Sarah and Alison’s Graduation Party
Triple Rock

Sarah Sandusky might be diminutive, but that doesn’t mean she’s demure. She’s a motherloving force of nature with enough energy for someone twice her size and from Radio K to the T Rock, everyone knows how important and well-loved she is. However, everyone has to move on at some point, so here we are celebrating her—and Alison Stolpa’s (who was Siouxsie Sioux for Halloween)—graduation in the very same place we feted her 21st birthday. Of course, you’d expect a spectac lineup of bands and you’d be right. The Fuck Yeahs will be closing the night, but be sure to get there early for Stef Alexander’s Building Better Bombs, who have been working on a new album, although I hear they’re going back into the studio to revisit the tracks in the spring after deeming the results so far as unsatisfactory. I haven’t gotten to see them live, but I can tell you that Stef (as P.O.S.) is about to release what’s sure to be one of the highlights of next year in the form of Audition in January. Add in the Deaf, Digitata and the Divebomb Honey, and you’ve got a recipe for a lovingly lost evening of giddy post-grad goodness. 9 p.m. 21+ $5. 629 Cedar Ave., Mpls. 612-333-7499. Steve McPherson

Santaland Diaries
Bryant Lake Bowl

You hear a lot of grumbling this time of year about mandatory attendance at family gatherings. If only those folks could turn their whines into witty prose, they’d be grousing all the way to the bank. No one illustrates family dysfunction with sardonic wit quite like David Sedaris, whose best-selling autobiographical essays are a sure-fire remedy for the holiday blues. In “Santaland Diaries”—the tale that launched his career—Sedaris recounts his humiliating and hilarious stint as an elf at Macy’s Santaland in New York City. At one point in the story a mother orders elf Sedaris to tell her bratty son that he risks getting coal in his stocking if he doesn’t stop misbehaving. Writes Sedaris: “I said that Santa no longer traffics in coal,” telling the boy, “if you’re bad, he comes to your house and steals things.” For the third year in a row, Theatre Limina brings its interpretation of “Santaland Diaries” to Bryant Lake Bowl’s Cabaret Theater. Their tale incorporates three elves and includes original anti-carols, such as “O Santa bin Laden” and “Coal in Your Stocking.” Take the edge off your Grinchiness, but leave the kids at home—this production is for “mature audiences.” 7 p.m. $15. Also Thu. Dec. 29. 810 W. Lake St., Mpls. 612-825-8949. Nancy Sartor

Victorian Christmas Stories
James J. Hill House

At holiday time, it seems like no one talks anymore. It’s all about presents, and wine, and petty arguments, and when the arguments cease, the TV goes on. It’s as if we travel across half the country to see our loved ones, but when we’re actually together, all we can muster is to sit, side by side, watching the idiot box. In popular memory, holidays are all about fires, gathering to sing around a piano and stories. The foundation of most holidays is oral tradition, passed from generation to generation at a time when the generations all get together. And, in a throwback to a (supposedly) simpler time, the Minnesota Historical Society is returning to the tradition of oral tellings. In the Victorian Christmas Stories events, costumed actors/actresses will read stories from the 1800s by such greats as O. Henry, Willa Cather and, of course, Charles Dickens. So all generations, gather together at the Hill House and revive, at least for a few hours, the rich oral tradition of the holidays. Dec. 23 & 26, 7 p.m. $8 adults/$6 senior citizens/$4 ages 6–17. 240 Summit Ave., St. Paul. 651-297-2555. Michelle Lee

Soul Asylum
First Ave

Make no mistake: Soul Asylum are warriors. Dave Pirner and Dan Murphy have been doin’ it and doin’ it and doin’ it well for decades now, and even though they’ve lost the much beloved Karl Mueller, the Soul Asylum train keeps rolling with new bassist and prodigal son Tommy Stinson. His First Avenue debut with the band was a big hit, so look for more of the same this time around, along with a big-assed funky backbone provided by local drum luminary Michael Bland. The band is readying a new disc for release this spring, and while they’ll probably never again ascend to the popular heights of “Black Gold” and “Runaway Train,” Soul Asylum’s current trajectory is not along the downslope. Popular reception is only one barometer to judge a band by, and I can tell you there are plenty of groups out there who should envy the kind of longevity displayed by these TC stalwarts. At the Rock for Karl benefit, during “Somebody to Shove,” I came to the sudden realization that the last time I had seen Soul Asylum was way back in ’93 in Massachusetts on tour with the Spin Doctors and Screaming Trees and I thought, “How many times has Dave Pirner done that My-god-I’ve-been-shot head jerk?” Would that we all had that many in us. 6 p.m. 21+. $16/$18. 701 First Ave. N., Mpls. 612-338-8388. McPherson

2024 Records Holiday Party
Nomad world pub

You find me someone who doesn’t love the movie “Office Space” and I’ll show you someone with no sense of humor. If you’re a fan of that movie, the original (and still unmatched) “The Office” or even the American “The Office” (which I’ll grudgingly concede is not terrible) and you love good music, you should come to the Nomad for 2024 Records/Vitriol Office Holiday Party. Dress code is business casual, and there’ll be eggnog, loose meat sandwiches, a holiday cheese ball, a water cooler full of Pabst Blue Ribbon, and you’ll get a dollar off your admission with a revised TPS report. And don’t think for a minute there’s going to be some faceless cover band turning out tepid renditions of “I Will Survive” and “Mamma Mia.” Members of Fitzgerald, Valet, the Get-Up Johns and Romantica will be on hand to provide the entertainment, as well as the 2024 All-Stars. After attending the Vamp party there last week, I’m firmly convinced that the Nomad is one of the best venues for live music in the Twin Cities, and you can be sure a convivial holiday atmosphere will be in full effect. Who knows: by the end of the night you might be hooking up with that cute girl from accounting and making naughty Xeroxes of somebody’s nether regions. 9 p.m. 21+. $3/$2 with a TPS report. 501 Cedar Ave. S., Mpls. 612-338-6424. McPherson

Flamin’ Ohs
Fine Line

If you’ve ever seen the Flamin’ Ohs live, you know that they always seem to radiate strong, good vibes while they kick your musical ass. Front man Robert Wilkinson is still a leaper, and that way cool drummer, Bob Meide, was seen tearing up the dance floor during a recent Turf Club show. The newest Oh is guitarist Terry Isachsen, a creative spirit who adds his own brand of magic to all things musical and material. The CD release show is a big one, since it highlights the band’s first release since 1986. But be sure to get there by 9 p.m. to see a brand new band, Hard Left, featuring front man Brian Drake on vocals and guitar (formerly in 60 Cycle Hum); Tommy Lischmann on lead guitar (of Magnolias’ lore); Pat McKenna on drums (formerly of Milhaus); and Scott Glaser on bass (of Octopus Harem). Drake says the band has been looking at studios lately, but that this is our first chance to see them live since they all hooked up only last summer. Also on the bill are those hot boys of Blame, as well as Ol’ Yeller, whose front man, Ranger Rich Mattson, seems to have found a new edge since relocating back to Eveleth. 9 p.m. 21+ $8. 318 First Ave. N., Mpls. 612-338-8100. Rebecca Thurn

Kwanzaa Celebration
Minnesota History Center

Kwanzaa, created in 1966 by professor Maulana Karenga, is a seven-day African American and Pan-African holiday celebrating “family, community and culture.” Each day focuses on a different principle or basic value, and each is represented by a candle in the Kinara, or seven-branch Kwanzaa candelabra. The holiday also incorporates creative gifts of an educational or artistic nature and a Kwanzaa feast on December 31. On the first day, whose focus is Umoja (Swahili for “Unity”), the Minnesota History Center will hold a community Kwanzaa celebration. There will be storytelling by “Auntie Beverly” (Beverly Cottman, pictured), folk art by Maurice Carlton, drumming and dancing with Ghana M’Baye and Baye Fall Djembe, and an African linguist staff art project for children. Noon–4 p.m. $8 adults/$6 senior citizens/$4 ages 6–17. 345 Kellogg Blvd. W., St. Paul. 651-296-6126. Lee

Cash-a-roke
Lee’s Liquor Lounge

Johnny Cash is the “in thing” these days. To be honest, he never was the “out thing.” As Cash addicts know, he blazed one of the most interesting paths of any musician in history. That’s why we have everything from the big-hit movie “Walk The Line” to an impending Broadway show in 2006. The contagious effect of everything Cash has hit again locally as well. The Twin Cities area has seen tributes to Cash throughout the years, with various local bands doing covers of Cash tunes. This time, you take charge! You will be able to sing Johnny Cash songs each Monday and try like hell to hit that fantastic Cash baritone. You won’t be doing it to CDs, either: You’ll be able to belt ‘em out with a rotating cast of live bands. Cash is an artist who will always be remembered for his music and hard-living life, and that’s why you hear several tributes throughout the year. Thus, if you do (hell, even if you don’t) have the vocal chops, you can also pay him homage by attempting one of the tunes from his industrial-sized catalog of hits. 9 p.m. 21+. Free. 101 Glenwood Ave., Mpls. 612-338-9491. Louis Lenzmeier

Storm from the Mountain
MAPPS Coffee & Tea

What will become of the Zapatistas? The inspiring film “Storm from the Mountain” chronicles the latest political feat from this indigenous group from Chiapas, Mexico, and attempts to answer that question as it probes the history of the Zapatistas and the opposition they face. The Zapatistas, who gained worldwide attention in their New Year’s Day 2004 rebellion, were truly revolutionary in their politics and creative implementation of protest. After enjoying popular support, but being beaten back by the Zedillo administration, the Zapatistas virtually disappeared from the world stage for over a year, regrouping and re-emerging for a three-week journey to the capital (Feb. 24–March 11, 2001). This film, co-produced by activist movie gurus Big Noise Films, documents the Zapatista caravan’s journey through 12 Mexican states visiting indigenous communities. One important aspect the film reveals is the Zapatistas’ popular support in Mexico, from personal interactions on the tour to the caravan’s eventual arrival in Mexico City, where it is greeted by hundreds of thousands of supporters in its rally for a bill granting Mexico’s indigenous communities real autonomy. They did not, however, get the legislation they were fighting for. Come and learn about the Zapatistas’ struggle and discuss what might be next. 7:30 p.m. Free. 1810 Riverside Ave., Mpls. Lee