Welcome to Event Horizon, your weekly roundup of recommended things to do. It's a stacked week with a lot of free time, so make it fun.
TUESDAY 11.23
Playboi Carti
Armory
When critics call this Atlanta rapper “experimental,” they’re just classing up what he really is: weird. Good weird, let me quickly add, not to mention chart-topping weird. Carti closed out 2020 with a new album, Whole Lotta Red (Awge/Interscope), which you could tell was something special because nobody could agree on what the best tracks were. My faves include “Slay3r,” with its tweaked munchkin sound effects, and “JumpOutTheHouse,” the title of which is unspaced because that’s how he chants it, ad infinitum. But mostly I just let the album wash over me as a single piece of constantly shifting music. Throughout, Carti emits charmingly ugly little noises, darty blurts, and pitch-variant rasps that zip between electronic squelches and tittering cymbals and droning grinds, finding a naggingly repetitive passage to focus on till it wears a groove in the tracks. With Ken Car$on. All ages. $59.95 and up. 8 p.m. 500 S. 6th St., Minneapolis; more info here.—Keith Harris
WEDNESDAY 11.24
Blingo
Sisyphus Brewing
Blingo is bingo, but with a little sparkle. This Wednesday, drag queen extraordinaire B. Louise will host the fourth-annual Friendsgiving edition at Sisyphus. There will be multiple rounds, glamorous prizes, and casual vibes. In addition to beer on tap, there will also be a friendly potluck buffet, so feel free to add a little something to the table if you’re test driving a few holiday recipes or just finished a cookie baking jag. There will also be pumpkin pie to share. Donations collected and $1 from every beer sold will go to MN Youthlink, a local org that offers a variety of services for homeless youth with an emphasis on LGBTQ needs. Free. 7 to 9 p.m. 712 Ontario Ave. W., Minneapolis. --Jessica Armbruster
Friendsgiving
Minneapolis Cider Company
It’s Wednesday. If you celebrate Thanksgiving with your family, then this is your last chance to have a little fun with friends before heading home for free laundry, football, and food comas. To facilitate this, Minneapolis Cider Company is hosting a friendly party with hot mulled cider, fall-themed cocktails, and special releases on tap. Out on the patio you’ll find a bonfire for roasting s’mores, and crepes with pumpkin spice and apple pie fixings will also be available for purchase. There’ll be live music from Ryan Burns around 7 p.m., and if you feel like playing a little pickleball, it’s free and open to all today. Free. 4 p.m. to midnight. 701 SE Ninth St., Minneapolis. --Jessica Armbruster
Durry
7th St. Entry
Racket had the scoop on Durry’s wildly viral rise back in October, when the brother-sister local band blew up with 200,000 plays on TikTok (the figure approaches 1 million now). A grunge-pop shoutalong with vocals that alternately summon My Chemical Romance and Post Malone, the song “Who’s Laughing Now” has stirred up attention from “very big name” management firms; the band is booked solid with industry Zoom meetings, and the single is scoring placement on Spotify-curated playlists. Noted Gen-Xers Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit and, recently, Chris Riemenschneider of the Star Tribune are fans. Durry debuted in July at a sold-out 7th St. Entry, just as live music began its comeback, and singer-songwriter Austin Durry predicts the “post-TikTok” concerts will be wild. $15. 7:30 p.m. 701 N. First Ave., Minneapolis; more info here.—Jay Boller
Drunk Spelling Bee
Can Can Wonderland
The day before Thanksgiving is famously one of the drunkest days Americans celebrate each year—so find a DD or spring for a Lyft and catch a buzz at Can Can Wonderland’s drunk spelling bee. It’s easy: Just sign up when you get there and they’ll hand over a free beer ticket and your contestant number. Round by round, you’ll have to spell out words elementary school style, and every time you answer correctly, you get another beer ticket. (Starting to understand where the drunk part comes in?) They’ll quiz contestants on spelling for as many rounds as it takes to determine the evening’s wasted winner. Ugly sweaters are encouraged, and Can Can will also be accepting donations of new, packaged, winter gear to distribute to the community. 21+. Free with admission. 8-10 p.m. 755 Prior Ave. N., Suite #004, St. Paul; more info here. —Em Cassel
FRIDAY 11.26
Home for the Holidays 4: Bigger & Blacker
Sisyphus Brewing
Minneapolis-launched, New York City-based comic Ben Katzner will be home for Thanksgiving, and he decided to gift the Twin Cities with a heckuva Black Friday deal: a stacked lineup of local and formerly local standups for $10. Katzner—who, after the murder of George Floyd, wrote this powerful essay about growing up Black in central Minnesota—also happens to be an up-’n’-coming children's author; his debut graphic lovel, Hello, My Name is Poop, dropped in October via Simon & Schuster. Katzner’s pals performing at Sisyphus include: Ellie Hino (Brave New Workshop), Moe Yaqub (City Pages 2019 Artist of the Year), Anders Lee (Pod Damn America), Courtney Baka (The Hard Times), Khadijah Cooper (Pssy Ctrl), Greg Coleman (City Pages Best Standup Comedian of 2017), and Dena Denny. $10-$12. 8 & 10 p.m. 712 Ontario Ave. W. #100, Minneapolis; more info here.—Jay Boller
Sociable’s 8th Anniversary
Sociable Cider Werks
It’s Sociable’s b-day and they’re celebrating this weekend with a party. There will be rare, time-honored, and golden oldies on tap to be served by the pint. For those looking for a little self-care after carb and booze loading on Thanksgiving, you can pop into the sauna parked onsite thanks to Nomad saunas (bring a towel and sauna wear). Santa will also be stopping by to, uh, drink. Maybe buy him a round. Finally, tunes will be provided by Tarias and the Sound. Noon to 11:45 p.m. 1500 Fillmore St. NE, Minneapolis. --Jessica Armbruster
Return of the Leftovers Ride
Sociable Cider Werks
After taking a year off (thanks, COVID), the Joyful Riders Club folks are hopping back on their bikes to spread a little seasonal cheer. In the seventh installment of their post-turkey ride, the crew will be meeting at Sociable Ciderwerks, which is celebrating its eight anniversary this weekend, at 2 p.m. Then, at 3 p.m., folks will depart on a casual ride to Boom Island, where a bonfire will be lit and a table will perish in the flames (it’s a cathartic tradition). S’mores and cocoa will be provided, but you’ll want to bring a stick for toasting, and a cup for drinking. Also, be sure to bring a new pair of wool socks to donate. Free. 2 p.m. 1500 Fillmore St. NE, Minneapolis. --Jessica Armbruster
SATURDAY 11.27
Choreographers’ Evening
Walker Art Center
For the past 72 years, the Walker has hosted Choreographers’ Evening, a showcase of up-and-coming, mid-career, and long-established artists. Each installment features a different curator at the helm; this year it’s Valerie Oliveiro, a queer, Minneapolis-based artist originally from Singapore. In addition to performing onstage, Oliveiro also works behind the scenes, stage managing or creating lighting design for the likes of Cynthia Oliver, Bebe Miller, Dance Heginbotham, and Rosy Simas. Movement makers tonight include Jessika Enoh Akpaka, Kealoha Ferreira, Judith Holo Shuǐ Xiān, Khary Jackson, Sachiko “La Chayí,” José A. Luis, Marcela Michelle, Pedro Pablo, Kayla Schiltgen, Yuki Tokuda, and Wattanak Dance Troupe. If you can’t make it to the show, or aren’t ready to sit in a crowd, the Walker will upload a live link here where folks can watch for free. $28.50; free online. 5 and 8 p.m. 725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis. --Jessica Armbruster
SUNDAY 11.28
Beach Bunny
First Avenue
Beach Bunny’s Lili Trifilio benefited early on from TikTok virality when her 2018 “Prom Queen” struck a chord with body-pos teens. Since then, her Chicago band has mastered the alt-rock revival template, though with pop-punk touches: bristling but never unkempt guitars providing a context for a voice that’s bright and clear and tuneful even when it’s hurt or angry. The song titles of Beach Bunny’s 2020 EP Blame Game give you a roadmap of Trifilio’s concerns: “Good Girls (Don’t Get Used),” “Love Sick,” “Nice Guys,” and, of course, “Blame Game.” Honeymoon, the full-length that quickly followed it, developed that sound without straying too far from it, as does a new song, “Oxygen.” Two up-and-coming local acts open: miloe and Why Not. 18+. $22/$26. 8 p.m. 701 First Ave. N., Minneapolis; more info here.—Keith Harris
