From art inspired by the Korean alphabet to a play adapted from a Norwegian classic novel, Labor Day weekend is stuffed with surprises. Great music will be found at seventh St. Entry for Mati’s EP release, and at Crooner’s when Connie Evingson highlights horn playing. Cindy Lawson will probably be kicking it at Palmer’s, and Franconia Sculpture Park hosts its 5 Minute Film Festival.
‘Naïve. Super,’ novel that took Norway by storm, on stage
In 1996, Norwegian creator Erlend Loe published a book that will take Norway by storm. “Naïve. Super,” is a couple of young man who quits his university studies and engages on a metaphysical quest for meaning. Since publication, the novel has been translated into 30 languages and is commonly utilized in Norwegian language curricula. Now theater maker Kurt Engh has turned it into an unconventional play, with a unique actor performing each night who has never performed the role previously. That actor is supported with a sound rating, video projections and a fax machine as they unravel the questions the narrative opens up. It runs for 3 weekends, Sept. 1-17, with opening Friday, Sept. 1, at 7:30 p.m. within the unfinished basement of Norway House’s latest addition ($15-$25). More information here.
Mati ‘Thoughts in Cursive’ EP release
South Minneapolis’ own Mati, the Ethiopian-born rapper/singer brings vulnerability into his music, weaving introspection and imagery with a beat that kicks. He’s releasing a brand new EP, “Thoughts in Cursive,” on the seventh St. Entry with openers GR3G and Say Sa’Je. Friday, Sept. 1, at 9 p.m. at seventh St. Entry ($15). More information here.
Connie Evingson Presents: Hornucopia
Jazz vocalist Connie Evingson celebrates the art of the horn in a night of music by greats like Dizzy Gillespie, Clifford Brown, Miles Davis, Benny Carter, Benny Golson, Sonny Rollins and more. Evingson, whose voice recalls the nice Julie London, performs with Jake Baldwin on trumpet in addition to Tanner Taylor playing piano, Gary Raynor on bass and Jay Epstein on drums for this horntacular evening. Friday, Sept. 1 at 6:30 p.m. at Crooners ($30-$40). More information here.
Mad Mojo Jett, Cindy Lawson and Holly & The Nice Lions
Watching Cindy Lawson sing has a way of putting a smile in your face. A charismatic performer, she exudes a love of the music and it rubs off on you as you watch. This Friday, her band teams up with garage punk band Mad Mojo Jett and Holly & The Nice Lions from Green Bay. Friday, Sept. 1, at 9:30 p.m. at Palmer’s Bar ($15). More information here.
5 Minute Film Festival at Franconia Sculpture Park
Hey, short attention span folks — you might need to head to Franconia this weekend. The sculpture park is hosting the 5 Minute Film Festival, featuring quick but engaging movies by 18 filmmakers based in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Franconia has a stunning outdoor screening area to benefit from the Labor Day weekend, and you may as well get there early to absorb the fantastic thing about the incoming fall as you walk the grounds. Saturday, Sept. 2, at 8 p.m. at Franconia Sculpture Park (free, $5 to park). More information here.
Sophia Chai at Hair + Nails
Rochester (MN)-based photographer Sophia Chai delves into the inner-workings of the Korean alphabet, Hangul, for her most up-to-date body of labor. The hangul alphabet corresponds the shapes of the letters to the form the mouth has to make to create the sound. For vowel sounds, each letter indicates whether the person’s mouth is open or closed, for instance. And consonant letters mirror the best way you shape your tongue for every sound. To create every bit, Chai, who was born in South Korea, assembles a large-scale installation manufactured from paper which she then photographs with an analogue camera. The camera itself creates bends within the lines of the image, which the artist accounts for as she creates the visual image. The exhibition is a sort of crash course within the visuals of sound and the way we see. The exhibition runs Sept. 2 through Oct. 8, with open hours Thursdays through Sundays from 1 p.m. to five p.m., with a gap reception going down Thursday, Sept. 7, from 7-10 p.m. at Hair + Nails (free). More information here.