Freez & Mike Frey drop free mixtape f. P.O.S., Mike Mictlan & more

Minneapolis hip-hop/R&B producer duo Freez & Mike Frey just released their first joint mixtape You Are Here, and the 17-track collection features a bevy of local talent: Doomtree's P.O.S. and Mike Mictlan; plus Big Zach, Unicus, & Alicia Steele (collectively known as Kanser); Mavin MC; and Franz Diego all make appearances. The mixtape is available for free download here, or preview tracks at mikefreymusic.com.


Via @mikefreymusic
Submitted by @jahnapeloquin

The Mountain Goats < 3 Brute Heart

Oh hay! Looks like Minneapolis' own dark folk band Brute Heart is making a strong impression on some influential folks. They just got a shout out from The Mountain Goats via Twitter:

And just for fun, here's Brute Heart's very cool video for City of Music, by director Dan Huiting and produced by MPLS.TV:

City of Music: Brute Heart from MPLS.TV on Vimeo.

Via @bruteheartband
Submitted by @jahnapeloquin

"RuPaul's Drag Race" finalist making hometown appearance this weekend

The fabulous, multi-talented Manila Luzon just announced on Twitter that she's making her way back to her hometown to perform at the Gay 90s this weekend. It will be the first hometown appearance by the drag queen (who sharpened her claws on the stage of the 90s) since she came in second during the last season of RuPaul's Drag Race. Heathers unite!


Submitted by @jahnapeloquin

Local beers listed in American Homebrewers Association's Top 50 Beers in America

The American Homebrewers Association just released its list of the Top 50 Beers In America, and two local brewers made the list: Surly Brewing's Surly Furious, coming in at a six-way tie for #20, and Summit Brewing's Summit EPA, coming in at a five-way tie for #48. Surly also came in at #20 in their list of Top 25 Breweries and #25 (in a ten-way tie) for 25 Best Portfolios (clocking in with nine). Check the full lists here.

Via @jaymboller via Huffington Post
Submitted by @jahnapeloquin

Bon Iver performs Bonnie Raitt cover live in the studio

Earlier this week, The Daily Swarm posted video of Bon Iver's Justin Vernon performing his double cover of Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me" and "Nick of Time" live in the studio (which he performed last month on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon). The track is featured as the B-side to the single for Bon Iver's "Calgary." Watch it below.



Submitted by @jahnapeloquin

Jake Rudh Goes to The Current

This just in via City Pages : Jake Rudh of Transmission fame, is getting his own show on The Current! Andrea Swensson reports: "Each Thursday night at 10 p.m., the station will hand over the reigns to Rudh to spin an hour of '80s club music as part of a new series of weeknight programs."

Is this a brilliant idea or what?? Congrats Jake and we can't wait for your first show!

Photo by Dave Eckblad, via City Pages.
For more info on Jake's new gig and other local radio news, go to Gimme Noise.

Update:

Submitted by @marrina.

Video: MPLS.TV debuts "Street Stories"

Our pals at MPLS.TV debuted its new "Street Stories" series today with a tale of a bad first date on Lyndale Avenue. The series aims to collect the tales of Minneapolis' city streets. Each month they’ll feature a different city street, creating narratives through photos, drawings, stories and a new episode. Check it out below.

Street Stories: Lyndale Avenue from MPLS.TV on Vimeo.

Video: Scott Seekins hunts snakes

You've seen him around town in his white suit (in the spring and summer months) or black (if it's fall or winter) - but you've probably never seen local artist and icon Scott Seekins hunt a snake. Here is footage of exactly that, as captured by Sean Smuda:



Via @CityPages
Submitted by @jahnapeloquin

Did Michele Bachman confuse John Wayne Gacy for John Wayne?

Today MPR News posted a pretty funny clip featuring presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann invoking the name of John Wayne, a son of Iowa with whom she shares a spirit, she says. Only she says John Wayne is from Waterloo, Iowa - which is actually where the infamous serial killer John Wayne Gacy was born. MPR points out that John Wayne, the actor, was born 167 miles away in Winterset, Iowa. Keep the gaffes coming, Michele.



Via @MPRnews
Submitted by @jahnapeloquin

Metromix TC Announces List of Top Local Tweeps

We love it when our Twitter peeps get some recognition! This morning, Metromix TC released a list of "best and brightest Tweeps in the Twin Cities. From politicos to entrepenuers and everything in between.. " Who made the cut? Minnesota Viking Visanthe Shaincoe, our gal pals Judy Grundstrom and Kris Vruno and of course, Mayor R.T. Rybak.

Check out the rest of the list here. ANd how great is @kareemy's pic?

Submitted by @marrina.

This Week in (Uploaded) Pictures

Stephanie Glaros got some awesome pride shots!

Jonathan Ackerman DJs the Minnesota Orchestra's Crash the Ball soiree. Fancy!

Eric Melzer captures the action at the BYOB Minneapolis projection art show.

Jon Behm shoots zany get ups at Pride. Awesome. Full slideshow at City Pages here.

@jadelr captures some sidewalk art.

Erik Hess shoots the Motley Crue/Poision concert at the Target Center. Metal! Full slideshow at City Pages here.

Kara Nesvig shoots hot peeps at Pride. It's all about the Daisy Dukes this season!

Dave Enblom happens upon some punked out riff raff in St. Paul.

Will Anderson runs into a Turkey waiting for the bus?

R.T. Rybak kicks off the pride parade in style. We soooo love our mayor! Photo by Renee Rhodman.

Karin Odell snaps a perfectly summery shot.

Brian Hart artfully captures his own feet.

Awww! Nicky Stein-Grohs and her pal go gay at Pride! Photo by Stacy Schwartz.

Christopher Straub and longtime bf Ronnie Cooper celebrate their anniversary with matching TAKI watches. Ca-ute!

Photographer Alex Stoddard shoots photographer Ashley Lebedev. Hot photographer on photographer action!

Nathaniel Smith uploads a work by artist Phil Jones, who will be showing at the Impermanent Public exhibit at the Future Presence Gallery on July 29th.

Christian Erickson captures the action at the Copper Field's EP release party at the Aster Cafe.

Hot gays in the summertime! Photo by Mitch Kelly.

Sheila Regan shoots some cool shots at the Queeratopia performance at Intermedia Arts.

Nicole Pappas Stanoch snaps this bizarre scenario. We expect this didn't end well.

Upload a cool pic this week? Send it to us for consideration in next week's edition to omg@letoilemagazine.com.

Submitted by @theiverson

Weekend Twitterings

This weekend can be summarized by one word: pride! The 2011 festivities are behind us and according to Twitter, everybody participated in one way or another. Well, except one guy. You also managed so squeeze in another #wits event, a Mötley Crüe concert and of course, some celeb sightings.

#wits

Rock stars have really bad memory.

LOL.

She didn't stay in.

Exactly.

Jet Set was busy...

Ouch.

Awesome.

True, true..

Tweet of the week.

That's impossible.

We hear ya.

OMG.

Yep.

WORD.

Submitted by @marrina.

Rolling Stone hit piece on Michele Bachmann appears to steal from local blogger coverage

A piece published yesterday in national culture blog The Awl has linked a recent Rolling Stone hitpiece on Michele Bachmann to a 2006 story from City Pages and Dump Michele Bachman blog. Apparently, the City Pages piece has been a major source for national news coverage on the presidential hopeful. We won't go into the parallels, but you can check it out for yourself at The Awl.

[Art by Robin Eley for City Pages]

Via Steve Marsh
Submitted by @jahnapeloquin

Prince says he won't release new recordings until crackdown on piracy takes place

In a piece published yesterday in The Guardian, Prince claimed that he's not going to put out any more recorded material until stricter laws are in place regarding digital rights for musicians. Yeah, he hasn't exactly released anything great for a couple of decades, but we guess 2010's "Hot Summer" was kind of okay.

Via Pitchfork via Ryan Paul Plewacki
Submitted by @jahnapeloquin

Cee-Lo dropped from Rihanna tour

Whoa, you guys. Live Nation has just announced that singer Cee-Lo Green, who recently had a Twitter run-in with local City Pages/Gimme Noise music editor Andrea Swensson, has been dropped from the remainder of Rihanna's tour.


Via Gimme Noise sister blog Rocks Off, according to a brief press release, the singer is no longer with the tour due to "unforseen scheduling conflicts." But it seems too much of a coincidence, happening so quickly after his Twitter beef with Swensson, in which he called her "gay" and said she must be "threatened by my masculinity." In a followup tweet, he said that instead of calling Swensson "gay," he would have hit on her if he knew she was a girl.


Green has since apologized, deleted the tweet and several others pertaining to the review and his comment, and vowed he was quitting Twitter.

But we think @danhuiting puts it best:


Earlier: Cee Lo Green Attacks Local Writer on Twitter
Local writer's feud with Cee-Lo lands on Oh No They Didn't!

Submitted by @jahnapeloquin

Tonight: The Niles Files explores gay and lesbian film characters

Just in time for Twin Cities Pride weekend, tonight's edition of weekly film segment "The Niles Files" on T.D. Mischke's The Night Show puts the spotlight on gay and lesbian characters in film. Film reviewer Niles Schwartz (who you may recognize for his extreme high kick moves at weekly dance night Transmission) will bring a lively discussion to the airwaves. Tune in from 10 to midnight tonight at 830 AM WCCO, or listen online tomorrow at The Nite Show online.

[Spiffy poster design by Caroline Royce]

Via The Niles Files on Facebook
Submitted by @jahnapeloquin