Dearling Physique up for "Artist of the Week" on MTV Iggy

Uber talented locals, Dearling Physique, are in the running to win the MTV Iggy Blog's "Artist of the Week!" They are currently are in the lead (narrowly) and could use some local love!

Vote for the band HERE (scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to vote - no registration necessary).

MTV Iggy sez:

Minneapolis-based Dearling Physique creates a stunning collision between industrial music and post-punk and R&B — mainly ’90s R&B. Call it Art&B? The result is a new aesthetic of dark urban enchantment. It is lyrical, dead sexy, and quite possibly dangerous. Their debut album Deadeye Dealer lends itself to the band’s hyper-theatrical stage and music video antics.

And we'll take any excuse to post DP's brilliant video for "Discipline Your Hands" again:

"Are You Local?" Our picks for Vita.mn's Best New Bands contest

Vita.mn's annual online "Are you Local?" contest is upon us--a.k.a. the best bands in the Twin Cities, according to you. And if you haven't yet heard of our picks below, then we suggest you take a quick crash course, right quick:

With their whiskey-soaked, thundering blues the4onthefloor is best paired with stompin', cussin', drinkin', hollerin' and any other verb you can think of which becomes more fun when you drop the "g". The live show is where it's at with this crew, so if you're not headed to SXSW, check 'em out here in Minneapolis ASAP. Listen to and vote for the4onthefloor here.

Minimalist, glitchy synth-poppers (OME), featuring the Original Mark Edwards and Luke Albertson, has caught our ear with their new album Tired Birds, which has the ability to both frighten and coax tears. Soul-crushingly beautiful and jarring in just the right places, (OME) is one of our very favorites on the local scene. Listen to and vote for (OME) here.

The gloomy, driving post-rock Citizens Of The Empire have been around for a few years now, but we get excited about moody Britishness--more excited if that moody Britishness is actually from Minneapolis. These guys put out a politically-charged, self-titled debut last year and we're looking forward to what comes next. Listen to and vote for Citizens Of The Empire here.

More fun than the last show you went to (unless it was them), Koo Koo Kanga Roo aren't trying to be anything but what they are: a goofy, manic burst of nerdy energy and they have all that in spades. The lyrics seem both brilliant and patently ridiculous; the beats are tight and straight out of 1982. And seriously, look at those shoes! Listen to and vote for Koo Koo Kanga Roo here.

With their carefully-crafted lyrics and stunningly perfect arrangements, Ryan Paul and The Ardent are a band steeped in timelessness. You've heard things like this before, but never like this; never this good. Another one of our faves locally, RPandTA make some of the best straightforward rock 'n roll you've been missing out on. Listen to and vote for Ryan Paul and The Ardent here.

Like a less baroque (read: no tuba) and more cerebral DeVotchKa, The Sunny Era's sad, string-kissed indie-folk isn't exactly uplifting, but is inspiring and beautiful nonetheless. They're like the coolest house band in 1920s NYC. Listen to and vote for The Sunny Era here.

With the auto-tuned vocals and smoking 80's metal riffs BadNraD make music that can only be described as the soundtrack for a drug-fueled one-night stand. What seems like it started as a bad joke actually has legs and we couldn't be more excited about it, honestly. Listen to and vote for BadNraD here.

A heady mix of fuzzed-out garage rock and shoegazey goodness, The Desert Vest formed in 2008 and self-released their debut, You Can't Push A Ghost, last year with a follow-up in the works for later this year. We dig the moody, buzzy, experimental nature of these guys quite a bit. Listen to and vote for The Desert Vest here.

Submitted by @brokenhalo

MPLS.TV wants your opinon!

The creative cats at MPLS.TV are formulatin' their end-of-year list and they want to hear what YOU have to say! Judging from the questions posed, the final list is bound to garner some serious LOLs and more than a few "Hell Yeahs!" The promo pic alone (see below) is worth its weight in gold.

The crew sez:

The apocalypse is in just two years, but who’s going to assess the recent Loko-pocalypse? Who will praise the lewdest of Wi-Fi network names, the hair-whippable-est of underground bands, and the iciest of ice storms? Us, that’s who! Who better to review the year that brought us rape gaze than your local taco-chomping, camera-rolling media punks, MPLS.TV? But we’re a creative collective, and our content is generated by the community. This list is just as much yours as it is ours. That’s why we want to hear from you.

Check out the questions on the list HERE and have your say!


Submitted by @TheIverson

LOL/OMG vs. the Minnesota Zoo in the 'Best of' Showdown!

It recently came to light that LOL/OMG has scored a coveted spot in Mpls/St.Paul Magazine's "Best of 2010" issue. Pretty sweet, right? We are beyond flattered!!! The issue, which is out this week, features a nod to LOL/OMG and talks about our top notable news stories this year.

And that brings us to the next piece: a competitive online component has been launched on the MSP site, which randomly pits select 'Best of' winners against each other to create a user-generated ranking system. Five rounds of voting narrow down the #1 people's choice and just yesterday the first round of voting opened.

LOL/OMG is pitted against the Minnesota Zoo Concert Series right now and they've currently got a bit of a lead on us. We want to make it to the next round! We'll be honest and admit it's a bit complicated to register and vote, but if you do it, we will love you forever and ever (and yes, you can opt out of the MSP mailing list without fuss). Help LOL/OMG represent!

Click HERE to register to vote

Click HERE to vote


Submitted by @TheIverson

The votes are in: Pink Mink tops the 2010 Picked to Click list

City Pages' annual best new band list, Picked to Click, is now online! And who else but the punk rockin', lady-fronted outfit Pink Mink tops this year's list. Congrats ladies and gents! We're sure Scott Seekins is proud.

To check out the full list of bands that snared a top 10 spot, plus a full list of all ballots, visit City Pages HERE or pick up a print copy on newstands Wednesday.

Jake Rudh in top 10, competitors close on his heels!

As you likely know, local Transmission DJ, party starter and friend to all, Jake Rudh, is in the running for a walk-on role on the hit show Mad Men. Jakes fans, friends and supporters have kept him in the top 10 for the past week or so -- where he'll need to stay if he's to be considered for the roll. With a couple fierce competitors trailing by a mere handful of votes, Jake's top 10 position is somewhat precarious.

The beloved local DJ and all around good guy has promised a killer party if wins - and when Jake throws a party it's guaranteed to be epic.

So, if you want to see Jake on Mad Men, or just want to go to a potentially awesome "thank you" party - VOTE here! We'd love nothing more to see this dapper gent make a cameo on his favorite show. Voting ends Friday, so time is of the essence. Just one click and a captcha and it's done - 15 seconds tops.

Rex Sorgatz: Calendar Model?

Former Minneapolitan, MNSpeak founder and current NYC social media powerhouse, Rex Sorgatz, is in the running to be included in the 2011 Men of Social Media Calendar. The first annual calendar, put out by a women-run social media organization punnily coined "The Bold and the Digital," will feature a "Digital Adonis" for each of the 12 months. And before you totally LOL, know that the calendar will be sold for a "good cause."

BUT, Rex isn't all the way there yet - he's a semi-finalist and needs your vote to advance to the final round. Friday (yep, today) is the last day to cast your vote. Click HERE to vote for Rex aka @fimoculous.

You know you want the calendar.


Submitted by @letoilemagazine

Jason vs. Jason

If you've been following Twitter at all today, you know the race is ON to see who can raise the most moola for a good cause! Both Jason Matheson and Jason DeRusha are heading up fundraising efforts for the United Way. On one side, we have Matheson as captain of Team Shelter, on the other, DeRusha as captain of Team Hunger. Other personalities Vineeta Sawkara and Rena Sarigianopoulos head up teams for literacy and wellness.

AND, after careful consideration LOL/OMG has decided to officially endorse DeRusha - our fellow unapologetic social media whore. He's currently in last place and we always like a good underdog. Vote for your favorite Team Hunger HERE.

Update: Team Hunger has climbed into 3rd place!

But we have to give props where props are due: Today, Matheson released a hilarious video encouraging people to stop Jason DeRusha's ego from getting any bigger by voting for team Shelter. We can't wait for the response video!

Thanks to the Justjudyjudyjudy blog for bringing this clip to our attention!



UPDATE: DeRusha tweeted us his own promo video. And while he doesn't really take any jabs at Matheson, he does randomly manage to sit under a Save Canvas sign (#street cred) while eating a tub of butter.



Submitted by @letoilemagazine

Bye Bye First Ave Stars

OK, OK, Don't panic: they will be back. As you may have noticed, the iconic First Avenue stars have recently been painted over as part of a major "makeover" the establishment is getting. Gimme Noise reports they've received "assurance from marketing and promotions director Machen Davis that the stars will be back soon -- with new additions." Good! So, not only are we getting brand new stars, but a new restaurant (the Depot) and even a women's bathroom in the Entry (we never thought we'd see the day!).

We're not sure about the polling method First Ave has put up to decide what bands get the new stars -- leaving such things up to the "public" could easily go awry. But, we trust our old friends at the Ave. So, make sure to go over to First Avenue's website or Facebook page and tell them who you think deserves a star!


UPDATE: First Ave tells us via Twitter about the pre-opening party at the Depot happening next Monday. Check the deets here.

Submitted by @marrina.