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By Griff Wigley, on February 5, 2012, 11:58 pm
 Mr. Northfield Entertainment Guide and By All Means Graphics owner Rob Schanilec is famous here in Northfield.
Rob has a brother named Gaylord Schanilec (Midnight Paper Sales) who’s equally famous in the town of Stockholm, Wisconsin and to some extent, the rest of the Western Hemisphere. Gaylord’s work as a wood-engraver was profiled last week in a StarTribune article titled A bookmaker, unbound.
"He’s one of the two or three finest color wood-engravers ever. He’s really that good," said Robert Rulon-Miller, a rare book dealer in St. Paul who has followed Schanilec’s career for more than 30 years. "He’s a man of many parts: engraver, printer, bookbinder, editor, writer, natural philosopher, and he brings all this stuff together into his books."
Robbie and I went to see his work and hear him speak on Saturday at the Groveland Gallery. That exhibition is profiled here on the MN Monthly site.
 This is the first time Schanilec is exhibiting his prints independently from his books. Schanilec explains:
“These engravings were made for books that I’ve printed in the past 25 years. They were made to be seen within reading distance, about a foot from the reader’s face. They were sewn into bindings and destined to darkness on a bookshelf, along with their texts, until the book is opened and a reader, in due course, finds them. Now, here they are, framed on the vast white plains of these walls – like icebergs in an ocean – but emitting, I hope, the warmth of the world from which they came.”
By Griff Wigley, on February 2, 2012, 7:05 am
I got this press release from Mr. Left-Handed Entertainment, Rich Larson, who has purchased a Locally Grown membership so he can promote events like this. I’ve added links and images to it:
 February 1, 2012 – Northfield music favorites Meredith Fierke, Steve McKinstry and Dylan McKinstry will play a concert in tandem with Twin Cities legend-in-the-making Chris Koza for a night of intimate, acoustic, atmospheric pop-folk music at the Northfield Arts Guild on Friday, February 10 at 8pm.
 Fierke and the McKinstrys will be previewing material from their highly anticipated new album which will be released this spring. “This is by far the best music I’ve ever made,” says Fierke. “Steve and Dylan each bring something unique to the table, and together we’re creating something that I’m very excited about. I can’t wait for people to hear these songs.”
Fierke’s previous album, 2008’s The Procession, garnered so much attention that Minneapolis radio station Cities 97 placed her song Train’s Song on the prestigious Cities Sampler. Later that year, she was named Northfield’s best performing musician by the Northfield Entertainment Guide. The extra amount of time she and the McKinstrys have taken in recording their new album has created a lot of conversation amongst the Northfield music scene. “People have been wondering what they’re up to,” said local music promoter Rich Larson. “I’ve had a chance to hear most of the new album. The extra time and work really shows. Every song is a knock out. It’s going to be a real treat to hear this music in a great room like the one at the NAG.”
 The show at the NAG is the second of a month-long tour of small coffee houses and arts venues that Koza is making throughout Minnesota. This comes fast on the heels of a two month West Coast tour with his band Rogue Valley. “I love seeing road warrior performers like Chris,” said Larson. “The best time to catch a singer/songwriter is in the middle of a long touring cycle like the one he’s in right now. He’s had some opportunity to flesh out his music in front of a lot of different audiences, which is really the best way to develop a song. This is going to be a very good night of music.”
“The thing that really strikes me is the $10 ticket price,” said Jessica Paxton of KYMN Radio. “You’d pay $25-$30 for this exact show at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis or the Fitzgerald in St. Paul. And, frankly, the NAG is a far more intimate setting. For fans of good music, this isn’t bargain. It’s a steal.”
The Northfield Arts Guild is located at 304 Division Street South. Doors will open at 7:30, and the music will start at 8:00. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased in advance at www.left-handedentertainment.com or at the door the night of the show. For more information, contact the Northfield Arts Guild at (507) 645-8877 or Rich Larson at (612)756-0490.
Related: see my blog post of photos of Meredith Fierke, Dylan McKinstry, and Steve McKinstry performing at the Carleton Weitz Center Theater last November.
By Griff Wigley, on January 15, 2012, 8:15 am
By Griff Wigley, on January 13, 2012, 11:15 am
I got this email yesterday from Geoff Swanson, Assistant Director at St. Olaf’s Office of Student Activities. He showed up for the photo this morning at my corner GBM office where he used to work when he was a student.
 Hi Griff, I’m just sending a shameless plug for Second City’s performance here at St. Olaf tomorrow (Friday, the 13th) in the Lion’s Pause at St. Olaf. This is the show’s touring improv group and the event should be a riot.
Show starts at 8pm (doors at 7:45) and general admission to the public is $5 each. For more details people can contact myself or follow this link.
Description:
The Second City is always original, daring, and hilarious. Based in Chicago this comedy club’s alumni list is a veritable "Who’s Who" of comedy including Bill Murray, John & Jim Belushi, Steve Carell, George Wendt, Tina Fey, Tim Meadows, Joan Rivers, John Candy, Bonnie Hunt, Stephen Colbert, Chris Farley, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Jack McBrayer, Jason Sudeikis and so many more. Don’t miss what is sure to be a hilarious hour of improve-based sketch comedy as five of Second City’s touring comedians take the Pause Mane Stage!
See The Second City web site for more.
By Griff Wigley, on January 9, 2012, 6:32 am
By Griff Wigley, on January 1, 2012, 11:38 pm
 The title of Betsey Buckheit’s blog post last week, Social media are not new, immediately got my attention, as much for its grammar as its subject matter.
I’ve always found the plural usage of ‘media’ and ‘data’ to be awkward, less colloquial.
Can we bow to the social trend?
By Griff Wigley, on December 17, 2011, 6:46 am
By Griff Wigley, on December 14, 2011, 9:07 am
 
I put on my treasured Xmas tree balls hat this morning at the GBM, as NDDC ED Ross Currier and I are in full promo mode for tomorrow night’s big event:
Trailer Trash brings their celebrated holiday show, A Trashy Little Christmas, to the Grand Event Center here in Northfield. Details here.
VitaMN’s Dec. 8 Naughty Holidays blurb:
Honky-tonk band Trailer Trash has drawn sell-out crowds for nearly 20 years with its debaucherous “Trashy Little Xmas” show at Lee’s. These guys are the real deal — the band’s first collection of Christmas covers, 1996′s “Hell, It’s X-mas,” remains one of the best local holiday albums of all time. For the show, revel in the band’s revamped classic and not-so-classic holiday tunes, from Clarence Carter’s “Backdoor Santa” to Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” (along with a few originals), and get into the spirit by coming dressed as Santa, Mrs. Claus, or one of their elves.
By Rich Larson, on December 3, 2011, 11:32 pm
 It’s less than two weeks before one of the best and most popular honky tonk bands in Minnesota, Trailer Trash, returns to town. They’re bringing their celebrated holiday show, A Trashy Little Christmas, to the Grand Event Center here in Northfield on Thursday, December 15th.
For more than a decade, Trailer Trash has taken the holiday spirit and put a spin on it that is decidedly their own, performing a series of holiday shows in the Twin Cities and Rochester.
The band played a couple of very well received shows in Northfield this year, and they are really excited to share their own special brand of Christmas cheer with us. Combining original songs for the season with some reworked holiday favorites, these “honky tonk heroes” will have you laughing, singing and dancing your little humbug off.
Left-Handed Entertainment is proud to present this one-of-a-kind holiday classic, and we hope to make it another traditional holiday event in Northfield.
We could not be doing this without the generous help of some local sponsors: Rob Schanilec at the Northfield Entertainment Guide, Jeff Johnson at KYMN Radio, John Thomas at Mr. JST Technology Consulting, Cate Vermeland Photography, Ross Currier at the Northfield Downtown Development Corporation, and of course, Griff Wigley here at Locally Grown Northfield. We thank them for their support.
Tickets are $8.00 in advance or $10.00 at the door (A true bargain! Tickets for the sold-out show in Rochester were $17.50 and $22.50). You can order your tickets online at ATrashyLittleChristmas.com or by contacting either me, Rich Larson, at bgwg@charter.net or Jessica Paxton at Jessica@kymnradio.net.
Doors open at 6pm, and guests will be treated to a special holiday set by Matt Arthur & The Bratlanders at 7pm.
See you there!
By Griff Wigley, on November 18, 2011, 7:29 am
  
Jessica Paxton, promoter of all-things downtown Northfield, is teaming up with Mr. music promoter Rich Larson to bring Trailer Trash, Minnesota’s premier honky-tonk band, to the Grand Event Center on Dec. 15 for the Northfield version of their annual holiday show, A Trashy Little Christmas. The evening will include an opening set by Matt Arthur and the Bratlanders.
I caught up with Jessica and Rich last night at the Contented Cow and coaxed Plum St. resident Angie Ekern to pose for a photo with them, holding up an article in the StarTribune from earlier this week that announced the details on the Trailer Trash series of Xmas shows:
Like the classic country songs they purvey year-round, Trailer Trash’s annual "Trashy Little X-Mas" marathon never seems to grow old. The Twin Cities honky-tonk kings have a stocking full of original novelty songs ("I’ve Shopped Everywhere," "Santa’s a Spy") to go with a bulging bag of covers and traditional holiday tunes, played in not-so-traditional and often rowdy ways. [See this StarTribune 2008 profile of Trailer Trash.]
Advance tickets for Northfield’s ‘Trashy Little Christmas’ show are available online via credit card or PayPal here for an amazingly cheap $8 (less than half the price for their show in Rochester). Don’t wait, however. This show could sell out and then you’ll have to confess to your grandchildren someday that you could have been there for the inaugural show but sat around on your fat ass until it was too late.
And yes, trashy old Locally Grown Northfield has signed on to be one of the financial sponsors of the show, along with the NDDC, KYMN, and possibly others. This could be an annual event that’s both great fun for locals and effective at bringing people from around the region to visit our fair city. Thanks to those of you who are LoGro members, LoGro advertisers, and who click on the Google ads. Your financial support is paying for our sponsorship of the show.
So what are you waiting for?
CLICK HERE TO BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW!
By Griff Wigley, on November 14, 2011, 7:45 am
Meredith Fierke, Dylan McKinstry, and Steve McKinstry performed at the Carleton Weitz Center Theater last night.
See the album of 14 photos (large slideshow, recommended) or SLOW CLICK this small slideshow:
By Griff Wigley, on November 11, 2011, 6:45 am
I got this email from Dylan McKinstry earlier this week:
 Hi Griff, I wanted to let you know about a cool event that we’re putting on next week. I’m performing alongside Meredith Fierke and Steve McKinstry at the new Carleton Weitz Center Theater on Sunday, November 13th at 7 pm.
We are the first local artists to have a significant spotlight in the new space, and we, along with Carleton, are hoping to use it as an invitation to the community to come see the new building, and see local musicians play.
 So I arranged to meet him and Meredith Fierke at GBM yesterday for the requisite photo op.
For details on the free 7 pm performance on Sunday Nov. 13, see Jessica Paxton’s well-written blog post on Northfield.org: Meredith Fierke & The McKinstrys to Perform in Concert at Carleton College Weitz Center for Creativity.
By Griff Wigley, on November 4, 2011, 9:38 am
I got an email from Jessica Peterson White this week about the documentary Miss Representation that’s coming to Carleton College’s Weitz Center for Creativity Cinema next week (press release):
 LWV and Carleton are co-hosting this film screening on Monday the 7th, and I thought you might be interested — perhaps even interested in posting about it on Locally Grown? Here’s the trailer. (There’s a shorter one you can watch here, too, if you have 3 minutes but not 8.)
It’s a really important topic, and a very cool film. And an amazing set of panelists for the discussion afterwards, to boot! Let me know if you have questions.
Jessica stopped by my office at GBM this morning with her daughter Astrid for the requisite photo op.
By Griff Wigley, on November 1, 2011, 9:56 am
Northfielder Barry Cipra, freelance mathematics writer, alerted me to the one-day (Oct. 21) exhibit at Dean Kjerland’s ArtOnWater Gallery last week: The Art of Mathematics in Wood- a special evening of mathematical puzzles, games, and art. The invitation poster reads:
  This handsome, hands-on collection of puzzles and games can be appreciated on many levels, from novice to expert. There are building blocks for sculpture and design, put-together and take-apart puzzles, arrangement puzzles, sequential movement puzzles, sliding block puzzles, and two-person games.
Loren Larson, professor emeritus of mathematics at St. Olaf College, constructed many of these pieces while working with award-winning mathematics writer Barry Cipra. Come play with the puzzles and join Loren and Barry for an evening of entertaining mathematics. Its free. Light refreshments will be served. Students are welcome.
This Northfield event is part of the international Celebration of Mind in honor of Martin Gardner the renowned mathematical expositor and longtime author of the Mathematical Games column for Scientific American.
See the album of 13 photos (large slideshow, recommended), or SLOW CLICK this small slideshow:
By Griff Wigley, on October 12, 2011, 8:02 am
  
Local documentary filmmaker Paul Krause stopped by my corner office at GBM last week (recycled photo above) to let me know his latest project. Like he did for Ray ‘Jake’ Jacobson and his Harvest sculpture, Paul is filming Fred Somers as he works on a large painting for the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Carondelet, St. Paul Province for placement in a building in their new Carondelet Village, adjacent to St. Catherine University.
I followed Fred out to the east side of the Cannon River Wilderness Area last week so he could show me the oak tree that he’s painting (above right). It turned out to be quite the excellent adventure as we mucked about, both of us madly snapping photos.
See my album of 22 photos (large slideshow, recommended) or SLOW CLICK this small slideshow:
For more on Fred, see his website, Frederick Somers Fine Art. He’s participating in this weekend’s 2011 South Central Minnesota Studio ArTour and is also hosting a sneak preview at his studio on Friday night.
By Griff Wigley, on October 11, 2011, 11:55 pm
 
Jennifer Wolcott stopped by my corner office at GBM earlier this week to show me the cool blog site and classy brochure for this weekend’s 2011 South Central Minnesota Studio ArTour. From the site:
The Studio ArTour is a co-operative venture among a group of artists in Cannon Falls, Northfield and Faribault. We open our studios to the public on the third weekend in October each year, and invite you to come out and see where and how we work.
This is the seventh year we have put on the tour. It’s still getting bigger so we must be doing something right. This year there are 23 studios featuring 46 artists. Most studios will have several artists working in different media. The artists will be glad to answer questions and provide information about the art. Some studios will have demonstrations.
The range of work is amazing; knitting to welding with glass, and clay and paper in between. Whether you are a long time collector or are just looking for something unique, the studio tour is a perfect way to shop for fine art, and best of all the tour is free!
By Griff Wigley, on October 10, 2011, 8:31 am
  
Ann Etter and Mary Lundergan Hahn stopped by my corner office at GBM last week to let me know about Danse Macabre, which Mary says is a:
a one night only, terrifically fun, fundraiser at the Northfield Arts Guild Theater on Friday October 14, with Area 51 playing live.
Rumor has it that the emcee for the event is someone who has a thing for Jesse James:
By Griff Wigley, on October 8, 2011, 7:25 am
  
I stopped by Reboot Computers on Bridge Square on Wed. to meet proprietor Travis Freudenberg who, earlier in the week, had submitted a LoGro banner ad (free for a month).
Travis does all the usual computer servicing and repair (PCs and Macs), including:
- System diagnostics
- Virus removal
- Data transfer
- Data recovery
- Custom system builds
- Wireless network setup
- Hardware sales and installation
You can follow Reboot Computers on Facebook or on Twitter.
  
Travis is also an accomplished bass guitar player. From the bio page of one the bands he currently plays with, Rare Medium (Jazz/Funk):
Travis Freudenberg is an electric bassist with over 15 years of electric bass recording and performance experience. A graduate of the University of Minnesota Morris, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Jazz Studies and, oddly enough, Biology in 2001. While in attendance at UMM, Travis recorded, toured, and performed with a variety of different groups, including UMM Jazz Ensemble 1, No Smoking, The Black and Blue Note Jazz Quartet, and the Booty Police.
Travis was a featured soloist with UMM Jazz Ensemble 1 at the 2000 Montreaux Jazz Festiva in Montreaux, Switzerland and also at the 2000 Vienne Jazz Festival in Vienne, France. He was honored with the Keith Carlson Memorial Jazz Award as Outstanding Jazz Musician at UMM in 2000.
He also plays with the hard rock group, Not One Stone. Here’s a clip of the song Catching You from their School of Salmon album:
By Griff Wigley, on September 30, 2011, 10:04 pm
  
Earlier this evening I coaxed Contented Cow bartender Rich Larson and server Erica Johnson into posing with the poster for tomorrow night’s Beatles Tribute, 6pm – 11:30pm.
More than twenty musicians and bands are coming together for a night of brilliant music.
Rich performs with two other guys, Nate and Neil, at 6:45 pm. See tentative schedule here.
And who did that cool Abbey Road in rural Northfield poster? Poster maker Doug Bratland, a member of the Bratlanders, who I later ran into at the opening of Northfield Ties: A Photography Invitational at the NAG. See many of Doug’s posters on his Tumblr, Dig and Be Doug.
Update 10/1 6:30 am: Doug has these other Abbey Road/Northfield images on his blog:
  
By Griff Wigley, on September 30, 2011, 8:24 pm
ArtOrg‘s Dave Machacek stopped by my morning office at the GBM today to let me know about Sunday’s opening of the exhibit, Glen Hanson Gallery: Now and Then:
 On Sunday, October 2, ArtOrg is honored to open an exhibit of 13 artists called “Glen Hanson Gallery: Now and Then”. The Glen Hanson Gallery ran from 1978 to 1982 and anchored the Minneapolis Warehouse District along with the next-door New French Café. Thanks to this energy, artists represented in this gallery could, for the first time, make a living as artists. The booklet given below puts the importance of the Gallery in context in terms of old articles and gallery ephemera.
All of the artists in the exhibit continue to work today. We will be exhibiting one new work and one old work from each artist. The opening event for the exhibit will be on Sunday, October 2 and will start about 3pm. There will be a performance by the Glen Hanson Band first about 4 pm, followed by food at 5 pm, and then comments in the gallery about 7 pm. Please join us.
Where is ArtOrg these days?
At Switzer’s Nursery and Landscaping, 26601 Chippendale Avenue, Northfield, 55057. Gallery is 8 miles north of Northfield on Highway 3, near the town of Castle Rock.
By Griff Wigley, on September 26, 2011, 7:22 am
  
  
Nick Sinclair and colleagues hosted Lowbrow-High Octane VI in downtown Northfield on Saturday. Division St. between 4th and 2nd was packed with people and appeared to not have enough room for all the vehicles that showed up.
The event included the Lowbrow art show at the NAG, the Rat Rod Magazine booth, music on the outdoor stage at the Contented Cow, and the evening party scene along the Riverwalk.
Nick also pulled together an impressive list of sponsors and collaborating organizations. This event continues to grow each year (this was #6) and has the potential to take over the entire downtown for a three-day weekend.
See my album of 89 photos, the large slideshow (recommended), or SLOW CLICK this small slideshow:
By Griff Wigley, on September 23, 2011, 9:09 pm
  
Once Nick Sinclair fueled up with some GBM caffeine this morning, he smiled and posed for a photo in front of the Lowbrow-High Octane VI banner on Division St. by the Contented Cow.
No parking on Division from noon on because Nick has influence at Northfield City Hall. This guy could be running for mayor next year so don’t fuck with him.
Here are the details from his Sinclair Hot Rods blogsite:
 On September 24th blue collar will descend upon downtown Northfield, Minnesota. Lowbrow – High Octane is an art show, car show and a rock-n-roll show all in one night. The Northfield Arts Guild will be hosting the art show in their gallery located at 304 Division Street S..
For 50 years the Arts Guild has been an important influence in Northfield arts. We are honored they have decided to show some art from a few grease monkeys. The gallery will be showing the art all week, but the big day is the 24th. The gallery will be open from 4-9pm. Come meet a few of the artists, buy some art and eat some free food.
The show is free! Yeah, I said it. FREE.
All makes, years and styles are welcome as long as it’s classic or hot rod. Show up in your Prius and we will charge you! We have 3 blocks of downtown Northfield reserved for your machine. Space is limited so get there at 5pm! Last year we filled our lot in about 20 minutes!
The Contented Cow is the epicenter of loud music, $5 burger plates and PBR specials. The “Cow” is located right next to the Northfield Arts Guild and overlooks the Cannon River. Music will start around 6pm on the outside stage and then the music moves indoors around 9ish. The bands are: Mr. Sticky, Reckless Ones, Violent Shifters and Rifflord!
The entire show is free to attend. The gallery show, car show (spectators and car entries) and the music!
By Griff Wigley, on July 11, 2011, 8:10 am
 A few weeks ago, Robbie and I were having a drink on the outdoor patio of the Contented Cow, chatting with Northfielder Jon Bjork about the progress of his putting together a new band. He mentioned that they were struggling to come up with a name for the band and after listening to his description of the process they were using, Robbie suggested the name Stone Soup, which the Wikipedia describes as "an old folk story in which hungry strangers persuade local people of a town to give them food. It is usually told as a lesson in cooperation, especially amid scarcity."
So she was delighted to hear that the band adopted the name and we got to hear them play on Friday night after doing the downtown Northfield Art Crawl.
Jon’s calendar of events announcement on Northfield.org has the details on the band:
Featuring rock and blues from the seminal sixties and seventies served up by some well known local musicians who have played in bands together for over 30 years! Join Dave Drentlaw on drums/vocals and Jon Bjork on guitar/vocals with fellow townie Chris Perry also on guitar/vocals and Jeff Lien on bass for some classic feel good sounds outside at the Cow!
  
  
By Griff Wigley, on July 10, 2011, 12:34 pm
  
   
The independent film Girl Meets Bike is being shot in and around Northfield this week by the Minneapolis-based production company, Moto Girl Films, Inc. Why here? The Carleton College connection.
Actors include Ruth Menard as Kat; Melissa Pizaarro as Ty; Dave Engler as Becker; Palf Schirg at Martin; Sam Scherf as James.
Producer/Director: Eric Tretbar; Line Producer: Jessica Paxton; Production Coordinator: Aiyana Ruggiero.
Locals are involved as extras and more. More photos to come.
Update 07/11, 7:30 am: See the album of 28 photos (including the 7 above), the large slideshow (recommended), or SLOW CLICK this small slideshow:
By Griff Wigley, on July 10, 2011, 9:12 am
  
Nick Sinclair had his artwork on display at By All Means Graphics during Friday night’s Art Crawl. When I noticed that the series of four ‘mixed media on wood’ pieces were untitled, I offered to post a photo of them here in hopes that LoGro readers might suggest some names.
For reference, refer to the four as: Left, Left Center, Right Center, Right.
My suggestion for Right Center: The Girls.
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Mr. Northfield Entertainment Guide and By All Means Graphics owner Rob Schanilec is famous here in Northfield. 
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