Shamrock Shakes, ‘Drop Dead Gorgeous,’ Winter Beer Dabbler: This Week’s Best Events

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

MONDAY 2.19

Hard Shamrock Shake Release Party

Insight Brewing

Ba da ba ba baaa—I’m milkshake drunk? Look, we all love the mint-green treats that hit a certain fast-food chain’s shake machines around St. Patrick’s Day each year. What if we told you that a certain local taproom has its own hard take on the Shamrock Shake, which returns to the taproom starting today? This seltzer-based adult shake (6% ABV) is only available for a limited time, so swing by soon to snag some of that vanilla-mint deliciousness. You never know when the cease and desist is gonna hit. Free. 3 p.m. 2821 E. Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Em Cassel

WEDNESDAY 2.21

Book Fair Happy Hour

Icehouse

Pop-up shops are… popping up at breweries and bars on a weekly basis. We’ve got vintage pop-ups, indie artists pop-ups, edibles pop-ups, and plant pop-ups. But rarely do we see a book pop-up. That’s what’s happening this week at Icehouse, when three nonprofit Minnesota presses—Milkweed Editions, Graywolf Press, and Coffee House Press—stop by and set up shop. Enter to win prizes, learn a little more about these local businesses, and shop from a selection of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, plus score a free drink ticket when you buy a book. Free. 4-6 p.m. 2528 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis.—Jessica Armbruster

THURSDAY 2.22

Drinking Liberally

331 Club

Billed as an "informal, inclusive weekly progressive social club," the Minneapolis chapter of Drinking Liberally has been holding court at 331 for almost two decades. (Dozens of other chapters convene weekly around the U.S.) Each installment features a guest speaker and this week's is... Racket! Us! The very website you're reading at this very moment! Our co-founders will speak about creating a worker-owned media operation from the ashes of City Pages, followed by a free-flowing, spirited conversation befitting the barroom setting. In an era of politics defined by toxic comment sections and increasingly unbearable Twitter discourses, Drinking Liberally provides a rare IRL oasis to talk policy, crack jokes, and not feel like you're losing your mind. Free. 6-9 p.m. 331 13th Ave. NE, Minneapolis; find more info here.—Jay Boller

Honor, an Artist Lecture by Suzanne Bocanegra

Walker Art Center

This year’s weird and wild Out There Series concludes with a fake presentation about a real piece of art (Honor, which can be viewed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art) given by a real artist (Suzanne Bocanegra) who is being played by an actor (Lili Taylor). Got all that? What starts as a dry lecture about a 16th century tapestry soon turns into a humorous exploration of artists and history, both personal and historical, with music, vignettes, and the real Bocanegra feeding Taylor her lines from off to the side. It’s the fourth installation of “Artist Lectures,” a curatorial-themed series from performance artist Bocanegra. $15. 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. 725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis. Through Saturday—Jessica Armbruster

Prize Horse

7th St Entry

Racket contributor Austin Gerth celebrated this Minneapolis trio’s “emo-indebted, fatalistic melancholy” and “glacial, metal-adjacent” sound upon the release of their 2022 debut, Welder, and those hyphenates let you know how close Prize Horse edges toward genres without quite leaping into them. Gerth also called them “heavy shoegaze,” though, and if the shoegaze fits, etc. Their second album, Under Sound, opens with the intimate squeak of fingers on guitar strings, and its arpeggios leading to unresolved progressions, hypnotic lull of regulated drum patterns, and the contrast between Jake Beitel's plainspoken vocals and the band’s moody low-end rumble is all very wintry in its way. Excellent lineup downhill too, including Oklahoma shoegazers Downward and two great local bands: rap-rockers killusonline and the absolutely ferocious Giallo, whose frontman I once saw hurl a crutch halfway across the Uptown VFW. $15/$18. 7:30 p.m. 701 N. First Ave., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Keith Harris

FRIDAY 2.23

Catch of the Day Party

Fulton Beer Taproom

Everyone’s favorite lake-fishin’, shore-cookin’ YouTube star is taking over Fulton’s taproom for a lil’ gathering with Joe Cermele, fishing editor of Field & Stream Magazine. If you’re not already familiar with SHORELUNCH With Nate P., go ahead and revisit our 2021 chat with local legend Nate Pischke here, then take a few minutes to marathon all 29-ish episodes of SHORELUNCH here. Back with us? Welcome! Wasn’t that a delight? So about this Fulton get-together: They’ll have Good Boy Lager on tap, metal records on the turntable, and a pork roll slider special in the kitchen, plus artists and artisans including Jake Keeler, Ted Hansen, and Slugboat Banana. It should be a very nice time. Free. 5-10 p.m. 414 Sixth Ave. N., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Em Cassel

Drop Dead Gorgeous 

Trylon Cinema

How can you tell you’re on a plane back to Minnesota? When you look around at the in-flight TVs and see at least two of ‘em are playing Drop Dead Gorgeous. The cult-classic flick about a chaotic small town beauty pageant turns 25 this year (feel old?). Although some jokes haven’t aged that well (gotta love the very un-pc '90s), there’s still a lot of comedy gold here, including masterfully trashy performances from Ellen Barkin and Allison Janney, a comically underrated Denise Richards, and a wide-eyed, fresh faced Kirsten Dunst. $8. 7 p.m. Friday (sold out); 3, 5 (sold out), and 9:15 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 3 p.m. Sunday. 2820 E. 33rd St., Minneapolis; find tickets here. Through Sunday—Jessica Armbruster

SATURDAY 2.24

Winter Beer Dabbler

Minnesota State Fairgrounds

More than 130 breweries, cideries, hard seltzer-ies, and THC-er-ies will converge at the fairgrounds for a high-ABV, low-temperature blowout. This year activities include: beer pong, ax throwing, live snow sculpting, snowmobile theatrics, the esteemed St. Paul Bouncing Team, dueling pianos, and DJs spinning tunes across three stages. The name of the game, of course, is maximizing the ounces you can guzzle via your lil sample glass, and 13 food trucks will have assembled to make sure you’re not doing so on an empty stomach. The only outside food allowed must be dangling from your beer-fest snacklace—get creative and ambitious! $55-$75 ($20 for designated drivers). 3-6:30 p.m. 1265 Snelling Ave. N., St. Paul; find more here.—Jay Boller

Militarie Gun

7th St Entry

Last month, Militarie Gun took a surprise turn into softer territory on their EP, Life Under the Sun. With assistance from guests Bully, Mannequin Pussy, and Manchester Orchestra, this Los Angeles hardcore five-piece ruminatively recast four ragers from their well-received 2023 LP Under the Gun, and tacked on an acoustic take on NOFX’s “Oops, I OD’d” as a melancholy capper. Live, however, expect singer Ian Shelton to return to full-throated form and the band to rock with the precision and aim their name suggests. While their album’s lead track, “Do It Faster,” might have you expecting speed freaks, Militarie Gun is more measured and anthemic than that, given to displays of empathy like “My Friends Are Having a Hard Time” and boasts like “Never Fucked Up Once.” With Pool Kids, Spiritual Cramp, and Spaced. $22/$30. 7:30 p.m. 701 N. First Ave., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Keith Harris

Winter Jazz Fest

KJ’s Hideaway and Park Square Theatre 

Last year Racket took a long look at the state of Minnesota music festivals, and determined that they’re vanishing (though the Minnesota Yacht Club Festival has since appeared and Basilica Block Party has promised a resurrection). In our story, the St. Paul Jazz Fest emerged as the feel-good success amid a bleak festival landscape, and this ticketed winter installment should hold over jazz fans until the free main event hits Mears Park this June, as it has every year since 1999. Fiery Havana-launched pianist/composer Jorge Luis Pacheco will handle headlining duties Saturday at Park Square Theater, where he’ll be preceded by Abinnet Berhanu's Washington, D.C.-based, Ethiopian-inspired ensemble Ahndenet አንድነት. There’ll be an emerging artist stage at Park Square, plus four acts playing at the attached basement club KJ’s Hideaway. $50. 3-10:30 p.m. 408 St. Peter St., St. Paul (KJ’s) and 20 W. 7th Place, St. Paul (Park Square); find more info and set times/location here.—Jay Boller

Extreme Horse Skijoring 

Canterbury Park

Whoa, Nelly! This madcap weekend of racing gimmicks is a genius stroke of marketing from the ol’ racetrack. The headline attraction, as you may have guessed, is horse skijoring—quarter horses yanking skiers around an obstacle course that’s riddled with jumps and gates. More than 100 teams from around the country will be competing for the best time, all in pursuit of fabulous cash prizes; a coinciding freestyle event will feature even bigger jumps, flips, and tricks. If that wasn't enough, dachshunds and corgis will be zipping around the track "for a shot at Winter Dog Racing immortality," and dog sledders are set to mush on Saturday. You can also expect a vendor market, bonfires, specialty cocktails, kid-friendly activities, and more. What a country! $7-$150. 11 a.m. Saturday-Sunday. 1100 Canterbury Rd., Shakopee; find more info here. Also Sunday—Jay Boller

ONGOING

The Fifteenth Film Noir Series: Neo-Noir

Trylon & The Heights

Noir is a pretty expansive genre to begin with, and neo-noir can be even more capacious. The 18 films that make the Trylon’s 15th annual noir festival seem chosen to highlight this genre’s elasticity. The series began last night with William Friedkin’s To Live and Die in L.A., which continues through Tuesday, and wraps up on February 29 (oh hey, 2024 is a leap year) with the unconventional Steve Martin musical Pennies From Heaven. The other selections stretch back to 1967 for the New Hollywood jumpstarter Bonnie and Clyde and Seijun Suzuki’s avant-yakuza flick Branded to Kill; the most recent film is Bi Gan’s slow cinema landmark Long Day’s Journey Into Night. Chinatown, maybe the most perfect neo-noir of ’em all, and the Coen Brothers’ Irish gangster flick, Miller’s Crossing, will show at the Heights. Don’t miss Bob Hoskins in The Long Good Friday (British gangsters are so grubby). Or Kathryn Bigelow’s sci-fi tale of police brutality, Strange Days. Or—dammit I knew I shouldn’t have started making recommendations, now it’s hard to stop. 2820 E. 33rd St, Minneapolis; find times, dates, prices, and more info here. Through February 29—Keith Harris

Multiple Realities: Experimental Art in the Eastern Bloc, 1960s–1980s 

Walker Art Center

What does subversive art look like when the artist knows the government is watching? For a sampling of the creativity that arises under oppressive circumstances, take a cruise through “Multiple Realities,” an exhibition spanning two decades of work by artists from East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Yugoslavia. The collection, not commonly seen in the U.S., includes underground club photography, found objects turned into statements, witty scribbles, and images from performances with heavy nods to queer life, ironic humor, political dissonance, and, perhaps most important here, interpretative deniability. The exhibition opens on Friday with a Walker After Hours Party, followed by a free opening-day talk with pop-up performances in the galleries on Saturday. For a complete schedule of related events, check online. 725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis. Through March 10, 2024—Jessica Armbruster

Untitled 18

Soo Visual Arts Center

Now in its 18th year, “Untitled” is a curated gallery show where any artist is welcome to submit, regardless of medium, career level, or experience. What results is a curious collection that’s a joy to explore. This year’s show will feature 30 artists, all selected by curator Danielle Krysa. “For me, the connecting element is this: Whether the work is on the floor, suspended from the ceiling, or hanging on the walls, everything in this show makes me want to touch it,” she says of her selection process here. “I won’t, but I want to. You’ll see what I mean—there’s just so much TEXTURE." There will be an opening reception this Saturday, February 17, from 6 to 9 p.m. 2909 Bryant Ave. S., Minneapolis. Through March 24—Jessica Armbruster

The Other Four

Weisman Art Museum

Have you ever come across a tactile-looking piece of art at a gallery and wished you could reach out and touch it? Well, you can at the Weisman’s new group exhibition. “The Other Four” asks guests to rely less on sight and more on smell, taste, touch, and sound. So museum etiquette be damned, you’re welcome to sniff, listen, and grope these pieces to your heart’s content. (We’re not sure how taste plays into this show, but according to the press release that’s on the table as well.) The collection features 16 multimedia works by 21 contemporary artists, and that includes pieces exploring technology, performance, experimentation, and interactive play. “Most of us are so accustomed to the dominance of our sense of sight that we often forget it is operating… sometimes causing one to drift off into thought and miss the moment,” notes local artist John Scheurman, curator of the show. There will be an opening party this Thursday, February 8, from 7 to 10 p.m. with music, apps, and a cash bar (tickets are $20/free if you’re a U student). A free artists’ roundtable is also scheduled for 6 p.m Thursday, April 3. 333 E. River Pkwy., Minneapolis. Through May 19—Jessica Armbruster

Arctic Highways: Unbounded Indigenous People

American Swedish Institute

This winter, ASI is showcasing the work of 12 Indigenous artists from Sápmi, the Sámi people’s name for the arctic land they inhabit and travel, ranging from Alaska to Scandinavia to Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Russia. That may sound like a huge swath of land, but the connections are stronger than the miles here. “We are indigenous peoples who live in different countries and on different continents, and yet regard ourselves as peoples with kindred spirits,” the collective artist statement explains. “With this exhibition we want to tell our own story, through our own experiences, using our own forms of expression.” Pieces include photography, textile work, sculptures, and duodji handcrafts. The museum’s “first look” party this Friday, from 6 to 9 p.m. features live music, live reindeer, and hands-on art making. Tickets are $30 for the opening party, otherwise the show is free with admission ($6-$13). 2600 Park Ave., Minneapolis. Through May 26—Jessica Armbruster

Tetsuya Yamada: Listening

Walker Art Center

This winter, as performers from around the world will be heading to the Walker for its annual Out There Series, the galleries will be staying local, showcasing the work of ceramicist Tetsuya Yamada. For this survey, the Japanese-born, Minnesota-residing U of M prof will share over 65 pieces, including drawings, notes, and many, many everyday examples of ceramics–plates, vases, coffee mugs, and more. The title of the exhibition, “Listening,” refers to the instinctual choices an artist makes along the way to creating something. “The process might take me to places I didn’t imagine initially,” he explains. “This is the fundamental of studio practice for me.” There will be an opening reception this Thursday, January 18, with free admission from 5 to 9 p.m. and an artist’s talk at 7 p.m. (Stop by the Main Lobby Desk for tickets.) ​​725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis. Through July 7—Jessica Armbruster