Sheila E. & the E-Train at The Dakota
Aug. 8 — Sheila E. has been a musical powerhouse since 1977, when she performed on the album “Yesterday's Dreams” by jazz bass guitarist Alphonso Johnson. Since then, she’s gone on to collaborate with Prince, Ringo Starr and Beyoncé, as well as produce a string of genre-busting hits. She is also the second generation of an astonishing musical dynasty: Her father (and frequent collaborator) Pete Escovedo played percussion for Santana, her uncle Javier founded the San Diego punk band The Zeros, her uncle Alejandro founded the San Francisco punk band The Nuns, and on, including Sheila E. having Latin legend Tito Puente as her godfather.
Sheila E. brings her band, the E-Train, to The Dakota in Minneapolis tonight. (Max Sparber)
‘The New Seven Deadly Sins’ at the Crane Theater
Aug. 9–11 — Making its Minnesota premiere, “The New Seven Deadly Sins” comes to the Crane Theater this weekend. Inspired by the vices identified in Christian theology, this show mixes contemporary song and dance in seven original numbers that represent each sin. The songs were commissioned by the Carnegie Hall Corporation for the iconic Audra McDonald in 2004, written by some of opera and musical theater’s best, including Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens and Ricky Ian Gordon.
Skylark Opera Theatre offers a fresh take on the infamous sins, pairing evocative choreography by dancers Patrick Jeffrey and Sarah Potvin with the vocals of soprano Bergen Baker. This show channels the allure of the seven deadly sins, revealing the intimacy and power of choice — and of bad behavior — through flexible, genre-bending performance. (Anika Besst)
Werner Herzog restored documentaries at Trylon Cinema
Aug. 8–10 — Chaos enthusiast and existential German filmmaker Werner Herzog, famous for films like “Aguirre, the Wrath of God” and “Grizzly Man,” also made a slew of 45-minute documentaries in the seventies and eighties for Süddeutscher Rundfunk, a German state broadcasting corporation. Five of those films have been newly restored and will be screened Aug. 8–10 at the Trylon Cinema in Minneapolis.
“With eclectic subject matter ranging from a volcanic eruption in Guadalupe to the frenetic form of speech used by American cattle auctioneers, each story is clearly borne of some deep fascination Herzog has with a person or phenomenon,” writes Malcolm Cooke in a delightful essay for Perisphere, the Trylon’s blog. (Cooke also recounts the “Minnesota Declaration” made by Herzog in 1999 about “Ecstatic Truth” at the Walker Art Center.) (Alex V. Cipolle)
‘Nordic Socialism’ author conversation at East Side Freedom Library in St. Paul
Aug. 10 — Earlier this summer, state senator and democratic socialist Omar Fateh earned the official DFL endorsement in the race for Minneapolis Mayor, only a month after fellow democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani won the democratic primary for Mayor of New York City. While democratic socialism has been gaining more attention nationally, Nordic countries have already elected socialists to their governments.
In his book “Nordic Socialism,” Danish author and politician Pelle Dragsted explores just how socialist countries like Denmark actually are. The parliamentarian will be speaking about his book this weekend at an event hosted by the East Side Freedom Library in St. Paul, and will be joined in conversation by Minnesota historian Gary Kaunonen. The event is free, but registration is requested by the venue. (Jacob Aloi)
Njál's Saga Tapestry of Iceland on tour in Minnesota
Through Aug. 19 — The Njál's Saga Tapestry of Iceland is 90 meters long, and it’s on tour across the U.S., with several stops in Minnesota. In 2013, using linen and hand-dyed wool, a community in southern Iceland started hand-embroidering the Medieval Icelandic epic, a “family saga that revolves around friendship, feuds and battles, passion, power-struggle and vengeance, honor, shame and reconciliation.”
The tapestry was inspired by the centuries-old Bayeux Tapestry of France, which depicted events leading up to the Battle of Hastings of 1066. The Historical & Cultural Society of Clay County will display a section of the saga Aug. 6–13 at the Hjemkomst Center in Moorhead. It will then travel to the Danish American Center in Minneapolis Aug. 15–19. (Alex V. Cipolle)
The Moth’s StorySLAM comes to Amsterdam Bar and Hall
Aug. 13 — Storytelling, in one shape or form, saturates every platform. We’re surrounded by it, participating and learning from the practice. But how often do we sit down to write up our own stories?
The Moth, famous for its storytelling events and radio hours, is bringing its legendary StorySLAM to the Amsterdam Bar and Hall in St. Paul on Aug. 13. Attendees can sign up for a spot in the open-mic storytelling competition or simply sit back and enjoy true, personal tales on the theme “childish.” Stories might recall the innocence of a favorite stuffed animal or the awkward thrill of hiding from a crush at recess.
This event brings the organization’s long tradition of storytelling, community building and shared experiences to the Twin Cities — delivered in the best way possible: slam style. (Anika Besst)
‘Queericana’ by Kandace Creel Falcón at Calendula Gallery
Through Sept. 21 — Visual artist, writer and interdisciplinary feminist scholar Kandace Creel Falcón has always gravitated towards vibrant colors in their painting. Even in scenes as ordinary as free couches left on the curb or as peculiar as mannequins arranged in a front yard, their bright colors create moments that feel both whimsical and curious. Creel Falcón uses that signature look in her exhibition “Queericana” currently on display at the Calendula Gallery in Lowertown St. Paul.
These paintings were inspired by real scenes they saw while driving along their neighborhood in rural Minnesota. “I've made paintings of these places or these objects in relationship to the spaces that they are in to try to examine my own relationship as a queer person in these spaces,” they said. “I really see myself reflected in these kind of odd moments that exist in the rural countryside.”
They hope these scenes will help bridge, rather than widen, the rural-urban divide by inviting attendees to consider new ways queerness can be seen and appreciated in a rural context — something not always openly embraced. (Anika Besst)
‘Lone Star Spirits’ at Commonweal in Lanesboro
Through Oct. 25 — A Texas liquor store serves as the backdrop for the comedy “Lone Star Spirits” at Commonweal Theatre in Lanesboro. When a woman comes home to Texas to visit her father, her trip is complicated by an ex-boyfriend looking to reunite, as well as by the ghost of a bear wrestling pioneer that haunts the family liquor store.
In addition to being a father/daughter story, “Lone Star Spirits” is a story about small towns in America, which echoes Lanesboro’s place in Minnesota as an arts and culture hub far from a major U.S. city. (Jacob Aloi)
