Summer Music & Movies, the Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board’s popular annual series of free concerts and film screenings in Loring Park, returns with
Catching Rays
, Mondays, July 18–August 22. For six nights enjoy bands under the summer sun, then watch the compelling melodramas and film noirs of director Nicholas Ray under the stars. Born and raised in Wisconsin, Ray initially produced ethnographic radio programs, which sparked his passion for authenticity in his films—he hired an Athenian gang member as a consultant for Rebel without a Cause; spent time on the rodeo circuit for The Lusty Men, and observed drug-treatment facilities for Bigger than Life. A fellowship at Taliesen with architect Frank Lloyd Wright influenced his style of shooting and work in widescreen film. Ray also worked in politically charged theater with John Houseman and Elia Kazan, who both mentored him and aided his transition into film directing. Ray’s Hollywood career was cut short due to health problems resulting from alcoholism, and he never directed another studio film after collapsing on the set of 55 Days of Peking in 1963.
The films will be paired with a diverse selection of musical acts, including Issa Bagayogo (July 18), the world music sensation from Mali whose music mixes ancient African rhythms with modern dance music. Other musical performers include Twin Cities hip-hop crew Doomtree (July 25); the dance-noise-rock teen wonders Melodious Owl (August 1); the cabaret-punk stylings of Thunder in the Valley (August 8); House of Mercy Band (August 15), who blend Americana, roots, and old-time gospel; and local post-punk godfathers Arcwelder (August 22). Local notables spin music between the bands and films.
In case of rain, events are canceled unless otherwise noted. Summer Music & Movies is co-presented by the Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board. Generous assistance for this program has been provided by Lunds and Drive 105. Promotional assistance provided by City Pages. For more information, call 612.375.7600.
To hear music from the bands featured in this year’s series, please visit http://calendar.walkerart.org.
SUMMER MUSIC & MOVIES: CATCHING RAYS
MONDAYS, JULY 18-AUGUST 22
LORING PARK, FREE
MUSIC BEGINS AT 7 PM; FILMS BEGIN AT DUSK (APPROX. 8:45 PM)
Monday, July 18
Music: Issa Bagayogo*
World music sensation Issa Bagayogo convincingly finds the elusive connection between the rhythms of ancient Mali and modern dance music. This intoxicating “Malian dub” organically blends slinky loops and subtle beats with Bagayogo’s dusky voice and the unmistakable sound of his six-stringed n’goni. Working with French producer Yves Wernert and performing with guitars, bass, vocals, and percussion, he has found a way to honor his country’s great musical traditions while creating a truly modern global sound.
DJ: Paul Harding
Movie: Knock on Any Door
Directed by Nicholas Ray
In this taut courtroom drama, lawyer Andrew Morton (Humphrey Bogart) defends street punk Nick “Pretty Boy” Romano (John Derek), who faces a death sentence. Nick’s motto, “Live fast, die young, and leave a good-looking corpse,” as well as his checkered past, make it difficult for Andrew to keep him out of the slammer. Bogart hand-picked novice Ray to direct the first feature of his independent Santana production company. 1949, U.S., BW, 16mm, 100 minutes.
*Please Note: In case of rain, this event will be moved to the Walker Cinema. Seating will be first come, first served.
Monday, July 25
Music: Doomtree
The next-generation crew from the ever-dominating Twin Cities hip-hop scene, Doomtree is a sonically eclectic, skilled team of MCs, DJs, and musicians (featuring P.O.S., Dessa, Cecil Otter) who pour out an undeniably fresh concoction of big beats, dissonant loops, and conscious rhymes—all spiked with a healthy punk rock ethos. Good, live hip-hop in the warm summer sun, what could be better?
DJ: Truth Maze
Movie: In a Lonely Place
Directed by Nicholas Ray
When a testy screenwriter (Humphrey Bogart) is accused of murdering a coat-check girl, he further complicates his situation by falling for—and becoming engaged to—his alibi (Gloria Grahame, then Ray’s wife). His violent outbursts cause her to start to wonder if he really did kill in this gritty film noir. 1950, U.S., BW, 16mm, 94 minutes.
Monday, August 1
Music: Melodious Owl
Melodious Owl, the hardest-working band in Golden Valley, takes time off from a busy schedule of college applications and first shaves to dance-noise-rock the new-wave daylights out of Loring Park. Winner of Radio K’s “Battle of the Underage Underground” and drawing enthusiastic kudos from bands as patently disparate as Yes and The Fever, these boys definitely have a cause—to make you move as you’ve never done before.
DJ: Clint Simonson
Movie: Rebel Without A Cause
Directed by Nicholas Ray
Nuanced performances and Ray’s intensive research allow this 1950s story of juvenile delinquents to surpass exploitation and reside as a cinema classic. Overly coddled or ignored at home, three high school misfits (James Dean, Natalie Wood, and Sal Mineo) form their own family and support system. Their involvement in gangs, fights, and dangerous games of chicken lead to troubled times. 1955, U.S., color, 16mm, 111 minutes.
Monday, August 8
Music: Thunder in the Valley
Mix Kurt Weill, the Pogues, and Hasil Adkins, and you might get something akin to the sinister sound of cabaret punks Thunder in the Valley. Equally at home in a backwoods bar or vaudeville theater, the Minneapolis quintet has injected a shot of industriousness into the local music scene with its hard-to-pin-down sound—waltz-inducing, circus-sounding, calliope organ–playing, free-wailing ragtime, old-timey tunes that make nostalgia new again.
DJ: Rob Nelson
Movie: Bigger Than Life
Directed by Nicholas Ray
Ray’s boldest film attacks the complacency of suburbia where respected teacher Ed Avery (James Mason) develops an addiction to Cortisone, prescribed to relieve his clogged arteries. The increasing intensity of the side effects forces him to confront his disenchantment with his life. Mason coproduced the film, and the melodrama was controlled with some brilliant, uncredited work by screenwriters Clifford Odets and Gavin Lambert, among others. 1956, U.S., color, 16mm, 95 minutes.
Monday, August 15
Music: House of Mercy Band
See the light, sisters and brothers! Join us for the revelatory sounds of the resident band for the rockin’ House of Mercy Church in St. Paul. This seven-member group (led by sculptor-musician Chris Larson) performs a hymnodically diverse blend of Americana, roots, and old-time gospel songs in the time-honored vein of Fanny Crosby, Hank Williams, the Louvin Brothers, Martin Luther, Johnny Cash, and the Carter Family.
DJ: Janis Lane-Ewart
Movie: The Lusty Men
Directed by Nicholas Ray
Set on the rodeo circuit, this unique western centers on the perils of greed when former rodeo star Jeff McCloud (Robert Mitchum) manages a talented young rider named Wes (Arthur Kennedy). At first, Wes is eager to earn just enough money to buy a farm with his wife, Louise (Susan Hayward) and get out before he injures himself riding bulls. After quick winnings, the lure of fast money and even faster women could get the better of him. 1952, U.S., BW, 16mm, 113 minutes.
Monday, August 22
Arcwelder
You know ’em, you love ’em—a rare free gig by the Twin Cities’ post-punk godfathers. For more than 15 years, Scott Macdonald and the brothers Graber have packed a potent punch of pummeling guitar and angular melodies that has sparked some of the headiest and catchiest songs in Minneapolis’ power-pop canon.
DJ: Gretchen Williams
Movie: Johnny Guitar
Directed by Nicholas Ray
Folks in the dusty West don’t take kindly to Vienna (Joan Crawford), a gun-slinging tavern owner with a past. Itching to push her out is Emma Small (Mercedes McCambridge), who leads a local mob necessitating Vienna to call in the help of self-indulgent Johnny “Guitar” Logan (Sterling Hayden). In addition to the film’s complex gender roles, Vienna’s resistance was a metaphor for the fight against blacklisting in Hollywood during the 1950s. 1954, U.S., color, 16mm, 110 minutes.
