You'd think R. Kelly could come up with a better excuse. The troubled but resilient R&B singer blamed "inclement weather" Tuesday as he canceled his Dec. 20 show at Target Center with rising star Keyshia Cole.

Funny thing was, the last stop on his "Double Up" tour was in Sacramento, Calif., on Sunday, and the Twin Cities forecast called for possible light snow and 30-degree highs -- nothing that should scare away a singer from the Windy City.

Turns out that Kelly was scheduled to appear in a Chicago courtroom the day of the Minneapolis show. An arrest warrant was issued after he failed to make a court appearance related to his 2002 child-pornography charges. He will appear before a Cook County judge, who is expected to set a trial date in the long-delayed case. No makeup date is expected for the concert, and refunds are being given at point of purchase.

The hipster chain store that everyone loves to hate (but secretly sort of loves) is opening its doors to local artists. A few weeks ago the rockin' supergroup Young Dudes did an in-store, and Vampire Hands will perform at 9 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 22. The store previewed a locally produced film earlier this week, and is rounding out the month with a fashion show by Pomije by Jenny Olson at 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 20. The Voltage designer will be selling her vintage-infused wares in a temporary boutique at the store Dec. 20-22. All this activity is part of a newly expanded local initiative that will include art installations in the store windows by local artists. (Urban Outfitters, 3006 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls., free, 612-823-1000.)

It was five years ago this past Thanksgiving weekend when local blues/folk luminary Dave Ray passed away, and his former bandmates Spider John Koerner and Tony Glover have found an appropriately coy way to remember their friend around the holidays. When they played the 400 Bar this time last year, the duo brought along a copy of Ray's Scrooge of a song "I'm Mad at the Fatman," recorded in 1992 for a Rough Trade holiday CD. "I thought it'd be cool to play it as an antidote to all the Xmas treacle," Glover recalled. Not content to just listen along, he and Koerner took a page out of the Natalie Cole playbook and played along. "It felt kind of spooky, [and] made me miss Dave more deeply," Glover said. The bit was such a hit that they plan on to do it again when they return to the 400 Bar the next two Thursdays.

Bunkers is hosting a sendoff party Saturday night, Dec. 22, for former GB Leighton band members Jason Perri and Jim Carrey, who are moving to Nashville with the stated goal of becoming stars. The violinist and keyboardist, respectively, have launched a new country duo called Perri & Carrey, sort of a slick cross between Brooks & Dunn's camaraderie and Rascal Flatts' hair. "I figure if Bon Jovi can qualify as country nowadays, so can I," Perri said by phone last week, when he was literally on the road to Nashville with his family. He and Carrey are already working on an album there with some Music Row pros, and with local music vet James Klein managing them. Leaving GB Leighton was tough, Perri said, but frontman Brian Leighton "knows that musicians are all egomaniacs, and we'd be taking our own shot at fame when we had the chance."

The owners of Foundation have announced that they will close the Minneapolis nightclub on Jan. 1, with plans to reopen it a few months later. The club has been a welcome addition to downtown, dedicating itself to underground hip-hop and electronic music. But in a club scene fixated on Top 40 glitz, going against the grain isn't always appreciated by the masses. During the hiatus, they plan to reassess the club's vision. Fortunately, it sounds like they'll keep some of the independent-minded music that the loyal clientele loves. Stay tuned for more details.