Weekend Culture Compass - Chicago Afrobeat Project, Eggs for Africa, and um, Spring Break

Thursday

Music — Patches and Gretchen
The Varsity
1308 4th St. S.E.
7 p.m.
$10-$12

The Minneapolis-based group Patches and Gretchen call themselves an anti-folk band, but we can’t be sure where the line between folk and anti-folk resides. The band is celebrating their CD release this weekend for “Sugar Head Pie.” Gretchen Seichrist’s pained voice humming alongside simple strumming guitars is reminiscent of Bon Iver’s “Flume.”

Friday

Film — “35 Shots of Rum”
The Walker Art Center
1750 Hennepin Ave.
7:30 p.m.
$8

This poignant French film is a continuation of the Walker’s Women with Vision film festival. The film, based on Japanese filmmaker Ozu , centers on a cohabitating father and daughter, whose conversations remain shallow, always side-stepping the true subject at hand.

Music — Chicago Afrobeat Project
The Cedar Cultural Center
416 Cedar Ave. S.
7 p.m.
$12-$15

Celebrated Chicago Afrobeat Project received a nod for the Chicago Music Award in 2009. Afrobeat is an amalgamation of traditional Nigerian music, heavy percussion, jazz and funk that guarantees beats ideal for what LFO calls “a shake and a wiggle to a hip-hop song.”

Saturday

Food — Gastro Non Grata: Eggs for Africa
The Hexagon
2600 27th Ave. S.
8 p.m.
$10

Arlington’s Bar 5 has donated 600 eggs for Gatro Non Grata’s egg-centric benefit for the education of children in Mozambique. The chef collective’s goal is $5000 and will be accompanied by 6 local bands, including Captain Clawthroat and Total Fucking Blood.

Art/Food – FEAST MPLS
Minneapolis Eagles Club #34
2507 25th St. E.
7 p.m.
$10-20 Donation

FEAST stands for “Funding Emerging Artists with Sustainable Tactics.” This sliding-scale art benefit began to support up-and-coming local artists. FEAST takes a semi-socialist view of art by making it accessible for the haves, the have nots and the starving poets alike.

Sunday

Film – “It Came From Beneath the Sea”
The Trylon
3258 Minnehaha Ave.
5:20 p.m., 7 p.m.

In a continuation of their Ray Harryhausen film series, the Trylon is screening the cult classic “It Came From Beneath the Sea.” The 1955 flick features a nuclear submarine that encounters a giant octopus. A possible inspiration for “Lost?”

Culture to Consume:

Eat This: Birchwood Café has busted out a brand new waffle. As they describe it, it’s a “pear parmesan waffle topped with bacon lardons, sunny side up egg, pear jalapeno salsa & apricot cardamom butter.” Savory, meet sweet. Love will ensue.

Drink This: The infamous Surdyk’s wine sale ends this weekend, so take advantage of their wine consultants. The position is there for amusement, so make your requests as whacky as possible. Something to pair with chicken nuggets, perhaps?

Watch This: Robert Pattinson’s "Remember Me" is out this week, and A&E is ready for some shameless cinematic pleasure. A “Twilight” grad meets the hottest girl on “Lost” (Emilie de Ravin)? Wow. Also, make sure to catch Monday’s “Gossip Girl” online.

Read This: Local publishing company Milkweed Editions’s 2003 book “Every War Has Two Losers: William Stafford on Peace & War” has recently been released as a film directed by Hadyn Reiss. The book is derived from celebrated poet and conscientious objector William Stafford’s nonviolence poetry.

Listen to This: As Fleet Foxes' Robin Pecknold put it, "I don't think the world needs another trad-folk record." Too bad their main competition, The Ruby Suns, already proved that with their latest release "Fight Softly," which replaces hippie folk with trippy chillwave. Also check out The Morning Benders "Big Echo," which was produced by Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor .

Click This: Mnimal.com is a Minnesota collective of artists, and their site is a yellow pages of the designers and artists to know in the Twin Cities. The web design group is pushing for minimalist, functional creations and they’re now accepting submissions.