the raucous moments at the beginning of a 43 minute interview in 2005.

My point is certainly not that we should now all embrace Tom Cruise. That is ridiculous and so is he. But after learning about this false memory, I explored a little further. What else was I missing? Did Al Gore say he invented the internet? Actually, no.

In a 1999 interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Al Gore said, “During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet. I took the initiative in moving forward a whole range of initiatives…”

Of course, I do not believe that Al Gore was trying to pull a fast one on the American people. I mean, even then this would have been a pretty easy thing to fact check. At the time, he was made fun of on both sides. The left talked about how he “misspoke,” and the right talked about the giant lie he told. It was an easy thing to target. What bothers me is that no matter what side you might be on, most of us believe that Gore made that giant gaff. And I think it matters. Some might argue that “create” and “invent” are the same. If they are, I would argue that every single news outlet should have said that he claimed he “created” the internet. But that is not what they said. They said “invent.”

They said it on purpose and I believed it.

But in this case, Gore, however awkwardly, was using the word “create” in the same way that Dwight Eisenhower “created” the Interstate Highway System. Many of us know by now that Al Gore was key in advancing public access to internet technology. But this isn’t about righting wrongs for Al Gore. It is about another kind of inconvenient truth.

One word, one video, can change how we see the truth of a person. And if the difference between fact and fiction is that subtle, we are probably, right now, missing something.

By the way, Nixon didn’t lose because he looked bad (and JFK looked good) on TV. But that “truth” was referenced many times during the Obama-Romney debates in the last election. The myth was debunked 25 years ago. Look it up.

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ARTS APR 17-23: Joy of Quilting: 17-Apr, 9:00 AM, Northfield Senior Center, 1651 Jefferson Parkway, Northfield, Free. Bring your own quilting project to work on in the company of other crafters, from 9 a.m. to noon the first and third Friday of the month at the Northfield Senior Center.. http://www.northfieldseniorcenter.org/. 507-664-3700 The Adventures of Little Daisy: 17-Apr, 7:00 PM, Lakeville Area Arts Center, 20965 Holyoke Avenue, Lakeville, Free. A scrumptious, melodramatic adventure, this comedic one-act invites audience members to join in the action by supplying claps, boos, and cheers to keep the story rolling! This one-act production is fun for children of all ages due to its short run time and simple audience involvement.. http://test.lakevillemn.gov/index. php?option=com_jevents&task=icalrepeat. detail&evid=5771&Itemid=1364&year= 2015&month=04&day=17&title=the-adv entures-of-little-daisy&uid=5bd5c60f07 9ac33b02ec5368eb94eda2.

Matthew Broussard: 17-Apr, 7:00 PM, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd, Prior Lake, $19 . Matthew Broussard earned a coveted spot on Comedy Centrals Adam Levines House Party after doing stand-up for only 18 months. He makes his brand of playful, smart humor appeal to a broad audience, whether it is colleges, clubs, festivals, or theaters. He can be seen in the comedy film Intramural and his popular web comic, mondaypunday.com, highlights his artistic talents and witty humor combined with fun riddles and puns that leaves one thinking outside of the box.. http://www. mysticlake.com/broussardandwalker.php.

(952) 445-9000 Nick Offerman & Megan Mullally: 17Apr, 7:00 PM, Paramount Theater, 125 N.E. Fourth Ave., Austin, $39.50-$46.50. Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally are ready to take you to the SUMMER OF 69: NO APOSTROPHE. The tour, promoted exclusively by Live Nation, will visit 23 cities throughout North America including shows in San Francisco, Chicago, Vancouver, Dallas, New Orleans and more. Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally are yanking the britches right off of their marriage, exposing the salacious details of their fiery union for all the world to enjoy, featuring songs, funny talking, heavy ribaldry, light petting and an astonishing final act of completion. The accomplished entertainers have also won multiple awards including a Television Critics Association Award for Achievement in Comedy and two Critics Choice Television Awards for Offerman and two Emmy Awards and four Screen Actors Guild Awards for Megan Mullally.

While having earned massive recognition for the work on-screen, the team also thrive on stage in front of a live audience having most recently wowed audiences with their work together in ‘Annapurna.’. http://offermanwoodshop.com/tourdates/.

Love, Loss and What I Wore: 17-Apr, 7:30 PM, Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave., Faribault, $10-$15. $10 Chil-

dren 12 & Under/$15 Adults. This delightful and poignant play ‘is not about fashion; it is about what clothes really are to us, those moments when we are constantly trying to find our identity through them.’ These are the words of Nora Ephron, icon-ic movie writer and playwright. Nora and her sister Delia (who co-wrote ‘You’ve Got Mail’ with Nora) probe our memories through a series of conversations and monologues on topics such as mothers, prom dresses, buying bras, hating purses and why we only wear black.. http://www.paradisecenterforthearts. org. “Mr. Burns Jon Lovitz: 17-Apr, 7:30 PM, House of Comedy, 408 East Broadway, Level 4 East, Bloomington, $32.95 . Jonathan M. ‘Jon’ Lovitz is an American comedian, actor and singer. He is best known as a cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1990. I also do alot of other cool things =) Im funny, I make jokes, people laugh at me. I also have a comedy club on universal city walk in Hollywood.. https://houseofcomedy.net/about/comicsdetails.asp?ID=357.

Jesus Christ Superstar: 17-Apr, 7:30 PM, Ames Center, 12600 Nicollet Avenue, Burnsville, $19-$22. If you strip awaythe myth from the man, can you see where we all soon will be? In Tim Rice andAndrew Lloyd Webber’s milestone musical, the destinies and struggles of Judas,Jesus, and the disciples collide as they try to make sense of their paths in life and grapple with the outcomes of their choices. Delve into one of thegreatest stories of all time with The Chameleon Theatre Circle, and experienceit as you never have before!. http://www.amescenter.com/chameleon-theatre-circle.html.

“Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Tom Baumgartner: 18-Apr, 8:30 PM, Dangerfields Comedy, 1583 East First Avenue, Shakopee, $15-$30. Tom Baumgartner started acting in Theater, TV & Radio Commercials, and Industrial Films in the mid-seventies. Got into the local Stand-up Comedy Club Scene in 1979 and eventually migrated to Los Angeles in late 1988. Did some acting in TV shows and commercials as well as some Stand-up TV shows while in LA. Some of the shows I acted on were, Roseanne, Hunter, LA Law, Amen, Santa Barbara, and General Hospital. I performed on A & Es Comedy On The Road hosted by John Byner and was regularly featured on the Dennis Miller Show with Jokes From Tom.. http://dangerfieldscomedy.com/?p=1038.

952-445-2245 Jon Lovitz: 18-Apr, 9:30 PM, House of Comedy, 408 East Broadway, Level 4 East, Bloomington, $32.95 . Jonathan M. ‘Jon’ Lovitz is an American comedian, actor and singer. He is best known as a cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1990. I also do alot of other cool things =) Im funny, I make jokes, people laugh at me. I also have a comedy club on universal city walk in Hollywood.. https://houseofcomedy.net/about/comicsdetails.asp?ID=357.

Joe Machi: 23-Apr, 7:30 PM, House of Comedy, 408 East Broadway, Level 4 East, Bloomington, $13-$20. A native of State College, PA, Joe Machi did not always plan to enter comedy. After graduating from Penn State University, located in his hometown, Joe became a customer service manager for a supermarket. It wasn’t until after stint as a human resources assistant that he decided to try his hand at stand up comedy. Joe moved to New York City in 2006, where his comedy career began. He quickly passed

for ‘Late Night’ shows at the prestigious Comic Strip Live. Joe then passed at four other New York City comedy clubs, including the famed Caroline’s on Broadway and Stand Up NY. His success continues to grow, and in 2010, he won first place in the ‘Emerging Comics’ contest at the New York Underground Comedy Festival, and was also named a finalist at the New York Comedy Festival’s NY’s Funniest Person Competition.

Joe has also been featured in the New York Daily News for advancing to the Elite Eight of Caroline’s March Madness Final Four Competition. After being named a runner-up for the Boston Comedy Festival’s New York Comedy Contest, he landed a performance at the Boston Comedy Fest. Recently, Joe has made his network television debut on NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. - See more at: http://www.standupny.com/comedians/ joe-machi/#sthash.xbli6c9U.dpuf. https:// houseofcomedy.net/about/comics-details. asp?ID=367. “A Season for Vivaldi

APR 24-30: Cheech and Chong and War: 24-Apr, 8:00 PM, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd, Prior Lake, $54 . Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong released nine comedy albums from 1972 through 1985 and have been nominated for four Grammy Awards, winning Best Comedy album for Los Cochinos in 1973. Their first film ‘Up In Smoke’ was the highest grossing comedy of 1978 and topped 100 million at the box office. Since then, they have starred in seven more films together including ‘Cheech & Chong’s Animated Movie,’ released in 2012. Cheech & Chong’s Up in Smoke Tour includes some of their most infamous songs, including ‘Earache My Eye,’ ‘Basketball Jones’ and ‘Mexican Americans’ and some of the duo’s most iconic comedic skits such as ‘Dave’s Not Here,’ ‘Santa Clause And His Magic Dust’ and ‘Sister Mary Elephant.’. http://www.mysticlake.com/cheechchong15. php. (952) 445-9000 David Testroet: 24-Apr, 8:30 PM, Dangerfields Comedy, 1583 East First Avenue, Shakopee, $15-$30. David Testroet, a true veteran comedian with the Bio to prove it.

Born in Iowa, Testroet has an easy Mid-West delivery. With a quick laugh and a shift of an eyebrow and soon youre in Davids world.

From Comedy Clubs and Theaters across the United states and Canada to flying across seas for five different tours to entertain the U.S. Military. A fast and funny show anyone can enjoy. Material that twists from Darwin to Grizzlie bears and sharp improvisation skills developed with over twenty years of stage experience. A well established harmonica player, David has incorporated this into his act. From rock and roll to his original songs like the Big Guy Blues. A strong closer that even further separates David from other comedian.. http://dangerfieldscomedy.com/ wp-content/uploads/2015/03/david_testroet. jpg. 952-445-2245 Joe Machi: 24-Apr, 9:45 PM, House of Comedy, 408 East Broadway, Level 4 East, Bloomington, $13-$20. A native of State College, PA, Joe Machi did not always plan to enter comedy. After graduating from Penn State University, located in his hometown, Joe became a customer service manager for a supermarket. It wasn’t until after stint as a human resources assistant that he decided to try his hand at stand up comedy. Joe moved to New York City in 2006, where his comedy career began. He quickly passed for ‘Late Night’ shows at the prestigious Comic Strip Live. Joe then passed at four

other New York City comedy clubs, including the famed Caroline’s on Broadway and Stand Up NY. His success continues to grow, and in 2010, he won first place in the ‘Emerging Comics’ contest at the New York Underground Comedy Festival, and was also named a finalist at the New York Comedy Festival’s NY’s Funniest Person Competition.

Joe has also been featured in the New York Daily News for advancing to the Elite Eight of Caroline’s March Madness Final Four Competition. After being named a runner-up for the Boston Comedy Festival’s New York Comedy Contest, he landed a performance at the Boston Comedy Fest. Recently, Joe has made his network television debut on NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. - See more at: http://www.standupny.com/comedians/ joe-machi/#sthash.xbli6c9U.dpuf. https:// houseofcomedy.net/about/comics-details. asp?ID=367.

Comedian C. Willi Myles: 25-Apr, 7:30 PM, Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave., Faribault, $17-$22. C. Willi Myles returns home to the Paradise for his Line in the Sand Comedy Tour. As always Willi’s extremely funny non-offensive stories and jokes and gives a unique spin to life’s everyday challenges as he applys humor to them. Referred to as ‘America’s Everyday Comedian,’ Willi is truly comedy at its best.. http://www.paradisecenterforthearts.org.

Joe Machi: 25-Apr, 9:30 PM, House of Comedy, 408 East Broadway, Level 4 East, Bloomington, $13-$20. A native of State College, PA, Joe Machi did not always plan to enter comedy. After graduating from Penn State University, located in his hometown, Joe became a customer service manager for a supermarket. It wasn’t until after stint as a human resources assistant that he decided to try his hand at stand up comedy. Joe moved to New York City in 2006, where his comedy career began. He quickly passed for ‘Late Night’ shows at the prestigious Comic Strip Live. Joe then passed at four other New York City comedy clubs, including the famed Caroline’s on Broadway and Stand Up NY. His success continues to grow, and in 2010, he won first place in the ‘Emerging Comics’ contest at the New York Underground Comedy Festival, and was also named a finalist at the New York Comedy Festival’s NY’s Funniest Person Competition.

Joe has also been featured in the New York Daily News for advancing to the Elite Eight of Caroline’s March Madness Final Four Competition. After being named a runner-up for the Boston Comedy Festival’s New York Comedy Contest, he landed a performance at the Boston Comedy Fest. Recently, Joe has made his network television debut on NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. - See more at: http://www.standupny.com/comedians/ joe-machi/#sthash.xbli6c9U.dpuf. https:// houseofcomedy.net/about/comics-details. asp?ID=367. “The Mess only 55454 Series: 26-Apr, 7:30 PM, Mixed Blood Theatre, 1501 South 4th Street, Minneapolis, See Website. 55454 Series is a series of new plays by, about, for and with Africans and Muslims in America.. http:// www.mixedblood.com/onstage/55454series. (612) 338-6131”Creative Kids Nikki Glaser: 30-Apr, 7:30 PM, House of Comedy, 408 East Broadway, Level 4 East, Bloomington, $15-$20. Glaser first performed stand-up at the age of 18, and in less than two years, landed a spot as a semifinalist on Last Comic Standing. Since then, Nikki has performed stand-up on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, CONAN, and two seasons of Last Comic Standing. She can

Bill Haley & the Comets May 15th - 6 p.m.

Kato Ballroom, Mankato The history of rock ’n ’roll is so convoluted and naturally raises scrutiny which ultimately ends in debate over who the hell created it. Truthfully, we will probably never know who the real creator is, it just comes down to a matter of who made it famous first. Although Elvis was crowned the King of rock ‘n’ roll, Bill Haley was dubbed the father. So, which is it? I don’t want to piss off any die hard Elvis fans but uh, Haley hit the charts first. There were a lot of people that came before those two, but I won’t step in that territory.

Their main hit “Rock Around the Clock” wasn’t huge at first, but after appearing in the film The Blackboard Jungle, a movie about high school delinquency, it became an anthem for the rebellious youth of the Fifties.

What if instead of raging teenagers storming off to their room to blast Cradle of Filth or dismal R&B, they went to their room and blared some Bill Haley? The world would be a much happier place.

Joining them will be Denny and the DC Drifters as well as DJ and the Runaways. Bill Haley is long gone but he helped pull the genre of rock ‘n’ roll out of the basement and his impact is remembered. If you love music from the 50’s and 60’s, this is definitely your thing. www.katoballroom.com – – Autumn Van Ravenhorst, editor@southernminnscene.com also be seen on MTV shows such as Money from Strangers, Awkward: The After Show, and Failosophy. Nikki played a small role in Henry Phillips’ 2009 film Punching the Clown. She also appeared as herself in Jordan Brady’s documentary I Am Comic. Since early 2011, Nikki has been hosting a podcast

with comedian Sara Schaefer called You Had To Be There. Nikki & Sara Live, a weekly talk show television series hosted by Glaser and Schaefer, premiered on January 29, 2013, on MTV. The show was canceled on November 22, 2013 after two seasons. Nikki currently co-hosts a podcast with comedian,

Phil Hanley, and roommate/musician, Anya Marina, called ‘We Know Nothing.’ We Know Nothing is a humorous relationship based podcast that takes calls from listeners and attempts to give them love advice.. https://

Turn

Smokin’ in Steele May 29th-30th

Steele County Fairgrounds, Owatonna Hands down one of my favorite smells—barbecue. I am not talking about the generic BBQ sauce you bought from the grocery store and burnt in a pan in your kitchen. I am talking about the kind you can smell across the street. The kind that makes you want to befriend your neighbor seven houses down just so you can have a taste. Or in this case, the kind that fills the entire city of Owatonna. Barbecue is beautiful in that you don’t have to look beautiful eating it. In fact, if you do not look at least a little like a slob, there is something definitely wrong. I usually have a complex with people staring at me while I am eating. But when I am eating barbeque, stare away as I bask in barbecue’s tasty glory.

Smokin’ in Steele is a Kansas City sanctioned BBQ competition hosted by the Knights of Columbus. Each year the event raises funds to be donated to a specific group or cause, their main beneficiary is the Special Olympics.

This event is known as a “smokin’ good time,” but there is so much more than barbecue smoke filling the fairgrounds.

There will be live music in the beer gardens and as you would expect it will be a Blues performance—barbecue and Blues just go together. There will be food vendors throughout if it is humanely possible that barbecue isn’t your thing, but I hate to break it to you, a lot of them serve barbecue. Additional activities include a bike race, 5K, antique tractor and semi show, Blues for Kids harmonica class, and the Kidz Que barbecue contest. It is one of the biggest barbecue events in the Midwest so be sure to come and get messy! www.mcbacomicons.com – – Autumn Van Ravenhorst, editor@southernminnscene.com A d d y o u r e v e n t f o r F R E E t o t h e T I M E L I N E c a l e n d a r . G O TO w w w. s o u t h ernminn . c o m / s c ene / c a len d a r & C l i c k + A d d a n E v ent

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Rochester Craft Beer Show May 2nd - 2-6 p.m.

Rochester Civic Center

There is a comradery between those who share the same love for beer.

Not those who play beer pong with the cheapest case of “Natty-Ice” and spill it all over the floor, but those who truly respect beer and its entirety.

From how it’s made, the distinct flavors behind each seasonal brew, and finally how you choose to enjoy it—whether it is cold, warm, or in a frosty mug. You give the exemplary nod to the fellow who is staring at the same wall of beer at the liquor store or a smile when your server can actually describe the beer that is available on tap.

There has been a sort of craft brew movement across the country and like the competitions between states over who is more green, gay, and bicycle friendly, craft brews are being promoted everywhere it seems.

Through education and appreciation, the Rochester Craft Beer Expo brings all of you beer lovers together to honor this tasty beverage. You will even be given a commemorative sampling glass to taste what these craft breweries have to offer. There will also be the opportunity to learn more about beer such as food pairing and home brewing. You may just leave inspired to create your own. www.rochestercraftbeerexpo.com – – Autumn Van Ravenhorst, editor@southernminnscene.com

From 27 houseofcomedy.net/about/comics-details. asp?ID=374.

MAY 1-7: Kids Pottery: 1-May, 4:30 PM, Lakeville Area Arts Center, 20965 Holyoke Avenue, Lakeville, $30 . This workshopmeets twice, once to make the project and another to glaze.. http://test.lakevillemn.gov/index. php?option=com_jevents&task=icalrepeat. detail&evid=5962&Itemid=1364&year=20 15&month=05&day=01&title=kids-pottery -birdhouse&uid=8c89519590de8b859cc7 dee3609a600a.

Nikki Glaser: 1-May, 7:30 PM, House of Comedy, 408 East Broadway, Level 4 East, Bloomington, $15-$20. Glaser first performed stand-up at the age of 18, and in less than two years, landed a spot as a semi-finalist on Last Comic Standing. Since then, Nikki has performed stand-up on The

Tonight Show with Jay Leno, CONAN, and two seasons of Last Comic Standing. She can also be seen on MTV shows such as Money from Strangers, Awkward: The After Show, and Failosophy. Nikki played a small role in Henry Phillips’ 2009 film Punching the Clown. She also appeared as herself in Jordan Brady’s documentary I Am Comic.

Since early 2011, Nikki has been hosting a podcast with comedian Sara Schaefer called You Had To Be There. Nikki & Sara Live, a weekly talk show television series hosted by Glaser and Schaefer, premiered on January 29, 2013, on MTV. The show was canceled on November 22, 2013 after two seasons. Nikki currently co-hosts a podcast with comedian, Phil Hanley, and roommate/ musician, Anya Marina, called ‘We Know Nothing.’ We Know Nothing is a humorous relationship based podcast that takes calls from listeners and attempts to give them love advice.. https://houseofcomedy.net/about/ comics-details.asp?ID=374.

Oliver!: 1-May, 7:30 PM, Lakeville Area

Arts Center, 20965 Holyoke Avenue, Lakeville, $13 . Don’t miss this electrifying song and dance show! Join Oliver, the Artful Dodger, Fagin, and his crew in the show that will leave you singing Food, Glorious Food, It’s a Fine Life, and As Long as He Needs Me.. http://test.lakevillemn.gov/index. php?option=com_jevents&task=icalrepeat.de tail&evid=5781&Itemid=1364&year=2015& month=05&day=01&title=oliver&uid=e54b2 84b117a4edb8afea534c77d8ac4.

Mary Poppins: 1-May, 8:00 PM, Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, 501 West 78th Street, Chanhassen, $45-$74. Based upon the iconic Disney animated film, MARY POPPINS is a family musical featuring breathtaking dance numbers and unforgettable songs including: ‘Chim Chim Cher-ee,’ ‘A Spoonful of Sugar,’ ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ and ‘Let’s Go Fly A Kite.’ What could be more jolly?. https://www.chanhassendt.com/ Online/default.asp?sToken=1%2Ce53a2d3c %2C54b6d9ef%2C29E09F36-0287-42C497D9-37927806808D%2CfIcUlvTpHL71fMq

fZhyFqBTNtRI%3D&BOset::WScontent::Sea rchResultsInfo::current_page=2&doWork::W Scontent::getPage=&BOparam::WScontent:: getPage::article_id=AB39F4B0-CAB6-47648A4C-F753DC30C9C6. (952) 934-1525 Penn & Teller: 1-May, 8:00 PM, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd, Prior Lake, $51-$62. For 40 years, Penn & Teller have entertained the world from Vegas to Broadway, to starring in Emmy-winning TV specials and making hundreds of TV appearances including ‘Late Show with David Letterman,’ ‘Chelsea Lately’ and ‘Top Chef.’. http://www.mysticlake.com/pennteller.php.

(952) 445-9000 Christopher Cannon: 1-May, 8:30 PM, Dangerfields Comedy, 1583 East First Avenue, Shakopee, $15-$30. Christopher Cannons comedy career began while serving as a tank commander in the US Army at Fort Hood, Texas. While on field exercises, Sargeant Cannon, the budding comic, would entertain his fellow troops by performing comedy routines from the back deck of an M-1 Abrams battle tank. Upon discharge, Christopher headed south to Austin, where he found himself behind the wheel of a delivery truck by day and behind a mike on the comedy stage by night. He finally parked the truck for good in 1993 and dedicated himself full time to a career as a professional comedian.. http://dangerfieldscomedy. com/?page_id=89. 952-445-2245 Nikki Glaser: 1-May, 9:45 PM, House of Comedy, 408 East Broadway, Level 4 East, Bloomington, $15-$20. Glaser first performed stand-up at the age of 18, and in less than two years, landed a spot as a semi-finalist on Last Comic Standing. Since then, Nikki has performed stand-up on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, CONAN, and two seasons of Last Comic Standing. She can also be seen on MTV shows such as Money from Strangers, Awkward: The After Show, and Failosophy. Nikki played a small role in Henry Phillips’ 2009 film Punching the Clown. She also appeared as herself in Jordan Brady’s documentary I Am Comic.

Since early 2011, Nikki has been hosting a podcast with comedian Sara Schaefer called You Had To Be There. Nikki & Sara Live, a weekly talk show television series hosted by Glaser and Schaefer, premiered on January 29, 2013, on MTV. The show was canceled on November 22, 2013 after two seasons. Nikki currently co-hosts a podcast with comedian, Phil Hanley, and roommate/ musician, Anya Marina, called ‘We Know Nothing.’ We Know Nothing is a humorous relationship based podcast that takes calls from listeners and attempts to give them love advice.. https://houseofcomedy.net/about/ comics-details.asp?ID=374.

Art fortheGarden: 1-May, All Day, Edina Art Center, 4701 West 64th Street, Edina, Free. Celebrate spring on May Day! There is no better way to encourage spring to show itself than to attend the opening of the annual Garden Sale in the Foss Gallery at the Edina Art Center. Invited artists exhibit work in all types of media with a garden theme designed to enhance your garden or home. The gallery is transformed into a lovely garden with plants, clay birds, bird baths, watercolors and paintings, functional and sculptural pottery, and fish fountains.. http://edinamn. gov/index.php?section=2015-galleryschedule#mcpge. (952) 903-5780 Mary Poppins: 2-May, 1:00 PM, Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, 501 West 78th Street, Chanhassen, $45-$74. Based upon the iconic Disney animated film, MARY POPPINS is a family musical featuring breathtaking dance numbers and unforgettable songs including: ‘Chim Chim Cher-ee,’ ‘A Spoonful of Sugar,’ ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ and ‘Let’s Go Fly A Kite.’ What could be more jolly?. https://www.chanhassendt.com/ Online/default.asp?sToken=1%2Ce53a2d3c %2C54b6d9ef%2C29E09F36-0287-42C497D9-37927806808D%2CfIcUlvTpHL71f MqfZhyFqBTNtRI%3D&BOset::WSconten t::SearchResultsInfo::current_page=2&do Work::WScontent::getPage=&BOparam::W Scontent::getPage::article_id=AB39F4B0CAB6-4764-8A4C-F753DC30C9C6. (952) 934-1525”Nikki Glaser Nikki Glaser: 2-May, 9:30 PM, House of Comedy, 408 East Broadway, Level 4 East, Bloomington, $15-$20. Glaser first

performed stand-up at the age of 18, and in less than two years, landed a spot as a semi-finalist on Last Comic Standing. Since then, Nikki has performed stand-up on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, CONAN, and two seasons of Last Comic Standing. She can also be seen on MTV shows such as Money from Strangers, Awkward: The After Show, and Failosophy. Nikki played a small role in Henry Phillips’ 2009 film Punching the Clown. She also appeared as herself in Jordan Brady’s documentary I Am Comic.

Since early 2011, Nikki has been hosting a podcast with comedian Sara Schaefer called You Had To Be There. Nikki & Sara Live, a weekly talk show television series hosted by Glaser and Schaefer, premiered on January 29, 2013, on MTV. The show was canceled on November 22, 2013 after two seasons. Nikki currently co-hosts a podcast with comedian, Phil Hanley, and roommate/ musician, Anya Marina, called ‘We Know Nothing.’ We Know Nothing is a humorous relationship based podcast that takes calls from listeners and attempts to give them love advice.. https://houseofcomedy.net/about/ comics-details.asp?ID=374.

Singin’ in the Rain: 7-May, 7:00 PM, Sheldon Theatre, 443 West 3rd Street, Red Wing, $11.50-$20.50. Advanced Tickets: $17.50 - $11.50* Day of Show (add $3 per ticket): $20.50 - $14.50. Tap your toes and sing along in this splashy adaptation of the celebrated and beloved film. Screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green Songs by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed Based on the classic Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film by special arrangement with Warner Bros.

Theatre Ventures, Inc. The ‘Greatest Movie Musical of All Time’ is faithfully and lovingly adapted by Broadway legends Betty Comden and Adolph Green from their original award-winning screenplay in Singin’ In The Rain. Each unforgettable scene, song, and dance is accounted for, including the show-stopping title number, complete with an onstage rainstorm! Hilarious situations, snappy dialogue, and a hit-parade score of Hollywood standards make Singin’ In The Rain the perfect entertainment for any fan of the golden age of movie musicals.. http:// www.sheldontheatre.org/events/RWHSM15.

651-388-8700 Mom! A New Musical: 7-May, 7:30 PM, Ames Center, 12600 Nicollet Avenue, Burnsville, $22 . Back by popular demand!

The Chameleon Theatre Circle’s audience charmer from last season, Mom! a new musical, returns just in time for Mother’s Day 2015, in a new, expanded version with additional music! Mom! celebrates the twists and turns, delights and dilemmas, rewards and regrets of parenting. From trying to reason with a toddler having a tantrum to panicking at the prospect of a parent-teacher conference; from staving off unwanted child-rearing advice to struggling to accept the choices of grown children; from trying to rekindle marital passion to trying to shield kids from the heartbreak of divorce. This musical celebrates the humor and the terror of parenting.. http://www.ames-center.com/ mom-a-new-musical.html.

MAY 8-14: Gallery Opening: 8-May, 5:00 PM, Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave., Faribault, Free. Carlander Family Gallery: Melting Point - Karen Peters & Justin Peters Lois Vranesh Boardroom Gallery: Daniel Ruf Exhibition Runs May 5 June 23. http://www. paradisecenterforthearts.org.

Narnia: The Ballet: 8-May, 7:00 PM, Ames Center, 12600 Nicollet Avenue, Burnsville, $18-$34. win Cities Ballet of Minnesota is excited to present the World Premiere of its newest original full-length production, based on C.S. Lewis’ classic book, ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.’ Created in the tradition of the classic story ballets, ‘Narnia: The Ballet’ features an original story adaptation, musical compilation, stage designs, sets, lighting, costumes and choreography.

Full of magic, imagination, hope and redemption, Narnia is sure to delight the whole family!. http://www.ames-center.com/ twin-cities-ballet.html.

Singin’ in the Rain: 8-May, 7:00 PM, Sheldon Theatre, 443 West 3rd Street, Red Wing, $11.50-$20.50. Advanced Tickets:

$17.50 - $11.50* Day of Show (add $3 per ticket): $20.50 - $14.50. Tap your toes and sing along in this splashy adaptation of the celebrated and beloved film. Screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green Songs by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed Based on the classic Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film by special arrangement with Warner Bros.

Theatre Ventures, Inc. The ‘Greatest Movie Musical of All Time’ is faithfully and lovingly adapted by Broadway legends Betty Comden and Adolph Green from their original award-winning screenplay in Singin’ In The Rain. Each unforgettable scene, song, and dance is accounted for, including the show-stopping title number, complete with an onstage rainstorm! Hilarious situations, snappy dialogue, and a hit-parade score of Hollywood standards make Singin’ In The Rain the perfect entertainment for any fan of the golden age of movie musicals.. http:// www.sheldontheatre.org/events/RWHSM15.

651-388-8700”The Language Archive Hunks the Show: 9-May, 7:00 PM, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd, Prior Lake, $19-$27. Just in time before the release of the sequel to Magic Mike, the chiseled men of Hunks The Show are coming to Mystic Lake for a performance in the Grand Ballroom at 7 and 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 9.. http://www.mysticlake. com/hunks.php. (952) 445-9000 Northwestern Singers Concert: 9-May, 7:00 PM, Paramount Theatre, 125 4th Avenue Northeast, Austin, $5-$15. $15.00 for adults $5.00 for students. Northwestern Singers present ‘Bach to Rock’. .

Louie Anderson: 10-May, 4:00 PM, Jackpot Junction Casino, 39375 County Highway 24, Morton, $20-$45. Louie Anderson is one of the most versatile and successful comedians working in Hollywood today, loved by the television audiences who never missed his nightly hit series Family Feud or his appearances on late night chat shows. He is adored by standing-room-only crowds in Las Vegas and respected by readers of his books. He is worshiped by the rising comics he mentors and encourages with his honesty and wisdom. Sharing the ups and downs of his childhood experiences as one of eleven children in Minnesota, Louie crafted comedy routines that rang true for his early club audiences while reducing them to helpless fits of laughter, routines that led him from his career as a counselor to troubled children to the first-place trophy at the 1981 Midwest Comedy Competition. Henny Youngman, who hosted the competition, recognized the diamond-in-the-rough genius of the young comic and hired him as a writer, providing invaluable experience that soon put Louie in his own spotlight on comedy stages all over the country.. http://jackpotjunction.com/ louie-anderson/. 507-697-8000

MAY 15-21: Kids Pottery: 15-May, 4:30 PM, Lakeville Area Arts Center, 20965 Holyoke Avenue, Lakeville, $30 . This workshopmeets twice, once to make the project and another to glaze.. http://test.lakevillemn.gov/index. php?option=com_jevents&task=icalrepeat. detail&evid=5962&Itemid=1364&year=20 15&month=05&day=01&title=kids-pottery -birdhouse&uid=8c89519590de8b859cc7 dee3609a600a.

Austin Area Commin: 15-May, 5:00 PM, Austin ArtWorks Center, 300 North Main Street, Austin, Free. Gallery Opening: Joan Finnegan & Lora Lee Bauer.

CityArt Walking Sculpture Tour: 16-May, All Day, City Center Mankato & North Mankato, 2nd Street and Walnut Street, Mankato, Free. See and enjoy art out in the open on the CityArt Walking Sculpture Tour.

In this annual year long tour, you’ll find thirty sculptures by artists from around the world in mediums ranging from painted steel to carved marble throughout City Center Mankato. Find tour maps in the ballot/voting boxes along the route or on the City Center Mankato website. Remember to vote for your favorite sculpture! The sculpture that receives the most votes wins the People’s Choice Award and is purchased by the City Center Partnership for permanent installation in the City Center. You can vote online or by using the ballot attached to the CityArt brochure.

Enjoy the tour! CityArt is a program of the City Center Partnership. Our mission is to serve as a catalyst for City Center vibrancy and we accomplish our goals through investing partner contributions. For more info contact info@citycentermankato.com. http:// www.citycentermankato.com/event/2015cityart-walking-sculpture-tour-installation/.

507-385-6671 Symphonic Series - Kiss Me, Kate: 17-May, 3:00 PM, Mankato West High School, 1351 S. Riverfront Dr., Mankato, $8.50 . Mankato favorite Brad Benoit leads a stellar cast in Cole Porter’s musical. The musical version of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrewhas stood the test of time through several London and Broadway revivals. Even if you’ve never seen the show you are likely to know many of the songs which have become jazz standards. Big Band favorite ‘Too Darn Hot’ and ‘Tom, Dick, or Harry’ will bring a smile to your face and have you dancing in your seat. Kenneth Freed conducts.. http:// www.mankatosymphony.com/symphonicseries-kiss-me-kate.

CityArt Walking Sculpture Tour: 17-May, All Day, City Center Mankato & North Mankato, 2nd Street and Walnut Street, Mankato, Free. See and enjoy art out in the open on the CityArt Walking Sculpture Tour.

In this annual year long tour, you’ll find thirty sculptures by artists from around the world in mediums ranging from painted steel to carved marble throughout City Center Mankato. Find tour maps in the ballot/voting boxes along the route or on the City Center Mankato website. Remember to vote for your favorite sculpture! The sculpture that receives the most votes wins the People’s Choice Award and is purchased by the City Center Partnership for permanent installation in the City Center. You can vote online or by using the ballot attached to the CityArt brochure.

Enjoy the tour! CityArt is a program of the City Center Partnership. Our mission is to serve as a catalyst for City Center vibrancy and we accomplish our goals through investing partner contributions. For more info contact info@citycentermankato.com. http:// www.citycentermankato.com/event/2015cityart-walking-sculpture-tour-installation/.

507-385-6671”Natural Abstractions

ARTS APR 17-23: Matthew Broussard: 17-Apr, 7:00 PM, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd, Prior Lake, $19 . Matthew Broussard earned a coveted spot on Comedy Centrals Adam Levines House Party after doing stand-up for only 18 months. He makes his brand of playful, smart humor appeal to a broad audience, whether it is colleges, clubs, festivals, or theaters. He can be seen in the comedy film Intramural and his popular web comic, mondaypunday.com, highlights his artistic talents and witty humor combined with fun riddles and puns that leaves one thinking outside of the box.. http://www. mysticlake.com/broussardandwalker.php.

(952) 445-9000 Nick Offerman & Megan Mullally: 17Apr, 7:00 PM, Paramount Theater, 125 N.E. Fourth Ave., Austin, $39.50-$46.50. Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally are ready to take you to the SUMMER OF 69: NO APOSTROPHE. The tour, promoted exclusively by Live Nation, will visit 23 cities throughout North America including shows in San Francisco, Chicago, Vancouver, Dallas, New Orleans and more. Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally are yanking the britches right off of their marriage, exposing the salacious details of their fiery union for all the world to enjoy, featuring songs, funny talking, heavy ribaldry, light petting and an astonishing final act of completion. The accomplished entertainers have also won multiple awards including a Television Critics Association Award for Achievement in Comedy and two Critics Choice Television Awards for Offerman and two Emmy Awards and four Screen Actors Guild Awards for Megan Mullally.

While having earned massive recognition for the work on-screen, the team also thrive on stage in front of a live audience having most

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10 Miles of Trails Classes for all ages

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recently wowed audiences with their work together in ‘Annapurna.’. http://offermanwoodshop.com/tourdates/.

Jon Lovitz: 17-Apr, 7:30 PM, House of Comedy, 408 East Broadway, Level 4 East, Bloomington, $32.95 . Jonathan M. ‘Jon’ Lovitz is an American comedian, actor and singer. He is best known as a cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1990. I also do alot of other cool things =) Im funny, I make jokes, people laugh at me. I also have a comedy club on universal city walk in Hollywood.. https://houseofcomedy.net/about/comicsdetails.asp?ID=357.

Tom Baumgartner: 17-Apr, 8:30 PM, Dangerfields Comedy, 1583 East First Avenue, Shakopee, $15-$30. Tom Baumgartner started acting in Theater, TV & Radio Commercials, and Industrial Films in the mid-seventies. Got into the local Stand-up Comedy Club Scene in 1979 and eventually migrated to Los Angeles in late 1988. Did some acting in TV shows and commercials as well as some Stand-up TV shows while in LA. Some of the shows I acted on were, Roseanne, Hunter, LA Law, Amen, Santa Barbara, and General Hospital. I performed on A & Es Comedy On The Road hosted by John Byner and was regularly featured on the Dennis Miller Show with Jokes From Tom.. http://dangerfieldscomedy.com/?p=1038.

952-445-2245 Matthew Broussard: 17-Apr, 9:30 PM, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd, Prior Lake, $19 . Matthew Broussard earned a coveted spot on Comedy Centrals Adam Levines House Party after doing stand-up for only 18 months. He makes his brand of playful, smart humor appeal to a broad audience, whether it is colleges, clubs, festivals, or theaters. He can be seen in the comedy film Intramural and his popular web comic, mondaypunday.com, highlights his artistic talents and witty humor combined with fun riddles and puns that leaves one thinking outside of the box.. http://www. mysticlake.com/broussardandwalker.php.

(952) 445-9000”Jon Lovitz Matthew Broussard: 18-Apr, 7:00 PM, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd, Prior Lake, $19 . Matthew Broussard earned a coveted spot on Comedy Centrals Adam Levines House Party after doing stand-up for only 18 months. He makes his brand of playful, smart humor appeal to a broad audience, whether it is colleges, clubs, festivals, or theaters. He can be seen in the comedy film Intramural and his popular web comic, mondaypunday.com, highlights his artistic talents and witty humor combined with fun riddles and puns that leaves one thinking outside of the box.. http://www. mysticlake.com/broussardandwalker.php.

(952) 445-9000 Tom Baumgartner: 18-Apr, 8:30 PM, Dangerfields Comedy, 1583 East First Avenue, Shakopee, $15-$30. Tom Baumgartner started acting in Theater, TV & Radio Commercials, and Industrial Films in the mid-seventies. Got into the local Stand-up Comedy Club Scene in 1979 and eventually migrated to Los Angeles in late 1988. Did some acting in TV shows and commercials as well as some Stand-up TV shows while in LA. Some of the shows I acted on were, Roseanne, Hunter, LA Law, Amen, Santa Barbara, and General Hospital. I performed on A & Es Comedy On The Road hosted by John Byner and was regularly featured on the Dennis Miller Show with Jokes From Tom.. http://dangerfieldscomedy.com/?p=1038.

952-445-2245 Jon Lovitz: 18-Apr, 9:30 PM, House of Comedy, 408 East Broadway, Level 4 East, Bloomington, $32.95 . Jonathan M. ‘Jon’ Lovitz is an American comedian, actor and singer. He is best known as a cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1990. I also do alot of other cool things =) Im funny, I make jokes, people laugh at me. I also have a comedy club on universal city walk in Hollywood.. https://houseofcomedy.net/about/comicsdetails.asp?ID=357.

Joe Machi: 22-Apr, 7:30 PM, House of Comedy, 408 East Broadway, Level 4 East, Bloomington, $13-$20. A native of State College, PA, Joe Machi did not always plan to enter comedy. After graduating from Penn State University, located in his hometown, Joe became a customer service manager for a supermarket. It wasn’t until after stint as a

human resources assistant that he decided to try his hand at stand up comedy. Joe moved to New York City in 2006, where his comedy career began. He quickly passed for ‘Late Night’ shows at the prestigious Comic Strip Live. Joe then passed at four other New York City comedy clubs, including the famed Caroline’s on Broadway and Stand Up NY. His success continues to grow, and in 2010, he won first place in the ‘Emerging Comics’ contest at the New York Underground Comedy Festival, and was also named a finalist at the New York Comedy Festival’s NY’s Funniest Person Competition.

Joe has also been featured in the New York Daily News for advancing to the Elite Eight of Caroline’s March Madness Final Four Competition. After being named a runner-up for the Boston Comedy Festival’s New York Comedy Contest, he landed a performance at the Boston Comedy Fest. Recently, Joe has made his network television debut on NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. - See more at: http://www.standupny.com/comedians/ joe-machi/#sthash.xbli6c9U.dpuf. https:// houseofcomedy.net/about/comics-details. asp?ID=367.

APR 24-30: Cheech and Chong and War: 24-Apr, 8:00 PM, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd, Prior Lake, $54 . Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong released nine comedy albums from 1972 through 1985 and have been nominated for four Grammy Awards, winning Best Comedy album for Los Cochinos in 1973. Their first film ‘Up In Smoke’ was the highest grossing comedy of 1978 and topped 100 million at the box office. Since then, they have starred in seven more films together including ‘Cheech & Chong’s Animated Movie,’ released in 2012. Cheech & Chong’s Up in Smoke Tour includes some of their most infamous songs, including ‘Earache My Eye,’ ‘Basketball Jones’ and ‘Mexican Americans’ and some of the duo’s most iconic comedic skits such as ‘Dave’s Not Here,’ ‘Santa Clause And His Magic Dust’ and ‘Sister Mary Elephant.’. http://www.mysticlake.com/cheechchong15. php. (952) 445-9000 David Testroet: 24-Apr, 8:30 PM, Dangerfields Comedy, 1583 East First Avenue, Shakopee, $15-$30. David Testroet, a true veteran comedian with the Bio to prove it.

Born in Iowa, Testroet has an easy Mid-West delivery. With a quick laugh and a shift of an eyebrow and soon youre in Davids world.

From Comedy Clubs and Theaters across the United states and Canada to flying across seas for five different tours to entertain the U.S. Military. A fast and funny show anyone can enjoy. Material that twists from Darwin to Grizzlie bears and sharp improvisation skills developed with over twenty years of stage experience. A well established harmonica player, David has incorporated this into his act. From rock and roll to his original songs like the Big Guy Blues. A strong closer that even further separates David from other comedian.. http://dangerfieldscomedy.com/ wp-content/uploads/2015/03/david_testroet. jpg. 952-445-2245 Joe Machi: 24-Apr, 9:45 PM, House of Comedy, 408 East Broadway, Level 4 East, Bloomington, $13-$20. A native of State College, PA, Joe Machi did not always plan to enter comedy. After graduating from Penn State University, located in his hometown, Joe became a customer service manager for a supermarket. It wasn’t until after stint as a human resources assistant that he decided to try his hand at stand up comedy. Joe moved to New York City in 2006, where his comedy career began. He quickly passed for ‘Late Night’ shows at the prestigious Comic Strip Live. Joe then passed at four other New York City comedy clubs, including the famed Caroline’s on Broadway and Stand Up NY. His success continues to grow, and in 2010, he won first place in the ‘Emerging Comics’ contest at the New York Underground Comedy Festival, and was also named a finalist at the New York Comedy Festival’s NY’s Funniest Person Competition.

Joe has also been featured in the New York Daily News for advancing to the Elite Eight of Caroline’s March Madness Final Four Competition. After being named a runner-up for the Boston Comedy Festival’s New York Comedy Contest, he landed a performance at the Boston Comedy Fest. Recently, Joe has made his network television debut on NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. - See more

at: http://www.standupny.com/comedians/ joe-machi/#sthash.xbli6c9U.dpuf. https:// houseofcomedy.net/about/comics-details. asp?ID=367.

Joe Machi: 25-Apr, 7:00 PM, House of Comedy, 408 East Broadway, Level 4 East, Bloomington, $13-$20. A native of State College, PA, Joe Machi did not always plan to enter comedy. After graduating from Penn State University, located in his hometown, Joe became a customer service manager for a supermarket. It wasn’t until after stint as a human resources assistant that he decided to try his hand at stand up comedy. Joe moved to New York City in 2006, where his comedy career began. He quickly passed for ‘Late Night’ shows at the prestigious Comic Strip Live. Joe then passed at four other New York City comedy clubs, including the famed Caroline’s on Broadway and Stand Up NY. His success continues to grow, and in 2010, he won first place in the ‘Emerging Comics’ contest at the New York Underground Comedy Festival, and was also named a finalist at the New York Comedy Festival’s NY’s Funniest Person Competition.

Joe has also been featured in the New York Daily News for advancing to the Elite Eight of Caroline’s March Madness Final Four Competition. After being named a runner-up for the Boston Comedy Festival’s New York Comedy Contest, he landed a performance at the Boston Comedy Fest. Recently, Joe has made his network television debut on NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. - See more at: http://www.standupny.com/comedians/ joe-machi/#sthash.xbli6c9U.dpuf. https:// houseofcomedy.net/about/comics-details. asp?ID=367.

Comedian C. Willi Myles: 25-Apr, 7:30 PM, Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave., Faribault, $17-$22. C. Willi Myles returns home to the Paradise for his Line in the Sand Comedy Tour. As always Willi’s extremely funny non-offensive stories and jokes and gives a unique spin to life’s everyday challenges as he applys humor to them. Referred to as ‘America’s Everyday Comedian,’ Willi is truly comedy at its best.. http://www.paradisecenterforthearts.org.

David Testroet: 25-Apr, 8:30 PM, Dangerfields Comedy, 1583 East First Avenue, Shakopee, $15-$30. David Testroet, a true veteran comedian with the Bio to prove it.

Born in Iowa, Testroet has an easy Mid-West delivery. With a quick laugh and a shift of an eyebrow and soon youre in Davids world.

From Comedy Clubs and Theaters across the United states and Canada to flying across seas for five different tours to entertain the U.S. Military. A fast and funny show anyone can enjoy. Material that twists from Darwin to Grizzlie bears and sharp improvisation skills developed with over twenty years of stage experience. A well established harmonica player, David has incorporated this into his act. From rock and roll to his original songs like the Big Guy Blues. A strong closer that even further separates David from other comedian.. http://dangerfieldscomedy.com/ wp-content/uploads/2015/03/david_testroet. jpg. 952-445-2245 Joe Machi: 25-Apr, 9:30 PM, House of Comedy, 408 East Broadway, Level 4 East, Bloomington, $13-$20. A native of State College, PA, Joe Machi did not always plan to enter comedy. After graduating from Penn State University, located in his hometown, Joe became a customer service manager for a supermarket. It wasn’t until after stint as a human resources assistant that he decided to try his hand at stand up comedy. Joe moved to New York City in 2006, where his comedy career began. He quickly passed for ‘Late Night’ shows at the prestigious Comic Strip Live. Joe then passed at four other New York City comedy clubs, including the famed Caroline’s on Broadway and Stand Up NY. His success continues to grow, and in 2010, he won first place in the ‘Emerging Comics’ contest at the New York Underground Comedy Festival, and was also named a finalist at the New York Comedy Festival’s NY’s Funniest Person Competition.

Joe has also been featured in the New York Daily News for advancing to the Elite Eight of Caroline’s March Madness Final Four Competition. After being named a runner-up for the Boston Comedy Festival’s New York Comedy Contest, he landed a performance at the Boston Comedy Fest. Recently, Joe has made his network television debut on NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. - See more at: http://www.standupny.com/comedians/

joe-machi/#sthash.xbli6c9U.dpuf. https:// houseofcomedy.net/about/comics-details. asp?ID=367. “Nikki Glaser

MAY 1-7: Nikki Glaser: 1-May, 7:30 PM, House of Comedy, 408 East Broadway, Level 4 East, Bloomington, $15-$20. Glaser first performed stand-up at the age of 18, and in less than two years, landed a spot as a semi-finalist on Last Comic Standing. Since then, Nikki has performed stand-up on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, CONAN, and two seasons of Last Comic Standing. She can also be seen on MTV shows such as Money from Strangers, Awkward: The After Show, and Failosophy. Nikki played a small role in Henry Phillips’ 2009 film Punching the Clown. She also appeared as herself in Jordan Brady’s documentary I Am Comic.

Since early 2011, Nikki has been hosting a podcast with comedian Sara Schaefer called You Had To Be There. Nikki & Sara Live, a weekly talk show television series hosted by Glaser and Schaefer, premiered on January 29, 2013, on MTV. The show was canceled on November 22, 2013 after two seasons. Nikki currently co-hosts a podcast with comedian, Phil Hanley, and roommate/ musician, Anya Marina, called ‘We Know Nothing.’ We Know Nothing is a humorous relationship based podcast that takes calls from listeners and attempts to give them love advice.. https://houseofcomedy.net/about/ comics-details.asp?ID=374.

Penn & Teller: 1-May, 8:00 PM, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd, Prior Lake, $51-$62. For 40 years, Penn & Teller have entertained the world from Vegas to Broadway, to starring in Emmy-winning TV specials and making hundreds of TV appearances including ‘Late Show with David Letterman,’ ‘Chelsea Lately’ and ‘Top Chef.’. http://www.mysticlake.com/pennteller.php.

(952) 445-9000 Christopher Cannon: 1-May, 8:30 PM, Dangerfields Comedy, 1583 East First Avenue, Shakopee, $15-$30. Christopher Cannons comedy career began while serving as a tank commander in the US Army at Fort Hood, Texas. While on field exercises, Sargeant Cannon, the budding comic, would entertain his fellow troops by performing comedy routines from the back deck of an M-1 Abrams battle tank. Upon discharge, Christopher headed south to Austin, where he found himself behind the wheel of a delivery truck by day and behind a mike on the comedy stage by night. He finally parked the truck for good in 1993 and dedicated himself full time to a career as a professional comedian.. http://dangerfieldscomedy. com/?page_id=89. 952-445-2245 Nikki Glaser: 1-May, 9:45 PM, House of Comedy, 408 East Broadway, Level 4 East, Bloomington, $15-$20. Glaser first performed stand-up at the age of 18, and in less than two years, landed a spot as a semi-finalist on Last Comic Standing. Since then, Nikki has performed stand-up on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, CONAN, and two seasons of Last Comic Standing. She can also be seen on MTV shows such as Money from Strangers, Awkward: The After Show, and Failosophy. Nikki played a small role in Henry Phillips’ 2009 film Punching the Clown. She also appeared as herself in Jordan Brady’s documentary I Am Comic.

Since early 2011, Nikki has been hosting a podcast with comedian Sara Schaefer called You Had To Be There. Nikki & Sara Live, a weekly talk show television series hosted by Glaser and Schaefer, premiered on January 29, 2013, on MTV. The show was canceled on November 22, 2013 after two seasons. Nikki currently co-hosts a podcast with comedian, Phil Hanley, and roommate/ musician, Anya Marina, called ‘We Know Nothing.’ We Know Nothing is a humorous relationship based podcast that takes calls from listeners and attempts to give them love advice.. https://houseofcomedy.net/about/ comics-details.asp?ID=374.

Nikki Glaser: 2-May, 7:00 PM, House of Comedy, 408 East Broadway, Level 4 East, Bloomington, $15-$20. Glaser first performed stand-up at the age of 18, and in less than two years, landed a spot as a semifinalist on Last Comic Standing. Since then, Nikki has performed stand-up on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, CONAN, and two seasons of Last Comic Standing. She can also be seen on MTV shows such as Money

Willie Nelson & Family May 16th - 8 p.m.

Mystic Lake Casino

He is a man of many identities: the man with the braids, the marijuana advocate, biofuel activist, and probably the only guy who can be loved by both hillbillies and hippies. After time in the Air Force, an attempted business career, dead end jobs like vacuum salesman and a plumber’s assistant, Nelson became one of the greatest American songwriters of all time and is still hobbling around today.

He has released close to 300 albums—that is a lot of albums. Baffled, I decided to research that number and it seems to hold true. He has been performing for more than 50 years and during those five decades has collected a myriad of Grammy’s, American Music Awards and Country Music Awards. He even at one point struck up a deal with the IRS to pay back his debts, for crying out loud. I break out in a sweat when a letter from the IRS shows up at our house. But if you are Willie freaking Nelson who owes millions and millions (and millions) of dollars in unpaid taxes, just tell them you will raise that money through touring—no problemo. Even the IRS knows how much Willie is loved in the damn US of A. The cops may have given up on arresting him for drugs, but at 81 years old his fans refuse to give up on his music. Grab a tub of Willie Nelson’s Country Peach Cobbler ice cream (yes, that exists) and see this icon who has produced, that’s right, nearly 300 albums. www.mysticlake.com/entertainment – – Autumn Van Ravenhorst, editor@southernminnscene.com

from Strangers, Awkward: The After Show, and Failosophy. Nikki played a small role in Henry Phillips’ 2009 film Punching the Clown. She also appeared as herself in Jordan Brady’s documentary I Am Comic. Since early 2011, Nikki has been hosting a podcast with comedian Sara Schaefer called You Had To Be There. Nikki & Sara Live, a weekly talk show television series hosted by Glaser and Schaefer, premiered on January 29, 2013, on MTV. The show was canceled on November 22, 2013 after two seasons. Nikki currently co-hosts a podcast with comedian, Phil Hanley, and roommate/musician, Anya Marina, called ‘We Know Nothing.’ We Know Nothing is a humorous relationship based podcast that takes calls from listeners and attempts to give them love advice.. https:// houseofcomedy.net/about/comics-details. asp?ID=374. “Christopher Cannon Nikki Glaser: 2-May, 9:30 PM, House of Comedy, 408 East Broadway, Level 4 East, Bloomington, $15-$20. Glaser first performed stand-up at the age of 18, and in less than two years, landed a spot as a

semi-finalist on Last Comic Standing. Since then, Nikki has performed stand-up on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, CONAN, and two seasons of Last Comic Standing. She can also be seen on MTV shows such as Money from Strangers, Awkward: The After Show, and Failosophy. Nikki played a small role in Henry Phillips’ 2009 film Punching the Clown. She also appeared as herself in Jordan Brady’s documentary I Am Comic.

Since early 2011, Nikki has been hosting a podcast with comedian Sara Schaefer called You Had To Be There. Nikki & Sara Live, a weekly talk show television series hosted by Glaser and Schaefer, premiered on January 29, 2013, on MTV. The show was canceled on November 22, 2013 after two seasons. Nikki currently co-hosts a podcast with comedian, Phil Hanley, and roommate/ musician, Anya Marina, called ‘We Know Nothing.’ We Know Nothing is a humorous relationship based podcast that takes calls from listeners and attempts to give them love advice.. https://houseofcomedy.net/about/ comics-details.asp?ID=374.

MAY 8-14: Louie Anderson: 10-May, 4:00 PM, Jackpot Junction Casino, 39375 County Highway 24, Morton, $20-$45. Louie Anderson is one of the most versatile and successful comedians working in Hollywood today, loved by the television audiences who never missed his nightly hit series Family Feud or his appearances on late night chat shows.

He is adored by standing-room-only crowds in Las Vegas and respected by readers of his books. He is worshiped by the rising comics he mentors and encourages with his honesty and wisdom. Sharing the ups and downs of his childhood experiences as one of eleven children in Minnesota, Louie crafted comedy routines that rang true for his early club audiences while reducing them to helpless fits of laughter, routines that led him from his career as a counselor to troubled children to the first-place trophy at the 1981 Midwest Comedy Competition.

Henny Youngman, who hosted the competi-

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Art on the Ave May 16th

Slattery Park Neighborhood, Rochester Here I sit with a hot cup of coffee that should be iced and socks on my feet when they should be free to breathe the fresh, warm spring air. But alas, that is not the case because per usual, Minnesota dumps nearly a foot of snow just when we think winter has finally melted away. If the last two weeks of moderately warm temperatures didn’t have me itching for some good art and outdoor music, this (and the Midwest Music Fest) definitely did me in.

The mission of this annual spring art fair is to “promote the arts, revitalize Slatterly Park with progressive beautification projects, and to foster a conscientious community in SE downtown Rochester.” It will feature food, musicians, and fine art performers. You will be able to see everything from paintings and beautifully blown glass, to intricate metal pieces and handmade jewelry. Heirloom Perennial plants will be available for sale, a free potting station will be provided for the littles, and the People’s Food Co-op will be around serving charming neighborhood food. Support a great cause while enjoying local art and live music and hey, pick up a few gardening tips while enjoying some spirits from Sontes. www.slatterlypark.org/art-on-the-ave – – Autumn Van Ravenhorst, editor@southernminnscene.com

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MSP ComicCON

May 16th & 17th - 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Minnesota State Fairgrounds

Growing up, if I wasn’t setting up my hot wheels ramp so the cars dove in to the leftover milk from my morning cereal (and playing with Barbie’s), I was reading my collection of X-Men comics. I am not a comic book guru by any means, but I had respect for this specific series. That, of course, only intensified after I saw the beautiful Hugh Jackman playing Wolverine.

The MCBA (Minnesota Comic Book Association) is an “all-volunteer, not-for-profit, fan based group dedicated to promoting the world of comic books, fandom the creators who make the magic happen, and independent retailers who deliver it to the world.” The metric used to describe the amount that this organization donates is a shit-ton. They have given away over a quarter of a million free comic books and have raised money for the Minnesota Lupus Foundation, Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, and Minnesota Literacy. These highly charitable souls are the ones hosting the 2015 MSP ComicCON. Over 60% of the space used for the event is dedicated to artists. To describe the artwork of these books, I would accept nothing less than Marvel-ous (see what I did there?). A convention filled with comic book creators, portfolio reviews for the hopeful, how-to art classes, children’s activities, cosplay & costume contest, a garage sale, prop shop, and fan groups so you can meet those just like your nerdy self. And to add, there will be grab bags, autographs, free parking (that rocks) and door prizes.

Comic fan or not, who wouldn’t want to meet the guy behind BattlePug— that’s right, a comic about a warrior and his giant Pug. www.mcbacomicons.com – – Autumn Van Ravenhorst, editor@southernminnscene.com

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CONCERTS

tion, recognized the diamond-in-the-rough genius of the young comic and hired him as a writer, providing invaluable experience that soon put Louie in his own spotlight on comedy stages all over the country.. http:// jackpotjunction.com/louie-anderson/.

507-697-8000

APR 17-23: As The Record Turns: 17-Apr, 5:00 PM, The Arts Center of Saint Peter, 315 S. Minnesota Avenue, St Peter, Free. Kickoff to Record Store Day, a national retail tradition since 2007 in support of independent record

stores, takes place this year on Saturday, April 18. ‘As the Record Turns,’ mixed media pop-art paintings by Mankato artist and musician Amanda Wirig.. . 507-931-3630 Okee Dokee Brothers: 17-Apr, 6:00 PM, Fairmont Opera House, 45 Downtown Plaza, Fairmont, Free. Grammy Award winning artists The Okee Dokee Brothers will perfrom a family-friendly concert! Made possible

30 w w w. s o u t h e r N m I N n SCENE. c o m u M AY 2 0 1 5

by funding from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.. http://tdslib.org.

507-238-4900 Captain Gravitone and the String Theory Orchestra: 17-Apr, 6:30 PM, Chankaska Creek Ranch And Winery, 1179 E. Pearl Street, Kasota, Free. Live music at Chankaska every Friday and Saturday.

Live music is FREE and no reservation is necessary. Entertainment schedule may change without notice.. http://www. chankaskawines.com/events/live_entertainment. 507-931-0089 Black Violin: 17-Apr, 7:00 PM, Sheldon Theatre, 443 West 3rd Street, Red Wing, $11.50-$20.50. Advanced Tickets: $17.50 - $11.50* Day of Show (add $3 per ticket): $20.50 - $14.50*. It’s hard to think of another African-American violin player to make their mark in popular music, so classically trained South Florida twosome, Wilner ‘Wil B’ Baptiste and Kevin ‘Kev Marcus’ Sylvester, who go by the name Black Violin are a welcome revelation for their ability to meld highbrow and pop culture, ‘Brandenburg’ and ‘breakdown,’ into a single genre-busting act.

The band’s most recent album, Classically Trained, is the follow-up to their 2007 selftitled debut on their own Di-Versatile Music Group label, which is as good an introduction to their groundbreaking blend of classical, hip-hop, rock, R&B, and even bluegrass music. Live, they are often accompanied by their crack band, featuring ace turntable whiz DJTK (Dwayne Dayal), drummer Beatdown (Jermaine McQueen) and cellist Joe Cello (Joseph Valbrun). ‘We’re the biggest independent group that no one has ever heard of, ‘ says Kev. www.sheldontheatre.org/events/ blackviolin. 651-388-8700 All JAMPT Up: 17-Apr, 7:00 PM, Medford Muni, 203 N. Main, Medford, Free. Back by popular demand - Live at the Medford Muni All JAMPT Up Acoustic Rock and Blues!

Live Music: 17-Apr, 8:00 PM, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd, Prior Lake, Free. Centrally located near the Promenade Stage and the blackjack pit, DrinX Bar is the place to see and be seen.

Serving your favorite adult beverages until 2 a.m. daily, with live music every Friday and Saturday night.. http://www.mysticlake.com/ bars/drinxbar. (952) 445-9000”Live Music Tyler Stephens: 17-Apr, 8:00 PM, Jackpot Junction Casino, 39375 County Highway 24, Morton, See Website. Join us for an evening of live music with Tyler Stephens.. http:// jackpotjunction.com/entertainment/classiclounge/. 507-697-8000 Drive South: 17-Apr, 8:30 PM, Pub 31, 31 Third St. N.E., Faribault, Free. This acoustic trio plays all of your favorites from Bruce Springsteen to Elton John to Hank Williams to Alison Krauss. This is a band made up of purebred musicians who bring a great night with them wherever they go.. .

Promenade Stage Live Music: 17-Apr, 9:00 PM, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd, Prior Lake, Free. For the best free music in the Twin Cities, check out Mystic Lake’s Promenade Stage! Enjoy live entertainment while you play on one of our 4,000 slot machines and 100 blackjack tables, or just saddle up to the stage for an up-close concert experience. Be sure to check out all of the bands coming to the Promenade Stage it’s all a part of the best entertainment value in Minnesota.. http://www. mysticlake.com/entertainment/freeentertainment. (952) 445-9000”Diamondback Nearvana: 17-Apr, 9:00 PM, Buster’s Sports Bar & Grill, 1325 Madison Avenue, Mankato, $5 . Tributes to Nirvana and Green Day.. http://www.bustersbar.com/blog/ event-calendar.

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Teen Show: 17-Apr, All Day, Edina Art Center, 4701 West 64th Street, Edina, Free.

The Teen Show is a collaboration with the talented students of Edina and Hopkins High School. Photography, drawing and painting, and ceramics from young and emerging artists are featured. Join us for awards, food, and live music from high school musicians as well. edinamn.gov/index. php?section=2015-gallery-schedule#mcpge.

(952) 903-5780”The Ukulele Alley Cartoon ExtravaGONZO Haldy and the Winos: 18-Apr, 6:30 PM, Chankaska Creek Ranch And Winery, 1179 E. Pearl Street, Kasota, Free. Live music at Chankaska every Friday and Saturday. Live music is FREE and no reservation is necessary. Entertainment schedule may change without notice. www.chankaskawines.com/ events/live_entertainment. 507-931-0089 DJ Don’t Josh Me: 18-Apr, 7:00 PM, Casper’s Cherokee of Eagan, 4625 Nicols Road, Eagan, See Website. DJ Don’t Josh Me! Saturdays Only at Caspers party barn central! Featuring EDM, Top 40 Remix and dance music and more.. http://casperscherokee.com/calendar-upcomming-agenda/.

(651) 454-6744”Becky Livermore Chad Elliott: 18-Apr, 7:00 PM, ARTS CENTER OF SAINT PETER, 315 S. Minnesota Ave., St. Peter, $10 . Visual artist and singer-songwriter Chad Elliott will perform new music from soon-to-be-released 20th album. Doors open at 7 p.m. for a pre-show reception. Music begins at 7:30 p.m.. .

Black Violin: 18-Apr, 7:30 PM, Fairmont Opera House, 45 Downtown Plaza, Fairmont, $10-$20. Wilner ‘Wil B’ Baptiste and Kevin ‘Kev Marcus’ Sylvester, who go by the name Black Violin are a welcome revelation for their ability to meld highbrow and popculture, ‘Brandenburg’ and ‘breakdown’ into a single genre-busting act. Live they are often accompanied by their crack band, featuring ace turntable whiz DJTK (Dwayne Dayal), drummer Beatdown (Jermaine McQueen) and cellist Joe Cello (Joseph Valbrun).

Watch for their new CD ‘Classically Trained’.

Black Violin dazzled at the presidential inauguration. Sponsored by: The Dr. Roger & Beth Neist Family & Hy-Vee Performance @ 7:30 p.m. Bar & Box Office Open @ 6:30 p.m. Tickets: $20/Adult - $10/Student - No Refunds or Exchanges Available at www. fairmontoperahouse.com or by phone 507-238-4900 w/CC FOH Office M, T, W & F 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Always Open to the Public!. http://www.fairmontoperahouse.com.

507-238-4900 The Gibson Brothers: 18-Apr, 7:30 PM, Mayo Civic Center, 30 Civic Center Drive, Rochester, $21.75-$24. Member - $21.75; Non-Member - $24. The Gibson Brothers bring great honor to the deeply-rooted traditions of country and bluegrass music.

They have fine-tuned their abilities to blend powerhouse harmonies with virtuosic picking, and the caliber of their live performance is a clear reflection of their dedicated and developed musicianship. Considering that the Gibson Brothers were the 2012 recipients of Bluegrass Music’s highest honor, the IBMA Entertainer of the Year trophy, it is safe to say that The Gibson Brothers are truly delivering an award-winning live sound.. http://www. mayociviccenter.com/upcoming_events/ eventdetails..

Jivin’ Ivan and The Kings of Swing: 18-Apr, 7:30 PM, Signature Bar & Grill, 201 Central Ave. N, Faribault, Free. Get your Swing on with the Kings of Swing. Listening or dancing. it’s all good. Great food, great music, beverages and such. It is always a fab time with Jivin’ Ivan and The Kings of Swing.. http://www.jivinivanandthekingsofswing.com.

Tyler Stephens: 18-Apr, 8:00 PM, Jackpot Junction Casino, 39375 County Highway 24, Morton, See Website. Join us for an evening of live music with Tyler Stephens.. http:// jackpotjunction.com/entertainment/classiclounge/. 507-697-8000 Joel Kachel: 18-Apr, 8:30 PM, Pub 31, 31 Third St. N.E., Faribault, Free. Joel Kachel, original singer-songwriter/performer, a child of the new acoustic pop rock wave will be sure to get your attention with his engaging stage presence and lively music.. .

The Blue Ox Jazz Babies: 18-Apr, 9:00 PM, Buster’s Sports Bar & Grill, 1325 Madison Avenue, Mankato, $5 . The Blue Ox Jazz Babies take their name from one of Minnesota’s true legends, Paul Bunyan and his trusty friend, Babe the Blue Ox. Although not legends themselves, the Blue Ox Jazz Babies have become known around Southern Minnesota as true enthusiasts of historical (and sometimes hysterical) music known as Dixieland Jazz. The band does its best to bring Dixieland Jazz from New Orleans all the way up the Mississippi to the Midwest in a way that keeps audiences smiling with a toe-tapping good time.. http://www. bustersbar.com/blog/event-calendar.

Symphonic Series - The Jewish Soul - Klezmer and Classical: 19-Apr, 3:00 PM, Mankato West High School, 1351 S. Riverfront Dr., Mankato, $8.50 . When Ken heard ecstatic clarinetist David Krakauer for the first time,he immediately invited him to Mankato. Krukauer has been praised for his astounding ability to play a myriad of musical genres with ‘prodigious chops’ (The New Yorker) and a ‘soulfulness and electrifying showiness’ (The New York Times). A true virtuoso, Krukauer is one of the world’s finest classical and Klezmer (traditional Jewish folk music) clarinetists. The Mozart Clarinet Concerto and other classical works set the stage for a mystical and wild journey, and the Klezmer tunes will have your toes tapping and your hands clapping. Kenneth Freed conducts.. http://www.mankatosymphony. com/symphonic-series-jewish-soul-klezmerand-classical.

Gaither Vocal Band: 19-Apr, 3:00 PM, Mayo Civic Center, 30 Civic Center Drive, Rochester, $22.50-$73.50. Groups - $22.50; Seniors & Kids- $24.50; General - $27.50; Artist Circle - $37.50; Premium - $73.50. A full afternoon of entertainment and meaningful music is a rare treat anytime, but when the occasion includes the best-loved voices in gospel music it’s a must-see celebration!

If you attend just one musical event this year, an afternoon hosted by Bill Gaither and featuring the Gaither Vocal Band and special guests is one you can’t miss. It will leave you encouraged, grateful and most certainly smiling!. http://www.mayociviccenter.com/ upcoming_events/eventdetails..

Star Spangled Americana: 19-Apr, 4:00 PM, Le Sueur-Henderson Middle/High School Auditorium, 901 Ferry St., Le Sueur, Free. The group will present patriotic songs like ‘God Bless America’ and ‘Star Spangled Banner’, but the American heritage songs like the ‘I’ll Fly Away Medley’ and ‘Scarborough Fair’ will remind listeners to be proud of America’s other musical traditions as well.. .

Charlie Daniel Band: 19-Apr, 4:00 PM, Jackpot Junction Casino, 39375 County Highway 24, Morton, $25-$45. Few individuals have symbolized the South in popular culture as directly and indelibly as Charlie Daniels.Encyclopedia of Southern Culture Charlie Daniels is partly Western and partly Southern. His signature bullrider hat and belt buckle, his lifestyle on the Twin Pines Ranch (a boyhood dream come true), his love of horses, cowboy lore and the heroes of championship rodeo, Western movies, and Louis

LAmour novels, identify him as a Westerner.

The son of a lumberjack and a Southerner by birth, his music rock, country, bluegrass, blues, gospel isquintessentially Southern.

In fact, even his bent for all things Western is Southern, because his attire, his lifestyle and his interests are historically emblematic of Southern working class solidarity with the lone cowboy individualism of the American West. It hasnt been so much a style of music, but more the values consistently reflected in several styles that has connected Charlie Daniels with millions of fans. For decades, he has steadfastly refused to label his music as anything other than CDB music, music that is now sung around the fire at 4-H Club and scout camps, helped elect an American President, and been popularized on a variety of radio formats.. http://jackpotjunction.com/ the-charlies-daniel-band/. 507-697-8000 Northern Roots Session: 20-Apr, 7:30 PM, The Contented Cow, 302B Division Street South, Northfield, See Website. Join us for roots music tonight at The Contended Cow, a Northfield, MN pub with a British accent!. http://1001solutionsllc.com/thecontented-cow/calendar/#.Um28cO1Dvo5.

507.663.1351”Dakhabrakha Acoustic Jam: 21-Apr, 7:30 PM, The Contented Cow, 302B Division Street South, Northfield, Free. Don’t miss our weekly acoustic jam, tonight at The Contented Cow.. http://1001solutionsllc.com/thecontented-cow/calendar/#.Um28cO1Dvo5.

507.663.1351”Six Organs of Admittance Country Music Night: 22-Apr, 9:00 PM, Starks Saloon, 3125 Dodd Rd, Eagan, $5 . Every Wednesday night come to Starks Saloon for some Country music and a little more - Two-step and line dancing. Lessons start at 7:30 pm.. http://starks-saloon.com/.

(651) 454-8251”Good for Gary Acoustic Sit Down Show

APR 24-30: Concert: 24-Apr, 7:00 PM, Faribault Trinity Lutheran Church, 530 Fourth Street NW, Faribault, Free. Peter & Rachelle, along with 3 of their sons, David, Aaron, and Luke, have a unique ministry consisting of barbershop, bluegrass, and gospel music.

There will be refreshments following the concert. A free will offering will be taken to benefit Pregnancy Options, a pro-life center in downtown Faribault.. .

Old Blind Dogs: 24-Apr, 7:30 PM, Crossings at Carnegie, 320 East Avenue, Zumbrota, $26-$29. Traditional Scottish music never sounded so brand-new as when Old Blind Dogs grab hold of it, attack it with all the energy of modern music, and shape it into the band’s own unmistakable sound.. http://crossingsatcarnegie.com/concertpages/oldblinddogs.html. (507) 732-7616 Waseca Singles and Solos Spring Dance: 24-Apr, 7:30 PM, American Legion, , Waseca, Free. Featuring the Buck Hollow Band.. .

Maud Hixson: 24-Apr, 7:30 PM, Treaty Site History Center, 1851 North Minnesota Avenue, St. Peter, $15 . Hixson will sing selections from the flapper, swing and bebop eras, accompanied by piano and bass.

Doors open at 7 pm. Tickets are available at both Mankato Hy-Vee stores, the Lifelong Learners Office on MSU-M campus, and in St. Peter at Nicollet County Bank, the Treaty Site History Center, the Arts Center of St. Peter and at the door. Call Lifelong Learners at 507-389-2011.. .

Urban Myth: 24-Apr, 8:00 PM, Jackpot Junction Casino, 39375 County Highway 24, Morton, See Website. ‘Urban Myth Band’ is a cultural hot dish of musicians and vocalists in which their song list reflects as well. Ev-

A d d y o u r e v e n t f o r F R E E t o t h e T I M E L I N E c a l e n d a r . G O TO w w w. s o u t h ernminn . c o m / s c ene / c a len d a r & C l i c k + A d d a n E v ent

Death Cab for Cutie with The Antlers May 2nd - 7:30 p.m.

Northrop Audtorium, Minneapolis Time really does fly by without notice and it is only until we actually stop to take a short moment do we realize how much time has passed. I don’t know about you, but I definitely have a “whoa” moment when I hear a song or watch a movie and notice the date it was released. I am all like, “1, 3, 6, 8! 8 years!” It is hard to believe that it was ten years ago when I first heard “Crooked Teeth.” It was on my sister’s Kazaa (anyone out there remember that good for nothing, virus spreading, file-sharing program?) next to Dashboard Confessional and the Dead Milkmen. We had quite the variety.

Death Cab for Cutie is one of the most successful indie bands and is still able to sell out a show. It is very refreshing to be part of a generation that actually has bands like these to define the era. I was worried I was going to be lost in a cohort that produced shit for music. The band has scored four Grammy nominations and despite losing one of the founding members and guitarist, Chris Walla, their album which Walla was still very much a part of debuted on March 31st.

“The album’s called Kintsugi,” bassist Nick Harmer says. “It’s a Japanese style of art where they take fractured, broken ceramics and put them back together with very obvious, real gold. It’s making the repair of an object a visual part of its history. That resonated with us as a philosophy, and it connected to a lot of what we were going through, both professionally and personally.”

It’s a new yet classic sound and Death Cab hasn’t visited the Twin Cities in four years, so it’s a pretty big deal. www.northrop.umn.edu/events/death-cab-cutie – – Autumn Van Ravenhorst, editor@southernminnscene.com

erything from current to classic, funk to rock, R&B to oldies, originals to an occasional instrumental to show off the bands chops ‘URBAN MYTH BAND’ delivers! The band has performed everywhere from street dances to nightclubs, weddings to corporate events and throughout their careers have played all over the United States and even overseas.

‘URBAN MYTH BAND’ brings a professional show to audiences whether it’s a nightclub or a special event with a relaxed, yet fun style of presentation.. http://jackpotjunction.com/entertainment/classic-lounge/.

507-697-8000 Stadium Rock!: 24-Apr, 8:00 PM, Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, 501 West 78th Street, Chanhassen, $40-$55. Fans of the Fabulous Armadillos won’t want to miss ‘Stadium Rock!’ It played to nearly 17,000 people at a summer festival in St. Cloud in 2014. Of their 35 different show themes, it has quickly become their most highly-requested show.

The Fabulous Armadillos will be joined by special guests with surprises and new songs from key artists of the genre: Journey, REO Speedwagon, Styx, Boston, Aerosmith, Queen and many more. Get set for another dose of fun and rock with the timeless music that these great bands brought to us. Add it to your list of Fabulous Armadillos favorites!. https://www.chanhassendt.com/Online/ default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticl e=Load&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle ::article_id=D677F287-1035-4BF9-843B54BDCB482FC9. (952) 934-1525 Cheech and Chong and War: 24-Apr, 8:00 PM, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd, Prior Lake, $54 . Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong released nine comedy albums from 1972 through 1985 and have been nominated for four Grammy Awards, winning Best Comedy album for Los Cochinos in 1973. Their first film ‘Up In Smoke’ was the highest grossing comedy of 1978 and topped 100 million at the box office. Since then, they have starred in seven more films together including ‘Cheech & Chong’s Animated Movie,’ released in 2012. Cheech & Chong’s Up in Smoke Tour includes some of their most infamous songs, including ‘Earache My Eye,’ ‘Basketball Jones’ and ‘Mexican Americans’ and some of the duo’s most iconic comedic skits such as ‘Dave’s Not Here,’ ‘Santa Clause And His Magic Dust’ and ‘Sister Mary Elephant.’. http://www.mysticlake.com/cheechchong15. php. (952) 445-9000 Jon Manners: 24-Apr, 8:30 PM, Pub 31, 31 Third St. N.E., Faribault, Free. The dean of the Southern Minnesota music scene, Jon Manners sound is unmistakable. Combining the bounce of funk, the passion of soul, the thoughtfulness of jazz, the storytelling of folk and the joy of rock and roll, Manners is the very model of the great folk troubadour.. .

Rock Godz: 24-Apr, 9:00 PM, Buster’s Sports Bar & Grill, 1325 Madison Avenue, Mankato, $5 . A Rock Godz performance takes the audience on an over-the-top, wildly fun trip through the best eras of rock and pop music. Their 80s-focused production (combined with classic and current rock/ pop) creates an instant party scene where

friends raise their glasses and sing along to their favorite songs all night long!

Rock Godz features music from all of your favorites, including Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, Journey, Guns N Roses, AC/ DC, Poison, Prince, Bryan Adams, Led Zeppelin, Theory of a Deadman, Quiet Riot, Buck Cherry, Steel Pantherand many more!. http:// www.bustersbar.com/blog/event-calendar.

Family Series: Haydn Go Seek; The Donkey: 25-Apr, 11:00 AM, Mankato Family YMCA, 1401 S. Riverfront Dr., Mankato, Free. MSO’s Family Concert Series is now FREE! Enjoy four hilarious and fun filled performances based on Haydn’s String Quartets with the German composer and the MSO String Quartet. Suitable for all ages. Each child gets to take home a gift and a snack at the end of each show. Performances begin at 11 am, last approximately 45 minutes, and feature live classical music and interactive educational activities. A perfect first concert experience. It’s OK for the kids to sing and dance along!. http://www.mankatosymphony. com/family-series-haydn-go-seek.

Mankato Riverblenders Barbershop Chorus Spring Show: 25-Apr, 2:00 PM, Crossview Covenant Church, 2000 Howard Drive W., North Mankato, $5-$15. $15 Adults, $13 Seniors and Advance Sales $5 Students. The Mankato Riverblenders Barbershop Chorus will present their annual spring show entitled ‘’3 Days to Harmony A Western in 4 Parts.’ The show features western music with songs being performed both by the chorus and by chapter quartets. Tickets can be purchased from any Riverblender Chorus member, at all Cub Food and HyVee Stores in Mankato, at Nutter Clothing in St. Peter.. .

The Frye: 25-Apr, 6:30 PM, Chankaska Creek Ranch And Winery, 1179 E. Pearl Street, Kasota, Free. Live music at Chankaska every Friday and Saturday. Live music is FREE and no reservation is necessary.

Entertainment schedule may change without notice.. http://www.chankaskawines.com/ events/live_entertainment. 507-931-0089 Mankato Riverblenders Barbershop Chorus Spring Show: 25-Apr, 7:00 PM, Crossview Covenant Church, 2000 Howard Drive W., North Mankato, $5-$15. $15 Adults, $13 Seniors and Advance Sales, $5 Students. The Mankato Riverblenders Barbershop Chorus will present their annual spring show entitled ‘’3 Days to Harmony A Western in 4 Parts.’ The show features western music with songs being performed both by the chorus and by chapter quartets. Tickets can be purchased from any Riverblender Chorus member, at all Cub Food and HyVee Stores in Mankato, at Nutter Clothing in St. Peter.. .

St. Cloud Singing Saints: 25-Apr, 7:30 PM, Historic Paramount Theatre-Saint Cloud, 913 West Saint Germain Street, Saint Cloud, $18 . The St. Cloud Singing Saints are a chapter of the Harmony Society, whose mission is to preserve the art form of the barbershop style of acapella singing. The St Cloud Singings Saints are back for their annual Spring performance, and this time with

third-place international medalists, A Mighty Wind.. http://www.paramountarts.org/events/ st-cloud-singing-saints-with-special-guestsa-mighty-wind/. 320-259-5463 The Broadway Dolls: 25-Apr, 8:00 PM, Ames Center, 12600 Nicollet Avenue, Burnsville, $39 . 40th Annual Concert for Caring featuring the Broadway Dolls. The fun starts at 6 PM Live jazz music featuring the 18 piece Real Big Band Complimentary appetizers and delicious desserts Valuepacked silent auction you wont want to miss The Broadway Dolls take the stage at 8 PM. http://www.ames-center.com/broadwaydolls.html.

Urban Myth: 25-Apr, 8:00 PM, Jackpot Junction Casino, 39375 County Highway 24, Morton, See Website. ‘Urban Myth Band’ is a cultural hot dish of musicians and vocalists in which their song list reflects as well. Everything from current to classic, funk to rock, R&B to oldies, originals to an occasional instrumental to show off the bands chops ‘URBAN MYTH BAND’ delivers! The band has performed everywhere from street dances to nightclubs, weddings to corporate events and throughout their careers have played all over the United States and even overseas.

‘URBAN MYTH BAND’ brings a professional show to audiences whether it’s a nightclub or a special event with a relaxed, yet fun style of presentation.. http://jackpotjunction.com/entertainment/classic-lounge/.

507-697-8000 Whither The Tide: 25-Apr, 9:00 PM, Buster’s Sports Bar & Grill, 1325 Madison Avenue, Mankato, See Website. Whither the Tide was formed in 2009 by guitarist Sean Hill and vocalist Jeremy Montoya, once of Minneapolis metal band Buried by Hope.

The lineup was later completed by Richard Zasada, once of Skywind and Buried by Hope, when he replaced original drummer Jonathan Nelson in November 2010. All members were veterans of the Minneapolis hard rock and metal scene.. http://www. bustersbar.com/blog/event-calendar.

Dakota Valley Symphony Young Artists’ Concert: 26-Apr, 2:00 PM, Ames Center, 12600 Nicollet Avenue, Burnsville, $20 . The winners of our seventh annual Young Artists competition will be featured in our final concert of the season. The University of Minnesota Health Sciences Orchestra will also join us for this concert.

Together we will perform Tchaikovsky’s dramatically powerful and lyrically romantic Fourth Symphony.. http://www.ames-center. com/dakota-valley-symphony.html.

Wilder Octet: 26-Apr, 2:00 PM, Lakeville Area Arts Center, 20965 Holyoke Avenue, Lakeville, $12-$15. Celebrating the jazzy, inventive, engaging music of Alec Wilder with leading Twin Cities performers.. http:// test.lakevillemn.gov/index.php?option=com_ jevents&task=icalrepeat.detail&evid=5774&Itemid=1364&year=2015&month=04&day= 26&title=lakeville-coffee-concert-series-wi lder-octet&uid=c62404a019413a89c6c97e 479f91a1b1.

Organ concert: 26-Apr, 2:00 PM, Divine Mercy Catholic Church, 139 Mercy Dr, Farib-

ault, Free. The program will include In Dir Ist Freude by J.S. Bach; Prelude, Fugue, and Variation, Op. 18 by C sar Franck; Sonata VI

by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy; Cort ge et Litanie by Marcel Dupr . A freewill offering will be received.. .

MAY 1-7: Rock of Ages: 1-May, 6:30 PM, Chankaska Creek Ranch And Winery, 1179 E. Pearl Street, Kasota, Free. Live music at Chankaska every Friday and Saturday. Live music is FREE and no reservation is necessary.

Entertainment schedule may change without notice.. http://www.chankaskawines.com/ events/live_entertainment. 507-931-0089 River: 1-May, 8:00 PM, Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, 501 West 78th Street, Chanhassen, $40-$55. Three top Twin-Cities female singers, Rachel Holder, Deb Brown & Jana Anderson, pay tribute to legendary songwriters: Carole King, Joni Mitchell & Carly Simon. While these artists have an extensive list of works, ‘River’ will focus on their most popular pieces... the songs that take the audience on a nostalgic journey through their own lives, remembering the womens music movement of the 60s & 70s: their prom, their first kiss, weddings, heartaches and other life experiences. Songs such as: ‘You’re So Vain’ and ‘Nobody Does it Better’ performed

by Carly Simon, ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow’ and ‘Natural Woman’ by Carole King, and ‘Help Me’ and ‘Both Sides Now’

by Joni Mitchell. Through the decades these artists continued to craft timeless songs that stay with us today. Rachel Holder, Deb Brown and Jana Anderson are backed by an amazing band. ‘River’ brings the songs, stories and memories together on one stage in this unforgettable tribute.. https://www.chanhassendt.com/Online/default.asp?doWork::WSc ontent::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::WScont ent::loadArticle::article_id=19F7161C-24194701-9BF8-E13736FE5F0A. (952) 934-1525 Mostly Water: 1-May, 8:00 PM, Jackpot Junction Casino, 39375 County Highway 24, Morton, See Website. Mostly Water performs Southern Rock and Country from bands like CCR, The Doobie Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, Toby Keith, Eric Church, Jason Aldean, Tim McGraw, Luke Bryan and much more to bring you a full night of dance floor packing music. This band has become a first choice for many fairs, festivals, weddings, casinos and bars all over the upper Midwest.

Bringing endless energy to every stage, Mostly Water will be your new favorite band!. . 507-697-8000 Michael Shynes: 2-May, 6:30 PM, Chankaska Creek Ranch And Winery, 1179 E. Pearl Street, Kasota, Free. Live music at Chankaska every Friday and Saturday.

Live music is FREE and no reservation is necessary. Entertainment schedule may change without notice.. http://www. chankaskawines.com/events/live_entertainment. 507-931-0089 River: 2-May, 8:00 PM, Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, 501 West 78th Street, Chanhassen, $40-$55. Three top Twin-Cities female singers, Rachel Holder, Deb Brown & Jana

Anderson, pay tribute to legendary songwriters: Carole King, Joni Mitchell & Carly Simon. While these artists have an extensive list of works, ‘River’ will focus on their most popular pieces... the songs that take the audience on a nostalgic journey through their own lives, remembering the womens music movement of the 60s & 70s: their prom, their first kiss, weddings, heartaches and other life experiences. Songs such as: ‘You’re So Vain’ and ‘Nobody Does it Better’ performed

by Carly Simon, ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow’ and ‘Natural Woman’ by Carole King, and ‘Help Me’ and ‘Both Sides Now’

by Joni Mitchell. Through the decades these artists continued to craft timeless songs that stay with us today. Rachel Holder, Deb Brown and Jana Anderson are backed by an amazing band. ‘River’ brings the songs, stories and memories together on one stage in this unforgettable tribute.. https://www.chanhassendt.com/Online/default.asp?doWork::WSc ontent::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::WScont ent::loadArticle::article_id=19F7161C-24194701-9BF8-E13736FE5F0A. (952) 934-1525 Mostly Water: 2-May, 8:00 PM, Jackpot Junction Casino, 39375 County Highway 24, Morton, See Website. Mostly Water performs Southern Rock and Country from bands like CCR, The Doobie Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, Toby Keith, Eric Church, Jason Aldean, Tim McGraw, Luke Bryan and much more to bring you a full night of dance floor packing music. This band has become a first choice for many fairs, festivals, weddings, casinos and bars all over the upper Midwest.

Bringing endless energy to every stage, Mostly Water will be your new favorite band!. . 507-697-8000 Jivin’ Ivan and The Kings of Swing: 2-May, All Day, Signature Bar and Grill, 201 Central Ave N, Faribault, Free. Hot licks and stellar vocals. We will have guest artist Lance Larson on guitar tonight. This man has some chops! Dance the night away or simply listen. Either way, you will be glad you did.

Get your Swing On with Jivin’ Ivan and the Kings of Swing. .

Beau Chant Choir: 3-May, 3:00 PM, Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour, 515 NW Second Avenue, Faribault, Free-will offering to benefit Community Cafe. Beau Chant Choir will present their spring concert.. http://www.thecathedralfaribault.com/.

507-334-7732 Cheryl Wheeler: 3-May, 7:00 PM, Crossings at Carnegie, 320 East Avenue, Zumbrota, $20-$23. Cheryl Wheeler performances are a two-for-one deal: Audiences will relish her rich, soul-baring alto voice, and the next moment laugh out loud at her storytelling. While most have undoubtedly heard Wheelers songs covered by well-known artists including Garth Brooks, Bette Midler, Kathy Mattea and Peter, Paul and Mary, audiences discover works never recorded anywhere when they attend her show.. http://crossingsatcarnegie.com/ concertpages/cherylwheeler.html. (507) 732-7616 Ed Franks: 6-May, 2:00 PM, Jackpot Junction Casino, 39375 County Highway

24, Morton, See Website. He adores him.

He sounds like him. But please spare Ed the label of Frank Sinatra impersonator.

Franks, a cigarette in one hand and a drink in the other, belts out more than 100 Sinatra songs he knows. Complete with familiar hand gestures and one-liners. His show, The Sinatra Tradition, is a tribue not only to the legendary singers voice, but something else that sets Sinatra apart -- Class. Whether quipping with the audience, delivering one-liners, or presenting anecdotal stories of the Chairman’s career the critically acclaimed Ed Franks Show is a complete and enjoyable evening of entertainment.. http://jackpotjunction.com/entertainment/classic-lounge/.

507-697-8000

MAY 8-14: Ash St. John: 8-May, 6:30 PM, Chankaska Creek Ranch And Winery, 1179 E. Pearl Street, Kasota, Free. Live music at Chankaska every Friday and Saturday. Live music is FREE and no reservation is necessary.

Entertainment schedule may change without notice.. http://www.chankaskawines.com/ events/live_entertainment. 507-931-0089 All JAMPT Up: 8-May, 7:00 PM, Owatonna American Legion, 137 W. Broadway, Owatonna, Free. They’re back- All JAMPT Up acoustic rock and blues!. .

Long, Long Ago: Childhood Favorites from Page, Stage & Screen: 8-May, 7:30 PM, Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave., Faribault, $17-$22. $10 Students. WORLD PREMIERE Friday, May 8th 7:30pm Saturday, May 9th at 2:00pm Part of the 2015 KGP Logistics Music Season.

Long, Long Ago: Childhood Favorites from Page, Stage & Screen Featuring, Norah Long and the Imaginators Norah Long and the Imaginators lead audiences on a magical interactive adventure of songs, poems, and stories from animated movies, children’s classics, and children themselves! For kids of all ages, this concert includes sing-along moments, silliness, and sentiment that engage young audiences and bring adults back to their childhood in joyous and unexpected ways.. http://www.paradisecenterforthearts. org.

Powerplay: 8-May, 8:00 PM, Jackpot Junction Casino, 39375 County Highway 24, Morton, See Website. PowerPlay is a band that leaves you wanting more! - Rod - Electric Guitar, Keyboards, Bass, Vocals.

With over 3 decades of experience under his belt, this seasoned musical veteran captures the very essence of every musical style with seemingly effortless precision. Over the years, Rod has played toe- to -toe with some of the biggest names in the music business.

His solos are sure to grab your attention.. .

507-697-8000 Long, Long Ago: Childhood Favorites from Page, Stage & Screen: 9-May, 2:00 PM, Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave., Faribault, $17-$22. $10 Students. WORLD PREMIERE Friday, May 8th 7:30pm Saturday, May 9th at 2:00pm Part of the 2015 KGP Logistics Music Season.

Long, Long Ago: Childhood Favorites from

Page, Stage & Screen Featuring, Norah Long and the Imaginators Norah Long and the Imaginators lead audiences on a magical interactive adventure of songs, poems, and stories from animated movies, children’s classics, and children themselves! For kids of all ages, this concert includes sing-along moments, silliness, and sentiment that engage young audiences and bring adults back to their childhood in joyous and unexpected ways.. http://www.paradisecenterforthearts. org.

Haldy and the Winos: 9-May, 6:30 PM, Chankaska Creek Ranch And Winery, 1179 E. Pearl Street, Kasota, Free. Live music at Chankaska every Friday and Saturday.

Live music is FREE and no reservation is necessary. Entertainment schedule may change without notice.. http://www. chankaskawines.com/events/live_entertainment. 507-931-0089 Northwestern Singers Concert: 9-May, 7:00 PM, Paramount Theatre, 125 4th Avenue Northeast, Austin, $5-$15. $15.00 for adults $5.00 for students. Northwestern Singers present ‘Bach to Rock’. .

Powerplay: 9-May, 8:00 PM, Jackpot Junction Casino, 39375 County Highway 24, Morton, See Website. PowerPlay is a band that leaves you wanting more! - Rod - Electric Guitar, Keyboards, Bass, Vocals.

With over 3 decades of experience under his belt, this seasoned musical veteran captures the very essence of every musical style with seemingly effortless precision. Over the years, Rod has played toe- to -toe with some of the biggest names in the music business.

His solos are sure to grab your attention.. .

507-697-8000 All JAMPT Up: 9-May, All Day, Indian Island Winery, 18018 631st Ave, Janesville, Free. First time playing at the Island!! This is a great venue, good wines and lots of fun outdoor show weather permitting. All JAMPT Up plays upbeat acoustic rock and blues!. .

Music at the Cathedral: 10-May, 3:00 PM, Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour, 515 NW Second Avenue, Faribault, Free-will donation to benefit Community Cafe. Cannon Valley Regional Orchestra. http://www. thecathedralfaribault.com. 507-334-7732 JazzMN: 14-May, 8:00 PM, Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, 501 West 78th Street, Chanhassen, $30-$45. The JazzMN Orchestra, the Twin Cities’ premier professional jazz orchestra, performs a broad range of jazz repertoire spanning classic and contemporary styles, showcasing outstanding jazz musicians from throughout the region and featuring world-class guest artists. Now in its 16th season, the JazzMN Orchestra has featured international jazz artists such as Bob Mintzer, Nicholas Payton, Rob McConnell, Gordon Goodwin, Paquito D’Rivera, Arturo Sandoval, Phil Woods, James Moody, and Dave Weckl. One night only at CDT!. https://www.chanhassendt. com/Online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent ::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::WScontent::lo adArticle::article_id=72A91695-45DA-4D30-

Turn

We Want To Sponsor Your Team!

1510 NW 7th St, Faribault

507-333-5378 JoesSportsCafe.com

Sunday, May 10th 10am-2pm* Call Early to Make Reservations!

* Kitchen Will Re-Open @ 3pm with Full Menu

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We’re Proud To Support Local Sports Teams With A Generous Sponsohip Program Designed To Help Them Raise Much Needed Funds For The Season!

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Corky’s Earlybird Softball Tournament May 1-3 Stop in for Great Food & Drink Specials!

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MWMF APRIL 23-25, 2015 – WINONA, MN Charlie Parr • Communist Daughter • Chastity Brown Lucy Michelle featuring Chris Koza and John Munson Black Eyed Snakes • Frankie Lee • Black Market Brass DJ Abilities • Pieta Brown • Brass Messengers We Are The Willows • Toki Wright & Big Cats Southside Desire • Bad Bad Hats • Gabriel Douglas Corpse Reviver • The Traveling Suitcase J.E. Sunde • Circle of Heat • Stereo Confession Koo Koo Kanga Roo • Twins • France Camp • The Ericksons Farewell Milwaukee • Kevin Bowe and Okemah Prophets The Heavy Set • Fort Wilson Riot • Land of Blood and Sunshine Gloom Balloon • Fattenin’ Frogs • Rank Strangers Pill Hill • The Last Revel • The People Brothers Band Jack Klatt • Teenage Moods • Valaska • Porcupine Counterfactuals • batteryboy • Bones, Jugs, & Harmony Beet Root Stew • Mike Munson • General B & the Wiz Jaybone Bell & Restless Light • Breakaway • Botzy Ruben • Federales • The Ultrasounds • Har-di-Har Ali and the Scoundrels • LOTT • Rachel Kilgour Ryan Holweger • Gregg Hall • Joey Ryan • Gravy Train Christopher the Conquered • Brooks Strause

Join the 2015 community walking program

Join the 2015 community walking

100 Midwest Acts • 11 Stages in Downtown Winona 6 Musician’s Workshops • Sounds Like School Stage Songwriters Showcase • Jug Band Hokum Film Premiere

April 20th - May 31st REGISTER when you pick up your packet or email onthemove@mayo.edu KICK-OFF: April 20th Pick- up your program packets at the Steele County United Way office: 110 N. Cedar Ave, Owatonna, MN. The first 500 community members will receive a drawstring backpack, including program material and handouts.

Program ends May 31, 2015.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 507.446.1604

April 20th - May Scan this ad with the SouthernMinn Media app!

REGISTER when you pick up your packe Tickets Available from: or email onthemove@mayo.edu www.midwestmusicfest.org KICK-OFF: April 20th Steele County Public Health

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Taste of Lakeville

May 14th - 5-9 p.m.

Lakeville Area Arts Center, Lakeville

Minnesotans are prideful people—I know I have said this before. It is one of the very few states I have been where people are tattooing its outline on their neck or driving around with bumper stickers that say they heart the very state they are driving around in (imagine that). As a Minnesotan, you are almost obligated to take pride in things about the state that quite frankly suck (uh, winter). And, statistics say we are one of the most generous groups of people. So what do our communities do when they are bursting with pride and generosity? They host events highlighting their neighbored while supporting a great cause.

A Taste of Lakeville is an annual gathering hosted by the Lakeville Rotary Club. Attendees will have the chance to sample food from more than 35 restaurants and caterers of the Lakeville area. And it wouldn’t be a Minnesota event if wine and beer weren’t available—which they will be. You can sample all of them if you’d like. It may be old folklore but I tend to stick to the expression, “Liquor before beer, you’re in the clear.” There will be live music by the ever so classy A Band Called Soul and fun yet elegant tunes from Michael Loonan. Silent and live auctions will be held and organic and local food/beverage will be offered.

All proceeds go to the Lakeville Rotary Club who will use it to support a variety of initiatives like scholarships, community action, food shelves, and parks. Their website says “A Taste of Lakeville = Fun” and that’s about as straightforward as it gets, folks. www.ci.lakeville.mn.us – – Autumn Van Ravenhorst, editor@southernminnscene.com

From 31 8563-36EF7128B572&menu_id=34A2A29D36A0-4A46-84D0-1B8E50B022A7&sToken =1%2C729b0e56%2C55249ab5%2C1A14 5E06-54B4-4733-B7DA-29C6CE81FE16%2 CCAuImXIPzar4hepsl4daz5P%2FBLA%3D. (952) 934-1525

MAY 15-21: The Sound of Simon: 15-May, 8:00 PM, Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, 501 West 78th Street, Chanhassen, $40-$55. With a career spanning decades, the music of Simon & Garfunkel remains among the most treasured in the American popular songbook. Performing hits including: ‘The Boxer,’ ‘Scarborough Fair,’ ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water,’ ‘The Sound of Silence’ and ‘America,’ this performance pays tribute to Simon & Garfunkel, the world renowned-duo, in a memorable evening of music & harmony.. https://www. chanhassendt.com/Online/default.asp?BOpa ram::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=sim on&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::conte xt_id=. (952) 934-1525 Crystal and the Commotion: 15-May, 8:00 PM, Jackpot Junction Casino, 39375 County Highway 24, Morton, See Website.

Crystal and The Commotion is one of the hardest working, high energy groups in the state of Wisconsin. They maintain a busy schedule through out the year entertaining at casinos, street dances and corporate events all over the mid west. The band features the energetic and entertaining vocalist Crystal Dolivo. 2010 Grammy Nominated artist Peter Phippen on the bass guitar. Guitarist Scott Milz and Drummer Michael Hucek.

You can expect great music from the 60’s 70’s 80’s 90’s and today. Be sure and catch a show near you soon!. http://jackpotjunction.com/entertainment/classic-lounge/.

507-697-8000 Adrian Barnett - Eric Zimmerman Jazz Duo: 16-May, 6:30 PM, Chankaska Creek Ranch And Winery, 1179 E. Pearl Street, Kasota, Free. Live music at Chankaska every Friday and Saturday. Live music is FREE and no reservation is necessary. Entertainment schedule may change without notice.. http:// www.chankaskawines.com/events/live_entertainment. 507-931-0089 The Sound of Simon: 16-May, 8:00 PM, Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, 501 West 78th Street, Chanhassen, $40-$55. With a career spanning decades, the music of Simon & Garfunkel remains among the most treasured in the American popular songbook. Performing hits including: ‘The Boxer,’ ‘Scarborough Fair,’ ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water,’ ‘The Sound of Silence’ and ‘America,’ this performance pays tribute to Simon & Garfunkel, the world renowned-duo, in a memorable evening of music & harmony.. https://www. chanhassendt.com/Online/default.asp?BOpa ram::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=sim on&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::conte xt_id=. (952) 934-1525 Willie Nelson and Family: 16-May, 8:00 PM, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd, Prior Lake, $59-$69. With a career spanning six decades and with 60 albums, country legend Willie Nelson is the creative genius behind the historic recordings of ‘Crazy,’ ‘Red Headed Stranger,’ ‘Hello Walls’ and ‘Stardust.’ The release of Red Headed Stranger in 1975 propelled him into the country music stratosphere, with his

offbeat phrasing, distinctive nasal tones and hippie-styled look setting a new standard in ‘outlaw’ country music. Nelson rose to the top of the charts with ‘Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain,’ ‘On The Road Again’ and ‘Always On My Mind.’ He has received numerous accolades including eight Grammys, a President’s Merit Award, Grammy Legend Award, Lifetime Achievement Award, Kennedy Center Honor and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993.. http://www.mysticlake.com/willienelson.php.

(952) 445-9000 Crystal and the Commotion: 16-May, 8:00 PM, Jackpot Junction Casino, 39375 County Highway 24, Morton, See Website.

Crystal and The Commotion is one of the hardest working, high energy groups in the state of Wisconsin. They maintain a busy schedule through out the year entertaining at casinos, street dances and corporate events all over the mid west. The band features the energetic and entertaining vocalist Crystal Dolivo. 2010 Grammy Nominated artist Peter Phippen on the bass guitar. Guitarist Scott Milz and Drummer Michael Hucek.

You can expect great music from the 60’s 70’s 80’s 90’s and today. Be sure and catch a show near you soon!. http://jackpotjunction.com/entertainment/classic-lounge/.

507-697-8000 Dance Held by the Waseca Area Senior Center: 21-May, 7:30 PM, Waseca American Legion, 700 S State St., Waseca, Free. Dance held by Waseca Area Senior Center.. . 507-833-9935 Takin’ It To The Limit: 21-May, 8:00 PM, Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, 501 West 78th Street, Chanhassen, $40-$55. Back by popular demand! Two bands, Collective Unconscious and The Fabulous Armadillos, combine talents and return to present this most remarkable tribute concert to The Eagles - the quintessential band of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Audiences here have loved every minute of this concert event and are known to sing and even dance along to such hits as: ‘Take it Easy,’ ‘Life in The Fast Lane,’ ‘Desperado’ and so many more. This show played to sold-out houses in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Do not miss this return engagement!. https:// www.chanhassendt.com/Online/default.asp?

BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink =takinittothelimit&BOparam::WScontent::loa dArticle::context_id=. (952) 934-1525 Back to the 90s: 21-May, 10:00 PM, The Saloon - Minneapolis, 830 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, $5 . Relive your favorites every 3rd Thursday of the month for Back to the 90’s with VJ D! Enjoy all 90’s music videos in the video bar.. http://www. saloonmn.com/events/2181/back-to-the90s/. 612-332-0835

reservation is necessary. Entertainment schedule may change without notice.. http:// www.chankaskawines.com/events/live_entertainment. 507-931-0089 Weird Al Yankovic: 26-May, 4:00 PM, Bloomington Center for the Arts, 1800 W Old Shakopee Rd, Bloomington, $31.50-$262.

‘Weird Al’ Yankovic is the most successful comedy recording artist of all time, best known for hit song parodies such as ‘Amish Paradise,’ ‘Eat It’ and ‘White & Nerdy.’ A three-time Grammy Award winner, Yankovic caught his first big break after sending in an unsolicited tape to the Dr. Demento Radio Show. The song, a parody of The Knack’s ‘My Sharona’ called ‘My Bologna’ (recorded in the bathroom of Al’s college campus radio station), was a smash on the good Doctor’s show and became Al’s first national record release. Inspired by the likes of Stan Freberg, Tom Lehrer and Mad magazine, Weird Al has parodied numerous musical icons throughout a career that now spans four decades.

Michael Jackson, Queen, Eminem, Madonna, U2, Billy Joel, Nirvana, Mick Jagger and Lady Gaga are just a few of the artists who have agreed to have their songs satirized by Yankovic. His last two albums Straight Outta Lynwood (2006) and Alpocalypse (2011) both debuted in the Billboard Top Ten, and the video for his platinum single ‘White & Nerdy’ dominated the Internet and stayed at #1 on the iTunes chart for months.. http:// weirdal.com/tour/.

Weird Al Yankovic: 26-May, 8:00 PM, Bloomington Center for the Arts, 1800 W Old Shakopee Rd, Bloomington, $31.50-$262.

‘Weird Al’ Yankovic is the most successful comedy recording artist of all time, best known for hit song parodies such as ‘Amish Paradise,’ ‘Eat It’ and ‘White & Nerdy.’ A three-time Grammy Award winner, Yankovic caught his first big break after sending in an unsolicited tape to the Dr. Demento Radio Show. The song, a parody of The Knack’s ‘My Sharona’ called ‘My Bologna’ (recorded in the bathroom of Al’s college campus radio station), was a smash on the good Doctor’s show and became Al’s first national record release. Inspired by the likes of Stan Freberg, Tom Lehrer and Mad magazine, Weird Al has parodied numerous musical icons throughout a career that now spans four decades.

Michael Jackson, Queen, Eminem, Madonna, U2, Billy Joel, Nirvana, Mick Jagger and Lady Gaga are just a few of the artists who have agreed to have their songs satirized by Yankovic. His last two albums Straight Outta Lynwood (2006) and Alpocalypse (2011) both debuted in the Billboard Top Ten, and the video for his platinum single ‘White & Nerdy’ dominated the Internet and stayed at #1 on the iTunes chart for months.. http:// weirdal.com/tour/.

MAY 22-28: Steve and Jade Murphy Acoustic: 22-May, 6:30 PM, Chankaska Creek Ranch And Winery, 1179 E. Pearl Street, Kasota, Free. Live music at Chankaska every Friday and Saturday. Live music is FREE and no reservation is necessary. Entertainment schedule may change without notice.. http:// www.chankaskawines.com/events/live_entertainment. 507-931-0089 Mitch Goudy and Diana Upton-Hill: 23-May, 6:30 PM, Chankaska Creek Ranch And Winery, 1179 E. Pearl Street, Kasota, Free. Live music at Chankaska every Friday and Saturday. Live music is FREE and no

NIGHTLIFE APR 17-23: Bar Bingo: 17-Apr, 6:00 PM, Faribault Eagles Club, 2027 Grant St. N.W., Faribault, Free. Come for Bar Bingo! Baskets served from 5-7 p.m. $1, $1 per card. . “Bar Bingo Euchre Tournament: 18-Apr, 11:00 AM, Grandpa Al’s, 28 Third St. N.W., Faribault, $5 . Everyone welcome.. . “Bar Bingo

A d d y o u r e v e n t f o r F R E E t o t h e T I M E L I N E c a l e n d a r . G O TO w w w. s o u t h ernminn . c o m / s c ene / c a len d a r & C l i c k + A d d a n E v ent

APR 24-30: Urban Myth: 24-Apr, 8:00 PM, Jackpot Junction Casino, 39375 County Highway 24, Morton, See Website. ‘Urban Myth Band’ is a cultural hot dish of musicians and vocalists in which their song list reflects as well. Everything from current to classic, funk to rock, R&B to oldies, originals to an occasional instrumental to show off the bands chops ‘URBAN MYTH BAND’ delivers! The band has performed everywhere from street dances to nightclubs, weddings to corporate events and throughout their careers have played all over the United States and even overseas.

‘URBAN MYTH BAND’ brings a professional show to audiences whether it’s a nightclub or a special event with a relaxed, yet fun style of presentation.. http://jackpotjunction.com/entertainment/classic-lounge/.

507-697-8000 Urban Myth: 25-Apr, 8:00 PM, Jackpot Junction Casino, 39375 County Highway 24, Morton, See Website. ‘Urban Myth Band’ is a cultural hot dish of musicians and vocalists in which their song list reflects as well. Everything from current to classic, funk to rock, R&B to oldies, originals to an occasional instrumental to show off the bands chops ‘URBAN MYTH BAND’ delivers! The band has performed everywhere from street dances to nightclubs, weddings to corporate events and throughout their careers have played all over the United States and even overseas.

‘URBAN MYTH BAND’ brings a professional show to audiences whether it’s a nightclub or a special event with a relaxed, yet fun style of presentation.. http://jackpotjunction.com/entertainment/classic-lounge/.

507-697-8000

FILM APR 17-23: Free Family Flicks: 18-Apr, 10:00 AM, Theatres - Mall of America, 401 South Avenue, Bloomington, Free. You’re invited to join us every Saturday morning at 10 a.m. for a free family flick! Keep checking back for the latest schedule of upcoming films.

First-come, firstserved as seating is limited to the theatre capacity.. http://theatresmoa. com/event/freefamily-flicks/.

952-8838901”The Pond House

Soundset Music Festival May 24th

Canterbury Park, Shakopee Minnesota has more golfers per capita and recreational boats than any other state, but it would be safe to assume that we also have a high population of some pretty damn devoted music lovers. We are a hub of musical talent, hip-hop and indie being a couple of our specialties. If anyone needs proof, one little factoid will put you at ease: Minnesota is home to the world’s largest hip-hop music festival—Soundset.

Rhymesayers Entertainment and Rose Presents are behind this experience that truly illustrates itself as a hip-hop mecca. Rhymesayers is based out of Minneapolis and their roster is bursting with Minnesota favorites like Atmosphere, Brother Ali, and Aesop Rock—all of which will be at Soundset this year. It is going to be difficult to navigate through the masses and see every artist in just roughly eight hours and on four different stages, but it is absolutely worth a shot. It will also host a 150 vehicle car show, skateboard park, and a live graffiti and painting exhibition.

It’s eight years fresh, but with the event selling out at 30,000 tickets last year, I’d say it has been more than prosperous. All I have to say is, Luda! In case you didn’t catch that, Ludacris is on the line-up for this year. www.soundsetfestival.com – – Autumn Van Ravenhorst, editor@southernminnscene.com

Take the plunge and explore the underwater world. Patt Swanson from Blue Water Divers of Arnolds Park, IA will have a narrated video and documentary about saving the underwater world. You will be amazed to see aquatic creatures, fish and treasures that can be found on an adventure underwater, including shark teeth. You will hear about and see things from the Caribbean, the Pacific Ocean and West Lake Okoboji. Here is a chance to get away from everyday life and enter a world of stunning natrual beauty.. http://www. plumcreeklibrary.org/Jackson/.

OUTDOORS APR 17-23: Game Day: 17-Apr, 12:00 PM, Chankaska Creek Ranch And Winery, 1179 E. Pearl Street, Kasota, Free. Every Friday will be game day at Chankaska Creek! We will have a few games available for you but feel free to bring your own. We will take 10% off your glass of wine.. http://www.chankaskawines. com/events/winery_events. 507-9310089”Big Climb Minneapolis

APR 24-30: Geocaching for S’mores: 25-Apr, 9:00 AM, Cleary Regional Lake Park, 18106 Texas Ave., Prior Lake, $8 . Yummy, gooey s’mores! Learn geocaching basics and search for delicious treasure. Equipment provided..

http://www.threeriversparks.org/events/G/ geocaching-for-s-mores--.aspx.

Public Star Party: 25-Apr, 1:00 PM, Baylor Regional Park, , Norwood Young America, See Website. Come out and enjoy nature at the star party!. http://www.co.carver. mn.us/departments/PW/parks/upcoming_events.asp. (952) 466-5223

MAY 1-7: Nature Play Date: 5-May, 10:00 AM, Cleary Regional Lake Park, 18106 Texas Ave., Prior Lake, Free. Explore, discover and play in your local park. Meet families interested in getting their children outdoors. Wear appropriate clothes and shoes. Children 17 years and younger must be accompanied by an adult.. http://www.threeriversparks.org/ events/N/nature-play-date.aspx.

Bingo: 7-May, 12:30 PM, Club Prior, 15210 Eagle Creek Ave., Prior Lake, Free. Join us for a game of BINGO. Only 25 centers per card. Come and win some prizes!. http:// www.cityofpriorlake.com/documents/ club_prior.pdf. “Public Star Party

MAY 8-14: Kefro’s pet loss support group: 14-May, 6:30 PM, Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave., Faribault, Free. Join us in a supportive environment where people can share their experience of grief and loss of a companion animal. No charge to attend, but registration is requested. Contactk

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

Vicki Neitge at 507-210-1102 or vneitge@ charter.net.. .

MAY 15-21: Geocaching for S’mores: 16-May, 1:00 PM, Cleary Regional Lake Park, 18106 Texas Ave., Prior Lake, $8 . Yummy, gooey s’mores! Learn geocaching basics and search for delicious treasure. Equipment provided.. http://www.threeriversparks.org/events/G/ geocaching-for-s-mores--.aspx.

Pollinators3: 21-May, 12:30 PM, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, 3675 Arboretum Drive, Chaska, See Website. Our media are crammed with reports on declining pollinator populations. University of Minnesota experts will reveal the facts. Discover what difference you can make. Explore the impact of legislation and organizations to effect change. Investigate hot-topics with citizens, gardeners, and educators. Discover ways to support pollinators--from nursery to national forums.. http://www.arboretum.umn.edu/ gardeningclasses.aspx. 952-443-1400

MAY 29 - JUN 4: Canoe When the Moon Is Full: 30-May, 8:00 PM, Hyland Lake Park Reserve, 10145 Bush Lake Road, Bloomington, $9 . Paddle under the full moon. Watch for wildlife and be entertained with stories. Equipment provided. Children 17 years and younger must be accompanied by a registered

Turn

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MAY 1-7: Our Underwater World: 6-May, 12:00 PM, Jackson Library, 311 Third Street, Jackson, Free.

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Songs & Scenes: A Celebration of 20 Years of the Merlin Players May 16th - 7:30 p.m.

Paradise Center for the Arts, Faribault Twenty years and 51 plays and musicals later, The Merlin Players are held in high regard throughout SoMinn. They have won an assortment of awards ranging from “Best of Festival” at the Minnesota Community Theatres One-Act Play Festival, to second place at a regional competition in Nebraska, and even a “Best Theatre Company” by yours truly, the SCENE. This quaint organization of crazy talented individuals has blessed us all with dedication and passion for delivering some of the finest theatre in southern Minnesota. Hard work from hundreds of actors, musicians, and everyone else you need to create a beautiful set is simply referred to as a “labor of love” for them.

They have been featured in our beloved calendar highlights before, most recently for Love, Loss and What I Wore and here they are again for an even bigger event. In association with the Paradise Center for the Arts, they will be presenting Songs & Scenes: A Celebration of 20 Years of The Merlin Players. This is a 20th Anniversary Gala that will showcase some of the best moments from the past 20 years. It will be directed by Michael Lambert and followed by with a reception. Gather and reminiscence while some of their finest reunite for this amazing experience. www.paradisecenterforthearts.org/special-guest/ – – Autumn Van Ravenhorst, editor@southernminnscene.com

From 33 adult. Reservations required. *20% discount for groups of four or more.. http://www. threeriversparks.org/events/C/canoe-whenthe-moon-is-full--.aspx.

CeleBARK 2015: 30-May, All Day, Rochester Eagles Club, 917 15th Avenue SE, Rochester, $5 to benefit the Fresh Air for Fido Campaign. Celebrate all spring has to offer at a BACB Unleashed signature event for dogs and their humans. CeleBARK 2015 is a dog and family-friendly event along the shore of the Zumbro River with contests, games, treats and tail-wagging fun. Try your paw err hand at the Temptation Tower or see if you and your dog can Shake That TAIL! It is as much fun to watch as it is to do. There are prizes for the winners and, oh, don’t miss the medallion hunt; where will the medallion be this year? You’ll have to attend and follow the clues to find out! Humans and their well-mannered dogs that are current on their vaccinations are most welcomed.

THEATER APR 17-23:

7:00 PM, Lakeville Area Arts Center, 20965 Holyoke Avenue, Lakeville, Free. A scrumptious, melodramatic adventure, this comedic one-act invites audience members to join in the action by supplying claps, boos, and cheers to keep the story rolling! This one-act production is fun for children of all ages due to its short run time and simple audience involvement.. http://test.lakevillemn.gov/index. php?option=com_jevents&task=icalrepeat. detail&evid=5771&Itemid=1364&year= 2015&month=04&day=17&title=the-adv entures-of-little-daisy&uid=5bd5c60f07 9ac33b02ec5368eb94eda2.

Love, Loss and What I Wore: 17-Apr, 7:30 PM, Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave., Faribault, $10-$15. $10 Children 12 & Under/$15 Adults. This delightful and poignant play ‘is not about fashion; it is about what clothes really are to us, those moments when we are constantly trying to find our identity through them.’ These are the words of Nora Ephron, icon-ic movie writer and playwright. Nora and her sister Delia (who co-wrote ‘You’ve Got Mail’ with Nora) probe our memories through a series of conversations and monologues on topics such as mothers, prom dresses, buying bras, hating purses and why we only wear black.. http://www.paradisecenterforthearts. org. “Mr. Burns Jesus Christ Superstar: 17-Apr, 7:30

PM, Ames Center, 12600 Nicollet Avenue, Burnsville, $19-$22. If you strip awaythe myth from the man, can you see where we all soon will be? In Tim Rice andAndrew Lloyd Webber’s milestone musical, the destinies and struggles of Judas,Jesus, and the disciples collide as they try to make sense of their paths in life and grapple with the outcomes of their choices. Delve into one of thegreatest stories of all time with The Chameleon Theatre Circle, and experienceit as you never have before!. http://www.amescenter.com/chameleon-theatre-circle.html.

“Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

PINS is a family musical featuring breathtaking dance numbers and unforgettable songs including: ‘Chim Chim Cher-ee,’ ‘A Spoonful of Sugar,’ ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ and ‘Let’s Go Fly A Kite.’ What could be more jolly?. https://www.chanhassendt.com/ Online/default.asp?sToken=1%2Ce53a2d3c %2C54b6d9ef%2C29E09F36-0287-42C497D9-37927806808D%2CfIcUlvTpHL71fMq fZhyFqBTNtRI%3D&BOset::WScontent::Sea rchResultsInfo::current_page=2&doWork::W Scontent::getPage=&BOparam::WScontent:: getPage::article_id=AB39F4B0-CAB6-47648A4C-F753DC30C9C6. (952) 934-1525 Mary Poppins: 2-May, 1:00 PM, Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, 501 West 78th Street, Chanhassen, $45-$74. Based upon the iconic Disney animated film, MARY POPPINS is a family musical featuring breathtaking dance numbers and unforgettable songs including: ‘Chim Chim Cher-ee,’ ‘A Spoonful of Sugar,’ ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ and ‘Let’s Go Fly A Kite.’ What could be more jolly?. https://www.chanhassendt.com/ Online/default.asp?sToken=1%2Ce53a2d3c %2C54b6d9ef%2C29E09F36-0287-42C497D9-37927806808D%2CfIcUlvTpHL71f MqfZhyFqBTNtRI%3D&BOset::WSconten t::SearchResultsInfo::current_page=2&do Work::WScontent::getPage=&BOparam::W Scontent::getPage::article_id=AB39F4B0CAB6-4764-8A4C-F753DC30C9C6. (952) 934-1525”Brigadoon

MAY 1-7: Oliver!: 1-May, 7:30 PM, Lakeville Area Arts Center, 20965 Holyoke Avenue, Lakeville, $13 . Don’t miss this electrifying song and dance show! Join Oliver, the Artful Dodger, Fagin, and his crew in the show that will leave you singing Food, Glorious Food, It’s a Fine Life, and As Long as He Needs Me.. http://test.lakevillemn.gov/index. php?option=com_jevents&task=icalrepeat.de tail&evid=5781&Itemid=1364&year=2015& month=05&day=01&title=oliver&uid=e54b2 84b117a4edb8afea534c77d8ac4.

Mary Poppins: 1-May, 8:00 PM, Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, 501 West 78th Street, Chanhassen, $45-$74. Based upon the iconic Disney animated film, MARY POP-

Power of the Power Purse

The Adventures of Little Daisy: 17-Apr,

Mom! A New Musical: 7-May, 7:30 PM, Ames Center, 12600 Nicollet Avenue, Burnsville, $22 . Back by popular demand!

The Chameleon Theatre Circle’s audience charmer from last season, Mom! a new musical, returns just in time for Mother’s Day 2015, in a new, expanded version with additional music! Mom! celebrates the twists and turns, delights and dilemmas, rewards and regrets of parenting. From trying to reason with a toddler having a tantrum to panicking at the prospect of a parent-teacher conference; from staving off unwanted child-rearing advice to struggling to accept the choices of grown children; from trying to rekindle marital passion to trying to shield kids from the heartbreak of divorce. This musical celebrates the humor and the terror of parenting.. http://www.ames-center.com/ mom-a-new-musical.html.

Singin’ in the Rain: 8-May, 7:00 PM, Sheldon Theatre, 443 West 3rd Street, Red Wing, $11.50-$20.50. Advanced Tickets: $17.50 - $11.50* Day of Show (add $3 per ticket): $20.50 - $14.50. Tap your toes and sing along in this splashy adaptation of the celebrated and beloved film. Screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green Songs by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed Based on the classic Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film by special arrangement with Warner Bros.

Theatre Ventures, Inc. The ‘Greatest Movie Musical of All Time’ is faithfully and lovingly

MAY 29 - JUN 4:

adapted by Broadway legends Betty Comden and Adolph Green from their original award-winning screenplay in Singin’ In The Rain. Each unforgettable scene, song, and dance is accounted for, including the show-stopping title number, complete with an onstage rainstorm! Hilarious situations, snappy dialogue, and a hit-parade score of Hollywood standards make Singin’ In The Rain the perfect entertainment for any fan of the golden age of movie musicals.. http:// www.sheldontheatre.org/events/RWHSM15.

651-388-8700”The Language Archive

Betty’s Summer Vacation: 30-May, 7:30 PM, Ames Center, 12600 Nicollet Avenue, Burnsville, $19-$22. Ah, the joys ofsummer: Warm breezes, the beach, playing charades with the roommate who justmight be a serial killer... and the crazy land lady who invites a seedy strangerover for dinner... not to mention the mysterious laughing voices in the ceiling!What twist of fate brought a nice girl like Betty into this house full of insanity? Is it all uproariously funny or unbearably horrible? You decide!. http://chameleontheatre. org/season17/bettys-summer-vaca/.

MAY 15-21: Symphonic Series - Kiss Me, Kate: 17-May, 3:00 PM, Mankato West High School, 1351 S. Riverfront Dr., Mankato, $8.50 . Mankato favorite Brad Benoit leads a stellar cast in Cole Porter’s musical. The musical version of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrewhas stood the test of time through several London and Broadway revivals. Even if you’ve never seen the show you are likely to know many of the songs which have become jazz standards. Big Band favorite ‘Too Darn Hot’ and ‘Tom, Dick, or Harry’ will bring a smile to your face and have you dancing in your seat. Kenneth Freed conducts.. http:// www.mankatosymphony.com/symphonicseries-kiss-me-kate.

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Jivin’ Ivan 7:30-11:30 pm Saturdays, April 18th & May 2nd

Jam session with Allison & Mike Thursdays, April 30th & May 21st Acoustic Guitar

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Proprietor, Impresario, Farmer, Man of Peace.

Last of the SoMinn

By RICH LARSON editor@southernminnscene.com

S

teven Schwen is a fit man who walks with a slight hunch in his back and a constant look of concern on his grizzled face. This is not surprising for a man who has worked with his hands as a farmer and a woodworker for more than 40 years. But the look of concern belies a mind that has spent hours and hours and years upon years pondering the planet and our place upon it. His body holds a soul more concerned for his fellow human beings than anybody in St. Paul or Washington D.C. Steven truly holds the ideals of the 1960’s peace movement dear to his heart. Some would call him an obsolete relic from a distant age. Others would call him a lost soul in a cold world. Still others would call him a role model who should be esteemed, admired and emulated.

Trying to brush off all the grandeur, I asked him simply if it was okay to call him a hippy.

“I don’t take offense to that at all,” he said. “That’s what we were and that’s what I am.

People think that means someone all weird and mixed up in drugs. I’m certainly not that. I 38 w w w. s o u t h e r N m I N n SCENE. c o m u M AY 2 0 1 5

believe in peace and making this world a better place.”

Among the ways he expresses that ambition is by operating the Oak Center General Store. It sits about seven miles south of Lake City on Highway 53 on his 14-acre farm.

Schwen found the place in complete disarray, abandoned for more than five years. Slowly, carefully he nursed the building, and the farm behind it, back to health, like the doctor he had once aspired to be. In the years since he has created an old-fashioned family farm that supports him, and gives him enough to eke out a living by selling produce and eggs to coops and at farmers markets.

The real gift however is the upstairs room in the general store that, for seven months out of the year, operates as the best music venue in Southern Minnesota, and maybe in the entire state.

It is as unassuming as it is kitschy. Filled with rows and rows of salvaged theater seats, supplemented in the back of the room by a few couches, love seats and at least on rocking chair. From October through April, he packs the room every weekend, hosting a series he calls the Folk Forum, and books some of the finest folk/coutry/Americana/blues/Celtic musicians and performers from all over North America. Every show night, there’s a potluck buffet operated on the honor system. Steven’s two cats and two dogs wander the aisles during the

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A d d y o u r e v e n t f o r F R E E t o t h e T I M E L I N E c a l e n d a r . G O TO w w w. s o u t h ernminn . c o m / s c ene / c a len d a r & C l i c k + A d d a n E v ent

The Oak Center General Store located 7 miles south of Lake City on Highway 53. show, and if you’re sitting in that rocking chair, don’t be surprised to find your lap hosting one of those cats for a little snooze during the second set.

I speak from experience.

The Oak Center General Store is a throwback to a time when rural communities were just that: a group of people banded together working for a common cause and a greater good. It’s an idea Schwen believes that can and should be dusted off and put back into play. _______________________________

Where were you born?

I was born in Blue Earth Minnesota. I spent the first 18 years of my life there, and then I came back and worked in the family’s ice cream business.

What was the name of the business?

It was called Schwen’s Ice Cream. Back in 1917, my grandpa and grandma had a candy shop in Blue Earth, and they invented the Eskimo Pie. They didn’t call it Eskimo Pie, they called it Dreams, but it was the same thing as the Eskimo Pie. In 1920 the patent office notified my grandfather and said “These guys are trying to get a patent on your patent.” And they went to court and my grandfather won. He was supposed to get 20% of the profits of the Eskimo Pie Corporation for life. But he didn’t get a cent of that. He did get $13,000, though.

Were you a good kid?

My parents were pretty strict. I had curfews. They wanted me to be “upstanding”

and actually, I was. When I look back on it, they called me the rebel, the Black Sheep of the family. But when I look back on it, I was pretty good. I didn’t do anything that was mean or malicious or dishonest.

So, what year did you graduate from high school?

‘68

And you went off to college in Chicago?

I started college in ’68. That was the Democratic convention.

Were you there?

Well, I breathed in a lot of tear gas and I marched up and down streets.

I was there through the whole Conspiracy 8 trial. And I remember when Fred Hampton of the Black Panthers was assassinated in his house. And when the Weathermen took over the SDS. But, mostly the people that I hung out with were more into the peaceful protests.

I was born in 1969, and I always tell people that I was probably born twenty years too late. Being a generation removed from that, I probably romanticize a lot of what you guys did back in the day.

People still are touched by what happened, and thankfully the music captured the Zeitgeist and was part of the times. The politics, the spirituality of the times was all embodied in the music. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young singing “four dead in Ohio.”

When Joni Mitchel sang “I dreamed I saw the bomber jet planes riding shotgun in the sky turning into butterflies above our nation,” we all hoped that was possible and

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was going to happen.

It was powerful; all across the country.

You’d meet somebody, and you just shared something. It was a brotherhood/sisterhood.

How did you get back to Minnesota?

I went to med school. I was a part of the first class at the Mayo Clinic Medical School.

I told my fellow classmates “I’m here to steal knowledge and then I’m going to give it away for free.” And in actual truth, that’s what I did.

At that time, there were a lot of people talking about living in community and sharing. A lot of us wanted to explore communal economics. I found a farm and rented it with a couple other med students, and eventually we were operating a full commune.

Med School didn’t work out?

I was confrontational. They were posting notices saying, “Students will not be allowed to see patients unless they have shoes, a tie, a coat.” (laughs) I wore blue jeans, sandals and a white shirt.

But I had other conflicts, too. There was a surgeon from South Africa who expected everybody to kiss his feet. And even back then, people were complaining about the high cost of medicine. People had their farms foreclosed on because they couldn’t pay their medical bills and their mortgages at the same time. And I confronted this surgeon about an unnecessary surgery.

The Dean called me down and said, “You’re creating all these conflicts among the faculty here.”

They wanted me to change my behavior; to smooth it out and not be so confronta-

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tional. And I said “Nope. Let’s just stop right there.” Because I wanted to be a family physician like the one’s we had in Blue Earth, who lived in the community and made house calls. They lived in the same neighborhoods as their patients. Nobody had houses on the hill, y’know? So I said, “This is not the medicine I envisioned. I need to go do something else.” So, I went down to the Miracle Mile shopping center where there was a 31 Flavors and had a triple decker ice cream cone, that I had been denying myself because I was a poor student. Then I hitched back home, and suddenly it was spring. The weather was nice. I took off my shoes and put on a pair of shorts and took off my shirt and went out and planted some stuff in the garden.

So, then, what happened?

It was almost like a marriage breaking up.

Our commune thing went the way of every other commune. Everyone went their own direction. I was feeling like my family had just broken up. So, a close friend of mine said, “Hey, there’s a place in Oak Center that’s up for sale.” This building (the General Store) had been abandoned for five years.

So I bought a woodshop from a cabinetmaker in Blue Earth who had gotten too ill to work, and set up shop.

There was no insulation in the building.

The roof on the shop was caved in. All the windows were cracked. It had been totally empty for five years. It was essentially like a barn. All the electrical ran on 2-20 on fuses off a little fuse box upstairs. It required a heroic effort to put it all back together. New roof. Re-wired. The whole works.

Turn

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So, how did the Folk Forum come about?

At first we started showing movies. We rented a 16-millimeter projector from the library and we’d check out films and started trying to get a lot of people together to watch movies and we’d have potlucks. A lot of potlucks. Then we started doing workshops. We did a holistic medicine workshop, bead work, build your own solar collector, how to build a wind machine. We had a lot of people that were involved in this stuff.

Then one of our friends said “Let’s do a square dance.” So we lined up some music from friends who played fiddles and guitars.

And we got Bob Bovie and Gayle Heil and they came and did a square dance. The place filled up. No kidding. Filled up with Back to the Landers. Young couples who had bought some land or were living on a family farm. And they had babies. And half of the people who came were dancing barefoot and the women all had dresses down to their ankles. It was great. And we thought, “This is fun. Let’s do this again.”

Bill Staines was big then. Greg Brown was just taking off. He was just really sweeping the whole country. So the first two folk musicians we had were Greg Brown and Bill Staines. The place filled up again.

Greg played first and we had 200 people.

These days we limit it to 150. So we had 200 people listening to Greg Brown, and we didn’t have all those seats like we do now.

We got every chair we could find and every

couch we could find, and the rest of the seats were five gallon buckets with boards on them.

So then Bill Staines came, and there was another crowd of 200 people. We hadn’t set our limit yet. The fire inspector told us we could only have 300 (Laughs) but I think he was thinking standing up, festival style.

I don’t know what we would do with 300 people. We’re not going to have 200 people again, because it’s just too much noise and congestion.

And things just took off from there?

Well, we started hearing from people coming back from the Winnipeg Folk Festival telling us “Greg Brown played there, and all he could talk about was Oak Center.”

James Keelaghan was playing here…and he said “The word’s out on the Canadian folk music circuit that this is the best place to play in the U.S.” And after he told us that, Hart Rouge contacted us and said “We’d like to start our American tour there.” And they started their tour here.

Greg Brown played here consecutively for 18 years. We’d be sold out months ahead of time, every time he played, with people begging to get in. And then the last couple times he played here, his agent said, I’m not going to let him play there anymore. You guys don’t charge enough. You should be charging $25 minimum.

But, we’re a rural community. We’re not going to charge too much. And we’re on a sliding scale here. This is music for the peo-

ple. This is music for the community. If you can pay $15 to come here, then we ask for that. If you can pay $5 to come, then that’s what we ask for. But the agent said $25 and no sliding scale. We said, “No we’re not going to do that. We’re not going to charge so much that our friends and neighbors can’t afford to come. And we charge the same for all the musicians.”

And the agent said, “Well, I’m sorry. I’m not going to let him play there.”

So then I called Greg up, and by that time Greg loves playing here, and said, “Greg, your agant says you can’t play here anymore because we don’t charge enough.” And Greg said, “It’s not about the money. I’ll just do it for free.”

You get a lot of the Red House Records people down here.

You know, Greg and Bill were the first. But after that, (Red House Records founder) Bob Feldman began coming to shows. He loved this place. He talked about it all the time to the people up at Red House, and he hooked us up with all those Red House artists. In fact, one time, the Roche Sisters, Suzzy and Maggie Roche were coming to the Midwest and he hooked us up with them and they did a great show.

The way you run this thing, when it comes to booking and scheduling and keeping the book, do you do that all on your own?

Well, I used to be married. My first wife and I started this together, and my second wife loved the community we’d built, but she didn’t like the farm work.

After my second divorce I said, “I’m going to keep this thing going.” And I called a meeting and I said, “I’m going to need help.” But we’ve built such a strong community around this place that there’s always been an army of volunteers to help out. We started a sign up list of who was going to help and do what, and a bunch of people come and help clean up. There’s a lot of clean up.

The crew of people that show up for a concert is just a really good community of people. They all have other jobs. We have a professor from the University of Wisconsin LaCrosse who comes every weekend to take tickets. And another lady is a producer of commercials for Target. And we have schoolteachers and retired IBM execs.

That plays into the whole community thing, doesn’t it?

Well, yeah. That was the reason for hosting these gatherings in the first place. They were gatherings more than anything else.

And that’s the reason musicians like playing here so much. Some people have gotten married because they met here. It’s been magical for me and everybody else. People love and connect here.

Rich Larson is the publisher and editor of SouthernMinn Scene. You can reach him at rlarson@southernminnscene. com.

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BRAD PHENOW

WHEN NATURE CALLS Brad Phenow covers Rice County government, townships and arts & entertainment for the Faribault Daily News.

Reach him at bphenow@faribault.com

Blue lines,

maple syrup

The taps are to be drilled into the sunny side of the tree in order to get the most yield. (Brad Phenow/ Daily News) Tanner Hering said for each pink tap purchased, 5 cents goes toward fighting breast cancer. (Photos by Brad Phenow/Daily News)

A tap is plugged into a maple tree in Cannon City, one of 30,000 total. (Brad Phenow/ Daily News)

The 1 1/2 inch lines that Tanner referred to as “wet/ dry” lines before connecting to the shed. (Brad Phenow/ Daily News)

and one heck of an experience

I “

This time of year, things get busy for the Hering family of Waterville as they scramble to keep up with the running sap lines, something the family has done for five generations. (Brad Phenow/ Daily News)

42 w w w. s o u t h e r N m I N n SCENE. c o m u M AY 2 0 1 5

t’s off Farmers Trail; you can’t miss the blue lines.”

Blue lines? What kind of blue lines?

Those were my first thoughts.

But, I didn’t ask, I just figured Google Maps would be as trusty as always and bring me to the blue lines, heck maybe even Google Earth would show the blue lines.

And there I went, heading into the middle of nowhere in Rice County in search of Farmers Trail … and blue lines.

A couple lefts and a few rights later, I saw the blue lines, through the cloud of dust floating off the gravel

Where a number of the lines come together. (Brad Phenow/Daily News)

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road as the rusted old pick up in front of me turned into a driveway.

He was right. I couldn’t and didn’t miss them.

It wasn’t just a single 1 ½ inch blue line that stood out. Literally, everywhere, for more than a mile stretch of gravel road, there were blue lines, hundred of blue lines in some areas. In all, I was later told there was a total of 90 miles worth of line, zigging and zagging through the woods. From tree-to-tree, wired to stakes, through culverts, up and down ravines, around a home, all following the natural grade towards the vacuum shed. The shed helped suck out the air and passed the product into the three 3,000

The lines run underneath the culvert to capitalize on both sides of the road. (Brad Phenow/Daily News)

The lines run along the road for more than a mile. In total, the lines make up over 90 miles. (Brad Phenow/ Daily News)

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The shed sits in the lowest point and holds a vacuum and two electric releasers before being pumped into the truck.

(Brad Phenow/Daily News)

gallon storage tanks that stuck out like a white-tail in the thick of fall.

“They almost overflowed last night,” said the 20-year-old maple syrup genius, whom I later learned was Tanner Hering, one of the many siblings in the Hering family who have dabbled in the family business.

Hering’s Maple Syrup is a well-known business in Minnesota, primarily because it’s the biggest maple syrup operation in the state.

Chances are the other reason is because the family has been collecting sap since 1895.

(That’s not a typo). 120 years.

For someone who had no idea what a maple syrup operation consisted of, boy was I in for a treat, a sweet treat that is.

On that spring afternoon as I drove along the blue lines, I struggled to find words to explain what I was seeing.

In fact, I even told Tanner I felt like it was an episode of “Moonshiners.”

This year, most people in Minnesota were thankful for the early warmup, but the Herings weren’t one of them.

The warmup gave them reason to worry.

Flashbacks to the 2012 season began to lingerthe year they purchased new equipment and got very little in return. In 2012, spring arrived early and Mother Nature never looked back as she kept walking in search of summer.

“When you don’t get sap, you can’t pay the bills,” Tanner’s brother Tyler explained.

But, thankfully for the Herings, the early warmup didn’t resemble the full flashback. In fact, all it did was speed things up as it “pulled the frost.” With the cooler temperatures that followed, it was a recipe for early success.

This year, the Herings traveled to new territory. They expanded the operations into Cannon City, uncharted territory. It was there I discovered the blue lines.

So as the Herings prepped for a new year, a bigger year they hoped, it came with plenty of work. Three month’s worth of work to be exact, as they drilled 12,000 taps and ran the 90 miles of line throughout the woods. It was a task performed by between three to eight guys, depending on the day. Neither the temperatures

Inside the shed which houses the vacuum and the electric releasers.

(Brad Phenow/Daily News)

Tanner fills his truck’s tank three to four times a day and runs it back to Waterville.

(Brad Phenow/Daily News)

nor the conditions kept them from the woods, as they anticipated spring’s arrival.

And then it came.

The warmer temperatures came and went.

The below freezing nights and mid-30 degree days followed.

And the sap began flowing.

Three to four times a day Tanner would run to Cannon City from the family’s Waterville farm, which has another 18,000 taps, to load roughly 4,500 gallons.

With a ratio of 40 gallons of sap to make a single gallon of syrup, it takes a fair amount.

One of the first freezing nights following the warm up, the Herings found out how “alive” the new woods actually were. Had Tanner been another 30 minutes behind, the tanks would have been overflowing.

Thankful he arrived in time, he quickly fired up the generator to start pumping the sap.

Once the truck is full, he heads back to the farm; that’s where the magic happens.

The sap pulled from the trees is in syrup form the same day, but it’s a length process, an all-night, all-day process.

Up until 2010, the family used just three flat pans for its syrup operations. At one time, they had roughly 15,000 buckets throughout the woods collecting sap.

But with new machinery, things got a lot less sticky for the Herings.

The reverse osmosis system or RO, can process 4,000 gallons of sap an hour, something that the family has welcomed with open arms.

Following the RO’s work of separating the water, increasing sugar content and separating minerals, the product heads to the evaporator.

As the machine works to finish boiling the 55 gallons of final product an hour; the end result is that of the purist form.

On average, the Herings produce nearly 13,000 gallons of pure maple syrup during the sap-flowing season. With the new woods, woods that have proved to be “alive,” the Herings are hoping for an even better year.

And after seeing the operations, the amount of work, the amount of pride and the amount of experience the Herings put into their work, I can’t help but root for them.

Tanner Hering (right) stands next to the three 3,000-gallon tanks in Cannon City.

The reverse osmosis system can handle up to 4,000 gallons of sap. (Photo courtesy of Tanner Hering)

What it takes From installing the taps to selling the syrup, a number of steps are taken to ensure the product is just right. At Hering’s, the following equipment is used to turn the sap into syrup.

Vacuum pump: A suction that lowers the pressure in the tubing, as the sap itself flows freely as temperatures rise above freezing.

Reverse osmosis system: A machine used to separate the water and increase the sugar content, along with separating minerals and other impurities.

The evaporator is able to hold 55 gallons of syrup.

(Photo courtesy of Tanner Hering)

Evaporator: A process used to boil the sap and remove the water the rest of the water.

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a

A s ’ n e Tale Gold n e d l o G DOG's

The adventures of Stormin’ Norman Molly Larsen is a freelance writer in Southern Minnesota. Reach her on Twitter @ReporterMolly

L

ast month I wrote about the elation I was feeling for the seasonable weather and getting outside to run with Stormy. I think I might have jinxed it, because winter reappeared shortly thereafter.

Looking out my window, there’s a mess of snow and mud and yuck.

Hopefully by the time this prints we’ll be experiencing the sunshine and warmth that alludes to summertime and hopefully, I didn’t just jinx us again.

This sloppy weather makes for a sad Stormy; he’s pouting outside at the mo-

ment.

Outside being the operative word, as he prefers the luxuries of inside. But, as canines are often inclined to do, he’s been romping in puddles and rolling the mud.

He’s also feeling blue because his cousins, Ruger and Josie, just left him.

Ruger, as mentioned in previous columns, is a yellow Labrador who listens

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to his owner and is very no-nonsense. Ruger and Stormy are opposites. Josie is a mixed breed, adopted after being in an abusive home. She can hold her own with the boys. She is also at the top of Stormy’s playmate list. So, not only is the Storm on the sad side, he’s exhausted, too. Ruger stresses him out and Josie tires him out.

Plus, he’s on the brink of turning eight and maybe he just can’t hang like he used too.

Yes, that’s right May is Stormy’s birth month! 2015 isn’t just any birthday either, it’s his golden birthday on May 8. A golden birthday for a golden retriever.

I guess in the technical dog years, he’s 56.

Which doesn’t sound all that glamorous or fun. But, it is the “golden years.” So it sticks with the theme here.

Did you know that a dog’s age calculated into human years is different depending on the breed? I didn’t. I also just followed the rule of one dog year= seven human years.

According to Pedigree (they make dog food, so they must know right?) an eight-year-old golden retriever is actually 61. If Stormy was an eight year old Chihuahua, he’d only be 48; 55 if he were an American Eskimo Dog. While the Storm’s strawberry blonde locks are highlighted gray and white, he’s still plenty spry. Probably because his people take grand care of him. (wink wink.)

He gets ample exercise and takes multiple naps (I almost wrote cat naps, ironic?) in his lavish indoor living quarters.

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He may woof down generic brand dog food (Sorry, Pedigree), but it’s complimented by plenty of lambflavored dog treats and human food—no cheese or chocolate of course. He’s regularly groomed. Though I was looking at his teeth the other day and they could use a good ol’ flossing.

And not to state the obvious, but he gets plenty of attention and affection from the mortal. All in all, this eight/sixty-one year has a pretty golden life.

I’m sure his birthday will be a tail-wagger of celebration. Maybe he’ll get an extra treat or an extra walk to visit his friends throughout town. Maybe even a Jeep ride (his fave) or leftovers (also his fave.)

Speaking of tail wagging, Stormy’s tail is often on the go.

While there is a lot of research out there suggesting that a wagging tail does not always mean happy, a vigorous wag does equal excitement.

Excited is a perfect adjective for the birthday pup.

He’s always happy to see his people (mostly all people) and to adventure. He’s an excited calm though—he delights in snuggles and naps and pets just as much; even more now that he’s apparently in his sixties.

Frost so famously wrote that “nothing gold can stay,” and sure, his golden mane is fading, but that’s really the only sign that Stormin’ Norman won’t continue living his golden, blissful lifestyle for birthdays to come. He’s a lucky dog, people.

Now… if only we could get some golden sunshine to accompany us.

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devour **editor’s note -- Jill Mackey is the longest tenured writer for SouthernMinn Scene, having been the first columnist hired for the magazine. We are so sad to see her go, but wish her all the best - and great weather - in North Carolina. Thanks for everything Jill!

I

Jill Mackey Faribault Foodie

A journey to my second life –

a journey to

found myself spiraling downward like ‘Alice’. For the last three years I have watched my Beloved leave me a little bit every day. Now my “First Life” journey was ending.

I crashed to the Earth last Spring when I was forced to bid farewell to the center of my World for the past fifty years. We said good-bye when Cancer took him from me. Our bond could not have been closer. We were One. What I did not realize during that journey was that I had also lost a little bit of myself each of those days as well. At the end my Soul and my Heart were ripped from my core leaving a gaping hole. I have been scrubbed out. I am an empty shell without him.

I have spent the last year shuffling one foot in front of the other; no direction, no purpose, no reason to get out of bed. I had always been the “vibrant” one; full of Life and intention; so dedicated to bringing Joy into the World one encounter at a time.

Why was I left behind? Who am I now?

What purpose is there for me alone?

Slowly I began to realize that I was going to be forced to move on without him. I needed to attempt to fill the cavern that had been left. It was echoing. Before I knew my purpose on this Earth; I was here to be Joy; here to bring small bits of Joy to all that were in need of it. But all of my Joy had left me hadn’t it? Time to examine that very question. Was my Beloved the only source of my Joy? The answer kind of made me feel guilty because he was not the only Source. So the Quest began to determine how to start to quiet the gaping echo within me.

I began the review of what brings me Joy. Not only are my first source of Joy (our children) grown (heck they’re OLD!) but even the Grandchildren (my second source of Joy) are grown! Any impact I might have on who they might become is pretty much done. Another consideration in my Quest: I have Multiple Sclerosis.

I have lived in the ‘Frozen Tundra’ of

Minnesota for the past 20+ years. Not an easy State to maneuver with a cane in the Winter. It became obvious that I could not move forward and find myself again if I cannot get out and around a good portion of the year!

Options: 1. Move back to my original home in New England to Family and a large circle of close friends. Well, not after THIS Winter! Same mobility issues coupled with additional living expenses.

2. Move to San Francisco to be near my younger sister. Better weather but talk about additional living expenses!

And she and her family would be the only people I know there.

Somewhere warm, somewhere warm – who do I know somewhere warm?

Some of my late husband’s family has settled in Florida. Warm yes.

Do I like it there? No. Too crowded, too expensive, too many lizards and bugs. I certainly don’t consider lizards and bugs Joyful.

Aha! My very close cousin has built a home on a mountain in Asheville, North Carolina! We have a possibility here! My cousin and I were born six weeks apart. We grew up like brother and sister. Without the fighting. He is the one that led me to the final answers in my life-long search for Spirit more than a decade ago. He and his wife have built a huge social circle that I think I could inject myself into. When I telephoned him with the proposal he was delighted. But he asked me the perfect question: “What does your Heart tell you?” And he suggested the perfect solution to determine the answer to that question: “You should never move somewhere that you have never visited.”

I researched. What I saw online was wonderful. I learned that it was a City of about 80,000 with some very interesting History. It is filled with ‘old hippies and young hipsters’; with musicians, artists and writers. It is traditionally the only City in North Carolina that

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votes Liberal. I was starting to put this City on like an old warm sweater. Off I went. In January. He assured me that it would be the worst weather that I would see in Asheville at that time of year. It would all be uphill from there.

My cousin picked me and my daughter up at the airport. An airport is an airport. We drove and chatted. And then it happened – we arrived. The air smelled different. The mountains were majestic and blue-grey and surrounded us. We drove up the mountain side to his home; back and forth, back and forth; a ‘switchback’ I was told.

Evening fell on the way so I would have to wait until morning to see the view.

And it was Spectacular! And it was Peaceful. And it was Joy. We toured the area for several days.

All the while my cousin and his lovely wife expounded the virtues they had found in Asheville; Historic, vibrant, spiritual. Each day I bonded a little more. We visited several places for me to live, we dined at multiple wonderful independently owned eateries, we toured a mansion, we attended their uplifting Sunday service, they introduced me to several of their delightful friends, I bought a local piece of Art that called to me.

We talked about the paths I could take once here. There were so many avenues for me to regain my bearings, my Joy that I did not want to leave when my visit was done. I wanted to jump in with both feet. I was beginning to feel the internal vibrancy I had lost. Asheville needed to be my home.

It was now up to my Universe to make it happen. Now I needed to wait.

Did I mention that I hate waiting? I do not ‘do nothing’ well. The last 30 day stretch where I had with nothing to do I wrote a cookbook!

And now I had to wait for a home to present itself. February passed.

I kept in touch with my possible homes hoping someone had to move.

I didn’t want to wish ‘ill-will’ on anyone but maybe someone would

get a great opportunity and have to move? March was almost done. I was feeling like I was stuck in mud.

My Cousin’s wife called just to let me know she was feeling a ‘shift’ and felt something would open up soon! Hope? I put a call in to one of my possible new Homes. TWO units were opening! I sent all of the information they needed and once again I needed to wait. I went to bed with my Heart lightened a bit.

Since my Beloved left me I had been trying to have him visit my dreams.

While visiting my Cousin I started the practice of picturing his face while drifting into slumber. EVERY time I did his face morphed into my Cousin’s face! Upon returning home I kept up the ritual. Several times I could ‘feel’ my Love in my dream but I could never be sure he had been there. I couldn’t ‘see’ him. The next morning I awoke with a vivid memory of my dream. I was in a room where the ceiling was flooding. I moved around the corner looking for help and there he was.

My Love was sitting on a bench as plain as day. He looked me in the eyes and smiled. I always loved his smile.

I poured my morning coffee and prepared for more waiting. Within moments of sitting down at the table my phone rang. I had been approved!

Now I am on my way. My plans include becoming a Certified Life/Soul Coach while I immerse myself in my new Community. My Joy is returning.

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CD REVIEWS

By Sarah Osterbauer editor@southernminnscene.com

A

Aero Flynn challenges a very specific audience

t this point the story of Aero Flynn sounds as much like truth as it does fable.

Because anyone associated with Justin Vernon gets locked into the narrative that is the mystique of an Eau Claire beginning. As the story goes, Justin formed DeYarmond Edison, as himself, Phil and Brad Cook, Chris Porterfield and Brian Moen. Phil, Brad and Brian were also in Josh Scott’s band Amateur Love. As Chris so eloquently tells it on Aero Flynn’s website (aeroflynn. org), by all accounts Amateur Love was the better band. But their success was quickly halted by Josh’s decision to make a quick exit. As we know now, the other members went on to different projects, Bon Iver, Megafaun, Peter Wolf Crier and Field Report. Fast forward to 2015, and Josh has been reborn as Aero Flynn.

His self-titled album, produced by Vernon, features a cast of familiar musicians (i.e Sean Carey and Mike Noyce, who both play in Bon iver).

When I interviewed Chris Porterfield in 2014, Aero Flynn had just started playing shows and Chris assured me they were not to be missed.

By Daniel G. Moir editor@southernminnscene.com

Dear Madonna-

Madonna returns to reveal an insightful Rebel Heart

It’s been a long time, so I was surprised to hear from you recently.

I must confess that when I first heard you were putting out a new album I had every expectation that I would be confronted with another glittery, outdated techno-turd. After a career setting trends, it felt as if you had just thrown in the towel to follow others after Ray of Light back in 1998. I tried to stay in touch, but after Confessions From The Dance Floor in 2005, I completely wrote you off. Completely. I figured your best work was behind you.

Evidently, I was wrong. Your new album, Rebel Heart, is a revelation.

The opening single, “Living For Love” is pretty much a paintby-numbers Madonna single: it’s catchy but not exactly memorable.

It’s kind of like that character you played in “Who’s That Girl” back in 1987. Sure, she’s cute and funny, but after a little bit of time, you just wish she would go away. I think you may have even said as much about her in some magazine a couple of years ago.

“Devil Pray” was, at best, curious. You’re trying to push society’s buttons again by following lyrics about having sins “washed away” with the suggestion that “we can sniff glue, and we can do E, and we can drop acid.” Um, WHAT? At least the Spanish-Western style music background lent some interesting juxtaposition.

“Ghosttown” was the first indication that you might not be phoning it in after all. I have always loved the honesty of your ballad voice,

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The album opens with “Plates2”.

It starts out safe enough: start with some folky guitar, a piano follows and ten we’re introduced to Josh’s delicate tenor. His voice is emo Ryan Adams, bordering on Neil Young with that Elliott Smith depression sprinkled on top. About halfway through, synth elements enter into the fray, Josh’s voice goes mute and the track closes on faded piano and drums.

I would love to tell you what he is singing about throughout this record. I really would. But honestly, I don’t know. And I don’t think I’m supposed to.

“Dk/Pi”, which was one of the first songs we heard from Aero Flynn, has a distinct 80’s feel. It sits on these synth sounds that depicted the way we thought about outer space in the 80s. Here Josh’s voice takes on more of a Boy George personality at times injecting the drama of Rufus Wainwright.

“Crisp” fronts like it’s going to be a folk number until the sporadic electric guitar pops up here and there. It’s clear at this point that the entrances and exits of instruments on this record give no fucks as they occur completely at their leisure. The last 30 seconds venture into EDM

and this beauty confirms it. Like “This Used To Be My Playground” and “Something To Remember,” your voice really soars when wrapped in a melody like this.

I’m glad that you decided to have some fun too. Obviously, no one but you could put out a song like “Bitch, I’m Madonna.” While some might want to write off this paean to a night out as lightweight, nobody can deny the humor in this song, or that fact that it is amazingly catchy. Brilliant move to bring in Nicki Minaj to rap a verse, by the way. Of all the Wannabe’s for whom you kicked down the door, only Madame Anaconda could guest on this song.

Not really sure what you were getting at with “Illuminati” at all.

The musical “visit to India” is interesting, but lyrically it’s a mish-mash of confused spirituality. A hold-over from your Kabbalah period perhaps?

While I’m on that topic, here is where I have to get a bit tough.

I get that the whole “Sacred & Profane” thing is really important to you. With your name and upbringing, I understand being continually drawn to the elements of Catholicism. I also get that, because of your “Rebel Heart,” you really feel the need to shock and titillate your audience. The whole bridal gown thing during “Like A Virgin,” the “Like a Prayer” video, the Erotica album, the Sex book, etc. You’re conflicted. I GET THAT. 33 years into your career, do you really need a song like “Holy Water” that just re-hashes the same old bit?

Seriously. I know that we’ve talked about this in the past, but please up the therapy sessions and keep it out of your work. It’s no longer fueling

territory with that whirring synth vibe that’s usually accompanied by a matching strobe light.

The only song that employs an auto-tuned vocal is “Tree”. It also features distorted white noise and snare. This combination with the bassline sounds reminiscent of tunes on Bon Iver, Bon Iver, just in case you weren’t positive yet that the two were related. Although it may be difficult to hear if you get hung up on the vocal which sounds like it could’ve come from one of Ryan Olson’s projects, Marijuana Deathsquads or Taggart & Rosewood. It has that same spacey cult vibe.

Aero Flynn is not for the casual listener. They are the high end gastronomy of bands, to be appreciated only by the most sophisticated of musical palates. Conventional rules of composition do not exist in their space. Layers come in, and go out, some as if they weren’t even there to begin with. This album is for when your ears are begging for a challenge, when you want parts of your hearing you didn’t know existed to be awakened.

Sarah Osterbauer is a die-hard music lover.

When she does her budget each month, food comes after concert tickets. Find her on twitter @ SarahOwrites.

your art, it’s dragging on it. C’mon, just listen to “Sex” from the new album. Absolutely cringe-worthy. We both grew up in the eighties, but at some point this just becomes embarrassing. That is not an age-thing, Madonna. It’s a maturity thing. We should both probably be past it by now.

That being said, these last three songs are really your only serious mis-steps on this album. That says a lot. I’ve gotta tell you, “Joan of Arc” may be one of the 5 best songs you have ever done. I’m serious. I wasn’t expecting such unvarnished honesty. You really surprised me. A transcendent melody coupled with insightful lyrics that invited me into the pains you feel under your tough public exterior. This is the kind of self-aware honesty that I expect from our friend John Lennon, but not so much from you. It is great to see you open up like this. I feel that after all this time, I learned more about you in 4 minutes, 2 seconds than I have over the past 30 years.

The record store where we used to meet isn’t the same as it was way back when, but I’m glad to have encountered you there; older, yes, but willing to reveal (and revel in?) the changes you’ve gone through.

It’s good to see you back “Into The Groove.”

Hugs & Kisses, Dan P.S. Saw recently that you want $355 from me for Main Floor tickets for your Oct. 8th show at the Xcel Energy Center. Instead, can I have my $15 back for the MDNA album?

Among other things, Daniel G. Moir is a master of pop music criticism. You can reach him at editor@southernminnscene.com

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CD REVIEWS

By D.L. Anderson editor@southernminnscene.com

I Swervedriving into Oblivion

was a fan of Britpop and Post Britpop acts like Oasis and The Verve and Radiohead that dominated the rock’n’roll landscape of the mid to late 90’s and went to see a band called Swervedriver at the now-defunct 400 Bar in Minneapolis in 1998. I’d never heard of them before seeing an ad for the show, but as a fan of the genre, it seemed like it might be an opportunity to see an up-and-coming artist in an intimate venue before they made it big and started selling out the main room at 1st Ave. The supporting act was a little-known trio called Spoon, who had released their first album the year before, selling a few thousand copies.

After their set, Spoon’s lead man Britt Daniel handed out copies of their 30 Gallon Tank EP, which I gladly accepted. They had put on a memorable show, but the cd went on my shelf and sat forgotten until several years later when I was going through the laborious cd-to-mp3 conversion process. When I came upon the Spoon EP with its DIY,

OwAtONNA POst 77

amateur cover art in its cardboard, spineless jacket, I remembered how impressed I was with their performance and listened to it immediately after ripping it. I then acquired their entire catalog and fell in love.

In the interim, Spoon had released four more albums, signed and lost a major label deal, and continued to grow a fanbase while honing their craft and transitioning into greatness. In that same period, Swervedriver released...nothing. In fact, the band broke up soon after I saw them, and 17 years later released “I Wasn’t Born to Lose You”, which I am ostensibly reviewing right now.

The album has a polished, alt-rock sound with buried vocals so consistent in tone throughout that it seems they knew exactly the sound they were going for and achieved it. If you listen to a couple tracks and like them, you’ll probably like the rest. It is an album (or at least a collection of songs) that is all about style, the price of which is substance. If you like the style and care little for inspiration, and don’t mind guitar parts that sound like over-rehearsed etudes, this record

won’t disappoint. (If you must listen to this attempt to revisit the glory that wasn’t, please note that the tracks are in the wrong order. The A and B sides are reversed.) If, on the other hand, you want to buy a record you can listen to over and over again and still not grow tired of it, I recommend a Spoon album. In fact, if you don’t already own Gimme Fiction or Kill the Moonlight, I demand you get yourself a copy of either right now and listen the shit out of it. Introducing me to Spoon is the best thing Swervedriver ever did.

D.L. Anderson is an amateur musical genius and always has a sharp, well-reasoned opinion on music. He can be reached at editor@southernminnscene.com

July 21-26, 2015

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W h at we talk about w h e n w e talk about

KEVIN KREIN THE BEARDED LIFE

Kevin Krein

beards

Kevin Krein is a walking beard. He also is: a writer for the Northfield News, an “award nominated” music blogger, an observational humorist, a bookseller, and a cool rabbit dad. His beard is nicer than yours. Sometimes he tweets about all of the above, and more—@KevEFly

W

hen I started contributing the “back page humor column” to this magazine, coming up with the column’s name was a challenge. In putting it out to social media back in the dark ages of 2013, there were jokes that I could call the column “Feeling #Blessed,” or “How to Be Trill w/ Your Boy Kev E Fly.” After some deliberation, my editor and I chose “The Bearded Life” —as a bit of a play on that thing on NPR that white people seem to like, but also because it’s about my life, and I have a beard. To my knowledge, none of the columns I have produced have inherently been about my beard… until now.

Upon discovering that the May issue was going to be the “Interview” issue, my initial thought was to write something simply called “So tell me about your beard”—which is exactly what it sounds like. It seems worth noting that I thought about interviewing myself, because I have been known to say things like “I inspire me.” My editor kind of nervously laughed at that idea, mentioned something about narcissism, and then went back to what he was doing.

I have been mistaken for Brian Conlan at least twice.

The first was by an employee of Just Food Co-op. I should mention that when Conlan was still living in Northfield, his wife worked at Just Food, so he probably spent a lot of time there, and people probably recognized his face. A face that, to some extent, could be misinterpreted for my own. I was in the check out lane, purchasing a bag of coffee, and the clerk proceeded to start a conversation with me about said coffee (a kind I had never purchased before.) Our conversation lead me to believe she was mistaking me for someone else who bought this brand of coffee regularly, and had confided in her that it was good.

I only later realized who she was mistaken me for.

The second time I was mistaken for Brian Conlan was during the Taste of Northfield in 2011, by someone that used to be my boss. He saw Conlan on stage, playing guitar in the band Templeton; then later, came up to me and was like “THAT WASN’T YOU UP THERE?”

“I’VE mistaken you for me a couple of times,” Conlan told me, only half joking. He said both times were in the Co-op. “It was like a weird, shadowy, cold breezy kind of recognition. But I always figured it out right after because, honestly, your beards were much more voluptuous than mine.

I suspect you’ve used conditioner.”

(He’s right—I do. Every morning.)

Now seems like a good time to interject that my own wife had (from a distance) mistaken Conlan for me when they were both working in different departments at St. Olaf. She said on more than one occasion she saw him in the distance, thought “Oh there is my husband,” started to wave, but then realized that she would have been WAVING AT A TOTAL STRANGER. Reflecting on his own “bearded life,” Conlan said that he’s been bearded since he was able to be. “It seemed I always shaved at the way points: like graduating high school, leaving the country, getting married.

I don’t know why,” he confessed, “particularly since the beards always came back in force afterward.”

He said that after experimenting with sizes and styles throughout the 1990s, including a length that he deemed comforting yet unsanitary, he settled on a shorter style that was possibly too pointy—“really pointy in the chin,” he said, “like Robin Hoodstyle.”

Conlan told me that after all the experimentation with length and style, he’s worried he might be losing his “beard cred.” “That’s the middleaged dude/beard relationship.” He said he’s got some grey streaks now, but that it’s cool—“I’m pretty sure it’s the first time I’ve looked my age in forever,” he said.

“The full beard/bald head thing is weird,” he concluded. “Not bad. Just weird. I’ve never been into grooming, so it’s an odd thing to carefully cut that line by the ear where, below the arm of my glasses, there’s hair; whilst above, smooth to the horizon.”

Despite our similarities in outwardly appearance, Conlan and I differ in our bearded history. Even with my strong interest in facial hair throughout the first three years of college (because college), the girl that I was involved with at that time absolutely loathed facial hair—like, it was just out of the question completely. And also, at that time, my appearance was at the mercy

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of the theatre program of a small, liberal arts college in Iowa—meaning my hair was longer than I would have liked; my sideburns shorter than I preferred; and at times, I had to dabble in questionable moustaches.

The last time I was completely clean shaven was roughly a decade ago, and for a number of months, displayed perpetual stubble prior to making the decision to allow that to form into a beard. And for many years, it wasn’t nearly as voluminous as it is now. Back then, I also had hair, but between 2009 and 2010, it all started to fall rather quickly, and I eventually took the advice of the woman that used to cut my hair, and I shaved my head, allowing the focus to be on what hair I did have left.

The development in magnitude of my beard came naturally around four years ago, when I took a job where I ceased public interaction.

I don’t even remember if it was a conscious decision or not—I think one day, I just started to realize my beard was getting a lot longer than I was used to, and I made no effort to do anything about it.

In discussing his bearded life, juxtaposed against my own, I asked Conlan if his wife had any strong feelings about his beard. He said, “If she’s not lying (and I don’t think she is), she’s a fan. She’s never mentioned shaving it off.”

My wife has never directly mentioned shaving mine off either, but I would not go so far as to say that she is a “fan.” I think she just deals with it, and probably wishes it were exponentially shorter, or non-existent.

Recently, for a “Throwback Thursday” on social media, I found a photograph taken in 2004—when I had a lot more head hair, and only some perpetual 5 o’clock shadow gracing my chin.

“This back when you had a face!” my wife said when describing the photo.

Then a few days later over dinner, the topic of this very thinkpiece came up, and that part of the discussion ended with her saying, “I don’t know honey.

Sometimes, I think you may love your face more than you love me.”

I’m self aware enough with this column to know that I need to get to some kind of point or conclusion or something and so while it’s been a lot of fun talkin’ shop with my doppelgänger, the last question I asked him was one I have been asking myself lately: are you defined by your

beard?

“Nah, not anymore,” he said casually. “I was going to say no, but if I shaved today, it would be a conversation topic for a while— so I guess others probably do the defining.”

For Christmas, I was given a novelty t-shirt that says “Beards: They Grow On You.” And if you think beyond the obvious joke—maybe I’m reading too much into it—there is a deeper meaning to that. At this point in my life, if you were to ask me if my beard defined me, I would say yes. But I’d also argue that my beard is defined by me.

I feel like we’re getting into some kind of existential, “How am I not myself” debacle here with the possible symbiotic relationship I have with my beard. It’s fairly obvious that it needs me to live—without me, it’s just scraps of facial hair in sink; without me, it doesn’t receive compliments from randos on the street; without me, it doesn’t feel the cool breeze blowing through it on an autumn day.

Without my beard, what am I? Am I still me? How much of my beard has grown into my personality?

But without it, I’m no longer “that bearded guy with glasses.” I’m just another guy. Does my beard make me special? Have I allowed it to do that, or am I operating under some kind of false pretense that it is currently doing that for me?

My beard, to some extent, has become like a security blanket—that tattered stuffed animal a child carries around everywhere; it’s the crutch that I lean on to get me through the day—like a spiritual person’s belief in god.

It’s like that incredibly cloying, religious poem “Footprints in The Sand.”

I would be walking along a beach with my beard, and I would notice two sets of footprints in the sand— the sand that represents my life, or something.

“Beard,” I would say. “I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why, when I needed you most, you would leave me.”

And my beard would calmly respond, “During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”

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In Capable Hands

Gallery Exhibitions

April 24, 7pm $12 Members // $15 Non-Members // $8 Students Part of the 2015 Crossroads Family Season

Runs May 5-June 23 Free to the Public Part of the 2015 KDHL/Power 96 Gallery Season Gallery

Flying pizzas, juggled canned meat, pink flamingos, vanishing bananas, impaled potatoes, and music played by pounding their heads In Capable Hands is an innovative comedy juggling team and are seasoned pros with their own brand of fresh, distinctive humor. Trained by Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, In Capable Hands is a husband and wife comedy duo with eye-catching skills and off-center comic flair, are favorites wherever they perform.

Opening and Artist Reception: May 8, 5-7pm

Comedian C. Willi Myles

May 8, 7:30pm & May 9, 2pm $17 Members // $22 Non-Members // $10 Students Part of the 2015 KGP Companies Music Season

April 25, 7:30pm $17 Members // $22 Non-Members Sponsor: State Farm Insurance, Tony Langerud Agency C. Willi Myles returns home to the Paradise for his Line in the Sand Comedy Tour. As always Willi’s extremely funny non-offensive stories and jokes and gives a unique spin to life’s everyday challenges as he applys humor to them.

Referred to as “America’s Everyday Comedian,” Willi is truly comedy at its best.

Sixth Annual Big Hats and Big Hearts Annual Auction for the Arts and Kentucky Derby Party May 2, 4-7pm $17 Members // $22 Non-Members

Carlander Family Gallery: Lois Vranesh Boardroom Gallery:

Melting Point Karen Peters & Justin Peters Daniel Ruf

Norah Long and The Imaginators: Adventures in Childland

WORLD PREMIERE! Norah Long and the Imaginators lead audiences on a magical interactive adventure of songs, poems, and stories from animated movies, children’s classics, and children themselves! For kids of all ages, this concert includes sing-along moments, silliness, and sentiment that engage young audiences and bring adults back to their childhood in joyous and unexpected ways.

Formerly Long, Long Ago: Childhood Favorites from Page, Stage and Screen.

The Merlin Players in association with The Paradise Center for the Arts Presents:

Songs and Scenes: A Celebration of 20 Years of The Merlin Players

The Not-To-Be-Missed-Event of the spring. Join us for an afternoon of food, fashion, friends and fun and help rise the ever needed funding for future arts and education programming at Paradise Center. Take part in silent and live auctions and watch the greatest two minutes in sports.

Enjoy all the festivities of the Kentucky Derby right here in Paradise.

May 16, 7:30pm $15 Members // $20 Non-Members // $10 Students Join us for a fun-filled evening of scenes and songs from past Merlin shows, reuniting many of our alumni and present performers. Get your tickets early; the 15 year anniversary show sold out!

The Paradise Community Theatre Presents:

These activities are made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Amadeus

ParadiseCenterForTheArts.org

June 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 7:30pm June 14, 2pm $14 Members // $15 Non-Members // $10 Students Part of the 2015 Faribault Daily News Theater Season Sponsored by Kelly Schamberger: Art & Design Directed by Daniel Yoder Amadeus is a play by Peter Shaffer, which gives a highly fictionalized account of the lives of the composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri. In the play, significant use is made of the music of Mozart, Salieri and other composers of the period. The premieres of Mozart’s operas The Abduction from the Seraglio, The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and The Magic Flute are each the setting for key scenes of the play. Amadeus won the 1981 Tony Award for Best Play. It was adapted by Shaffer for the 1984 Academy Award winning film of the same name.

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