Political Theatre Festival
@ Intermedia Arts

You don't hear much on a regular basis from Teatro del Pueblo, which is too bad, considering what they have to offer. The outfit is the Twin Cities theater's sole Latino venue, a place - just like Penumbra Theatre Company and Theater Mu - devoted to cultural authenticity. TDP has put on some noteworthy productions, including "Help Wanted," a satirical look at the plight of workers whose labor is desperately needed in Minnesota, but who face racist discrimination when trying to fill this need. For the past two years, Teatro del Pueblo has partnered with Intermedia Arts to mount the Political Theatre Festival. It's a collection of pieces on political issues and brought together as a "town hall" where information and ideas are exchanged. Each performance consists of two one-act plays exploring the experience of Latinos in various places around the world. Facilitated dialogues follow. Series A at the festival will be Emiliano Silva's "The Myth of Metamorphosis" and Enrique Buenaventura's "The Schoolteacher."Series B is comprised of Leopoldo Hernandez's "We Were Always Afraid" and Osvaldo Dragun's "Stories for the Theatre"as translated by Joe and Graciela Rosenberg. This year's festival also includes two nights of film, poetry and performance art on Mar. 17 & 18. Preview Thu. Mar. 11, 7:30 p.m.; Opens Fri. Mar. 12, 7:30 p.m.; Sat. Mar. 13, 7:30 p.m.; Sun. Mar. 14, 2 & 7:30 p.m.; Wed. Mar. 17, 7:30 p.m.; Thu. Mar. 18, 7:30 p.m.; Fri. Mar. 19, 7:30 p.m.; Sat. Mar. 20, 7:30 p.m.; Sun. Mar. 21, 2 p.m. Intermedia Arts, 2822 Lyndale Ave. S., Mpls. 612-871-4444. (Dwight Hobbes)

A Whisper in the Noise
@ The 7th St. Entry

A Whisper in the Noise, the Twin Cities best loved (and possibly only?) orchestral rock combo, have been busy beavers as of late. Releasing a collaborative limited edition album with Duluth instrumentalists If Thousands (the hauntingly epic 2D) and gearing up for what appears to be a monumental European jaunt. Catch the boys while they're still in town because their overseas itinerary (which includes playing the Steve Albini-curated All Tomorrow's Parties Festival in London and scheduled 'hang out' time with Icelandic musical sensations Sigur Ros) is so high profile I could see the group opting to extend their stay. It's always nice to see innovative bands getting their due, and even sweeter when it's part of the hometown crew. With the Ashtray Hearts, the Umbrella Sequence and April Seconds. 9 p.m. $6. 21+. 701 First Ave., N., Mpls. 612-338-8388.
(Rob van Alstyne)

Black Diamond Baby or
The Voice of the Volcano
@ Brainco

Press material for "Black Diamond Baby or The Voice of the Volcano" reads, "[It] might be about the questionable solidity of self and the mass delusion caused by the ephemeral existential security of group-think. It might be about the last moments of a culture arrested in a crippling adolescence. It might also be about nothing at all."An odd way to try and interest an audience, but, you may just want to stop in and see this show. Here's the premise. "In an island hotel at the end of the earth that's being evacuated due to the imminent eruption of a volcano, twins Sydney and Howard believe themselves to be affecting (sic) a redirection of the births of a new generation of babies. Babies that will be born free of the world the twins wish to leave behind. But these babies are different and the General knows it. It's vitally important to his operation that these outsiders be stopped and he's dispatched his best man to see it. But Wait. Is the General really in charge, or is it the strange and shadowy figure that seems to be a grotesque ventriloquist's dummy? We don't know either."Presented by Flaneur Productions at Brainco. Mar. 11-27. 8 p.m. Brainco, 2900 Aldrich Ave. S., Mpls. 612-822.6395. (Hobbes)

John Vanderslice, Okkervil River
@ The Triple Rock Social Club

Recording wizard John Vanderslice may be the most popular man in indie-rock. Ask nearly anyone on the circuit and you'll get a knowing smile and instant praise, both for Vanderslice's notoriously artist friendly and affordable recording studio (Tiny Telephone located in San Francisco) and his visionary gadget pop tunes. Making the leap from behind the mixing board to center stage, Vanderslice's career has slowly gained critical mass and his latest LP, Cellar Door, finds itself near the top of the CMJ charts. Featuring the usual array of notable guests (Mark Kozelek, members of Death Cab for Cutie and Beulah) to flesh out Vanderslice's concisely layered tracks.Among the bands who've benefited from working with "the slice"(note impromptu poor taste nickname) are Austin, TX, outfit Okkervil River who recorded their latest effort at Tiny Telephone. Still touring in support of last year's standout Down the River of Golden Dreams, the group's lushly orchestrated folk-pop is an altogether different beast on stage. Expect throat-searing intensity from frontman Will Robinson Sheff expertly complemented by fiercely pounded keyboards and emphatic mandolin strums from his bandmates. With local gloom-rock masters Kid Dakota who are inching ever closer to the June release of their sophomore LP, The West is the Future. 9 p.m. $8. 21+. 629 Cedar Ave. S., Mpls. 612-333-7399. (van Alstyne)

Jamie Kennedy
@ 400 Bar

Since Jamie Kennedy wrote and recorded Judas Son in 2000 he's been marked a Suppressive Person by the church of Scientology, the church's equivalent of the Islamic term "Fatwa."Judas Son was Kennedy's harsh take on the cult-like behavior of Scientologists and the deterioration of L. Ron Hubbard's sanity as the church grew. As a result, he says Scientologists probably have his phone tapped and often show up at his raucous slam poetry shows posing as fans. "In order for a cult to work you have to go after weak egos,"Kennedy says, but now he tries to keep slam and his anti-church opinions separate. "If I just went out and told everybody they are wrong and should just listen to me, then I'd in essence be going after those same weaknesses."For now, the safety of his 4-year-old daughter is his main concern, and, after all, Kennedy has no shortage of other people to piss off. During his award winning Tourettes Without Regrets vaudeville series in San Francisco, he's been punched for making fun of the Notorious B.I.G. and kicked out of Naked Poetry readings for performing "weenie windmills." Kennedy wraps up a week's worth of shows Friday night, landing at the 400 Bar for a performance with a variety of guest artists including Unification Theory, Thadra Sheridan, and a World Champion yo-yoer. 8 p.m. $8. 21+. 400 Bar, 400 Cedar Ave., Mpls. 612 332 6903. Also appearing and teaching at the Loft Literary Center on Thursday, all ages. http://www.Loft.org for show info. (Doc Pop)

Staggering Toward America
@ Bryant Lake Bowl

Sounds like some good old-fashioned existential angst is going on at Bryant Lake Bowl. Feeling disconnected in the aftermath of 9/11, Rik Reppe closed his thriving management consulting business and set out to reconnect with what he lost that day. He threw his clothes, a sleeping bag and a tent into his pickup truck and left home. He began what would become an eight-week journey across America to see the Pentagon, the World Trade Center and a lonely field outside of Shanksville, PA. On the way he spoke with hundreds of people asking what it means to be an American. This is the basis of Reppe's "Staggering Toward America: The Journey Home."A hit at the 2003 Fringe Festival, "Staggering Toward America"has been hailed in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and Minneapolis Star Tribune as a must-see. Jack Rowe directs. Mar. 12 - 13, 10 p.m.; Mar. 14, 8 p.m. $12. Bryant Lake Bowl, 810 W. Lake St., Mpls. 612-825-8949. (Hobbes)


Fifteen
@ MCAD

When MCAD created its Post-Baccalaureate Program as a "focused, intensive, custom-designed study for students who have considerable background in Studio Art and Design"they were clearly waiting for this bunch to show up. The 2004 Post-Bac group, the largest and most diverse in the program's history, includes 15 artists and represents eight disciplines. In true P. T. Barnum style, the exhibition entitled simply FIFTEEN offers up something for everyone. Works in painting, graphic design, interactive media, film, drawing and textiles span the gamut of contemporary visual representation. Come for the art and stay for the live DJ and refreshments. Opening Reception 6 -8 p.m. MCAD 2nd Floor Gallery, 2501 Stevens Avenue So. http://www.mcad.edu for directions,612-874-3700.
(Riah Buchanan)

Rodin Rodino
@ Macalester College

The long-awaited public performance of singer/dancer/composer Rodin Rodino's original album Ram Memoire unites him with nine Zairean-born professional musicians from the U.S. and Canada (including Soukoustar from NYC whose bass and rhythm players have played with every notable musician in Congo) to create a 10-piece Congolese soukous and rumba band. Rodino's sculpted works are crafted from his African heart of faith and calibrated to his Euro-American experience. Although you don't hear directly the influences of Enya, Mozart, Aaron Neville and Michael Jackson, the spaciousness, the playfulness and depth of meaning he finds in their work is all present. The songs, fast and slow at the same time, are complex and exacting, with a calm, peaceful space inside the high energy and exuberant beat. You will be impressed at the formidable aural/oral tradition they represent. And you might be surprised at the degree to which dance is an integral part of the music. The concert's producer and sponsor is Dr. Christian Akale, Macalester grad, Cameroon transplant and former KMOJ host, who is starting a cable program to broadcast African Broadcasting Network - America throughout the country. What better way to launch an African cable station than to throw an extraordinary CD release party promoting the extraordinary Afro pop star Rodin Rodino? Refreshments at 6 p.m. Storyteller Nothando Zulu at 7 p.m. Concert at 7:30. $20 adv. / $25 door. Tickets available at Africa 2000 Store (612-729-2928) and http://www.ticketweb.com. Janet Wallace Auditorium, Macalester College, St. Paul. (Mary Ann Vincenta)

Walker Kong and The Owls
@ The Turf Club

Jeremy Ackerman seems incapable of making up his mind about most things: in the six years that Walker Kong - his ongoing musical project - has existed, they've been a naive pop collective, a beat-heavy art funk band, and breezy and refined pop songsmiths. They've been on, they've been off, then on again. They've repeatedly changed lineups. The only constants have been Ackerman's sharp songwriting and his belief that he needs a dedicated band to carry them off. Back from a long hiatus, the newest version of Walker Kong is having a release show at the Turf Club this week in support of Transparent Life, out now on Magic Marker Records. Splashy and lush, the band describes the new material as "songs that were written softly and played loud." It certainly bespeaks some serious talent - in both writing and performing, this time. Also delivering a breathlessly awaited platter is local girl/boy pop outfit The Owls. Featuring Maria May and the husband and wife team of Brian Tighe (the Hang Ups) and Alison Labonne all sharing vocal and songwriting duties; the Owls spritely sophisti-pop is not to be missed. Then again you probably already know this, as Radio K is apparently committed to playing "Do Ya?" (from their eight-song debut EP Our Hopes and Dreams, also on Magic Marker) every hour on the hour. 9 p.m. $5. 21+. 1601 University Ave., St. Paul. 651-647-0486. (P.J. Morel & His Intern)

The Mavericks
@ The Fine Line Music Cafe

When I heard that the Mavericks had disbanded in 1999 I couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment. These guys were essentially renegades in the mid-90s mixing traditional county with a hint of tex-mex over the course of their three albums together. The Mavericks were one of the first alt-country groups to break through in Nashville and help garner industry notoriety for all the innovators who followed them. After trying his hand at a solo career, lead singer Raul Malo is back with his old comrades. Always willing to play where their spirit takes them, The Mavericks played in famed small town Herman, MN, for the first and only Bachelormania festival back in 1996. Who knows, maybe a return trip to Herman is in store on this reunion tour. With BR-549. 7 p.m. $29.50. 21+. 318 First Ave., N., Mpls. 612-338-8100 (Louis Lenzmeier).