Dakota Discography

by Ruth Milne

This is only the main stage schedule; here we are less than 24 hours before the festival begins, and the acoustic stage and children’s stage lineups still read simply “TBA.” Pretty poor showing on someone’s part, though whether it’s a matter of the website not being updated or nobody bothering to book acoustic acts until the last minute, I have no idea.

Wednesday, July 1
4-6 p.m. — Unfinished Business
6:30-9 p.m. — Brandon Sprague Blues Band
9:30 p.m.-midnight — Blues Bashers

Thursday, July 2, otherwise known as The Day The Music Doesn’t Suck — I’m not saying that the rest of the music at the festival isn’t great, just that I can vouch for these bands.
Noon-1 p.m. — Old (Local band playing original music — these guys rock)
1:30-2:30 p.m. — Assault from the Sea (Never heard of this band)
3-4 p.m. — American Heavy Metal Weekend (Playing classic punk songs from the 1980s)
5:30-6:30 p.m. — Fairbanks Blue (More local original rock)
7-9:30 p.m. — The Reddmen (A power-pop trio, and one of the biggest and best bands in Rapid City)
10 p.m.-midnight — Kory and the Fireflies (A band from Sioux Falls playing sunny, feel-good rock ‘n’ roll)

Friday, July 3
Noon-3 p.m.– Pow Wow
3:30-4:30 p.m. — James Van Nuys & Bob Fahey (Acoustic blues. Okay, these guys don’t suck. Check out their new CD while you’re there!)
5-6:30 p.m. — Groovedaddy
7-9:30 p.m. — Rooted Souls
10 p.m.-midnight — Roster McCabe

Saturday, July 4
9-11 a.m. — Citizens for Liberty rally (seems like a weird name; isn’t just about everyone for liberty?)
11 a.m.-noon — Black Hills in Motion Cloggers
Noon-1:30 p.m. — Hot Shots Divas and Angels
2-5 p.m. — Battle of the Bands
5:30-6:30 p.m. — Outlaws of Poker Flat (Original, Americana rock ‘n’ roll with dust and twang and cowboy boots. Fine stuff.)
7-10 p.m. — Riff Raff (Otherwise known as Virgin Alleycats, a cover band; the lead singer has a great voice.)
Dusk — Community Fireworks Show
10:30 p.m.-midnight — Wakefield (Who?)

by Ruth Milne

Babyland, an “electronic junk punk” band from L.A., will headline a show this Tuesday, June 30, at The Retired Enlisted Association in Rapid City. This band has a very interesting sound — and, judging by the photo on the flyer, a very interesting drumset:

One of the opening bands is Imaginary Girlfriends, an ’80s-inspired synth-pop solo act based in Rapid City; it’s been at least a year or more since Luke’s last performance, and the return to the stage should be a real treat for concert-goers. If you like the Cars, Devo, Depeche Mode and similar bands, but wish it was all a little more flashy and a little more cheesy and a little more fun, this guy’s for you.

All ages, 7 p.m., $6.

by Ruth Milne

Have you ever been curious about the love life of snails?

If you have, and even if you haven’t, you’ll learn more than you ever wanted to know when Voices of the Heartland Independent Film Society presents “Microcosmos,” a classic documentary about the world of insects, bugs, grubs and the like. Here’s the trailer:

The film is in French with English subtitles, but there is so little spoken material — after all, bugs speak a different language altogether — that it really doesn’t matter.

Showtime is at 6:30 p.m. today (Monday, June 29) at the Elks Theatre in downtown Rapid City. Tickets are $5.

A free, optional discussion led by entomologist Bill Schaupp will follow the screening.

by Ruth Milne

Hardcore bands The Effort, Outrage, and Empires are set to play an all-ages show this Sunday, June 28, at The Retired Enlisted Association, 1981 E. Centre St., just across the street from Western Dakota Tech in Rapid City. I’m really looking forward to seeing Empires again after their impressive performance last month.

Admission is $5.

Although they’re not listed on the flyer, local punk rockers The Outsiders will be performing Sunday as well. The band features members of such diverse groups as Four Person Scramble and Wisconsin Keith. (Well, Keith’s more of a person than a group.)

It should be an excellent show — hope to see you all there.

by Ruth Milne

There isn’t a lot of info yet, but Michael Jackson died today. Was anybody really shocked when Elvis died? The two are similar, really — started out huge, on top, the king — and then went so far downhill that by the end they were a sad punchline. (Well, yesterday he was a punchline. Today everyone’s talking about how deeply they respected and admired him.)

I wasn’t aware of pop culture until the 1990s, so my first impression of Michael Jackson was a freaky, pasty, stringy-haired creature whose face looked mostly like a Barbie doll’s; the music took a backseat to what today’s obituaries are calling his “eccentricity.” It was only later on that I learned about his music, his talent, how his dance moves defined the ’80s.

What are your thoughts?

P.S. Remember when he performed with Slash?

by Ruth Milne

The temperatures were still well into the 90s when I stopped by the Summer Nights in Rapid City activities about 6 p.m. this evening, where Dr. K & the Shantays were performing a selection of groovy oldies — “Peggy Sue,” “Splish Splash,” “All Shook Up.” Now, the band played all cover songs and didn’t vary too much from the radio versions, but they also filled the gaps between songs with trivia and info about the artists and the music — made it kind of fun, like a DJ.

They also played one of my favorite oldies, Paul Revere & the Raiders’ “Just Like Me.” Nobody ever plays that song, so they got off on the right foot with me. I would have stayed longer, but I was melting.

Many people braved the heat — but they weren’t willing to brave the sun too. Compare the sunny side of the street:

with the shaded side of the street:

Beer sales were probably through the roof tonight!

I wandered down Art Alley and witnessed part of an unpleasant incident. I don’t know what the kid did, but the guys in blue sure were pissed.

by Ruth Milne

A local oldies cover band, Dr. K & the Shantays is the featured performer this Thursday, June 25, at Summer Nights in Rapid City. Music, dancing, vendors, arts and crafts, and children’s activities run from about 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sixth and Seventh streets downtown, between Main and St. Joe.

Although Dr. K is probably not a real doctor (and I for one would not trust my annual pap smear to some old dudes singing “Woolly Bully” even if he is), this week also features a health fair and the music is sponsored by Regional Health. By the way, does calling it a “health fair” really make a blood pressure check more fun? It’s not like anybody’s going to confuse educational literature on cholesterol with a Ferris wheel.

Admission is free; a beer garden is available for adults.

Go to www.rapidcitysummernights.com for details. They’re also on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace.

by Ruth Milne

Indie rockers Cursive played a fantastic set of old and new songs to a surprisingly small crowd Friday night.

The show got off to a slow start, and the opening act — The Reddmen — took the stage well after 8 p.m., the advertised showtime. The local power-pop trio shone as usual, pumping out one high-energy song after another. The Reddmen are reliably excellent, and without question the most professional and proficient band in the Black Hills. My only complaint was that they played mostly new material; after over a decade of original music, they have an extensive collection of fan favorites to draw from that we didn’t get to hear that night. Maybe next time.

Meanwhile, a friend of a friend received a text message from another friend who had temporarily ditched the show for a trip to the nearest watering hole: “I’m drinking at the bar with Cursive.” Naturally, we headed over there as soon as the Reddmen were through.

Well, the friend was drinking at the bar, and Cursive was drinking at the bar, but they weren’t technically drinking with Cursive. Apparently “drinking at the bar with Cursive” primarily involves sitting at the bar with a drink, looking cool and pretending not to notice the musicians sitting at a nearby table.

It was so sad.

Meanwhile, another friend who was still at the show contacted us: “Hey, the Box Elders don’t suck that bad.”

So back to the show, where the second band was performing — and they really didn’t suck that bad; the material they have online is rather misleading.

From the name, I initially assumed the Box Elders were local, but I thought wrong. They’re actually from Nebraska, same as Cursive, but while Cursive looks like regular guys from Nebraska, this band doesn’t. For example, the bassist wore tight shiny black shorts, oversized shiny silver jacket, leather booties — and a guitar. That was it.

They played catchy, Shins-style poppy rock music. The drummer was impressive; from time to time he played the keyboard with his left hand, simultaneously drumming with his right hand, and gripping the extra drumstick in his teeth like a dog who wants to play fetch.

Cursive (setlist posted previously) played a nice mix of older and newer stuff. Singer/songwriter Tim Kasher wore faded Converse sneakers and ratty jeans, singing self-aware and ruthlessly unsentimental songs about art and life and regret. Although the band no longer features a cello, they performed several songs from their breakthrough album “The Ugly Organ” and used guitar solos to fill the vacancy.

The emotion and passion in Cursive’s music is hard to describe. I’ve always heard Tim Kasher is kind of a dick in real life. A friend named Kristin once asked him to sign the record she just bought after the show. He grabbed it, scrawled “You’re an Asshole” and gave it back. Pretty classy.

Somehow that unpleasantness, when it’s screamed poetically against a backdrop of aggressive, surging music, is a beautiful confession. I do enjoy his music, and I enjoyed the show quite a bit.

So did the bald drunk guy who kept grabbing people and screaming the lyrics along with Kasher. There’s a classic video of Henry Rollins in his Black Flag days punching an overenthusiastic fan who kept grabbing at him. That’s punk rock. Indie rock, however, is a different world wherein people just give disapproving looks — much like the symphony — and bald drunk guy screamed along all the way to the final song.

Finally, I picked up a copy of “The Ugly Organ” on gorgeous green vinyl, which I did not ask anyone to sign. Saddle Creek Records has a smart policy of offering one free mp3 download of albums you buy on vinyl; however, I already have this one on CD. Anyone want my free download? Just let me know and it’s yours.

by Ruth Milne

Skin of Earth is no longer scheduled to play at tonight’s Stereotyperider concert; apparently they couldn’t make it to Rapid City. The Iowa-based metal band, which features two former Rapid Citians, has never performed here yet. Maybe next time.

The show at 7 p.m. tonight (Saturday, June 20) at The Retired Enlisted Association will still feature Stereotyperider, The Reddmen, Destroy Nate Allen, and Russian Made Robots. Click here for details.

by Ruth Milne

A colorful, glittering mob of twirling gypsies descended on Rapid City today:

There’s nothing like a Gypsy, Black Hills Belly Dance performance to make me feel good. Not only are the dancers fun and talented and extremely hardworking (you have to be pretty dedicated to wear all those layers on a hot day like today!), but they’re beautiful, so feminine and powerful. They own their womanhood, the God-given curves that a woman’s body naturally has. You see, if the only women who show their bellies are the ones who really don’t have bellies at all, then the 99.9% of women who don’t look like that will think their bodies are weird and ugly. I guarantee you that most girls think there is something wrong with their belly/hip area. But this is what we look like and it’s beautiful, like flowers in sunlight. (One of the belly dancers in this troupe is a great-grandmother, and she’s fantastic.)

Not only is there no shame in having curves, it makes you a better dancer — after all, if you have no hips, it’s pretty hard to shake them.

The free arts-and-crafts festival with live entertainment and music continues through 6 p.m. this evening and resumes from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 21, in Wilson Park.