The Like Young
@ The Triple Rock Social Club

Nothing quite says cute like a husband-and-wife rock ’n’ roll team; be they divorced (Quasi, White Stripes) or happily betrothed (Yo La Tengo, Mates of State), the unbeatable combination of the bride on the drums (why is it always the woman on the drums?) and groom on gee-tar seems to be cropping up everywhere. Joining the fold is Illinois’ warm and fuzzy pop combo the Like Young, which features, you guessed it, a young couple making matrimonial racket. Falling somewhere in between the wide-eyed love of Mates of State and the bitter bile of Quasi, The Like Young plough through plenty of hooks on their geek-pop sophomore outing, So Serious, released on the always solid Parasol Records. Sliding in comfortably under the half-hour mark, Joe (guitar/bass/vocals) and Amy (drums/vocals) Ziemba have great chemistry throughout, which is to be expected considering they’ve been playing together in one form or another for eight years! Pop-punk with a brattish energy and enthusiasm, The Like Young may just be the best husband and wife two-piece currently working at the rock ’n’ roll altar. With The Husbands, Black Eyed Snakes. 9 p.m. $7. 21+. 629 Cedar Ave. S., Mpls. 612-333-7399. Rob van Alstyne

John Dee Graham
@ Lee’s Liquor Lounge

I guess if you grew up in a border town like Jon Dee Graham did down near Mexico, you would have a lot of stories to tell too. A master of spinning tales, Graham cut his musical teeth in the beloved Austin, Tex., alt-country band the True Believers during the ‘80s alongside Alejandro Escovedo and after that group’s dissolution collaborated with everyone from Patty Smyth to John Doe of X, before eventually settling into his own solo career. His impressive fourth solo album, The Great Battle, showcases everything great about Graham’s dirt-road tempered, gravel voice and pitch-perfect storytelling. I’m not one to wish ill health on anyone, but you almost have to be glad Graham smokes like a chimney, and has for many years, because his voice any other way just wouldn’t seem right. With Mark Stockert and the House of Strange Sounds Players. 9 p.m. $6. 21+. 11th and Glenwood, Mpls. 612-338-9491. Louis Lenzmeier
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Nick Lowe
@ The Fine Line Music Café

If you can judge a man by the company he keeps, then Nick Lowe is already a total bad-ass: The man’s produced all of Elvis Costello’s early landmark albums and was once married to Johnny Cash’s stepdaughter. None of that matters, however, after you’ve taken the time to check out Lowe’s own tuneage. A legend in his native England, Lowe’s still probably best known in the U.S. for his lone new-wave radio smash (“Cruel to Be Kind”) and penning one of Elvis Costello’s biggest hits (“What’s So Funny About Peace Love and Understanding”)—which is pretty much a crime considering the stellar body of work Lowe’s managed to carve out over his 30+ years in the biz. Lowe’s last record, 2001’s The Convincer, is a sublime slice of laid-back and soulful adult pop. I’m not saying he’s Marvin Gaye or anything, but there’s an undeniably sexy swagger to cuts like “Let’s Stay In And Make Love.” I can’t imagine there’s any other Englishman in their mid-fifties making music anywhere near this frisky (certainly not Mick and Keith). Lowe will be performing in an acoustic duo format alongside longtime collaborator Geraint Watkins who’ll also be opening the show and just released his own solo album, Dial W for Watkins, featuring the same set of musicians as Lowe’s Convincer record and a similarly charm-heavy classy feel. 8 p.m. $15. 21+. 318 First Ave. N., Mpls. 612-338-8100. Rob Van Alstyne

Michael Quinn & The Virgin Suicides
@ The Turf Club

Michael Quinn has been in the local scene for a long time, starting back in 1986 manning the drum kit for Thought Factory, but it wasn’t until now that he got around to releasing his own music. His solid 7-song debut Sushi, Sex, Music … (named after his “three favorite things in life in no particular order” according to the press release), is the kind of straight-ahead folk-rock album sure to quickly find a place in the hearts of the local music cognoscenti. With a low-key voice that at first had me pegging him as a Tom Petty sound-a-like, Quinn has a similarly light touch with instantly accessible and charmingly wry song craft. The cuts on Sushi aren’t particularly innovative, but that’s a minor complaint considering how damn enjoyable they are. Here’s hoping Quinn’s next record won’t have an 18-year gestation period ... With Le Cirque Rouge Burlesque Cabaret, Alicia Corbett and Grickle-Grass. 9 p.m. $5. 21+. The Corner of University and Snelling Avenues, St. Paul. 651-647-0486. Rob Van Alstyne

The Cherry Orchard
@ THEATRE IN THE ROUND

Just about everybody and his brother’s theater company has done Anton Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard.” So why bother checking out Theatre in the Round Players’ production? Well, for one, just because the play’s been done to death doesn’t mean everybody and her sister has seen it. For another, it’s very seldom that TRP doesn’t put a top-notch cast on stage. For good measure (if pedigrees impress you), the adaptation is by Emily Mann, artistic director at Princeton University’s McCarter Theatre and former resident director at the Guthrie. Lyubov Ranevskaya, a Russian woman born to nobility, comes home after a five-year absence to escape troubling memories of her son’s death. Her family’s famed cherry orchard is in full bloom, but the estate’s finances aren’t in nearly such good shape. She and her brother Gaev find themselves scrambling to retain a genteel sense of who they are in the midst of surrounding social and economic upheaval. Sept. 10 – Oct. 3. Fri. - Sat. 8 p.m.; Sun. Sept. 19 & 26, 7 p.m.; Sun. Sept. 12 & Oct. 3, 2 p.m. $20. 245 Cedar Ave., Mpls. 612-333-3010. DWIGHT HOBBES

Local Flavor Fashion Show
@ MINNESOTA MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART

OK. I gotta know. Fashion must or fashion bust: a corset made of plaster, adorned with fur and/or horns. First of all, plaster? Ouch. Second, horns? Where do your arms go? I want to know who can pull this off. Could Madonna don these duds with class? High fashion never has been directed toward the Gap-wearing masses. For most of us, there’s a reason we don’t dress outlandishly. What looks good on a supermodel doesn’t always cut it in the workplace – or grocery shopping – let alone the average person’s body shape. But fashion is fashion and that’s the fun of it. Having fun with designs is what designers do. Some of our best and funkiest local designers will be featured in the Local Flavor Fashion Show at the Minnesota Museum of American Art. Arielle Breland, Steven Hutton, Lauren Schad (Piece of Mind Designs), Erica Spitzer Rasmussen and others show off their designs to a musical backdrop of Vox Vermillion and The Harmony Army. 8 p.m. $10/$12. 18+. 50 W. Kellogg Blvd. at Market St., St. Paul. GYROS PAPADOPOULOS

Mitch Hedberg, Stephen Lynch
@ The Orpheum Theatre

Born and raised in St. Paul, ultimate deadpan stoner comic Mitch Hedberg is bringin’ it all back home for a special performance with fellow nationally prominent stand-up Stephen Lynch. Both of these guys have Comedy Central specials and several late-night appearances on various talk shows under their belts (in other words, this ain’t no fresh off the open mic night at Chuckle’s Place kind of tour). Both artists have also recently released new material, Hedberg dropping the DVD/CD combo package Mitch All Together and Lynch unleashing his DVD Live at the El Rey. Apparently blurring artistic lines as a singer/songwriter/comedian, Lynch is surprisingly musical for being a funny man and although it’s unclear whether his guitar will be in tow on this appearance, it certainly wouldn’t be a bad thing if it were. 8 p.m. $28. All Ages. 910 Hennepin Ave., Mpls. 612-339-7007. Rob van Alstyne

Tulip Sweet and Her Trail of Tears
@ The Turf Club

What’d you have planned for this year’s Patriot Day? What? You say you forgot that September 11th had been forever dedicated and renamed as a national day of mourning, just like Pearl Harbor Day? Well, there’ll certainly be more maudlin, chest-thumping observations than you can keep track of, but for my money you can’t beat the Midnight Cowboy-esque tale of Twin Cities-to-Big Apple transplants/cabaret superstars Tulip Sweet And Her Trail Of Tears. Singer/songwriter/siren Steph Dickson and multi-instrumentalist/rock renaissance man Tom Siler will visit their particular and endearing brand of musical mayhem upon St. Paul’s Turf Club during a very rare local appearance—a mind-blowing, soul-stirring extravaganza the likes of which you may not see until at least the next time you “accidentally” ingest another bottle of grandpa’s turpentine. Special guests featured include: Andy “Saw Man” McCormick, Producer Jacques Wait, Crooner Randall Throckmorton, Capt. Dave Wiegardt, and Diamond Dale Gonzalez, as well as Siler side project Larmes De Coleres and French singer/songwriter Nosfell. As close as you’ll get, outside of the city itself, to celebrating the hearty, New York/American survival spirit the rest of the world will be
honoring today. 9 p.m. $6. 21+. The Corner of University and Snelling Avenues, St. Paul. 651-647-0486. Tom Hallett

Non-English Speaking Spoken Here
@ PILLSBURY HOUSE

Pillsbury House Theatre opens its 2004 season of “Non-English Speaking Spoken Here: The Late Nite Series.” It’s curated by Laurie Carlos and E.G. Bailey as “a transformation of culture where text, music, spoken word, sounds and images weave together a fearless celebration of new voices and new art.” Laurie Carlos is best known for her acting work at Penumbra Theatre Company. Bailey is founding executive director of the Minnesota Spoken Word Association. The season opener for “Non-English Speaking Spoken Here: The Late Nite Series” will feature DJ scratch artists Jahi Sundance {NYC) and Joseph “GI JOE” Rivera (NYC, Boston); Austin based spoken word collective, spoken word collective Xenogia; and ‘2704,’ which is comprised of area artists Rene Ford, Cochise Anderson and Hlee Vang. In addition there’ll be limited open mic slots for impromptu contributors. Performance and a pre-show meal at 9 p.m. $8. 3501 Chicago Ave. S., Mpls. 612-825-0459. DWIGHT HOBBES

Stranger With A Camera
@ OAK STREET CINEMA

Elizabeth Barret’s 60-minute documentary about the murder of a Canadian filmmaker in her hometown 37 years ago is an intriguing insight into the reality and horror of Appalachian cultural values. It was the year she was crowned Homecoming Queen. It’s a story as much about her and her loss of innocence as it is about her hometown. After the mines closed, most of Appalachia lived in poverty. But no one there wanted the world to see their shame. How do you film poverty without shaming the subject? This is a question Barret’s film asks, but never fully answers. The property owners and business people who ran the area didn’t want outsiders coming down and telling them what to think and how to live—whether it was LBJ or Bobby Kennedy or a Canadian filmmaker named Hugh O’Connor filming a father playing with his child on his rented porch. The owner of the land didn’t want to be held up to national ridicule. He saw the film crew, told them to leave, and then shot and killed O’Connor. The buildup and aftermath of that murder are studied in this film. It is a haunting nightmare. “Stranger With A Camera” is part of the poverty in America documentary film series, “Moving Towards Hope,” at the Oak Street Cinema. The filmmaker, Elizabeth Barret, will introduce the film. 7:30 p.m. $7. 309 Oak St. SE, Mpls. 612-331-3134. ED FELIEN