Friday Music âÄì Sage Francis, et. Al. Providence-based lyricist Sage Francis has that uncanny ability to command the respect of both hip hop fans and writers. The rapper and slam poet weaves inspired and thematically diverse rhymes and poetics over complex beats and music. His single âÄúSea LionâÄù even employed the talent of unlikely hip-hop collaborator Will Oldham (a.k.a. Bonnie âÄúPrinceâÄù Billy). There seems to be a depth of subject and a willingness to experiment that links Sage Francis to the Twin Cities Scene; fans of Rhymesayers or Doomtree will not be disappointed. First Avenue, 701 First Ave. N. 8 p.m. $15 Music âÄì The Game One of Dr.DreâÄôs laboratory children, Jaceon Terrell Taylor a.k.a The Game represents the borderline oxymoronic dynasty of commercially appealing âÄúGangstaâÄù rap. Like his G-Unit comrade and fellow Dre/West Coast minion 50 Cent, his debut album âÄúThe DocumentaryâÄù launched him into the instant spotlight. Also like 50 Cent, The GameâÄôs follow up albums have been met with mixed feelings. The GameâÄôs voice and chops on the mic, however, continue to be, at their worst, appealing and, at their best, magnificent. He may not be the most prolific of hip-hoppers, but The Game definitely has his niche and holds it down. Epic, 110 Fifth St. N. 10 p.m. $30 Music âÄì Ariel Pink Ariel PinkâÄôs makeshift mural of pop weirdness was overdue for a visit to the Twin Cities, so the California eccentric has brought his Haunted Graffiti fresh from SXSW. PinkâÄôs wholly original lo-fi sound will either make you tingle with joy or shudder with disgust. Perhaps a quick MySpace visit should prepare newcomers for the world of Ariel. Triple Rock Social Club, 629 Cedar Ave. S. 10 p.m. $12 Comedy âÄì Maria Bamford Perhaps best known for her role in the hilarious docu-series âÄúThe Comedians of Comedy,âÄù Maria BamfordâÄôs painstaking brand of observational humor and self-deprecating remarks have built her popularity within the scene over the last few years. If her shorts on the âÄúSuper DeluxeâÄù website and her cameoâÄôs in Adult SwimâÄôs âÄúHome MoviesâÄù and âÄúTim and EricâÄù arenâÄôt reason enough to check out BamfordâÄôs stand-up, take into account her relevance to the Twin Cites: she grew up in Duluth and attended the University. Acme Comedy Club, 708 First St. N. 8 p.m., 10:30 p.m. $30 Art âÄì Tattoo Art Finally, tattoo lovers can let their eyes linger on ink-shapes on skin without feeling like a voyeur. This exhibit, at Gallery 122 throws body art into the realm of gallery art, although none of the artists have a Masters degree in fine arts. Like many other geniuses, these are all self-taught. Gallery 122 at Hang It, 122 Eighth St. S.E. Reception 7 p.m. âÄì 10 p.m. Saturday Music – Occitan. Hailing from Marseilles, France, this band sings in a dying language, which sounds like a lovely mish-mash of every Romance language. With their sparse and almost devotional sound, theyâÄôve got their finger on what is a quickly fading pulse in an age of globalization. Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Ave. 8 p.m. $22 Music – Dirty Hands This event is an art-music-splosion. Take a couple of MinneapolisâÄô most quickly rising bands (Gay Witch Abortion, Self Sound Orchestra) and add in a few of the most interesting artists around (Steve Tenebrini, Erin Sayer), and you have ads about earth hour, but it turns out itâÄôs not just some huge PR campaign by an insurance company to make up for annoying animations. The Red Stag is promoting earth hour with the help of Spiritual Mansions, one of the most mysteriously monikered indie pop groups around. Maybe once the lights go out, the spirits will come out and tell the earth to turn a few shades greener. Red Stag Supper Club, 509 First Ave. N.E. 10:30 p.m. $5, 21+ Comedy âÄì Beatrix*JAR Brave is the band that puts an asterisk in their name. That just implies that they have faith in their fansâÄô willingness to substitute the crucial space with an odd signifier that might imply a missing footnote, hanging around somewhere, saying something. Luckily, Beatrix*JAR have conjured enough hype to stand behind their oddly punctuated name by proving that they can tear into the most innocent looking of toys and proceed to re-wire them to create beautiful, bizarre music. Playing with them are buddies Tentacle Boy and DJ Bach. All circuits in the house, prepare to be bent. Kitty Cat Klub, 314 14th Ave. S.E. 9 p.m. $5 Theater âÄì Crime and Punishment Calling all of those whoâÄôve had their noses buried in Freud and Brett Easton Ellis for the past semester: âÄúCrime and PunishmentâÄù is a play that will please any recently sharpened intrigue in homicide, S&M and the inner-workings of the psychoanalytic mind. This play only has three actors: a killer, a prostitute and a detective. Best of all, itâÄôs set in the killers mind. If thatâÄôs not literary enough, itâÄôs based on a Dostoevsky novel. Jungle Theater, 2951 Lyndale Ave. S. 8 p.m. $28 – $36 Sunday Theater âÄì The DevilâÄôs Disciple In George Bernard Shaw’s only play set in America, rascal Dick Dudgeon is arrested as a British insurgent. When he finds that he has been mistaken for a rogue minister, will he take the bullet or rat out his corrupt cleric? Colonialize me, CapâÄôn! Theater in the Round, 245 Cedar Ave. 2 p.m. $10 Students Theater âÄì By the Bog of Cats In a regular Irish fairytale, Marina Carr loosely retells âÄúMadeaâÄù by Euripides. Gypsy Hester Swane is tied to her horrible rogue-ish life when the lover and the father of her young daughter (gasp!) is about to be married to a more suitable young woman. Unfortunately, no hunchbacks appear in SwaneâÄôs journey to reclaim what is hers. The Guthrie Theater, 818 2nd Street S. 1 p.m. $26 Art âÄì Modernism 20: Past/Present/Future If youâÄôve been to the Museum of Modern Art in New York, you know that strides in modern art range from classic Kate Harris presentation cup (c. 1901) to the new Target pharmacy bottles that color code medicine. The new exhibit at the MIA, stretching from October 2008 to October 2009, celebrates 20 years of the MIAâÄôs participation in documentation of modernisms. M.I.A., 2400 3rd Avenue S. Free Theater/Art âÄì Women with Vision: Ana Mendieta 70 minutes seems too short a time to capture the life and works of influential works of Ana Mendieta. Her âÄúEarth BodyâÄù work breeds her personal performance art with intricate and sculpted land art. Since she passed in 1985, her work has shed its previous constructs of sole feminist and Latin American art and has bridged the gap to an examination of human nature in its entirety. Walker Art Center 1750 Hennepin Avenue Free Art âÄì The Lure of Shoes: Cultural Connections 1840-2007 The Hennepin History Museum features a collection of shoes from all âÄúwalks to lifeâÄù (pun!). These include firemen, chefs, artists, doctors and the homeless roaming the streets. Though Prada patent leather pumps are the equivalent to Buddhist nirvana, letâÄôs not forget the functional pieces and cultural signifiers that shoes have become in our lives. Culture to Consume Watch This: The Century of Self The Century Of Self is a riveting four-part documentary that delves into the use of FreudâÄôs theories of psychoanalysis for political and commercial control. This impeccably made 2002 film from Adam Curtis will knock you off your feet. Need more motivation? You can watch it for free. Read This: âÄúParis SpleenâÄù BaudelaireâÄôs masterpiece âÄúParis SpleenâÄù birthed the prose poem and still persists to be approachably easy to read. Listen to This: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart Sequestered in some secluded cove between sunny psychedelic beach pop and raucous heavy-lidded shoegaze lies New York based band The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Their debut self-titled album is an exercise in balance between noisy dronish punk rock and whimsical sun-soaked pop. Eat This: Poor ManâÄòs Meatballs Now, its time to adapt to our current economic situation. Start here: two lb. frozen meatballs one jar grape jelly half bottle barbeque sauce. Toss it all in a slow cooker wait till itâÄôs hot. Drink This: The Bikini Bottom Everyone knows Spongebob Squarepants is just a tad fruity. No wonder a drink named after his home is fizzy and neon pink. 1 part 99 Bananas 2 parts Coconut Cream 1 peel twist Lemon 2 parts Rum 2 parts Strawberry Schnapps Click This: The Sartorialist If youâÄôve somehow managed to live under a rock (A&E is still trying to wrap our heads around the logistics of this colloquialism), maybe you havenâÄôt witnessed The SartorialistâÄôs snappy photography of the impossibly chic foreigners that apparently line the streets of Milan and Paris, stilettos that look like terriers and enormous neon knits under navy peacoats.