Happy Apple
@ The Cedar Cultural Center
Happy Apple’s members stay busy with rock-based satellite projects
(members log time in Fog, Love-Cars and Zebulon Pike, amongst other local
outfits) but still manage to regroup every few years and lay down another
batch of adventurous, forward-thinking jazz for the non-traditional jazz
fan. The Happy Apple trio—Erik Fratzke (fender bass), David King
(drums) and Michael Lewis (saxophone)—have been working as a unit
for going on seven years, so it’s no surprise that their sixth and
latest album, The Peace Between Our Companies (which gets the deluxe
two-night stand CD release show treatment) is their tightest collection
of symbiotic musical mischief yet. 7 p.m. $12 adv/$15 door. All Ages.
416 Cedar Ave. S., Mpls. 612-338-2674. Also Sat., 1/15, 7 p.m., $12 adv/
$15 door. All Ages. Nathan Dean
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Stephanie Says
@ The Kitty Cat Klub
 Stephanie
Winter has been a part of the Twin Cities dream-pop scene for more than
a decade (dating back to her time in the Legendary Jim Ruiz Group during
the ’90s and more recently alongside former Hang Ups guitar wizard
John Crozier in the Shebrews), but Sex, Socialism and the Seaside
is her proper solo debut. Winter’s selected the perfect stage name
for her new vehicle, as this batch of classy cocktail tuneage can’t
help but conjure images of the Velvet Underground’s more placid
moments. Winter handles all the production and songwriting duties on this
cycle of so-light-it-might-just-float-away slice of retro pop, but the
project features a bevy of talented collaborators in Winter’s pick-up
band (among them the Autumn Leaves’ David Beckey, the Owls’
Alison LaBonne and Brian Tighe). Those with a low tolerance for cutesy
indie-pop will want to steer clear of Sex, Socialism and the Seaside,
but anyone enamored of twinkling pianos, clean electric guitar trills
and the occasional bit of Franco-inflected rocktricity will undoubtedly
fall in love. This CD release show promises “special guests galore,”
and one can safely expect members of the Owls to back Winter for at least
some of her set. With the Owls, the Carpetbaggers. 9 p.m. $5. 21+.
315 14th Ave. SE, Mpls. 612-331-9800. van Alstyne
Bright Eyes
@ he State Theatre
 It’s
official—Conor Oberst has arrived. More than a decade into the music
career he began in earnest at the dawn of his teenage years, Oberst—and
his revolving group of Omaha-based compatriots that perform with him under
the Bright Eyes moniker—have made the gradual progression from basement
parties to large rock clubs and now, at long last, roomy theatres. This
show is ostensibly in support of Bright Eyes’ new folk-leaning record,
I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning (although that album’s
official street date isn’t actually until the end of the month,
when it will arrive in tandem with the more electronic oriented full-length
Digital Ash In A Digital Urn), so those without access to file-sharing
networks or promo copies shouldn’t expect much in the way of familiar
tunes. Regardless of your opinions about Oberst’s high-drama take
on the troubadour tradition—which, like all great uncompromising
music, tends to incite love/hate reactions as opposed to indifference—it’s
quite possible that Oberst and his motley crew of let’s give Clear-Channel-the-finger-and-make-it-famous-without-any-major-label-backing
mates are about to rewrite music history and smash preconceived notions
about indie-rock’s supposed commercial limitations. Simply put,
that can’t be a bad thing. With CoCo Rosie, Tilly & the Wall.
8 p.m. $20. All Ages. 805 Hennepin Ave., Mpls. 612-339-7007. van
Alstyne
Sigcell, Jesse Lukes, Mel Gibson & the Pants
@ The Dinkytowner
 This
isn’t something I say often—but those in attendance at this
Dinkytowner gig will be a part of damn near unprecedented local music
tech-geek history. In addition to representing the CD release show for
studio-intensive psych rockers Sigcell and their epic debut, The Poet—a
noteworthy enough event in its own right—the show will be broadcast
live on new all local music internet radio station Misplaced Music (MisplacedMusic.org).
If that’s not enough to get your ass over near Gopherville, then
perhaps a chance to catch the whacked out beats and hybrid Hip-Hop of
Mel Gibson & the Pants will entice you. Still not enough? What the
hell is your problem? 7 p.m. $5. All Ages. 412 ½ 14th Ave. SE,
Mpls. 612-362-0427. Dean
Planes for Spaces
@ The 400 Bar
Planes for Spaces have only been on the Twin Cities music scene for a
short while, but in that brief span the trio of singer/guitarist Joe January
and bassist Eli Fry (formerly of local alt. Rock outfit Recepion) and
drummer Aaron LeMay (from St. Paul punk band Switchboard) have managed
to turn a number of heads and been regularly appended to some of the 400
Bar’s high-profile national bills as an opening act. Creepy, semi-gothic
anglophile rock with appropriately spaced out song titles (“Spiral
Eyes”), the band’s four-song debut EP provides plenty of sinister
pop pleasures despite its short running time. At their best moments (as
on the high-toned bass-led lurch of “Dream Number One”) the
band recalls early period Cure cuts like “A Forest,” with
a similar knack for capturing youthful panic. With Sixth on the Bill,
Mike Berg & Soundrifter. 9 p.m. $5 adv/ $7 door. 21+. 400 Cedar
Ave. S., Mpls. 612-332-2903. van Alstyne
The Art Shanty Projects
@ Medicine Lake
 ‘Round
about now many of us begin to suffer the annual ills of the inevitable
cabin fever. You know what I mean … depression, jitters, overall
malaise. If you just can’t watch another DVD, have had enough of
stuffy movie theaters and crowded art openings, don your parka and head
to Medicine Lake in Plymouth. No Name Exhibitions at the Soap Factory
has curated an interesting (albeit chilly) show called the Art Shanty
Projects. Thirty-seven artists are braving the elements to build 28 structures
and present exhibitions, performances and activities on the lake. In this
unusual array of interactive art, visitors can present offerings of fish,
incense or lutefisk to the guardian spirits of Medicine Lake at Spirit
Shanties; take high tea in the Sitting Room (formal wear required) and
participate in perhaps the only yoga-on-ice class I’ve ever heard
of in the Meditation Shanty (space extremely limited). If you thought
Minnesota’s frozen lakes were just for ice-fishing old men in coveralls
swilin’ hooch from a flask, think again! And don’t forget
to bring your ice skates. Exhibit runs weekends and occasional weekdays
through Feb. 19. 2 – 8 p.m. MedicineLake,Plymouth. 612-821-1145.
SoapFactory.org.
Nancy Sartor
Dr. King’s Dream
@ Mixed Blood Theatre
Mixed Blood Theatre is celebrating the life and career of Dr. Martin Luther
King with a one-hour, all ages performance of “Dr. King’s
Dream.” Warren C. Bowles stars as the civil rights leader in a show
that chronicles his life from the Montgomery, Ala., bus strike to his
death in Memphis. External events in King’s career (the marches
in Selma and Birmingham, winning the Nobel Peace Prize) and his thoughts
on topics ranging from Malcolm X to the police to President Kennedy, as
well as his “I Have a Dream” speech, are also included. Bowles,
who has toured extensively for Mixed Blood, captures the dignity, courage
and spirit of one of America’s greatest leaders. 3 p.m. $5 -
$7.50. Alan Page Auditorium, Mixed Blood Theatre, 1501 S. 4th St., Mpls.
612-338-6131. Sartor
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Minnesota RollerGirls
@ First Avenue
Talk about your alternative entertainment … the Minnesota RollerGirls
are coming! It’s roller derby, it’s women and it ain’t
rigged. Created and run by the players, Minnesota RollerGirls is a brand
new flat-track league that’s all about physical toughness, attitude
and flair—including the requisite over-the-top antics, eye-friendly
costumes and larger than life personalities. In preparation for their
first bout on Feb. 27, the Minnesota RollerGirls league is introducing
its four teams, team captains and their uniforms to the public. There’ll
also be demonstration bouts—with announcers explaining the rules—so
the audience can get a real taste of what the action is all about. With
music by The Spittin’ Cobras, Anchorhead & Blame. 9:30 p.m.
$6 adv/$8 door. First Avenue, 701 N. 1st Ave., Mpls. MNRollerGirls.com.
Dight Hobbess
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Once
in a great while a local disc crosses my desk with little to no advance
hype and ends up blowing a lot of the higher profile releases in my grubby
little hands clear out of the water. Chris Koza’s debut album, Exit
Pesce, is a perfect example of this under-the-radar-musical-stunner
phenomenon. On eight tracks of warm sophisticated folk-pop, Koza makes
music that holds serious appeal for both the studious indie-rock listener
or fan of classic Jackson Browne—in other words, me. Whether dabbling
in McCartney-esque pop pomp (the trumpet-abetted “Tired Eyes”)
or studio-sexed-up-white-boy-blues (“Exit Pesce”), the album
shows impressive range as Koza’s pleasant voice rounds out cagey
acoustic licks throughout. With a few of the right breaks it’s easy
to envision Koza having a Mason Jennings-like following in the Twin Cities
and beyond. With Joanna James. 7 p.m. Free. All Ages. 412 ½
14th Ave. SE, Mpls. 612-362-0427. Rob van Alstyne
