Local Gig List: March 5-10
March 05, 2013
Don't let a little late-winter snow slow you down—there are plenty of reasons to shovel a path out the front door and get out to see some live music this week. As always, you can find more suggestions on the Current's event calendar.
Tuesday, March 5
Atmosphere's Welcome to Minnesota Tour
First Avenue, Minneapolis
8 p.m., sold out, 18+
Atmosphere, Brother Ali, Get Cryphy, Carnage and Haphduzn steer their statewide tour back to the Twin Cities for a sold-out show in the Mainroom.
Audio Perm
Amsterdam Bar and Hall, St. Paul
9 p.m., free, 21+
This bursting-at-the-seams hip-hop crew was so rambunctious at Vita.mn's Are You Local? competition Friday night that they rocked one of the PAs right off the side of the stage.
Crankshaft
331 Club, Minneapolis
10 p.m., free, 21+
Alex Larson, known on stage as Crankshaft, evokes the ghosts of old blues legends with a modern flair on his latest, What You Gonna Do? Here, he'll play solo at the 331 every Tuesday in March.
Wednesday, March 6
The Take Off Tour SXSW Send-Off
Cabooze, Minneapolis
9 p.m., $10, 18+
Multi-faceted music, art, and video game collective Last Triumph will hold court at the Cabooze and celebrate the launch of their Take Off Tour, which will bring Heatbox, Sine Circle, Case Shannon and Malcolm Browne of the Set, Nimo the Hooligan, and DJ Elsewhere through the Midwest and finish up with four gigs in Austin, Texas for SXSW.
Robust Worlds
Turf Club Clown Lounge, St. Paul
9 p.m., free, 21+
Chris Rose of Vampire Hands, Private Dancer, and Heavy Deeds fame brings his solo project, Robust Worlds, back to the Turf.
Thursday, March 7
Jaspar Lepak and Molly Dean
318 Cafe, Excelsior
8 p.m., $8, all ages
Something tells me it's going to be a big year for singer Molly Dean. She submitted teasers for two promising new projects—a trip-hop collaboration with drummer and producer Graham O'Brien called Moon and Pollution, and a string-heavy new group called Alter Ego—to Vita.mn's Are You Local? contest, which are in addition to her already established work as a singer-songwriter. At the 318, she'll perform with poetic storyteller and singer Jaspar Lepak.
Friday, March 8
Ol' Yeller SXSW Send-Off
Lee's Liquor Lounge, Minneapolis
9 p.m., $8, 21+
Still riding high on the release of their long-awaited new record, Levels, Rich Mattson and Ol' Yeller will play a show with openers Germaine Gemberling and Kevin Bowe before all three acts steer themselves southward for SXSW. For more on Rich, check out my recent profile here.
Fury Things
Amsterdam Bar and Hall, St. Paul
9 p.m., free, 21+
One of the acts highlighted in my Are You Local? analysis, Fury Things pile on the fuzz to create an early '90s alt sound. I'm looking forward to seeing them live. They'll share the bill with Island of Doctor Lee and Falcon Arrow.
The Oddfathers
Cabooze, Minneapolis
8 p.m., $10, 18+
Catch Flipp's Brynn Arens with his new mobster-themed group the Oddfathers, still a relatively new group in town. They'll be joined by Minneapolis rock stalwarts the Flamin' Ohs and Crashmatic.
Saturday, March 9
Bobby Z and Friends
First Avenue, Minneapolis
7 p.m., $65, 18+
This star-studded lineup is the second annual fundraiser thrown by Bobby Z, who will donate proceeds to the American Heart Association. Maya Rudolph's purple tribute band, Princess, will headline, with DJ duties performed by none other than Questlove. Personally, I'd go just to catch recently re-emerged R&B singer André Cymone (who also happened to be Prince's childhood friend and first bandmate) in action. Alexander O'Neal, Dez Dickerson, Dr. Fink, Stokley of Mint Condition, and Nicholas David are also on the bill.
Brother Ali and Omar Offendum at the Nobel Peace Prize Forum
Augsburg College's Kennedy Center, Minneapolis
8 p.m., $15, all ages
Now in its 25th year, the Minneapolis-based Nobel Peace Prize Forum (the only Nobel event outside of Norway) will welcome Brother Ali and Syrian-American rapper and activist Omar Offendum for a special evening of lectures, performances, and an audience Q&A on hip-hop and peace. I'll be moderating the Q&A portion of the evening; more info here.
Gramma's Boyfriend Album-Release Show
Icehouse, Minneapolis
11 p.m., $10, 21+
This show is special for a few reasons: It marks the long-awaited physical release of Gramma's Boyfriend's debut, out on Graveface Records, and it's the live debut of Josh Grier of Tapes 'n Tapes' solo project, Ginkgo.