Friday Theater- Foxy Tann and the Wham Bam Thank You MaâÄôams Love sultry, provocative and subversive ebony burlesque? Have a hankering to see what all the fuss was about in 2006 when Foxy Tann and her girls won the Miss Exotic World award for Best Troupe? Well, youâÄôre in luck. The afro-sporting sexiness of Foxy Tann and the Wham Bam Thank You MaâÄôams invades the The Ritz. The forecast? A high pressure front of good natured eroticism. Ritz Theater, 345 13th Ave. N.E. 9 p.m. $15 Art âÄì Lost Souls of the Cascade Tunnel Mix old Westerns with acid and meditation and you might get a style somewhat similar to Deuce SevenâÄôs pieces for Lost Souls of the Cascade Tunnel. A prominent street artist and a wanderer of sorts, Deuce Seven continues to evolve his visual style to encompass the abstract and the nostalgic. Soo Visual Arts Center, 2640 Lyndale Ave. S. Theater âÄì Hedda Gabler Norwegian playwright Henrik IbsenâÄôs 1890 classic âÄúHedda GablerâÄù has been called the âÄúfemale âÄòHamletâÄôâÄù because of its protagonist HeddaâÄôs monumental role. The Gremlin TheaterâÄôs adaptation âÄì written and directed by Craig Johnson âÄì will enjoy a sixteen-day run and undoubtedly has a lot to live up to. Actress Mo Perry, who is tackling the leading role (Hedda) has a similarly challenging task ahead of her. Still, the charmingly diminutive Gremlin Theater has a reputation for solid shows, so this production also has the makings to be a real treat. Gremlin Theater, 2400 University Ave. 8 p.m. Under 30, pay half your age Comedy âÄì Tom Papa The world of stand-up comedy is dangerously hit-or-miss. For every Tom Papa that performs at a mid-size comedy venue like the Acme, thereâÄôre ten Dane Cook wannabes that can almost inspire heckling, but the situation is just too sad. Thankfully, Tom Papa is an authentically good comic and has polished his trade on numerous VH1 shows, the late night talk show circuit and even an opening gig for Jerry Seinfeld. $15 is a little steep for someone whoâÄôs not quite a household name amidst a recession, but PapaâÄôs brand of antics will dull the throbbing pain that said recession has surely instilled in you. Acme Comedy Club, 701 First Ave. N. 10:30 p.m. $15 1K Entertainment Battle of the Bands Final Just a week after the studio-polished/major label honed suck of The Plain White Tees show, The Varsity is set to host an amateurish cavalcade of suck in the form of a good olâÄô fashioned battle of the bands. Of the seven scheduled acts thereâÄôs some bad metal, weak acoustic emo and even some regrettable jam band âĦ ing. If A&E were forced to project a winner from the bunch, weâÄôd lean towards metal band Warvolution because A) they seem to like Slayer and, B) their name isnâÄôt The Disposable Ponchos (one of their rivals in this event). Hopefully the victor donates the $1000 prize to a food shelf rather than using it for studio time. Varsity Theater, 1308 Fourth St. S.E. 5:30 p.m. $10 Music âÄì âÄúScarfaceâÄù + Muja Messiah Those of little testosterone beware; Muja Messiah performing before a showing of âÄúScarfaceâÄù might make the weaker seat-fillers feel less than adequate. Messiah was born in Brooklyn Park, where he was exposed to the less-than-lovely undersides of Minneapolis, and heâÄôs used his experiences to emerge as one of the Twin CityâÄôs greatest rappers. Watching him perform will certainly be more entertaining than getting psyched for a film by watching a long, Nickelback-fueled National Guard ad. Uptown Theater, 2906 Hennepin Ave. S. 11:45 p.m. $9 Theater – Mistress Ginger Junkyard Spectacular The stars of this Junkyard Spectacular (there really arenâÄôt enough of those these days [âÄúthese daysâÄù has actually been relabeled âÄúthese hard economic timesâÄù]) are named Mistress Ginger and Irita Foucault. One sounds nice in tea, and one sounds like Cultural Studies class material. The reality? TheyâÄôre played by Justin Leaf and David Schmidt, two lipsticked cabaret beauties who traffic in camp to the campth degree. If you loved âÄúLost ContraceptiveâÄù and âÄúCaptive Circus Girls,âÄù this is the show for you. Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater, 810 Lake St. W. 9:30 p.m. $15 Theater âÄì âÄúThe Spring of Sam! Part OneâÄù The brains behind Electric Arc Radio are possibly omniscient when it comes to just what the Midwestern, middle-class, hipsterish zeitgeist might be thinking. Their plays are quirky and character-driven, with a core of irony so sweet it might have driven out Cold Stone Creamery. âÄúThe Spring of Sam!âÄù focuses on several roommatesâÄô reaction to their missing cohabitator and their encounters with the folks who want to repopulate the room. Meanwhile, their walls seem to be making intestinal noises. Kafka meets âÄúLittle Miss Sunshine?âÄù Ritz Theater 345 13th Ave. N.E. $15 Bowling – Beatles Tribute Did you know âÄúHelter SkelterâÄù was actually about bowling? Well, if you didnâÄôt know that, itâÄôs because itâÄôs just not true. Interpreting âÄúHelter SkelterâÄù never did any good for anyone. Saturday, Twinkletoeses and Beatles fans alike can enjoy themselves with the help of Hard Days Night, a Beatles cover band, as they engage in an activity that Wii Play is slowly trying to take over. Memory Lanes, 2520 26th Ave. S. 10 p.m. Music – Rory Block Rory BlockâÄôs guitar sounds as spooked as if had been strangled tightly until it made the twangiest, bluesiest licks possible. Her voice has a similar degree of the extreme âÄì extremely deep, extremely individual and most of all, extremely experienced. Her latest album is called âÄúBlues WalkinâÄô Like a Man,âÄù and every second of it hints at her rootsy upbringing, which she explains in detail on her website life story: âÄúPenniless but idealistic, my parents toughed it out, boiling diapers on the stove and hauling water from the old hand well in the yard.âÄù Her bioâÄôs worth checking out. SheâÄôs put so much time into it that she considers it more an autobiography. The Cedar, 416 Cedar Ave. S. 7 p.m. $18 Sunday Music – Cloud Cult DVD Sneak Peak If Cloud CultâÄôs âÄúNo One Said it Would Be EasyâÄù DVD is anything like Sigur RosâÄô âÄúHeima,âÄù then Minneapolis is about to get some good P.R. âÄúHeimaâÄù was the Icelandic bandâÄôs tribute to their homeland, and it was a super-saturated, booming soundtrack-ed exposition into the spirit behind the scenery of Iceland. Cloud CultâÄôs DVD has a smaller release (âÄúHeimaâÄù was released at select theaters nation-wide) but a larger scope. Along with showing their lives in Minneapolis, the band also explores their musical process and relation to visual art, all the while daring to pose a few philosophical questions of the meaning of it all. And the soundtrack? Not bad. Varsity Theater, 1308 Fourth St. S.E. 5 p.m. $5 Music – Sarah Pray and the Tumbling Dice Sarah Pray looks unassuming, with wispy brown bangs and an elf-like nose, but her voice is solid and independent, and full of so much power that sheâÄôs accompanied only by a few strings. Her songs sound like last decade-era Ani DiFranco, but with a splash of low-cal sweetener on top. Her sound is so sophisticated and distinct that itâÄôs hard to believe she got into music by accident (she was working in graphic design but got distracted by the music production toys). 400 Bar, 400 Cedar Ave. S. 7 p.m. $5 Music – We the Trees This Saint Paul band sounds like a scene from âÄú10 Things I Hate About You.âÄù Their effervescent chords and tension-building drums combine with lead singer ChelseaâÄôs melodic vocals to sound just how Julia StilesâÄô artsy character would prefer to reflect on a montage of memories. Opening for We the Trees is Robbers, a group from Long Island who feature organic-sounding background noise with a pop punk flair. Big VâÄôs, 1567 University Ave. W. 8 p.m. $5 Art âÄì Contemporary Monsters NobodyâÄôs really talking about how the monster could use a bit of an updating for the days of web 2.0, but Contemporary Monsters is hinting at just that. If Edward Cullen, âÄúTwilightsâÄù sparkling, non-humanitarian vampire just doesnâÄôt cut it anymore, this gallery proposes haunting, life-like images made out of clay that meld the human with the animal, and the human-animal result with contemporary culture. Featured artist Edith GarciaâÄôs artistic ventures began when she started âÄúpursuing the literal meanings of figurative phrases, such as âÄúIâÄôll wash your mouth out with soapâÄù in her Peeling Off the Skin of Childhood series.âÄù Eek! Northern Clay Center, 2424 East Franklin Ave. Art âÄì Altars America is a country that most likely is not leading the world in alter production. Pepsi logos and jobless debutantes, sure, but decorated spiritual shrines never quite took off here, unless you count 13-year-oldsâÄô shrines to Teen Beat boys. But the alter remains an evocative image of devotion and a representation of relations that simple words canâÄôt always explain. At Stevens Square center for the arts, Alters features 11 artists taking on the idea of the alter and making it their own. Stevens Square Center for the Arts, 1905 Third Ave. S. 1-5 p.m. Watch this: âÄúI Love You, ManâÄù Yes, yes, everyone loves the word âÄúbromance.âÄù However, it got into bad company once Brody Jenner (âÄúThe HillsâÄù) combined it with reality television for the douche-fest that is âÄúBromance.âÄù Luckily, John HamburgâÄôs âÄúI Love You, ManâÄù brings bromance back to its Wayne and Garth days with the help of Jason Segel and Paul Rudd. Looks to be a funny one. Check back with A&E next week for an official review. Listen to this: MSTRKRFT ItâÄôs pretty daring to go out into the world with nary a vowel to oneâÄôs name, but MSTRKRFT does a lot more outrageous things than that, like naming a track âÄúFist of GodâÄù for one. They also bring smoky, sexy cig placement back via badass GIF images and remix everything in sight. Read this: âÄúJesusâÄô SonâÄù by Denis Johnson Denis Johnson has a knack for describing details. He thinks Midwestern skies look like âÄúgreat grey brains,âÄù says pills make his âÄúveins feel scraped out,âÄù and drugs make him âÄúknow every raindrop by name.âÄù âÄúJesusâÄô SonâÄù is a collection of short stories that speak in simple, poetic speech about drugs, violence and desolation. Denis Johnson also wrote âÄúTree of SmokeâÄù and several other novels. Click this: Radiohead âÄì âÄùHouse of CardsâÄù Music Video Radiohead officially wins the award for the 21st CenturyâÄôs most 21st century band for the production of the âÄúHouse of CardsâÄù video. The video is an ethereal gaze at faces made up of lines that look like relief maps and fragmenting nerve endings. Suburban neighborhoods are rendered in primary colors against a black sky and everything seems ultra temporal. The most amazing thing about this video? It was made without cameras, using only 3-D plotting techniques. Also, check out Inspire Me, Now! to completely boggle your mind. Eat this: W.A. FrostâÄôs Brunch âÄùEsquireâÄù and âÄúGQâÄù both just ran articles about the phenomenon of breakfast in America. Newsflash: ItâÄôs delicious. The weekend is still the prime time to stuff oneâÄôs face with egg and syrup-related goodness, and W.A. FrostâÄôs menu might be able to help with that task even more than a dreary roommate with a frying pan. A&E recommends: Vanilla Scented Brioche French Toast. Drink this: High Point Dunkel The Herkimer, located Uptown on Lyndale Ave., brews several of its own signature blends, ranging from hoppy to complex and malty. The High Point Dunkel is so dark that it would give espresso a run for its money. The flavor is so smooth, frothy and coffee-like that you would barely believe its not a stimulant. It will however, stimulate the taste buds. Also, for those who prefer not to drink their calories (or drink alcohol [those people do exist, somewhere]), new Vitamin Water 10 is worth the dollar or so in price. The flavors, which include pomegranate, orange, lemonade and fruit punch all taste somewhat like Jello, but it could be worse.