BY ED FELIEN
Last month we introduced a new feature on our website—exclusive interviews with Stephen McClellan and musicians from local rock bands: Yellin’ at McClellan. This month he hosts his old friends, The Lanes: – https://youtu.be/KkNgAi0-s04 Steve: “Mike and Kiki Lane form the core of a band called The Lanes. They are cemented in my memory since the first time I saw them perform. Last year was the last time Terry Katzman recorded an in-store at Hi-Fi Records. They actually did not hook up until recently, meeting for the first time at the old 400 Bar in 2013.”
(Photo/Nathan House)
One of the hundreds of businesses damaged during the fires and looting was the Schooner Tavern on 29th Street and 27th Avenue, one of the favorite places for musicians to play. Steve: “It’s a lot worse than I thought inside – it was looted several times, but there was much more damage from both fire and then water damage on top of the looters who maliciously smashed the cash registers after not finding cash. Wendy had to find hotels for the residents from the upstairs rooms. Her tenants, for the most part, are living on small pensions or government subsidies and have no local family. The worst nights she could not get any assistance from the fire department or 911. It really sounds like a living hell that both Wendy and John experienced.” The featured artists last month were Sargasso. They’ve come out with a new video: “At Night” by Bob Nordquist. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZPfDwskiZI
If I could think at night, I would formulate solutions/
Instead of inward spirals of fear/
It isn’t black and white, we all claim the constitution/
Ignore the things we don’t want to hear/
I need someone I respect to tell me everything is alright/
But the scholars and the poets all cry themselves to sleep at night.
And the politicians say they’re going to do something, but when they’re asked “What?” they say, “I don’t know.” And the beat goes on.
Dave Tilsen wrote: “In the days following the police murder of George Floyd, the elected and appointed officials of St. Paul, Minneapolis and Minnesota used fearmongering, hyperbole and misinformation to terrify their citizens and get them to accept the National Guard and virtual martial law.”
Dave did this collage of local newscasts: https://youtu.be/yKJFKf8wUC4
If you want more, Debra Keefer Ramage took these 15 pictures of Lake and Minnehaha on May 30: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10158596251241204&set=a.10158596250476204&type=3&theater
And Nathan House, our new production assistant for New Media, took these photos of the May 28th demo downtown:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1w-pa6pFI0BVxy31GGTXgFmxoVJ25mNgG
And, now for something completely different.
How would you like to make a low-fat burrito bowl? Jocelyn Graef assures us it’s fast, easy and vegan. Delicious, healthy and simple. No oil, sugar or salt. www.youtube.com/watch?v=q29V-GmQ6EQ
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts writes, “While our galleries remain dark, you can visit us virtually. Enjoy this series of short videos highlighting artworks featured in the exhibition “When Home Won’t Let You Stay: Art and Migration,” narrated by Gabriel Ritter, Mia’s head curator of contemporary art. Click here to watch them all: https://vimeo.com/showcase/art-migration
Does all this make you nostalgic for the ’70s and anti-war demonstrations? Here is a 22-minute fragment from a documentary I produced for Experimental College in 1972:
www.youtube.com/results?search_query=experimental+college+1972+ed+felien
And if you need something uplifting and hopeful, check out this video of Sam Cook’s “A Change Gonna Come Someday”:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEBlaMOmKV4
