Podcast: HowWasTheShow/Minneapoliscast CD Reviews for December 2008 on 12/12/08

By: Jen Paulson, Pat O'Brien, David de Young, Stacy Schwartz
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HowWasTheShow's David de Young talks to Pat O'Brien, Tony Thomas, Bob Longmore, Jen Paulson and Stacy Schwartz about recent and upcoming Minnesota Music releases for December, 2008. Heiruspecs – “Lenses” (http://www.myspace.com/heiruspecs) – Selected by Jen Paulson The Tisdales – “Box of Wine” – (http://www.myspace.com/wearethetisdales) – Selected by Tony Thom...

Mercury Rev and The Duke Spirit at Fine Line Music Café on 12/12/08

By: David de Young
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Liela Moss of The Duke Spirit - Photo by Jenn Barnett (Click photo for full set) The Duke Spirit     London England’s The Duke Spirit was glad to be back in Minneapolis Friday night opening for Mercury Rev and they said so right out of the gate as they burst into their first song “Lion Rip” from their 2005 album Cuts Across The Land. It was no doubt true they had not b...

The Little Match Girl at The Ritz Theater on 12/11/08

By: Janet Preus
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Ballet of the Dolls is offering up a very interesting piece for the holidays: a colorful, often amusing, engaging and quite beautiful Little Match Girl. One of the darker tales we associate with the season, this version, conceived and choreographed by artistic director, Myron Johnson, plays primarily on the happier fantasies that cradle the Match Girl, gently weaving them back and forth with the reality of her impending death.   Blessed ...

P.O.S. Video Shoot on 12/10/08

By: Dan Haugen
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 P.O.S. publicity photo from his MySpace page. Call it our "audition."   Several dozen P.O.S. fans, myself included, proved Wednesday night they were Minnesotan enough to serve as extras in a music video for the punk-rapper's upcoming album, Never Better.   The album, P.O.S.' third full-length, is due out Feb. 3 on Rhymesayers. He and his crew have been ke...

The Bitter Spills at 331 Club on 12/10/08

By: David de Young
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"Baby" Grant Johnson - Photo by David de Young Wednesday evening while many Twin Citians were still debating whether to go to the Oasis concert as they heard reports of scalper prices falling lower and lower until they were below face value, I was already making my way to the 331 Club.  The words of wisdom that it’s “more important than the decisions you make in life is the...

The New Standards Holiday Concert at Fitzgerald Theater on 12/6/08

By: David de Young
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The New Standards and friends at the Fitzgerald - Photo by Steve Cohen If only all the holiday fare people will attend this season could be as fun and heartwarming as this show.  If only they could all feature what’s surely one of the best cover bands on earth, Minnesota poet laureate Robert Bly reading his poetry, and Matt Wilson singing “McArthur Park.” That’s unfortuna...

Fat Man Crying at Minneapolis Theater Garage on 12/5/08

By: Janet Preus
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  Even though I am relatively new to the Twin Cities theatre scene, it didn’t take me long to begin recognizing the name “Scrimshaw”. Writer, actor, producer, director, comedian, you name it; Joseph Scrimshaw does it all. I will not be comparing this piece with anything else he’s done, because I haven’t seen his other work. I do know what I’d like to see, though, but more a...

The Belfast Cowboys, St. Dominics Trio and The Tisdales at First Avenue on 12/3/08

By: David de Young
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Terry Walsh, Joe Baumgart and Simon Sheehan of St. Dominic's Trio - Photo by Jenn Barnett I love spending time at First Avenue around the holiday season. I fondly recall shows at the venue from Decembers past by bands like The Jayhawks and Soul Asylum that felt like gatherings of the Minnesota musical family. The colder it gets in Minnesota, the warmer it seems in the Main Room when the music is local and the drin...

Rock Against Rape with Tough Tough Skin, Peddlers, MC/VL and Kitten Forever at Triple Rock Social Club on 11/30/08

By: Kristine Lambert
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Standing in front of the Triple Rock Social Club, Program Director for the Sexual Violence Center Jude Foster shouts out: "Welcome to Rock Against Rape!"   The inside of the TRSC was filled with cheery holiday punk rock. Tough Tough Skin, comprised of Duluth-native River Gordon on guitar and lead vocals, Chris Hibberd on bass and Radford Bishop on the drums started out the night with queercore influenced punk. Signed to San Fr...

The Electric Arc Radio show featuring The New Standards and Jeremy Messersmith at The Ritz Theater on 11/29/08

By: David de Young
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 Jeremy Messersmith and the New Standards - Photo by Jenn Barnett (See Jenn's full photo set from the evening here.) I’ve been listening to The Electric Arc Radio Show via internet podcast for a couple of seasons now. I even caught it on old-fashioned radio broadcast at one point on 89.3 “The Current.” But this month, I thought it would be interesting to see the show live onst...