Live Review: Marnie Stern, Gay Beast and Food Pyramid

by josh keller · Published November 11, 2010 · Updated May 6, 2012

When I first saw that Marnie Stern was returning to to Minneapolis and the 7th Street Entry, I would have been hard pressed to guess that her headlining set would be the most pop centric and straightforward part of an outstanding triple bill. While no one would mistake her for Jewel, Stern’s set, while still great, served as a perfect culmination to opening sets by two bands, one new and the other more established, that were simply amazing. The fact that there was a Marnie Stern set, something that in and of itself is worth leaving your house for and parting with your hard earned cash, only made it that much better of an evening.

The first band of the night were the rising local group Food Pyramid, who recently released their debut tape I on Moon Glyph (rumor has it II is going to be dropped soon). While I really loved their debut, I was a little apprehensive seeing the group for the first time, expecting a heady and spacey set that was going to lose me in the ether. While the group did their share of electronic noodling during the 40 minute set, they were surprisinglyfunky and upbeat with their double synth, percussion and bass setup. There was most definitely some cosmic journeys going on, but the group was especially dynamic when they allowed themselves a reprievefrom navel gazing and cranked up the beat. Going into the night wondering if I would like their live material as much as their recorded material, I left with an even greater appreciation for a band who are quickly becoming making a name for themselves.

Up next was a more established entity in the local scene, but one that never seems to lose a step. Three piece art rock group Gay Beast were as enthralling as ever, diluting melodies in time signature changes, sweeping synths, deft guitar work and propulsive drumming. While I could go on about Gay Beast, most local music fans know the band well. If you don’t, check out their recorded work and more importantly see them live, as they are a force to be reckoned with.

As I said at the top, I felt pretty much like I had gotten my moneys worth from the two bands, so anything else would be gravy. To my good luck, what was left was much better than any old band, it was Marnie Stern. Stern is a diminutive virtuoso guitar player who matches her deft axe work with frantic vocals and emotive songwriting. The result, backed by driving bass lines and kinetic, hyperactive drum work, is tight and focused to the max on record, to the point where some feel like it is overkill. Live, the group isn’t able to nail every finger tap and vocal harmony, but it only makes the music more endearing. Stern was funny and self deprecating, which made her complex and polyrhythmic songs even more enjoyable. There is a reason no one likes Steve Vai, you know? In the end, Stern was the least avant garde band of the night (which I assume often is not the case), but still produced a highly enjoyable and entertaining set. It is rare that there is a three band lineup that doesn’t let you down any step of the way, but Tuesday night at the Entry was one of those nights.

-Josh

Steve Jobs’ biography available on Kindle, iBooks

Hindustan Times (New Delhi, India) October 24, 2011 India, Oct. 24 — The biography of late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has finally become available on Kindle and iBooks since today morning. The biography has been written by another Apple co-founder Walter Isaacson and costs a cool $16.99.

Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years-as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues-Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing. go to site ibooks for mac

At a time when America is seeking ways to sustain its innovative edge, and when societies around the world are trying to build digital-age economies, Jobs stands as the ultimate icon of inventiveness and applied imagination. He knew that the best way to create value in the twenty-first century was to connect creativity with technology. He built a company where leaps of the imagination were combined with remarkable feats of engineering.

Although Jobs cooperated with this book, he asked for no control over what was written nor even the right to read it before it was published. He put nothing off-limits. He encouraged the people he knew to speak honestly. And Jobs speaks candidly, sometimes brutally so, about the people he worked with and competed against. His friends, foes, and colleagues provide an unvarnished view of the passions, perfectionism, obsessions, artistry, devilry, and compulsion for control that shaped his approach to business and the innovative products that resulted.

Driven by demons, Jobs could drive those around him to fury and despair. But his personality and products were interrelated, just as Apple’s hardware and software tended to be, as if part of an integrated system. His tale is instructive and cautionary, filled with lessons about innovation, character, leadership, and values. here ibooks for mac

By the way, in case you wish to wait for the hard cover version of the book, you can also check out the 60-minute video with the author, Walter Isaacson, on Steve Jobs and his biography.

Published by HT Syndication with permission from Hindustan Times.

For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at [email protected]