Animal House & Grounds

The Minnesota Zoo has been hosting a summer concert series for years now, and this might be the year we jump onto the wagon, because the schedule is packed with great acts. (That, or we're just getting hipper as we grow older.)

The sorta lame casino-curiosity acts are there too-- Ziggy Marley opens the series June 13, Indigo Girls trot out their one hit June 24-- but there are some supercalifragilistic acts coming too. Femi Kuti comes in August, Son Volt will be here in July, Guster plays a Sunday-Monday double header; and perhaps best of all, Duluth's own Trampled By Turtles gigs at the end of June.

Beginning this Friday you can buy individual tickets to shows, or for a special "SRO Pass," you can see any 10 shows for $150.

Buy early, and spend all that down time thinking about whether you'd rather be trampled by turtles, or by tortoises.

Subway Music in the Zoo series, http://www.mnzoo.com/guests/MusicInZoo_07.asp

Central Daylight Jazz Savings Time

Most folks know the Bad Plus as that one wacky jazz trio that plays a cover of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." True enough. That was the Minneapolis band's first cover, and it launched them instantly into the international limelight.

But what kept them there was their innovative new approach to jazz as credentialed outsiders. The jazz world being what it is--increasingly like the classical scene, a living museum of dusty old standards where the one thing that cannot be tolerated is any attempt to set the clock ahead--they were reviled there, but embraced by the same sort of folks ten years ago who went bananas for Medeski Martin and Wood. Jazz futurists steeped in rock 'n' roll.

Tomorrow, Twin Citizens Dave King, Reid Anderson, and Ethan Iverson release their fourth studio album. Word is that this recording, called "Prog," is truer to the band's live sound--not so lo-fi or minimalist. The usual repertoire of cover tunes is here, too. We're especially interested in Bowie's "Life on Mars" and Rush's "Tom Sawyer," and there are two others that you'll have to track down yourself. Consider it delayed gratification.

The Bad Plus, http://www.thebadplus.com/

Pick up your Drums and Guns

We live in strange times. Today, it seems almost as if artists, movie stars, musicians and other public figures—heck, even private do-nothings like ourselves—are afraid to take a stand on the most pressing issue of the era: endless reckless pointless war. It's like everyone is afraid to be called a hippie.

Minnesota's best resident band, Low, has always been contrarian in all the right ways. They pioneered pure sweet "slowcore" at the height of the grunge fad. While they traveled the world supporting Radiohead, they still were the lifeblood of Downtown Duluth's dinky scene. And their deeply ethical and spiritual views keep percolating up despite the amoral, secular context of their industry and their nation.

Tomorrow night, get back in touch with soul, meaning, and message at Low's concert at First Avenue. Expect a stark and angry performance in support of "Drums and Guns," their brand new album from Sub-Pop. And for a sample of what this scene will be like, check Low's website, along with the video for their first new single "Breaker."

Low, "Breaker," http://www.chairkickers.com/video/Low_Breaker.mov

For his own special sweetheart

Today the city looks like it's been dusted with powdered sugar. The grass appears lickable. And the grime is covered up by yummy, white goodness. It's afternoons like this, when the sky looks like tarnished nickel and the ground is made of candy coating, that offer a new perspective. Out of ugliness comes goodness. Out of gloominess comes tenderness. Out of despair comes humanity. Or something like that.

If you need further proof, tomorrow night at the 7th Street Entry a handful of Twin Cities bands are coming together to benefit Callum Robbins, the one-year-old son of Jawbox frontman J. Robbins. Callum was recently diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a debilitating disease that often results in death within a year. In an effort to help the family obtain alternate forms of therapy, local record label Catlick is putting out a 32-song disc in honor of Robbins, his partner Janet Morgan, and their son, Callum. Local bands Story of the Sea, the Icy Shores, Arcwelder, and Halloween, Alaska, among a handful of others, appear on the CD full of post-punk greats like Jawbreaker and Pilot to Gunner. All proceeds from the show and sale go to Callum's family.

Jawbox's Your Own Special Sweetheart is one of those seminal teeth-gnashing records we pull out at least every six months. "Savory" must be the sexiest song about selfishness ever written. And that record, as well as the band's Dischord releases, also had a major influence on the local bands playing the benefit show on Saturday: Arcwelder, Story of the Sea, Self-Evident, All the Way Rider, and the Million, featuring former Jawbox drummer Zach Barocas. Tickets are $6; the 32-song CD is $15.

Callum Robbins info: http://www.callumrobbins.blogspot.com
SMA info: http://www.smafoundation.org/
Catlick Records: http://www.catlickrecords.com