Thursday news and reviews

Wow - references to Car Talk and This American Life in two art stories this morning...

Storytelling

Mankwe Ndosi uses Storytelling to Build Community

- Sheila Regan, City Pages

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​It's hard to peg the talents of Mankwe Ndosi to a certain category. A Harvard graduate who got her degree in social science and economics, she eschewed a career in business and became an actress, performing locally at such theaters as Penumbra and the Guthrie.

Kings Story Hour finds inspiration from 'The Moth Radio Hour'

- Sheila Regan, City Pages

Lisa "Lulu" Uhlig was transfixed the first time she heard a sampling of The Moth Radio Hour on Ira Glass' This American Life.

'Fruit Sticker Art' to be featured at the Mississippi Market Coop- Jessica Armbruster, City Pages

Sure, some of us have collected gum wrappers in order to make jewelry, or perhaps hoarded pop tabs to thread on a string as some kind of garbage fashion statement. But how many people have attempted to create masterpieces from the stickers that come on produce?

Music

Joe Fahey, 'Car Talk' darling for 'I Could Not Steal Her Heart ...'- Jim Walsh, MinnPost.com

National Public Radio's "Car Talk" is the sort of gearhead nirvana that draws listeners both serious and silly, so it's no surprise that Fridley-based songwriter Joe Fahey has something of a bumper-music hit on his hands with his latest tune, "I Could Not Steal Her Heart (So I Stole Her Car)."

Tribute to Eyedea: Tears, rhymes, vibes

- Jay Boller

How can a benefit show for a dead 28-year-old render itself not depressive, but inspiring?

Talking with Honeydog Adam Levy about jazz, hip-hop and Sunday's 'Lush Life' gig

- Pamela Espeland, MinnPost.comTags

Jazz and hip-hop get along famously, even if some jazz purists don't approve.

Never out of style: Folksinger-songwriter Chris Smither celebrates 66th birthday Thursday at the Cedar- Britt Robson, MinnPost.com

Chris Smither has a weatherbeaten mien that's completely in sync with his workingman's wisdom.

Miranda Lambert's 'Revolution' is album of the year; Lady Antebellum wins single and vocal group

- Ross Raihala, Pioneer Press

Miranda Lambert turned 27 Wednesday and celebrated in a rather memorable fashion, taking female vocalist and album of the year at the 44th annual Country Music Association Awards.

Fashion

Fresh Traditions IV celebrates Hmong designers

- Barb Teed, TC Daily Planet

High fashion couture and traditional Hmong design intermingled at the über-chic Fresh Traditions IV fashion show Sunday night at the Varsity Theater.

Books

Will Dinski Takes On Tinseltown

- Britt Aamodt, mnartists.org

Will Dinski's debut graphic novel, "Fingerprints," just released from Top Shelf Productions, offers a biting, perceptive satire on the seedy side of Hollywood - from "perfection" gone haywire to the public fascination with celebrity culture.

Theater

Spare staging takes no pity on tragedy

- Graydon Royce, Star Tribune

Classical Actors Ensemble gives an uneven production of a Jacobean bloodfest built on incest, revenge and moral rigidity.