Little Lebowski Urban Achievers to play Lebowski Fest September 11 at First Avenue!

(Photo - Little Lebowski Urban Achievers at the Hexagon by David de Young)

This news really ties the room together.

For immediate release: August 25, 2009

Little Lebowski Urban Achievers to play Lebowski Fest September 11 @ First Avenue!

Well if that isn't fitting....drunk rockers Little Lebowski Urban Achievers will be a part of Lebowski Fest again in 2009 to celebrate the release of their split LP with The Divorce Force. The band played at the Los Angeles Lebowski Fest in 2007 and now is jumping on the Minneapolis dates for the 2009 Lebowski Fest Tour.

The two-day fest begins its Minneapolis stop with a "Movie Party" on September 11 @ First Avenue. LLUA will be opening for the Black Diamond Heavies. A special screening of The Big Lebowski will also be played that evening. The second night of Lebowski Fest in Minneapolis will be a bowling night at Memory Lanes. This is a can't miss event for Lebowski fans!

Claire Taubenhaus Austin Sendoff Party - Sunday, August 23rd

Sad news: Claire Taubenhaus is moving to Austin.

Exciting news: she's throwing one last shebang before leaving town.

HowWasTheShow.com is proud to present Claire Taubenhaus's Austin sendoff, an arts extravaganza featuring live music by Taubenhaus herself, with super special guests Molly Dean, Alicia Wiley, The Tribe & Big Cats.

RSVP on Facebook here.

Visual art will be for sale by Matthew Harris, Jenn Barnett and Adam Carstens.

It all takes place Sunday night, August 23rd at the 7th Street Entry. Doors are at 8PM, and it's just $6.

Kings Wine Bar in Kingfield finally open

I live in Kingfield, so I've been eagerly awaiting the grand opening of Kings Wine Bar, a European-styled cafe/bistro at 4555 Grand Avenue South. (Corner of 46th and Grand in South Minneapolis.)

This past week, when the restaurant finally opened its doors to the public, Twin Cities music fans may have noticed a few music related folks putting in a few shifts there, including Marc Perlman, Jim Walsh and Mike Brady.

Check out the menu which includes many fresh, local and organic ingredients at http://kingsmpls.com. And visit them on Facebook. I plan a visit soon and will give a report, though at least one customer filed a report via Twitter that it's "faboo."

Here's the press release with more details:

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

KINGS WINE BAR & RESTAURANT NOW OPEN IN MINNEAPOLIS

“Your neighborhood bistro with a Minnesota twist”


Minneapolis, MN (August 16, 2009) – Sisters Molly Barnes and Samantha Loesch are thrilled to announce the grand opening of their new restaurant “Kings.” Named in honor of the Kingfield neighborhood, Kings is located at 4555 Grand Avenue South in Minneapolis.

“Sam and I had talked about going into business together for a while,” explains Molly. “And about a year ago, we decided to open a restaurant in the neighborhood.” They have created a friendly European café/bistro atmosphere featuring casual dining that is moderately priced.

“You can come to Kings in the morning and grab a cup of coffee on your way to work and then stop back later in the day for dinner and a glass of wine or a beer,” says Samantha. “It will be a fun and funky place to hang out.”

Chef Peter Maccaroni comes to Kings from the Sample Room where he was the Executive Chef. Prior to that, he worked as the Executive Sous Chef at the View and Executive Chef at Tiburon. He also held similar positions in Atlanta, GA and Plainview, NY. As for his education, he received an associate degree in Baking and Pastries from the Art Institute of Minnesota and an associate degree in Culinary Arts from the Art Institute of Atlanta.

When asked about the menu he’s conceived for Kings, Chef Pete says “I’ll be cooking with a lot of fresh, local, organic ingredients. You might describe it as Minnesota friendly, French cuisine,”

During the week, light breakfast items will be served and, on the weekend, a special brunch menu will be offered.

Highlights from the lunch and dinner menu include “Bigger Bites”:

A Fried Green Tomato BLT served on Rustica bread with Pete’s aioli served with fresh fruit or fries
Braised Beef Short Ribs with mashed potatoes and asparagus served with a rich red wine demi glaze.

Vegetarians will enjoy the Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato Sandwich with spinach and pesto or Pete’s signature macaroni and cheese with breadcrumbs.

Several soups and salads and other entrees are also available.

“Small bites” appetizers feature House Made Tater Tots with bacon and gruyere cheese sauce.

For dessert, try the Cookies and Cream, a house made chocolate chip cookie with espresso cream and chocolate sauce.

A late night happy hour, daily from 10-12 midnight, offers discount drinks and “small bites.”

Kings’ wine list is extensive, offering more than 70 wines. (Molly and Sam’s brother Mike is their wine seller.) There will also be four beers on tap and 17 or so bottled beers, including a Belgian-style ale from a small, local brewery. The coffee served comes from a local, Kingfield “small batch” roaster.

Stop by morning, noon or night to meet your neighbors Samantha, Molly and Pete.

Kings will be open daily from 8 a.m. – midnight. See you there.

Call Kings 612-354-7928 or visit www.kingsmpls.com.

###

Our own DJ Jake Rudh is a finalist to land walk-on role on Mad Men

Jake's given the music community a lot. Here's one way to say thanks. Jake is a finalist to land a walk-on role in Mad Men. All you have to do to help him win is click a link. No sign ups, no fancy stuff. Just click.

Here's what Jake had to say:

Many of you probably know I'm in a national contest to land a walk-on role to the set of Mad Men...and many of you have voted to keep me up near the leader board. Well, there's less than 24 hours left now, and I'm really asking for your help to give me that final push that's needed!

To vote is very simple...there is no registering or signing up, it's clicking on the link and clicking on the 5th star under the pic. Here's the link to make your vote count -

http://madmencastingcall.amctv.com/photos/view/1023/sort:Photo.score

Video from Racktacular Art Bra Contest

Racktacular was a hoot, by all accounts. A great turnout, great music from bands Aviette, Maudlin and Hojas Rojas, and a definitely entertaining Art Bra competition. Show organizer Donette Ambrosy did a fabulous job of putting it all together and also served as hostess for the evening. Sadly, HowWasTheShow lost part 3 of our Art Bra video on the digital editing room floor, but hopefully parts 1 & 2 below will give you a sense of the creativity and fun that went into the creation of these, uh, "undergarments." The bras were modeled by the lovely and sexy ladies of Lili's Burlesque Review, and all in all 25 bras were showcased.

Video #1 includes the winning entry of the evening, "Treasure Chest" by Sarah White, who also happened to be celebrating her 32nd birthday.

Proceeds from the event benefited The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Fund.

KSTP Channel 5's 35W Construction Coverage

KSTP's Brad Sattin stopped by today to ask how neighbors were holding up in light of the ongoing construction on 35W (Crosstown Project) going on in front of our houses on Stevens Avenue in Minneapolis for nearly two years now. Here's Brad's report, which features me sporting the new haircut that I got in Lisbon on Saturday afternoon.



Read the full story here.

First annual NORTH BY MIDWEST MUSIC FESTIVAL at the Lowry Theater in downtown St. Paul on Saturday, July 25th 2009.

Willie McManus, a Minnesota musician who once called himself “the poor man’s Slim Dunlap” and counts among his heroes Bootsy Collins, Mojo Nixon and Terry Eason, has assembled the first annual North by Midwest Music Festival which will shake the Lowry Theater in downtown St. Paul on Saturday, July 25^th.

According to a press release, McManus said he conceived the festival for concert-goers who seek the festival environment but aren’t so fond of porta potties, heat, mosquitoes and sleeping bags. Many music festivals, he said, are hundreds of miles away and multi-day events. He was looking to create something less expensive and closer to home.

North by Midwest is a one-day, indoor festival that won’t empty your pockets. Emceed by HowWasTheShow.com founder David de Young, the event features a stellar lineup: The Magnolias, The 757s, Little Man, The Hard Left, Middlestates and Chemistry Set. Ample parking and great bars and cafés are right outside the theater’s walls, and a $10.00 pass gets you in and out the door as often as you like.

It all starts at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday July 25^th at the Lowry Theater, 16 5^th St West, downtown St. Paul. Tickets are available exclusively at The Electric Fetus in Minneapolis and on the day of show at the Lowry Theater, or by phone at 651 263 7992.

Here's the full press release from Willie McManus:

Music festivals spring up this time of year by the dozen. Most are long-established, far-away, days-long extravaganzas, featuring big name stars and big-ticket prices. There are twangy country music festivals, noisy alt. rock showcases, mud-caked jamborees and acoustic folk festivals all over the continent, where music lovers can shell-out hundreds of dollars for days of camping and living on beans for a chance to hear their heroes for an hour. These events work fine for most fans, but what if you’re stuck for time, not made of money, and can’t stand the porta-pottys, heat, mosquitoes and sleeping bags? Said one concert-goer: “I love the rock, but I hate the bugs and the bad food and the long lines at the toilets. It doesn’t work for me anymore. I mean, I’m not twelve years old.”

St. Paul’s Lowry Theater, near the St. Paul Hotel in the heart of that city’s downtown might have the solution. This July they are staging a one-day, INDOOR music festival that won’t empty your pockets, or leave you wishing you could remember what a hot shower was like. Hosted by David de Young, and featuring local greats The Magnolias, the 757s, Little Man, and musicians of rising talent equal to anything at ten times the price and distance, this could be the Woodstock for you. Ample parking and great bars and cafés are right outside the theater’s walls, and a $10.00 pass gets you in and out the door as often as you like.

The First North by Midwest Music Festival kicks off at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday July 25th at the Lowry Theater, 16 5th St West, downtown St. Paul. Tickets are available at The Electric Fetus in Minneapolis and on the day of show at the Lowry Theater, or by phone at 651 263 7992.