By: Joe Kleinschmidt
STUFF TO DO
FRIDAY:
Jimmy Pardo
Fast-talking Chicago native Jimmy Pardo has a sweet job,warming up the audience every night for Conan O’Brien’s late-night show. Though one could see that gig as just a doorway for a rising stand-up, Pardo’s a veteran comic. His work at “Conan” suits his ability to interact with crowds, not just run through a set of jokes. Lately he’s catered his sets toward simply making fun of the audience. Pardo’s podcast “Never Not Funny” reveals his observational side, with guests joining him in skewering the latest pop culture.
Where: Acme Comedy Company, 708 N 1st St G31, Minneapolis
When: Friday and Saturday, 8 and 10:30 p.m.
Cost: $15
Ages: 18+
SATURDAY:
FLOW Northside Arts Crawl
Over a half-mile of West Broadway in North Minneapolis will turn into a community celebration and art showcase this weekend. Now in its eighth year, the FLOW art crawl boasts a weekend full of activities. Legendary hip-hop lyricist Big Daddy Kane will headline the festivities on the KMOJ stage at 6 p.m. Saturday, but the three-day festival is filled with dance, poetry, theater and public art installations. FLOW wants you to know that its tastes range from b-boys to ballet and graffiti to graphite. See for yourself at Northside’s premiere spotlight for its up-and-coming art scene.
Where: W. Broadway from 2nd St. N. to Penn Ave. N., Minneapolis
When: 1-7 p.m.
Cost: Free
SUNDAY:
Alabama Shakes
Southern rock’s resurgence this century proves we’re a long way from simple rehashes of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Yes, Alabama Shakes trade in a nostalgia-heavy sound pays tribute to the past. But singer Brittany Howard isn’t just a revivalist. Alabama Shakes use her bleeding Joplin-inspired vocals to update the blues and gospel influences. After releasing their debut “Boys & Girls” last year, the old-fashioned rock ‘n’ rollers from Athens, Ala., won Rolling Stone’s best song of 2012. Now they’ll take their own advice in the single and “Hold On.”
Where: The Cabooze, 917 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis
When: 7 p.m.
Cost: Sold out
Ages: 18+
CULTURE TO CONSUME
LISTEN TO THIS:
“The Argument” by Grant Hart
Since Hüsker Dü’s break-up in 1987, Grant Hart has sporadically released a handful of records. His third album after 2009’s “Hot Wax” finds him wistful and supremely ambitious. “The Argument” is based on John Milton’s “Paradise Lost” and Hart’s relationship with William S. Burroughs. Hart hones his pop edge here, the same sensibility that countered fellow Hüsker Dü founder Bob Mould back in the local punk band’s heyday. The dark double album definitely adds to Hart’s rich songwriting legacy, often melancholy and full of hellish allegory.
WATCH THIS:
“The To Do List”
A slew of films have already set out with the same objective “The To Do List” holds for its main character. Sex-obsessed Brandy Klark (Aubrey Plaza) must lose her virginity. Set in the early 1990s, the film promises to be a tongue-in-cheek look at the tired premise. The “Parks and Recreation” star’s character worships Hillary Rodham Clinton and published her own magazine, “Women With a Y.” Fellow comedy peers Bill Hader, Alia Shawkat and Donald Glover join the ranks of this dirty version of “Sixteen Candles.”
CLICK THIS:
“Maps About Nothing” at mapsaboutnothing.wordpress.com
“Seinfeld” geeks now have the Internet to thank for a vast repository of every location Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer ever reference or visit. The site combines stills with quotes from each episode the place is talked about. The “Seinfeld” geography database houses information on familiar joints like Monk’s Café, J. Peterman and Yankee Stadium, for example. “Maps About Nothing” is so obsessive that it also contains the references to places outside of New York, like Argentina, where the Soup Nazi claims he’s moving. All in all, it’s 1600 entries with 70 countries total. Where’s the coffee table book?