Merely Coincidental (Part 2)

September 11

Yes, it was 9/11. That was the merely coincidental part. And yes, there has been no (Part 1) yet. Part 2 is going first because it is more time sensitive. And remember, all this is happening under the new norm . . .

Shining a Light on MN Musicians

Support Minnesota musicians + enjoy a unique concert experience! Friday Night Lights will feature 3 Minnesota bands live on TLHD’s Outdoor stage. Two ticket options allow you to watch from the comfort of your car or BYO chair to sit beside your car or in a designated seating area.
Join us for an eclectic mix of folk, acoustic, and synthetic sounds – a perfect mix for a Friday night this fall. And perfect for people who love all kinds of music! Each of the following groups will play a set.
• Her Crooked Heart
• King Pari
• James Case feat. Jimmy Peterson + Casey Gooby ~ Nicole Mulder, TLHD Executive Director

The set-up: It appeared it was going to be a “dark and stormy night.” As I noted on FB the next morning, “[T]hat was quite a feat Nicole, Joe, Jorge and friends pulled off at Theatre L’Homme Dieu last night! One of the performers, James Case, even called Nicole during the day and said, ‘You’re cancelling, right?’ In keeping with the ole showbiz tradition of the show must go on, Nicole said, ‘Nope!'”

[It seemed to be more a mid-November rather then mid-September evening. The weather forecast was rain for sure during the performance. We met Deb & Paul Trumm at Lure Lakebar for a pre-performance nosh and beverage. The fishermen on Lake Le Homme Dieu looked dressed for a nor’easter . . . ]

[We still insist on eating outside, of course. Fortunately, such were few and far between so we got the table by the fireplace . . . ]

When I was a boy I was told that anybody could become President. I’m beginning to believe it. ~ Clarence Darrow

[When we arrived at the theatre, they were undergoing sound checks . . . ]

[Once we were all in our places with bright shining faces, Nicole addressed the assembled masses regarding the protocols under the new norm . . . ]

[Our neighbors to our right, close personal relatives of Nicole, were our only contact during the evening. We phoned each other between sets . . . ]

Her Crooked Heart

[Rachel Ries and Hilary James]

HER CROOKED HEART

With ‘To Love To Leave To Live’, Minneapolis-based Her Crooked Heart presents a debut record unique in form, made up of cyclical narratives and intertwining histories, each informing the next. The result is a transformative song cycle, led by a charismatic personality, wholly indifferent to expectations of genre and instrumentation. Rachel Ries, the writer, multi-instrumentalist and producer behind Her Crooked Heart, demonstrates immense vulnerability and multifaceted musical craftsmanship to deliver a personal and profound musical soliloquy on love, leaving and the life that follows after burning it all down.

In 2013, after two and a half years of marriage, Ries found herself touring a record around the world, accompanied by a stack of divorce papers in a pocket of her suitcase. She had left her marriage and a good man in New York City and leapt into the untethered unknown. What transpired was in turns euphoria and despondence; old lessons learned in new ways.

To bring these songs and this record to the stage, Ries has enlisted a powerful group of women; women who can, in their way, take on the feminine, humanist mantle of Her Crooked Heart and make it their own. The quartet blends classical and electric guitar; piano and vintage synths; cello, woodwinds and drum triggers. This merging of acoustic and synthetic sounds is all in service of the voice: four part vocal harmonies that shift from ethereal to an elemental wail, but always tell a story of transformation.

Rachel is a 2018 Rauschenberg 3Arts Fellow and a recipient of two 2019 Minnesota State Arts Board Grants: Arts Initiative and Arts on Tour. ~ tlhd.org

[Now I can have some fun as I will be shooting through a rain covered windshield for the entire performance, allowing for some poetic license in the artsy-fartsy area . . . ]

[Obtained through the marvels of modern technology . . . ]

[We found Hilary and Rachel to be quite enjoyable . . . ]

[Rachel noted she grew up Mennonite in South Dakota and felt guilty about not going the full Amish by giving up the pleasures of electricity . . . ]

It would be nice to spend billions on schools and roads, but right now that money is desperately needed for political ads. ~ Andy Borowitz

The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. ~ Albert Einstein

I don’t believe in astrology; I’m a Sagittarius and we’re skeptical. ~ Arthur C. Clarke

War is God’s way of teaching Americans geography. ~ Ambrose Bierce

You may have noticed that the quotations have nothing whatever to do with the following photos. It’s just my way of providing filler when I can’t think of anything to say . . .

My opinions may have changed, but not the fact that I’m right. ~ Ashleigh Brilliant

[I tried to capture them playing their variety of instruments. Rachel was lead singer and often soloed on vocals . . . ]

[I recognized one of the stage organizers. He is the father of . . . ]

[Cardinal basketball player Alayna Strand, who will be going into her senior season if there is one to go into . . . ]

James Case

JAMES CASE

Jimmy Peterson and Casey Gooby.

This country-folk acoustic duo just finished recording another album and will debut some of their new work on the TLHD stage! Soulful and insightful. Sophisticated music yet a laid back vibe. ~ tlhd.org

[Nicole introduced the next performers . . . ]

[Who you already know from reading their introduction . . . ]

[Jimmy & James]

[Nice acoustic stuff . . . ]

Trouble knocked at the door, but, hearing laughter, hurried away. ~ Benjamin Franklin

Facebook just sounds like a drag, in my day seeing pictures of peoples vacations was considered a punishment. ~ Betty White

Money won’t buy happiness, but it will pay the salaries of a large research staff to study the problem. ~ Bill Vaughan

[Casey]

The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us. ~ Bill Watterson

But primarily, the drummer’s supposed to sit back there and swing the band. ~ Buddy Rich

[Just let the camera go . . . ]

[And again . . . ]

If you’re going to tell people the truth, be funny or they’ll kill you. ~ Billy Wilder

King Pari

KING PARI

King Pari is an almost accidental project. Cameron Kinghorn and DJ Stepmom didn’t even set out to start a band. When Joe (DJ Stepmom) texted Cameron some jams whipped up on his tape machine, Cameron hit him back with “what is this? I want in”. Ten minutes before they first linked up, Joe built the loop for their first single, ‘Sunshine,’ which they then wrote on the spot in a flurry on collective inspiration. The rest of their forthcoming ‘MARY EP’ grew from recording sessions in Joe’s Northeast Minneapolis bedroom, a guest house in New Orleans and a cabin in rural Wisconsin. Minneapolis left an obvious mark — the influence of Prince and the Minneapolis Sound, approached from a fresh psychedelic angle. It’s been called stonersoul, lo-fi R&B, dub meets 80’s electro with a heavy dose of funk.

With these new songs in hand, the group played their first public show on the historic First Avenue Mainroom stage in Minneapolis, opening for the incomparable Kamasi Washington in August 2019, and charming the full house that night.

The music is dancey and funky, but often dreamy. It’s a distillation of every group and side project they’ve played in before – even a 90s R&B cover band. Nothing is forced; it all just falls into place like a Rube Goldberg machine of chill-ass vibes. More than anything, King Pari is having a good time, and they want you to get on their level. ~ tlhd.org

[Cameron & Joe]

[Their music was not exactly our cup of malbec . . . ]

[But Cameron is very charismatic . . . ]

[And extremely comfortable with himself on stage . . . ]

[Joe put down the music . . . ]

But the fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright Brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown. ~ Carl Sagan