Category Archives: Twin Cities

Seth Godin on Minnesota Nice

Marketing guru Seth Godin was in Minnesota this week and was nice enough to comment on our state:

In addition to extremely nice people, inspiring architecture, a vibrant arts community and surprisingly good food, there’s a vibe in the air about the work people are doing. This placed is filled with organizations that are working hard to create stuff that’s worth doing.

Thanks. I know he’s not talking about me or the hard work I do, but I’ll happily take the credit. Go Minnesota! And some people think we should move to California. Ha.

Sadly, I did miss Godin speaking before the Timberwolves game, but not being a basketball fan I couldn’t justify $24 for 30 minutes of talk (I suppose you got a free book, but still). That and youth group trumped the marketing lesson.

Non-Smoking Cities

The Twin Cities will become a non-smoking section on Thursday when smoking bans for Hennepin and Ramsey counties go into effect. I’m quite happy about it, though a bit peeved that Ramsey County has an exception for bars where liquor accounts for over half their sales. Which means most Ramsey County bars won’t be smoke free.

Though it will be funny to watch the masses of smokers gathering outside bars and restaurants as they try to hasten their own death. Thankfully they won’t be hastening mine anymore.

The Monsters of Folk Tour

Who: Jonathan Rundman, Matt Patrick, Nate Houge and Micah Taylor.
What: The Monsters of Folk Tour. Some amazing Twin Cities musicians who normally play solo will be mixing it up together, playing their original songs, swapping instruments, and backing one another up.
When: Monday, March 7, 8 p.m. (They’re also touring South Dakota March 3-6)
Where: Acadia Cafe, Minneapolis
Why: Folk is the new indie rock.

Admission is $5 and I’d love to go if anyone’s willing to give me a ride.

Where’s the Snow?

So far this winter only 18.9 inches of snow have fallen on the Twin Cities (according to the Star Trib). Normal is more in the range of 45 inches. We still have a few weeks left when you could easily expect to see some big snow, but that’d be a big storm to even bring us close to normal.

I suppose I shouldn’t complain, what with my snow blower out of commission and all.

Best Radio Station Ever

Today at approximately 3:00 p.m. it became official. The first chords of U2’s “In God’s Country” echoed over my radio and 89.3 FM The Current became the best radio station ever. I’d been listening non-stop for five or six days and though I loved what I was hearing, I’d yet to hear my favorite band ever. With those opening strains I stopped what I was doing and sent The Current an e-mail telling them the news: Best. Radio station. Ever.

They’re a Minnesota Public Radio station playing a vast mix of music–I hesitate to call it rock or indie rock or alternative rock because they’re all over the place. They also play some folk, electronica, country, hip-hop, straight-up pop–even oldies. It’s amazing. In the several days I’ve been listening I’ve liked about everything I’ve heard. Only once or twice have I turned to the radio and frowned. Most of the time I’m shaking my head no: “No, no, no–don’t stop a rockin’!”

And did you hear that first part: public radio. It’s non-commercial. Can you imagine the joy of not ever hearing obnoxious radio commercials? It’s the joy of NPR with hip music! They’re playing all sorts of music I like (Johnny Cash, Radiohead, Polyphonic Spree, Badly Drawn Boy), introducing me to lots of new stuff (Arcade Fire, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, Arthur Yoria) and playing tons of local music (Low, Valet, The Olympic Hopefuls).

I never have to listen to another pathetic endorsement from a Cities 97 DJ (“You know, when I want to put my hair in dreads, I call the pros over at…”). I never have to listen to Drive 105 play another single into the ground. I can listen to good music and get the weather and news. Sorry iPod, you’re looking lonely.

The Pulse of the Twin Cities has a lengthy interview with the staff of 89.3 FM and the Star Trib has a factually inaccurate little piece. You can also listen online, supposedly (I’ve yet to get the stream to play).

Darren Jackson a Hot Local Commodity

The Star Trib covers local music phenom Darren Jackson, aka Kid Dakota and front man for the Olympic Hopefuls. Jackson has also done work with locals Alva Star, Vicious Vicious, and former local Brenda Weiler, who will be in town this Monday for a show at the Bryant Lake Bowl.

Kid Dakota will be having two CD release parties this weekend at the Triple Rock Social Club to celebrate his second album, The West is the Future.

Minneapolis Bans Smoking; St. Paul to Follow

Restaurants and bars in Minneapolis will go smoke free on March 31, 2005 after a surprising 12-1 vote by the city council. Minneapolis joins Bloomington, Minn. in stamping out smoking in public places, primarily as a workplace safety issue.

St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly, who vetoed a similar measure last month in favor of a regional approach, said he is now willing to approve a similar ban in St. Paul. Good to know we have such bold, daring leadership in the mayor’s office.

Twin Cities Go Mini-Golfing

Mini-Golf at the Walker Art CenterMini-golf has been elevated to an art and a science in Minneapolis and St. Paul, respectively. Both the Walker Art Center and the Science Museum of Minnesota are offering mini-golf courses for the summer. The Science Museum’s nine-hole course teaches about water and how it shapes our world, while the Walker’s 10-hole course is created from different pieces of art.

The Walker includes a bit of mini-golf history (at least on their web site) from the book Miniature Golf (Recollectibles), including the tidbit that a Los Angeles course in the 1930s “featured a live bear cub as an obstacle; course owners trained it to go after balls by dipping them in honey.”