local talent

Torch Theater Presents: "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?"

goobermaster — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:45:24 -0500

Last night, some friends and I went to see the show at the Garage Theater, aka “the Torch Theater Company”. I’ve walked by the building on the corner of Franklin and Lyndale many many times, but had never been inside. It used to be an auto repair shop that someone bought and converted into a large open stage back in the 80’s.

We sat down with a sold to capacity audience after paying our “pay-what-you-can” donation. Tickets were normally $30. I saw most people hand a five over. I gave ten. And best of all, the cocktails were sold the same way. :) High shelf drinks for a few dollar bills and then free during intermission. Yay! read more »

Team Zissou ~ MN, Freshwater Chapter

goobermaster — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:31:14 -0500

Nico and Tiff — Team Zissou ~ MN

Okay — this is just brilliant. I loved the Life Aquatic movie and had no idea we had a local chapter of the Zissou society. I think I may have to inquire about this unpaid internship.

“But I want to be on the A-squad!”

Learn more here.

The Real Reason the Queen Hated Snow

goobermaster — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 20:47:38 -0600

by Annette Marie Hyder

I’ve only met Annette via myspace a while ago, but I quickly became enamored with her word-smithing abilities. I’ve always been a fan of people skilled in writing (not being all that stellar myself) and Annette does not disappoint. Her website and blog are full of little poem tidbits that have blossomed from a mature and driven seed. Wonderful stuff.

Annette’s new book is no exception. It’s a collection of poems, stories, recipes, and other bits of goodness with a central theme of home-spun fairy tales and mythology. I especially enjoy the explanations accompanying most of the entries explaining some of the creative insight and thought behind the pieces. It’s a real look into the author’s mind and I’m pleased that she’s so open to share such intimate details with us.

The book also has a central theme focusing on feminism and the beauty that is woman in general. I like to think that we live in a modern world by now, but you’ll certainly agree that we still have a long way to go. Gender inequality and the extra struggle it entails bring out a strong voice of opinion in this collection, but not in an overpowering way. It’s subtle and secondary to the child-like charm each story and poem deliver.

I’m certainly glad to have my copy. Hurry up and buy yours today. Amazon currently only has 5 copies left while the publisher prints more.

Bec Smith's "Blessing" -- CD Release Show

goobermaster — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 10:39:19 -0500

Album art by AlyssA Greening.
Photography by Amelia Clabots.

I haven’t touted a friends talents for awhile. And I have lots of talented friends. But Bec Smith shines out and has some amazing abilities. Piano, guitar, a great voice, and original songwriting creativity were drawn upon to bring us her new album, “Blessing”. Hear samples on her myspace page. She’s put a ton of sweat and tears into this one and the result shows how real effort pays off. Truly amazing, dear.

The album is officially released at tomorrow’s show at Clubhouse Jäger in the Warehouse District. Festivities start at 9pm. I’ll be there with Jen to get my album for $10, (autographed I anticipate.) :)

WHAT: Album Release Show for “Blessing”
WHERE: Clubhouse Jäger in Minneapolis (10th & Washington N.)
WHEN: Saturday, October 20th, 2007
TIME: Doors at 9:00 PM
COST: $5

Bec’s good friend, Née Née, and the group The Autumn Leaves will open.

So be there and join in the fun. There’ll sure to be another goober-album on the event and you don’t wanna let people see you weren’t celebrating with us.

Monkey in a Dryer

goobermaster — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 10:48:55 -0500

Here’s another great local discovery:
Monkey in a Dryer

We needed a quick custom T-shirt for a birthday gift and Drea at the above mentioned business came through. Our friend, Jeanie, had her 57th birthday this last Saturday and she had the clever idea to re-make the Heinz 57 label to “Fine 57”. We told her we’d see what we could do. ;) A little illustrator work and some help from the Dryer Monkeys resulted in success.

Check out Monkey in a Dryer’s site. It’s full of hidden surprises and delights. Clearly (although they may not be aware), there’s an affiliation with crumpets. Just check out Mr. Toast from the links page for evidence. The head monkey, DCB, is quite the artist as well. The site’s design and the graphics are worth peeking through. Explore at leisure.

The Brewer Collection

goobermaster — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 16:55:53 -0500

I’ve touted my friend’s talent before, but I’ll restate my claim. Angelo has some mad skillz and his brand of art-style is right up my alley. He uses clever use of negative space and exquisite extremes of detail to portray scenes from the futuristic story in his head. He somehow manages to capture a form’s essence in a minimal set of lines. The poses and settings giving a mood set off with the colors chosen.

My first print was “The Drunk Artist Contemplates His Life”. A self-portrait of sorts of the artist himself. Although all the art at the first showing I attended was great, this piece spoke to me and I related with it. It came home with me. read more »