A half-dozen cool things in music, from two points of view:
Cecilia Johnson of Columbia Heights:
1 Radio K Short Circuit residency at 7th St Entry. The U of M's student-run radio station has curated some excellent lineups for Mondays in January, featuring locals Riotgrrrldarko, Blu Bone and XINA.
2 "What 'Tár' Knows About the Artist as Abuser," New Yorker. This awards season, dig into Tavi Gevinson's sharp essay on Todd Field's "Tár." Gevinson mines the movie — which stars Cate Blanchett as a powerful orchestra conductor — for insights on fame, fandom and accountability. Only Gevinson, founder of the teen site "Rookie" and a cast member on the new "Gossip Girl," could've written this piece.
3 Honey Dijon, "In the Club" featuring Eve. After co-writing and co-producing songs for Beyoncé's "Renaissance," Honey Dijon released her own majestic 2022 house/dance album, "Black Girl Magic." Rapper Eve appears on one of its most fun tracks, a disco come-hither laced with — is that accordion?
Jon Bream, Star Tribune critic:
1 "Dickens and Prince: A Particular Kind of Genius" by Nick Hornby. When you're a successful author/screenwriter, you can expand an ingenious magazine article into a slim 192-page book, opining on the similarities of two of "my people" — Charles Dickens and Prince. Each grew up in impoverished circumstances, became super-prolific in his 20s, loved multiple women, struggled with the structure and finances of his industry, took to live appearances for money, and died at age 58 and 57, respectively. Parallels, coincidence or just the quirk of a fanboy author who's sloppy with facts?
2 "Hairspray," Orpheum Theatre. Set in 1962 Baltimore, this dated but irresistibly buoyant musical about racism and sexism is presented with fresh period-perfect music, witty humor, footloose choreography, lots of heart and a terrific star turn by Andrew Levitt (aka drag fave Nina West) as Edna Turnblad.
