Goth Skate Night, Northern Spark, Unicorns: This Week’s Best Events

Welcome to Event Horizon, your weekly roundup of the best events in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

MONDAY 6.6

Haim 

Armory

For their first two releases, Haim made fun, infectious pop-rock. On their latest, the trio of L.A. sisters made their first great album. Featuring production from Vampire Weekend collaborators Rostam Batmanglij and Ariel Rechtshaid, Women in Music Pt. III grooves and simmers while still incorporating the trademark chuga-chuga-chuga guitars the group perfected way back on “The Wire.” It’s a thrilling exploration of genres and womanhood, one that earned top 10 placements on most prominent year-end lists. Sasami opens. All ages. $67-$77. 6:30 p.m. 500 S. Sixth St., Minneapolis; find more info here. –Jay Boller

TUESDAY 6.7

The Return of Trailer-O-Rama: The Revengening Part 2

The Parkway Theater

“We all know trailers are the best part of going to the movies,” Trailer-O-Rama’s description begins, and while the best part of going to the movies is actually doing the “That’s Chappie” bit with whoever you’re at the theater with, trailers are a close second. Especially these ones: For Trailer-O-Rama’s return, the good folks at the Parkway dug through the archives to put together an hour of wacky, weird, and so-bad-they’re-good trailers, all of which will be screened on 35mm film. Cult film trivia starts at 7:30 p.m. (there’s a prize!), and the trailers roll at 8. $10 advance/$13 at the door. 7 p.m. 4814 Chicago Ave., Minneapolis—Em Cassel

Tune-Yards 

First Avenue

You can’t be chill on a moving train. Fraught times call for a psyche-rattling soundtrack, and Sketchy, Tune-Yards most accomplished album since Whokill fluked into critical consensus a decade ago, is just that. Merill Garbus’s horn arrangements and guitars and electronics clamor for space as Nate Brenner’s conversational bass excuse-me-pardon-mes its way through a knottily anti-ambient groove that’s personal but not private, as busy as Garbus’s brain and maybe yours. On each song, verses pester along till a bubble of a chorus levitates above the roil, where phrases as suggestive as “A body knows a truth you can’t hear,” as simple as “Look into my eyes,” even as cross-stitch meme-worthy as “If you cannot hear a woman/Then how can you write her song?” are nuanced into resonance by the dialectic of noise and tune. With Anjimile. $31/$33. 8 p.m. 701 N. First Ave., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Keith Harris

THURSDAY 6.9

Syd

Varsity Theater

No matter how much she loves the game, every player’s got to hang her cleats up sometime. So while Syd’s younger fans seem a little surprised that their favorite daringly queer R&B seducer is so keen to boo up on her latest album, Broken Hearts Club… well, someday they’ll be on the cusp of 30, too. Anyway, Syd the Kyd’s fantasies of monogamy are good for her art, giving her an opportunity to rhyme “Tie the Knot” with (cute!) “I like you a lot,” and adding depth to her flirtatiousness. She still sings like a less femme Janet or like Aaliyah with a weightier breathiness, especially when producer Rodney Jenkins pops in to anchor “Control” to a Timbaland-lite flutter. With groove a given throughout, retro sound effects include Purple Rain-era phased drums and a heroically thin guitar solo straight out of Scandal’s “The Warrior.” Ultimately, it’s hard to say if Syd’s expressing her desires or just playing a new game. Either way, she’s winning. $35. 7 p.m. 1308 SE Fourth St, Minneapolis; find more info here.—Keith Harris

FRIDAY 6.10

Unicorn Art Show 7

Artspace Jackson Flats

Unicorns are a powerful muse. Through the generations, they have inspired horse girls, fantasy writers, Tarot card readers, and even Bronies. Their ubiquity–especially in today’s glittery, kawaii, space screensaver era–suggests that they have one hell of a hold on us. Case in point: the “Unicorn Art Show,” a group exhibition that is now in its seventh installation. A variety of artists have taken the unicorn (and a few other otherworldly creatures) as inspiration in this collection. There will be paintings, there will be sculptures, there will be embroidery, and photography. Check it all out at the opening party on Friday, which will feature cocktails from Twin Spirits and food served up by Que Tal Street Eats. 4-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 901 18 1/2 Ave. NE, Minneapolis. –Jessica Armbruster

Skate or Die II
Cheap Skate Roller Center

Maybe you already know Dark Energy—the “dance parties for sad people” group books some of the best goth/techno/industrial shows in town, including the very fun annual Vampire’s Ball. But did you know they also host an annual goth skate takeover in Coon Rapids? It’s true! (Check out some incredible photos from the last Skate or Die here.) This weekend, goths will return to the roller rink for a three-hour dark rollerdisco DJ’d by Die/Aspora, Mayland, and Bleak Roses. Will there be goth limbo, a prize raffle, and some spooky surprises? You bet your fishnet-wearing, leather-shorts-clad little butt. 18+. $11.99 (includes skate rental). 9:30 p.m. 3075 Coon Rapids Blvd., Coon Rapids; find tickets and more info here. —Em Cassel

SATURDAY 6.11

Northern Spark 2022

University Avenue, St. Paul 

Pour yourself another cup of coffee, because this festival goes all night. This year the fun is in St. Paul, namely in five venues: Victoria Theater Arts Center, Rondo Community Library, Springboard for the Arts, Minnesota Museum of American Art, and Raspberry Island. At each spot you’ll find a variety of art installations, performances, and other things to explore. A few options: Rooted in Rondo, a neighborhood docu-series and podcast made by kids and teens; the Drive-In Movie Extravaganza, where you’ll watch puppet shows while sitting in a cardboard art car; and screenprint patch making with Grupo Soap del Corazón. The closing party on Raspberry Island will offer paintings, tunes, and light installations. Find more info at northernspark.org. Free. 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.; closing event on Raspberry Island 2-5:30 a.m. Saturday.–Jessica Armbruster

Twin Cities Brewvet

Various Locations

Biking? It rocks. Breweries? Typically, they’re also good. And that’s really the thrust of the first-ever Twin Cities Brewvet, a tipsy bike tour across 15 local taprooms. The goal, per organizers, is “encouraging folks to get on their bikes and ride to as many participating taprooms in a day as they can,” while benefiting orgs like Our Streets MPLS, the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota, the Midtown Greenway Coalition, and the Saint Paul Bicycle Coalition. The event is inspired by French bicycle journeys known as brevets, timed challenges that reward bicyclists with brevet de audax—“a certificate of audaciousness.” Minnesota participants get a T-shirt, water bottle, and card to track their pedaling/sipping to Blackstack, Pryes, Modist, and many more hop shops. The starting and finish line of this non-competitive ride is Fridley’s Forgotten Star Brewing, where participants can enter a raffle and enjoy live tunes from DJ Willis, Charlie Doesn’t Surf, and Whiskey Rock N’ Roll Club. Critically, for your damn sake, the FAQ portion of the Brewvet website explains that you don’t have to visit every brewery and you absolutely don’t have to down a beer at every stop. Simply have fun and keep your bike upright. $40. Noon. 38 Northern Stacks Dr., Fridley; find more info here.–Jay Boller

Summer Beer Fest

Minnesota State Fairgrounds

If Brewvet sounds too physically taxing, you can always get tanked with your feet affixed to the ground like God intended. Featuring live music (DJ Elsewhere, Black River Revue, Mark Joseph & the American Soul) and cooked food (Barona Pickle Palace, KCM Eggroll, Duke's Poutine), the 13th installment of Summer Beer Fest will gather 50+ local and national breweries at the fair’s International Bazaar for unlimited sampling from your commemorative tasting glass. And it’s daytime binge-drinking with a heart, as proceeds from the silent auction will benefit the YMCA. $15-$75. 1-5 p.m. 1265 Snelling Ave. N., St. Paul; find more info here.–Jay Boller

Change is God-Take Root Among the Stars: Black Abstraction in the Midwest 

Soo Visual Arts Center

This week, SooVAC celebrates the work of Black Abstractionists with an intriguing group show that looks to be big in the gallery’s small space. Curated by Gregory J. Rose, the exhibition includes around 20 artists working out of America’s flyover zone, including Ta-Coumba Aiken, Alexandra Beaumont, Amirah Cunningham, Nicole Davis, Christopher E. Harrison, Stephanie Lindquist, Lela Pierce, Marcus Rothering, and Sarah White. While these artists work in the abstract, their pieces grapple with very real world issues like racism, Blackness, unrest, and the current news. There will be an opening reception on Saturday, June 11, from 7 to 10 p.m. 2909 Bryant Ave. S., Minneapolis. Through July 31–Jessica Armbruster

Rock the Garden

Walker Art Center

Back at CP, we once ranked the historical RTG lineups. How would this year’s fare? Honestly not that great, but hey, who are we to quibble with a glorious summer day filled with outdoor music in the city? Plus co-headliners Sleater-Kinney are all-time indie rock greats, Low is a local institution, and among the lower-billed artists, desert-blues guitar Bombino is a particular standout. (If this reads like Nathaniel Rateliff shade, we salute your comprehension.) Also performing: Beabadoobee, DāM-FunK, and Divide & Dissolve. $84. 1 p.m. 725 Vineland Pl., Minneapolis; find more info here. –Jay Boller

10-Year Anniversary Party

Gamut Gallery

Hell yeah. For the past decade, Gamut Gallery has hosted a variety of artsy parties in the Elliott Park neighborhood. There have been shows by graffiti artists, the annual emerging artist showcase “C4W,” the holiday local artists’ mart Raging Art On, and more from local, national, and worldwide artists. This Saturday, they will celebrate this landmark b-day with an event featuring pieces by Aldair Dosmil, Ash Hane, Barret Lee, Bunny Portia, James Zucco, John Foster, Kristi Abbott, Rodrigo Oñate, Lora Hlvasa, and Urban Camper. Tunes will be provided by a tag-team of DJs, and Icy Icy Baby Snowcone Truck will be stopping by. $15/$20. 4-10 p.m. 717 S. 10th St., Minneapolis. –Jessica Armbruster

SUNDAY 6.12

Jeff Rosenstock

First Avenue

Jeff Rosentstock canceling January’s NO DREAM tour date at First Ave was among the things that almost broke me this winter. But now that the daylight lasts a little longer and the seasonal thrust of my depression is ebbing, I’m willing to admit that June is actually the best time to see everyone’s favorite ska-pologist. It’s a show you should bike to with your friends, in cutoff shorts and sneakers. This is a show you should leave laughing, stepping into a warm night, not huddling your shoulders and hustling to the bus. It’s a show meant for almost-summer, when the air is full of possibility, when it feels like you might just be able to dance and sing so loud you crush the sadness under the weight of your collective euphoria. With NNAMDÏ and Catbite. All ages. $20. 6 p.m. 701 N. First Ave., Minneapolis; find more info here. –Em Cassel

ONGOING

Artist Designed Skyline Mini Golf

Walker Art Center

Now in its 15th year, Artist Designed Skyline Mini Golf returns to WAC for another season of putt putt played in the sky. No really: You’ll be heading up to the museum’s rooftop to play these 10 holes, which means you’ll see gorgeous city views in addition to the spectacle of the quirky course. The new hole this year, ​​Always Have Been Sewn, was designed by Asian American Organizing Project’s Youth Action Team, and was inspired by Hmong “story cloth,” a.k.a. a paj ntaub. Mini golf aficionado Tom Loftus also has two holes featured this year. $10. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday–Saturday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. 725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis. Through September 25 –Jessica Armbruster