Thursday, April 10, 2008, 02:21 PM CST
[
General]
Here are Jeff Shaws picks from the show today:
THURSDAY APRIL 10TH (THROUGH THE 12TH)
Marc Bamuthi Joseph: the break/s
@ The Walker Art Center
1750 Hennepin Ave.
Minneapolis
8pm / $22 ($18 Members)
Marc Bamuthi Joseph is a National Poetry Slam champ, a Broadway vet, a hip-hop theater star, and an agile dancer with a light touch reflecting a lifetime of experiences spent on the stage and traveling around the world.
This week the Oakland, California-based artist reveals a new work commissioned by the Walker Art Center and based on Can't Stop Won't Stop, Jeff Chang's award-winning book about hip hop, as the inspiration for local political and artistic movements that ultimately go global. Joseph's words spill from his mouth with lyrical ease, but he also possesses a sharp theatrical sensibility, and his storytelling is both dramatic and personal, alternating seamlessly between the light and dark sides of the human condition. Joseph's latest effort, which features live music by human beatbox percussionist Tommy Shepherd, a.k.a. Soulati and DJ Excess, is centered on a "travel diary" generated by a series of dream-journal entries drawn from journeys to the Philippines, Bosnia, Senegal, France, Cuba, and American cities such as Madison, Wisconsin. Those destinations are not often associated with hip hop, but nonetheless demonstrate the scope and reach of this dynamic, ever-evolving multidisciplinary cultural force. ‹ Caroline Palmer
FRIDAY APRIL 11TH
KRS-ONE
@ Trocaderos
107 3rd Ave. N
Minneapolis
8pm / 18+
Teacher, poet, lecturer, and Blastmaster. What you might not know about the legendary hip-hopper KRS-ONE, however, is that he's one of the best MCs that ever did it live. Like a true professional, the former BDP member has spent more than 20 years perfecting his stagecraft. It'll be worth the ticket price alone to see what gems (recent or classic) he'll pull out of his enormous hat. Perhaps a few key cuts from last year's invigorating Marley Marl collaboration, Hip Hop Lives? Maybe a healthy dose of BDP's best work from the late '80s? Or an in-depth lecture on the dangers of meat eating?
Never one to hide his ferocious appetite for mic supremacy or his willingness to battle any and all whack suckers, KRS's passion ensures that whatever dude comes with tonight, best believe it will be live. ‹ Jordan Selbo
SUNDAY APRIL 13TH
Radio All Stars
Every week Sunday from Sun., March 30 until Sun., April 13, 7:00pm
Price: $8/$10 at the door
Theater
Bryant-Lake Bowl
810 W Lake St.
Minneapolis, MN
We're all familiar with the concept behind radio variety shows. After all, we've got one of the only still-successful productions, A Prairie Home Companion, going on in our capital city. But deep in the heart of Uptown, an intrepid performance group calling itself Radio All Stars has toiled hard to retool the format for a younger, hipper audience. The brainchild of host Dave Mondy and producer Melissa Lacasse (who both have ties to Prairie Home), the All Stars bring musical, acting, and production talent to the Bryant-Lake Bowl stage. DJ King Otto spins bumper tunes behind a bank of turntables as sound-effects whiz Elliott Durko Lynch hunches over his laptop. The cast, meanwhile, navigates a small forest of microphones. Mondy, joined by Dawn Brodey and Shannon O'Keefe, voices The Spectre: The World's Most Average Superhero, an ongoing (and hilarious) radio play about a born loser with the gift (or curse?) of turning half-invisible. Other recurring segments such as Mad Lib News (an NPR-like news report with random words interjected inappropriately), and Blog Theater (read-out-loud collections of sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant blog text) form a strong core show.
On top of that, the guest lineup has been powerfully entertaining; storytellers Amy Salloway and Rik Reppe and musicians Omaur Bliss and Black Blondie have graced past shows. With all new shows and guests booked until April 13, there's no reason to spend a Sunday at home. But if you must, check out the podcast recordings, available at radioallstars.org. ‹ Ward Rubrecht
August Sander: People of the 20th Century Daily from Fri., February 22 until Mon., May 12 Galleries Weinstein Gallery
Though August Sander's photography runs the gamut from nature to architecture to street performance, he is easily best known for his portraits, including his epic series, "People of the 20th Century." The extensive project of documenting German society began in the 1920s, growing to over 600 portraits of individuals who hailed mainly from the Cologne region. Subjects spanned the full spectrum, including wealthy politicians, homeless artists, farmers, housewives, children, and others. Sander sought objectivity in his photography, striving "to see things as they are and not as they should or could be." Perhaps this is why his work was banned by the Nazis in the 1930s; his frank and matter-of-fact photography captured a diverse, cosmopolitan, and culturally rich country, which conflicted with the Aryan ideology. Though Sander passed in 1964, his work carries on today with his grandson Gerhard, and his influence can be seen in the work of many later photographers, including Diane Arbus and Richard Avedon. The Weinstein Gallery will feature 23 large-format images from original negatives from his collection. Opening reception 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday, February 22.‹ Jessica Armbruster
