Friday Music âÄì Passion Pit If seeing extra hip indie bands on their first swing through town is your bag, then the Passion Pit show is your place. The Massachusetts electro-poppers are gathering quite a following with the momentum of last yearâÄôs catchy single âÄúSleepyheadâÄù and their debut LP âÄúManners,âÄù released this May, only hastened the buzz. Run forth, scene points to be had. Triple Rock Social Club, 629 Cedar Ave. S. 8 p.m. $15 Music âÄì Lookbook, Gospel Gossip Local electronic duo Lookbook craft dreamy, hypnotic soundscapes and are quickly becoming scene staples. Local rockers Gospel Gossip are already scene staples, and have a new record out, the solid LP âÄúDreamland,âÄù to boot. Sauce is a newish venue, but if the music sucks (in this situation, rather unlikely) thereâÄôs always pizza, pasta and beer to be had. Sauce Spirits and Soundbar, 3001 Lyndale Ave. S. 9:30 p.m. Art âÄì Big Funny: A Celebration of the Newspaper Comic Strip If your coffee table, like most coffee tables, is missing a giant, 48-page newspaper made entirely of comics, nowâÄôs your chance to change that. The crew at Altered Esthetics is celebrating the release of âÄúBig FunnyâÄù which is, well, a giant 48-page newspaper in which a collective of contributors dole out the funnies all the while making relevant socio-political observations. ThereâÄôll be live music by Row Family Singers and poster-sized comics too. Altered Esthetics, 1224 Quincy St. N.E. Aug. 6 – 29 Free Art âÄì Uptown Art Fair Come late summer, thereâÄôs but one thing that bides all the cultural niches of Minneapolis together: the Uptown Art Fair. A vast stretch of booths set up by artists from around the globe, the art fair is ideal for young looky-loos and theoretically great if you have the money to afford art. Plus, thereâÄôs food/free stuff and, at least last year, a whole lot of expensive lemonade kiosks. ItâÄôs going on all weekend and certainly worth the trip to Uptown. Hennepin Ave. S. & Lake St. 12 p.m. Free Saturday Music âÄì Pizza Lucé Block Party Always a solid time. Pizza Lucé goes to the trouble of blocking off a street, erecting a stage and collecting a gaggle of prime local acts every year, so the least we can all do is show up. This year the supremely talented Maria Isa is headlining, but the addition of Kid Dakota, MC/VL, Me and My Arrow and sweet, sweet pizza are all welcome. The last one is not an oddly punctuated band name, by the way. ItâÄôs just pizza. Pizza Luce, 3200 Lyndale Ave. S. Noon to 10 p.m. Free Fairs âÄì 31st Annual Irish Fair of Minnesota According to Forbes Magazine, the Twin Cities is the second drunkest place in the U.S. (behind Milwaukee âĦ bastards.) Anyway, in terms of excuses to get drunk, weâÄôve got to be near the top, too. And with that, we have the 31st Annual Irish Fair. Last yearâÄôs event was very healthily attended, and with sheep herding demonstrations, rugby, food and the âÄúBest Legs in a KiltâÄù contest, this yearâÄôs shaping up to be a peach as well. Cheers! Harriet Island, 200 Dr. Justus Ohage Blvd. St. Paul 10 a.m. – 11 p.m. Free Film âÄì Harold and Maude Hal AshbyâÄôs 1971 classic âÄúHarold and MaudeâÄù doesn’t have any huge stars (it does have music by Cat Stevens), but it stands up remarkably well to the tests of time. The film tells the quirky tale of Harold (Bud Cort) as he forms a relationship with older, zany pal Maude (Ruth Gordon). ThereâÄôs lots of dark humor, superb film-making and suicide attempts. $5 thatâÄôll get you a lot further than attending any contemporary movie. Riverview Theater, 3800 42nd Ave. S. 11:30 p.m. $5 Art âÄì Best Idea: A Photographic Journey Through Our National Parks Love the outdoors but strapped for cash? The Bell has you covered. A collection of breathtaking panoramic shots throughout out countryâÄôs most gorgeous terrain, this event is good for the soul, the brain and the wallet. If the thrill of seeing elk gets you feeling a tad more adventurous, you can cross the street to Downtime and talk parks with a pint. (Editors note: I think Mr. Boller means play Big Buck Hunter) The Bell Museum, 10 Church St. S.E. Minneapolis 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sunday Racing âÄì Extreme Race Day A&E will be covering the hell out of Extreme Race Day, and why not? ItâÄôs probably the only respectable place youâÄôre going to find ostriches and camels competitively racing. ThereâÄôs some less cool horse nerd stuff where they vary the surfaces and lengths, but really âÄì thereâÄôs going to be humans riding ostriches. On top of all that, being able to step up to the betting counter and say, âÄúI like the lanky five ostrich to showâÄù will make any life more complete. Canterbury Park, 1100 Canterbury Rd. Shakopee 1:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. $5 Music âÄì Fleet Foxes, Dungen Last yearâÄôs biggest breakout group Fleet Foxes are returning to the cities to demonstrate their uniquely calming folky chops. The Current still has a major crush on this group (as evidenced by their non-stop playing of them), so maybe you do too! Relatively awesome, Stockholm-based psychedelic rockers Dungen are slotted to open. First Avenue, 701 First Ave. N. 8 p.m. $22 Jugbands – 7th Annual Jugband Competition Yes, this is a college paper based in a major city. Jugbands might not be everyoneâÄôs idea of a good time. But for those with taste, the very backwoods-y and very culturally endearing act of gathering a band of hillbillies to form a jugband is always time well spent. A bit of a hike from the cities, but the folks at FloydâÄôs will almost certainly accept Yanks from the Twin Cities. I mean, theyâÄôve got a website; the place isnâÄôt necessarily off the grid. But to risk hyperbole, this event will surely be off the wall. FloydâÄôs, 1758 Arboretum Blvd. Victoria 2 p.m. Free Food âÄì CC ClubâÄôs weekend breakfast After a long week of ostrich races, jugbands and drinking with Irish types, the best bet for relaxation comes via the CC ClubâÄôs awesomely priced breakfast special. High on protein, high on vodka, the steak/eggs/Bloody Mary may not be the healthiest, but certainly itâÄôs one of the most indulgent/tastiest. Breakfast runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. so they can prepare themselves for the nightly hipster rush. CC Club, 2600 Lyndale Ave. S. Culture to Consume Listen to This: Get familiar with Helado NegroâÄôs new LP âÄúAwe Oh,âÄù which combines lush folk with indie quirk production in the vein of Grizzly Bear, and check out A&EâÄôs interview with the musician this Wed. Eat This: Yes, Mesa PizzaâÄôs, endless variation on the most basic of American foods can be overwhelming. But, it can also be a little damaging to the waistline. To combat this, try MesaâÄôs Vegan pie. ItâÄôs that same delicious Mesa crust topped with a proverbial garden of veggies and seasoned just so. ItâÄôs a break from the mac âÄòn cheese/burrito hedonism of other Mesa varieties, but a pleaser nonetheless. Drink This: Now this one only works on Tuesday, that being the day of the special and all, but come Tuesday, Downtime offers $3 Surly pints, from 9 till midnight. The Brooklyn Center brew is a favorite to all who call the Twin Cities home, and DowntimeâÄôs unassuming veneer and non-bro-ish crowd make this drink-sesh-facilitator an easy call. Read This: The perfect transition from the BellâÄôs national parks (even Teddy Roosevelt was essential to the parks), the recently released book Wilderness Warrior, details the late prezâÄô celebrated environmentalism. Sure, the man loved to hunt anything with a pulse, including man (read up on the Rough Riders), but he was as liberal as a Dennis Kucinich when it came to preserving the land. Watch This: The Heath Ledger directed Modest Mouse video for King Rat,has been âÄúin the can,âÄù as they say, for some time. For whatever reason the band delayed its release (possibly out of reverence for the sadly departed Ledger), but itâÄôs finally here and itâÄôs a real treat. An animated opus about whales, partying and humans being skinned alive, itâÄôs visually pleasing and a sad farewell to an actor and, as it turns out, fine music video director. Click This: This site has caused a big to-do in the journalism world because of transparency/privacy issues, so itâÄôs important that we all use it for the least beneficial reasons: entertainment! You can sort criminals by age, gender, height, etc. But, the best game comes in the form of guessing the crime based on the look of the suspect. Word to the wise: pedophiles are extra points and dead giveaways (always mustachioed).