Did you know it’s International Canned Beer Month? 

(image courtesy of Citypages) 

I didn’t and yet, somehow, last week I ended up with a twelve pack of Tecate in cans. Kisma.

Now that I know about I.C.B. I feel the need to celebrate it’s importance and what better way than An unstoppable triumvirate: International canned beer, gnomes, and swords as described by Jessica Armbruster of CityPages.

In celebration of International Canned Beer Month, a mythical holiday created in 2002 by local poster artist David Witt (aka DWitt) and friends, the Back Alley Gallery (262 East 4th Street in Lowertown St. Paul) is hosting “The Sword and Gnome Art Show”.

The gallery show, which runs through Sunday, August 17, will feature new drawings from DWitt as well as other works by local artists inspired by canned beer, swords, and gnomes.

What’s not to like? There’ll be gnomes, swords, and beer. I am going with a small group of friends and anyone interested in joining us should hit me up on Twitter.

So maybe you’re more the laid back type and swords and beer just aren’t your thing? I just got an email regarding the reuniting of comedy team Cheech and Chong and they’ll be performing in town on Saturday, October 25, 2008  at the Orpheum Theatre. Tix go on sale Fri, 8/8 at 420 pm.  These guys haven’t worked together for quite awhile so I wonder if they still have the ability to invent new material or if the tour will be a rehash of old jokes.

I don’t know about you, but I think the whole ticket release at 420  is a classy touch.

What do you think?

This weekend marks the 12th Annual Dragon Festival,

The Asian-Pacific Minnesotan festival features cultural performances, artists, music and yes, Dragon Boat Races!

These sleek, ornately designed boats are each 40-ft long and under 4-ft. in width. Each comes with a drum to provide the rhythm for the paddlers. The character of each boat is shown through its intricately designed head and tail representing the most venerated mythical beast in Chinese folklore–the dragon. The dragon is a believed to be a benevolent creature with powers to bring rain (that guarantees good harvest) and the power to ward off illness…Each team consists of 20 team members: 18 paddlers, one flag catcher, and one drummer.

I would love to be the drummer. I would bust out some sweet John Bonham licks and power my team to victory. There should be one rower who gets a cymbal or maybe a kazoo, too.

Dragon Festival is located at Phalen Lake Park in St. Paul, MN this July 12 & 13 from 9 am-5 pm. More info here.

Remember the Quest Club? Opened by Prince in 1992 as “The Glam Slam” (named after the song), the downtown Minneapolis nightclub was later sold and renamed the Quest Club. As late as Oct. 2005 you could sense the club was failing. Then they lost their liquor license, then there was a Lil’Flip concert shooting AND THEN a fire in its building back in late July 2006 flooded the newly renovated club and closed it for good.

Now it’s coming back as Epic Nightclub: “The Twin Cities premier concert and special events venue.” Yes, it’s an incredibly generic name shared with Epic Nightclubs across the world. And one doesn’t become a premier venue just by stating that you are.

Slated for opening in mid-November, the new owners (real estate guys, according to the PiPress) hope to attract some bands who don’t exactly think gigging in a Toys R Us parking lot in Maplewood is rock and roll.

As you can see from the photos on the new Web site, the renovation is quite extensive. No Brian Canfield Mitchell blacklight designs on the wall. The bars are updated, fancy ottomans line the dance floor, there’s a walk-out on the upper level for smokers, and the Ascot Room no longer has a creepy, stinky fountain. It’s a VIP room now.

However, they’ve compounded the already poor sight lines of the club by adding a giant staircase — further blocking views from anyone not standing directly in front of the stage. This is idiotic.

To find out more, I tried contacting the club. Of course, just like the good old Quest Club, I called the number on the site and reached only an answering machine with extensions that didn’t go anywhere.

If the sole purpose of the club is to be a “premier” music venue, why bastardize any chance of your customers getting a good look at the stage? Hate to say it, but Myth’s no-pillars design just looks better and better.

Everest on Grand is a tasty Nepali restaurant in mythical St. Paul. Everything served there seemed pretty good, especially the appetizers. I also noticed a similar restaurant, Everest Cafe, in the Midtown Market… my google-sense tells me it’s a food court version of Everest on Grand. I’ll try that out in due time.