Weekend Culture Compass - 'Abandoned Spaces' and 'Romeo and Juliet'

Friday
Music - Dillinger Four
One of Minneapolis’ finest musical exports ever will be delivering their consistently stellar brand of punk at The Turf Club this Friday. That alone is not huge news. But the fact tickets are a mere $6? That’s a classic “must attend,” folks. In lieu of the bargain door price, be sure to frequent the bar double fold.
The Turf Club, 1601 University Avenue W
9 p.m.
$6
Music- Estelle
The London princess of hip-hop, Estelle, is finally hopping the pond to check out those American boys she’s always talking about. This is the first tour Estelle has ever done in the U.S., so you have to dress to impress. Having won the Grammy this past year along with Kanye for best rap/singing collaboration “(American Boy”), she has been nothing but a rising star in the world of music. If you can, after the show, try to take her to the MIA; I heard she hasn’t been there yet but would love to see it - along with New York and L.A..
First Ave, 701 First Avenue N.
8 p.m.
$25
Leisure – Coffee House Night
So what does “coffee house night” really mean? Don’t worry, it’s not the kind of coffee house where an angsty group of hipsters stews over their troubles. Oh no, this coffee house is a place for local musicians to show case their stuff, open-mic style. Performances by local bands such as Brad Senne, Claire and Ballast are perfect to listen to over a cup of joe in the charmingly unpretentious “coffee house” of The Whole.
The Whole Music Club, Coffman Union
7:30 p.m.
Free
Comedy – Joel McHale
You may know him as the personality of E!’s “The Soup,”one of the most popular celebrity gossip comedy shows. A kind of guy who can make a snappy Angelina Jolie or Matt Damon pun in his sleep, his stand-up routine is no less witty. If you like off-kilter pop culture jokes or find men standing in front of green-screen sets attractive, this guy is for you.
State Theater, 805 Hennepin Ave.
8 p.m.
$35
Music – KFAI’s MN Soundtrack Night

MN Soundtrack is an eclectic showcase of local sounds that airs every Friday evening on KFAI, the internationally-flavored community radio station run out of the Cedar Riverside neighborhood on the West Bank. Check out this concert, which will feature the ambient band Bella Koshka along with special guest Akia! at the jolly old Acadia Café right next to KFAI studios.
Acadia Café, 329 Cedar Avenue S.
9:30 p.m. – 12 a.m.
Free
Saturday
Music - Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips
Demand was so high for this music-accompanied showing of Andy Warhol’s “Screen Tests” that the Walker had to add an extra show. The “Screen Tests” show portraits of Warhol’s buddies in the New York art scene and the music is done by Dean Wareham (of Luna) and his soft-voiced singing partner Britta Phillips.

The Walker Art Center,
8, 10:30 p.m.
$15 for 8 p.m., $22 for 10:30 p.m.

Music – A Night in the Box

Plucking the most heated kind of tension out a few banjo strings, A Night in he Box’s Clayton Hagen and Travis Hetman have just the right voices to guide their blues into full-on electric madness that could rival Jack White. They’ve got so much authentic soul that it seems almost impossible that they’re from our own backyard. But Minnesota did make Bob Dylan, so it is possible that this Tundra-like winter wonderland could produce this much soul.

Lee’s Liquor Lounge, 101 Glenwood Avenue N.
9 p.m.
$6

Music – P.O.S. with Sims and Lazerbeak

For those living under a rock that has no subscription to the Daily’s A&E pages, P.O.S. is a hip-hop artist named Stefon Alexander, who gained the nickname “Pissed Off Stef.” Voila, P.O.S. – although the artist does like to keep the exact meaning of his identity under wraps. A purist in his own sense, P.O.S. doesn’t want posers as fans, and doesn’t see any point in mixing too many genres, a la Fred Durst. So is he a better rep. of MPLS’ hip-hop scene than Atmosphere? See for yourself.

First Avenue, 701 First Avenue N.
6 p.m.
$12

Joan Rivers

This Joan-stravaganza features book-signing and a fashion show. Whether or not you think she’s the “queen of the red carpet,” it might be slightly reality-testing just to prove to yourself that she actually exists. The cheekbones, the clicky-clacky fake nails, all right before your eyes!

Mall of America
1 p.m.

Rubber Soul

It’s “British Explosion Weekend” at Famous Dave’s, which means that, finally, the illustrious phenomena of ribs and British-ness will finally be combined. Saturday features a tribute to Rubber Soul (the Beatle’s album that changed pop music), so everyone who digs the Fab Four but not so much that they only want the real thing can expect to be satiated.

Famous Dave’s Uptown
9 p.m.
$5

Sunday

Art: Abandoned Spaces, Vibrant Places

Nestled in Augsburg’s Christensen Center, photographer Kelly Povo and writer Bruce Johansen explore abandoned local shops and their effect on the local community. The exhibit is a smattering of visual and lyrical art.

Augsburg College, 2211 Riverside Avenue S.
Free

Art: 32 x 4

If you’ve missed this art exhibit featuring the age progression of the Twin Cities, Sunday is the last day to catch it. Photographers Michael Dvorak, Dusty Hoskovec, Sarah Stacke, and Xavier Tavera trekked across Minneapolis and St. Paul to capture the changes of our beloved sister towns and juxtapose them by pictures in the same location decades before.

Minneapolis Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall
Free

Theater: I Am a Camera

Based on Isherwood's "Berlin Stories," this whirling Nazi musical featuring protagonist Sally Bowles was the jumping-off point for that fabulous musical Cabaret (yes, the one with Liza Minnelli sporting a black bob).

Theatre in the Round, 245 Cedar Avenue
2 p.m.
$20

Theater: Romeo and Juliet

Sure, you’ve seen the Baz Luhrmann film featuring Claire and Leo, but Shakespeare was meant to be seen on stage. Children’s Theater Company is one of the premiere young theaters in North America and will not disappoint.

Children’s Theater Company, 2400 Third Avenue S.
1 p.m.
$22.50 Students

Music: These are Powers - Triple Rock

Add Lady Soveriegn to The Kills and multiply by a few crazy break beats you can shake yourself to and you’ve got Brooklyn-based These are Powers. The experimental jam-band is playing with Gay Beast, Bird Names and Mute Era.

The Triple Rock, 629 Cedar Avenue
9 p.m.
$7

Read this: “The Soul Thief” by Charles Baxter. Baxter is the director of the University’s MFA in Creative Writing program, and this book in particular flaunts his street cred.

Watch this: ABC Family is showing the best flick from our generation’s childhood. “My Girl” plays at 4:30 pm on Sunday.

Listen to this: Go to Hypem and search for the “Y Girls Mashup.” It’s a mixture of Animal Collective’s “My Girls” (if the movie wasn’t enough) and Yeah Yeah Yeah’s “Y Control.” The best part: it works.

Eat this: A hot lunch from the Seward Co-op on Franklin Avenue is not only good but good for you and it will probably jive with your resolutions for Lent as well. This weekend at the deli they are featuring Curried Tomato Coconut Soup, Chicken Wild Rice Soup, New Delhi Cashew Curry Rice and Coconut Vegetable Curry. So get your hand out of the Oreos and eat something leafy green for a change.
Drink this: It’s time to take a break from the blah blah world of Coke and Pepsi and venture into the fun-fest that is “Shamrock,” the brand of drinks you’ll find at Uncle Franky’s in Dinkytown. Specifically, the Orange-Aid stands out, while Grape Ape and Delicious Strawberry are all must-tries. It will be the fruitiest “suicide” you’ve ever mixed.

Click this: Garfield Minus Garfield is a chilling and hilarious look into the psyche of Garfield’s owner Jon Arbuckle. Simply by removing the lasagna loving fat-cat from the strip leaves a portrait of a sad and lonely man in constant existential crisis. It’s even more consistently funny than the original, believe it or not.