Welcome to Event Horizon, your weekly roundup of the best events in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and beyond.
WEDNESDAY 2.7
The Riffin’ Trio
Berlin
Though North Loop’s nightlife may be a-bustlin’, the downtown-adjacent Minneapolis neighborhood is hardly thought of as a live music hot spot. But as the new jazz club Berlin opens in the former Askov Finlayson building on North First St. this week, joining the ever-reliable Bunker’s way to the north, the Fillmore over by Target Field, and the Underground Music Venue/Cafe tucked away on Third Ave., maybe it’s time to start thinking of it that way. With a menu of shareable plates from Jamie Malone of Paris Dining Club, a no-nonsense selection of cocktails, and a welcoming ambience highlighted by a blue stained glass entryway, expect the cozy little spot (capacity is below 100) to fill up quickly, especially on weeknights when there will be no cover. The Riffin’ Trio (Nelson Devereaux on sax/flute, Ted Olsen on bass, and Jacob Hanso on guitar) will zip through some standards to christen the joint, and if you frequent Icehouse you’ll see some other familiar names in the initial lineup, such as JT Bates, Martin Dosh, and Jeremy Ylvisaker. Among the first ticketed events are performances by Atlantis Quartet and Alpha Consumer. Free. 7 p.m. 204 N. First St., Minneapolis; more info here.—Keith Harris
THURSDAY 2.8
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
Racket Office Hours
Falling Knife Brewing Co.
You're invited to Racket's first-ever "Office Hours" session! What does that mean? Great question, and one we'll sorta figure out in real-time during this low-key happy hour hang at Falling Knife Brewing Co. There'll be koozies and stickers to give away. There'll be chit-chat with Racket's four co-owners/editors. If nothing else, it'll be an opportunity for us to enjoy beverages with readers while you let us know what works, what doesn't, and what you'd like to see more of in Racket throughout 2024. Mostly, though, it'll just be nice to connect IRL with this wonderful reader community we experience each Friday Open Thread. Stick around afterward to cheer on the very good Minnesota Timberwolves as they face the (also very good) Milwaukee Bucks! Free. 4-7 p.m. 783 Harding St. NE #100, Minneapolis; RSVP here.—Jay Boller
FRIDAY 2.9
Roy Wood Jr.
The Fillmore
Lotta folks believed Wood Jr., a Daily Show staple for nearly a decade, was the rightful heir to Trevor Noah’s host seat. Instead, the latest White House Correspondents' Dinner host bailed (in semi-shocking fashion) from the show in October. The native New Yorker, 45, has hinted he’d return for the main gig, though for now he’s focused on his charismatically cantankerous standup comedy. Fun filmography detail: Wood Jr.’s latest credit is for some sort of animated feature called Urkel Saves Santa: The Movie!, featuring Jaleel White himself plus the very funny Nicole Byer. Huh, he did that! $51-$102. 6 p.m. (sold out) and 9 p.m. 525 N. Fifth St., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Jay Boller
Emo Nite
Fine Line
When I was about 12 years old, I narrowly dodged being thrust into counseling after changing the wallpaper on the family’s Gateway computer to read “LIVE. LOVE. BURN. DIE.” What was the big deal? It was only the refrain of Atreyu’s “Lip Gloss and Black,” which was on constant rotation on my portable Panasonic CD player at the time. You, presumably, are not 12, so it won’t raise any red flags should you attend this Emo Nite with special guest Brandon Saller of Atreyu. (Is the “family computer” still a thing, even? You Gen Z-ers don’t even know how good you have it.) 18+. $16+. 9 p.m. 318 N. First Ave., Minneapolis; find tickets and more info here.—Em Cassel
Old Saint Anthony Valentine’s Night Market
Machine Shop
Somehow the February 14 holiday is just around the corner… alarming, no? It’s enough to get you frantically googling “time moves faster older?” and “time moving faster 30s?”—neither of which will get you any closer to procuring a little last-minute Valentine’s something for your significant other. While we maintain that Racket’s T-shirts and hyper-specific stickers are the perfect gift for any occasion, there’s also this Minneapolis Craft Market-hosted happening. The bar will be open, with DJ Buster Baxter spinning “the most soulful love songs,” and, if you’re feeling extra ambitious, Sip ‘N Bloom is hosting a floral arranging class ($65 or $85 depending on your expertise). Free. 6-9 p.m. 300 Second St. SE, Minneapolis; find more info here.—Em Cassel
Safe Word
MLX - Modus Locus Expansion
Valentine’s Day isn’t just for lovers, for some it’s about experimentation, pushing boundaries, and new discoveries. If that’s your thing, then you might want to check out “Safe Word,” an annual event that is part art show, part performance. Art from this group show will range from suggestive, to erotic, to downright raunchy. Guests will also be invited to observe a variety of performances that may turn you on, but at the very least will get you thinking (the mind is the sexiest organ, after all). Each evening will include live music, adult beverages, and snacks. 21+ (of course). $45; find tickets here. 7-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 3338 SE University Ave., Minneapolis. Through Saturday—Jessica Armbruster
Sam Miller
Club Underground
Miller lives in Olympia, Washington, but he's not lacking for local connections. Twin Cities label Stand Up! Records put out his very funny 2023 album/special, Round Trip, which happens to be directed by Drinking with Ian host Ian Rans of local public access fame. A gregarious mountain of a man, Miller engages audiences like an old friend, telling longform bits about heavy topics (sobriety, addiction, homelessness) in addition to rascally slice-of-life observations. $10. 7 p.m. 355 Monroe St. NE, Minneapolis; find more info here.—Jay Boller
SATURDAY 2.10
Red Bull Heavy Metal
Minnesota State Capitol
What is street snowboarding? If you’re to believe Racket’s Em Cassel (and lord I do), street snowboarding has gotten really big in Minnesota for an obvious reason: "We have hills, not mountains," Lexi Roland, one of about a dozen women and a handful of Minnesotans who competed in 2022’s Heavy Metal event in Duluth, told Em last year. Think snowboarders from around the world pulling off tricks atop handrails, ledges, stairs, and fences–all of which mercifully require very little snow. Recent X Games gold medalists Grace Warner and Pat Fava will be among the 20+ riders competing for $30,000 in prizes this year outside of the Capitol. Parts of St. Paul’s competition will also be aired later this month via ESPN 2. Free. 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, St. Paul; find more info here.—Jay Boller
Stupor Bowl
Venture Bikes
Look, Americans were robbed of the Super Bowl they wanted; Lions vs. Ravens would’ve been pure fun, but instead we’ll be subjected to the 49ers (who are annoyingly determined to frame themselves as underdogs) and, yet again, the boringly dominant Chiefs. Our suggestion: Make this weekend less about football, more about enjoying riding “the longest running messenger run alley cat race in the U.S.” Following last year’s scaled-down version, Stupor Bowl is back for a 25th anniversary ride that’ll kick off at Venture Bikes along the Midtown Greenway and crawl all over town before culminating with an afterparty at an undisclosed location. Be sure to check out the week’s worth of events surrounding this celebration of buzzed biking. Registration is from 10 a.m. to noon. 1000 Midtown Greenway, Minneapolis; find more info here.—Jay Boller
SUNDAY 2.11
Super Bowl Watch Parties
Various Locations
Guys, I’m going to be honest here: I don’t follow football. That said, I do love a sports party, and, if you’re like me, I bet this is the one game you watch this year. This Sunday, you can watch the 49ers vs. the Chiefs (guest starring Taylor Swift) at a variety of locations. La Dona Cerveceria will be serving up food deals and drinks while folks watch on the big screen, as will Brit’s in downtown Minneapolis. LUSH Lounge & Theater will have two-for-ones drink specials and Super Bowl bingo going, with a chance to win prizes. Bent Brewstillery will be hosting a chili contest leading up to the big game. It’s free to enter (you also get a free drink if you do), and it’s free to sample and vote. Over at Forgotten Star Brewery you’ll get $2 off your drinks if you come in an NFL jersey or a T-Swift tee, and Omni Brewery & Taproom has stuff happening all week leading up to the game. Also, stayed tuned for Freeloader Friday, where I’ll try to dig up even more free viewing parties around town.—Jessica Armbruster
ONGOING
Film Independent Spirit Awards
Walker Art Center
Every year, the Walker screens a slate of nominees from the Independent Spirit Awards, giving us hinterlanders a chance to catch up on some of the best movies of the past year—and for free (if you’re a member, that is). While some of the films, like All of Us Strangers and American Fiction, are still in theaters, others passed through all too briefly or didn’t play here at all—I’m particularly anticipating Raven Jackson’s well-reviewed All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, which I believe only played at the Twin Cities Film Festival (and will cost you $20 on Amazon). Three of my ten favorite films from last year are screening: the sexed up Passages, the unconventional documentary Four Daughters, and May December, which is a much squirmier experience in a room full of people, rather than at home on Netflix. (Good luck making it through this Saturday’s double feature of Four Daughters and All of Us Strangers without becoming an absolute emotional wreck.) And three more of the movies (Earth Mama, Kokomo City, A Thousand and One) made my long list. Maybe I’ll even go see Past Lives again and decide if I was wrong about it. Free for members. 725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis; find dates, times, and more info here. Through February 10—Keith Harris
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
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
