Sunday night: Grolar Bears at the Triple Rock

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(“Lucious Fox” by Grolar Bears)

Sunday night will be your first chance to see Grolar Bears perform songs from the unbelievable new album Cos: The Original Motion Picture Score.  We posted a little about Jonathan Kramer’s amazing, innovative labor of love last week (click here), and Hymie’s is sponsoring Sunday’s show at the Triple Rock Social Club.

The album has the rich, full feel of a 70s blaxploitation soundtrack, but it never sounds like it’s meant as a parody – in fact, if ever there were proof that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, this is it.  Cos: The Original Motion Picture Score has been a hit ever since we started playing it here in the shop, although some snooty listeners (the same type whose collections are too pure to include reissues) are disappointed when they find out it’s a contemporary local release.  I think the fact that they’re surprised tells you how well Grolar Bears put together their various talents.

Kramer will assemble the entire 19-piece band that created the album for it’s first on-stage performance.  The recordings were made with a portable studio over the course of more than a year in a variety of locations, including practice spaces, homes and churches.  Hipshaker will be spinning tracks in between the sets and the Max Corcoran Project will play an opening set.

Saturday night: Jack Klatt and the Cat Swingers at the Cedar Cultural Center

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(“Life’s a Drag (but not mine)” by Jack Klatt and the Cat Swingers)

We’re also pretty darn excited about the release of Mississippi Roll by Jack Klatt and the Cat Swingers (our review is here).  I wrote my first print piece for the City Pages about Jack and his new album, which features collaborations with Cornbread Harris, Dakota Dave Hull, Spider John Koerner and Charlie Parr (you can find that on the City Pages‘ website here).  They’ll be playing a release show at the Cedar Cultural Center on Saturday night – the Cactus Blossoms will be opening up for Klatt and the Swingers, and I’ll be spinning western, old time and blues records between the sets.

and Friday (tonight!): Broken Bicycles at the Kitty Cat Club

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(“Love Letter” by Broken Bicycles)

Aaaaaaaand tonight Broken Bicycles will be releasing their new LP, Minneapolis, with a show at the Kitty Cat Club.  We’ve had a test pressing of this one in the shop for a few weeks now but we’ve been especially excited to hold a copy of the jacket in our hands.  Why, you ask?  Because one of the pictures on the back of the album was taken in front of the record store – how cool is that?!

It get even more exciting because there is a song about Hymie’s on the album!  See for yourself:  Side one, track three is “Hymie’s”!  I know you’re curious but you’re going to have to go to their release show tonight at hte Kitty Cat Club to get a copy of the album.  Maybe we’ll post it sometime after this weekend.