mnartists.org is hosting its first ever Field Day at the Walker Art Center today, Thursday, August 27. Events will take place from 11 a.m.- 10 p.m. You can mix and mingle with local artists and arts organizations and participate in lawn sports, including a kickball tournament, create your own screenprinted T-shirt with Calpurnia Peach, and enjoy a kid-friendly  scavenger hunt courtesy of Arty Pants, and a puppet show hosted by Open Eye Figure Theater. And, don’t miss a performance by uber-cool local group Solid Gold and their tricked-out video projections. Check out their video Bible Thumper below. Oh, it’s free.

Bible Thumper

Food and Drink are available at Wolfgang Puck Garden grill from 11a.m. – 8p.m. and The Gorilla Garden Bar from 6p.m.–10p.m.

The Cedar Cultural Center is well known in the Twin Cities for being the place to hear some of the best in music from around the world.  That can often be a problem because it conjures up the idea that the Cedar is a “world music” venue.  “World Music” meaning a bland sort of non-committed vagueness of Pan-African, Pan-Latin, Pan-Carribien, Pan-Arabian, Pan-Everywhere that is generally panned by everyone except the music programmers at Pier 1 Imports.  Even a programmed drum “goove” can’t help this stuff.

Have no fear of hearing the music equivalent of beige during Cedar Cultural Center’s Global Roots Festival.

It’s only four all too brief nights of incredible, cutting edge, spectacular bands from all around the world.

The opening night, co-presented by Walker Art Center, features from South Africa the band BLK JKS.

They were one of my highlights at this past SXSW festival in Austin and I’ve told everyone to watch this band because they’ve been working it for a few years now and their time has arrived.

BLK JKS – Summertime Video

The next night, Sept 25th, it’s s double bill with Brazilians by way of NYC Forró in the Dark and the Argentinian/Uruguaian Bajofondo.  Both bands being the hot epicenter at the NYC Afro-Cuban centric club Nubulu.  A rare opportunity to catch both bands live outside of East Coast or South America.  Also, it’ll be a night for the last summer dance before October and the coming winter blows into town.

Forró in the Dark – Live

Bajofondo – Live

Saturday the 26th is bound to sell out because the legendary Os Mutantes are blasting their tripped out Brazilian psychadelic rock – it will rock your brains out.  The Mutantes (Mutants) have inspired countless bands and artists – from Kurt Cobain and Beck to Of Montreal and David Byrne.  Cobain wanted them to reunite for an opening slot on Nirvana’s 1993 tour, to which the UK newspaper The Independent wrote, “Kurt Cobain was lucky that Os Mutantes turned down that support slot – Nirvana getting out-rocked by a bunch of mad, middle-aged Brazilian hippies would have been a sight to behold.”

Os Mutantes in 1968

Os Mutantes @ 2006 Pitchfork Festival

Os Mutantes – Virginia (Live in London)

Don’t arrive too late or you’ll miss the wonderful Minyeshu Kifle from Ethiopia.  Bringing together the many tribal sounds from Ethiopia, Minyeshu ties them all together and brings ancient songs to the modern world.

http://www.minyeshu.nl/

On the final night of the 27th a Cedar favourite, Huun Huur Tu from Tuvia will be joined by Carmen Rizzo to perform their collaobrative project “Eternal”.  Hunn Huur Tu have brought the art of Tuvian throat singing to the west and global attention to the folk music and culture of the Tuvian people who live on the Russian/Mongolian border.

Two-time Grammy Award nominee Carmen Rizzo (producer for Alanis Morissette, Paul Oakenfold, Jem, Esthero, and more) brings electronic textures and soundscapes to Huun Huur Tu’s already haunting sound.

Blended together the sound is cinematic, lush, and hair raising.  The experience of seeing and hearing this live is truly exciting.

to hear more http://www.hhtmusic.com/

More information and a complete line-up (yeah, there are more bands than these mentioned) can be found at the Cedar Cultural Center’s website

Global Roots Festival 2009 4-Day Festival Pass is $79.00

The 4-Day Pass get you admission to all six Global Roots Festival shows, plus opening night beer and sushi reception.

Individual tickets for each show ranges from $12.00 to $20.00

Opening night is $15 advance ($12 Walker members) or  $18 day of show ($15 Walker members)

Summer Music & Movies in Loring Park:  Newman Rocks

Starting tonight and running every Monday to August 10th, the Walker Art Center is presenting their Summer Music & Movies in Loring Park.  This year they are celebrating the work of Paul Newman at as the sun sets over Minneapolis.  Make sure you’re there at 7pm each night when DJs from the Current spin an opening set for the featured band.

Tonight, Halloween, Alaska will kick of the live music after a mix set from the Current’s Steve Steel

at dusk, stick around for Newman’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

the following Monday’s music and film:

July 27th

Music by: Roma di Luna & DJ Mary Lucia

Film: Hud

August 3rd

Music: Gospel Gossip & DJ Barb Abney

Film: Cool Hand Luke

August 10th

Music: Times New Viking & DJ Mark Wheat

Film: The Hustler

If you forget to pack a picnic, Lunds will have food available for purchase.

A bit of an early announcement, but with only 400 tickets available (minus at least two that I bought), it’s never too early to tell you about the 8th Annual Square Lake Film & Music Festival.

The backyard of Paul Creager’s parents’ 14-acre hobby farm near Stillwater Minnesota is the setting for a one-night festival of short films & animation, live music from a handful of local artists, and camping out underneath a beautiful star-filled sky.
The highlight of the evening culminates when the music and film come together as one of the bands performing scores a live soundtrack to a film on the giant outdoor screen after sunset.

This year’s chosen film is “The Adventures of Prince Achmed” with live music score performed by the International Novelty Gamelan Ensemble.

Other performers throughout the day on the backwoodsy, hand-built stage will be The Bad Plus, Roma di Luna, the Orange Mighty Trio, Charlie Parr, and Zebulon Pike.
You don’t have to worry about missing any of the music or the films since the timing of the day’s events are staggered.  Sit in the giant natural bowl that is the Creager farm and listen to the bands, then get friendly with a neighbor inside the snug barn to watch one of the nearly 50 films being shown on Saturday.

If you want to start the festival early get on two wheels and meet up at the Hub bike shop in South Minneapolis.  There is a discount on individual ticket prices if you make your trip eco-friendly.  $5 instead of the $20-30 price.  You’ll be in the company of families on city bikes to hipsters on fixies, and all others in-between.  The ride is about an hour long over the mostly flat terrain of the Gateway Trail
No worries about slogging your camping gear, a couple of vans will load up and deliver up of the riders’ tents, sleeping bags, and extra food to the Creager farm and back to the Hub the next morning.  If you get a flat or have other minor bike troubles on the way there or back just flag down one of the bike-techie skilled riders that will accompany the group and you’ll be back on your way in no time.
Another plus to biking it, available camping space is a first-come first serve basis and the cyclists always get there early.
(starts in St Paul).

If you prefer to ride on four wheels there’s usually plenty of parking.

Photos of previous Square Lake festivals can bee seen on these Flickr pages.

More information, music & film schedule, directions to the festival location, and tickets purchases can be found on the Square Lake Festival website (linked above).

Stars Maya Rudolph(SNL) and David Krasinski(The Office) play off of each other perfectly as a couple who struggles with that fact that the decisions that they made, may not work out the way they planned and start out on a journey to find their place in life, literally and figuratively.

It was written by David Eggers and his wife Vendela Vida. Eggers is best known as the founder of McSweeneys, a quarterly literary journal and his memoir, “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Eggers also co-wrote the screenplay for “Where the Wild Things Are“, with Spike Jonze and a book which will come out with the release of the movie in October this year.

“Away We Go” directed by Sam Mendes, should put Maya in contention for an Oscar, it was a breakout role, that showed that she belongs in films.

Go see this film, playing at the Uptown.

Stone Arch Festival of the Arts

Minneapolis Riverfront District

June 20th & 21st

10am to 6pm

The Mississippi River is the backdrop for the 15th annual Stone Arch Festival of the Arts this weekend in Minneapolis.   Take Dad out to listen to over forty bands and musical artists play on four stages around the Stone Arch Bridge.  Each day’s music kicks off around 11am and you can run from the stages sponsored by Cities Pages, and Cities 97, to the Star Tribune, or St. Anthony Main performance area trying to get your fill of your favorite folk singer-songwriters or neo-new wave synth popsters.  Fallon Stage24 guests the Spaghetti Western String Co. will be performing as well as Duluth’s sweetly melodic The Alrights,  80′s influenced Idle Hands, chamber folk band Roma di Luna, the accoridan wielding Pezzettino, the rootsy folk-rock of The Absent Arch (you’d swear that was Bob Seger at the mic), and the piano led pop of Jenny Dalton (joined by former members of Cloud Cult).

Complete line-up and performance times, as well as artists and food vendors can be found at the Stone Arch Festival website

If Father is more of a jazzbo then get yourself on over to St. Paul for the

11th Annual Twin Cities Jazz Festival

Mears Park, St Paul

June 18th-20th

times/locations vary

Make an early start of the weekend by participating in the Jazz Night Out fundraiser – a club crawl of 15 venues to raise money for the St. Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation.  To make it easier getting from place to place trolleys will be running until 12:30pm.

Catch The Fantastic Merlins at Black Dog Café, John Penny at Great Waters Brewing Co., Salsa del Soul at Station 4, Chastity Brown in Mears Park, or get off the jazz trip and see the much hyped Solid Gold at Barrio (the one big curve ball in the festival line-up).

$15 dollars get you the button you’ll need to get in all the venues and onto any of the six trolleys running Thursday night and drink specials at each club

Friday’s events culminate with a visit from the New Orleans rhythm & blues/jazz legend Allen Toussaint.  The writer of such hits as “Get Out of My Life Woman”, “Night People”, and “Southern Nights” will headline the free Mears Park stage at 8:30pm but don’t skip the earlier shows.  Celebrating his 90th birthday, the great Minnesota saxaphonist Irv “Mr Smooth” Williams will be performing also on the Mears Park stage – expect to hear bop and swing from the guy who was there back in the day with Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Eckstein, and Dizzy Gillespie.

If a smaller scene is your thing then hit up the Artist Quarter for Jon Weber or the Hat Trick Lounge with Jack Brass Band.

In case “I Can’t Get Started” is your theme song until the weekend, Saturday’s line-up is sure to please with brilliant new comer Esperanza Spalding, local hero Chan Poling’s The New Standards (both in Mears Park), Atlantic Quartet, and George Avaloz (at the Artists’ Quarter).

Complete details on all venues, performance times (including any door charges) at the festival website.

Enough music this weekend for the dad in all of us.

Happy Rocking Father’s Day!