By: Joe Kleinschmidt

A band of demonstrators from across the country gathered outside the White House, right under newly elected Richard Nixon’s nose. As author Laura Waterman Wittstock remembers, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

“The timing of it was extremely, you could say, lucky,” she said.

Wittstock details the protest of the American Indian Movement (AIM) — along with eight other Indian organizations — that took place in November 1972 in “We Are Still Here.” Her textual history of what the participants called The Trail of Broken Treaties gives insights missing from the prevailing reports of the time.

“The press [about the American Indian Movement] was enormous, but most of it was negative,” she said. “It was ‘Indians acting up,’ ‘Indians causing a mess’ — that was the story.”

“We Are Still Here” chronicles the history of the American Indian Movement’s national protests and its origins in Minneapolis. In 1968, Clyde Bellecourt, Dennis Banks and George Mitchell founded AIM in a cramped loaned space at Twelfth and Plymouth. A young Wittstock, reporting for the Legislative Review, would later meet the founders in 1971 in preparation for the Trail of Broken Treaties.

Caravans of protestors — on buses, vans and cars — from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and elsewhere eventually convened in St. Paul before heading to Washington, D.C. AIM developed a twenty-point position paper to present to the federal government. Nixon couldn’t ignore the issues the AIM raised or the hoards of Vietnam and AIM protestors outside.

“To have, right down the street, Indians occupying the Bureau of Indian Affairs — that was pretty much as much as he could tolerate,” she said.

“We Are Still Here” not only gives an informational history of AIM, it also provides stunning images of the outgrowth of the Civil Rights era. Photographer Dick Bancroft followed the movement since its creation in 1968. Grainy portraits of protesters add a tangible sense of reality to this forgotten movement.

“I think that they are arresting and brilliant both in the way that they are artistically done,” Wittstock said.

With “We Are Still Here,” Bancroft and Wittstock give the neglected movement more than a one-sided story. “We Are Still Here” aims for a sympathetic account, visually compelling as the story of a social movement.

Though the book uses photos to highlight multiple national demonstrations including The Occupation of Wounded Knee in 1973 and The Longest Walk for Survival in 1978, “We Are Still Here” represents the local ties of American Indians within Minneapolis and St. Paul. Bancroft and Wittstock’s book sheds light on the struggles of longstanding oppression.

“You have the opportunity today to see what happened back then and get a clear understanding that you would not get from text alone,” she said.

What: Dick Bancroft and Laura Waterman Wittstock present “We Are Still Here”

Where: Barnes & Noble, HarMar Mall, 2100 Snelling Avenue North Roseville

When: Saturday, 11 a.m.

By: Spencer Doar

Like his father and grandfather before him, Adam Botsford goes by Botzy.  But this is the first time that the family moniker has held the cache of belonging to a successful rapper. 

The Massachusetts-born Botzy moved to Minnesota after college in Arizona, rapping for the first time at 21.  He quickly found the limelight as the emcee for the musical blender that was Culture Cry Wolf, a ska, rock and hip-hop fusion group. 

While Culture Cry Wolf still has some new material and an upcoming show, the band is through. 

“You know when you’re dating someone and you know it’s not going to work out but you end up kicking it anyways?” Botzy asked, drawing a parallel to the last year or so of the band. 

He’s ready to move on, sick and tired of the type of material that he rapped over with Culture Cry Wolf. 

“I’ve never rapped over stereotypical beats,” Botzy said.

But he gave himself that chance with his new release “Buck Fotzy.” 

Saying “stereotypical” isn’t even meant as trash talk—Botzy wanted hip-hop beats and that’s what he made happen.  On the track “Burger Jones” Botzy even says, “This is rap for the sake of making rap music.” 

It can be cringe-inducing to hear from a white rapper. There’s  a good chance that the music will seem trite and an even better chance that the artist will be ignorant of rap's origins (see: Macklemore.) But Botzy is goddamn sincere—he likes rap because he likes to rap because he likes rap ad infinitum.

“Sometimes it’s just styling—I’m not as concerned with what I’m trying to tell people,” Botzy said.

Once you come to terms with his willingness to be clever for the sake of being clever, and there are plenty of examples on the album, “Buck Fotzy” is a catchy and palatable addition to the rap landscape.

The album exposes Botzy as a kid in the candy shop, amped on that musical sugar, unable, or maybe unwilling, to slow down—though he claims after the release of “Buck Fotzy” he will take some time to chill out. 

Maybe he’ll just spend more time on his day job. College gave Botzy a solid background in programming. 

He related how one of his contract jobs involved completely revamping the outdated baby monitoring software for a children’s hospital, a gig that freaked him out given that there were actual lives in his hands. 

Whether through music or adjustments in medical technology, it’s safe to say that Botzy will leave his mark. 

What: Botzy’s “Buck Fotzy” CD Release Show

When: 9 p.m.  Saturday

Where: Triple Rock, 629 Cedar Ave., Minneapolis

Cost: $5 advance, $10 day of the show

Age: 18+

By: Spencer Doar

Your Twin Cities Fourth

Red, White and Boom!

It’s the classic two-day Twin Cities Fourth of July celebration anchored by the mighty Mississippi.  Wednesday features a morning fun run that starts at Nicollet Island, music by Rogue Valley and an evening screening of one of the most debonair American military movies of all time, “Top Gun.”

Thursday witnesses another morning run, this time a half-marathon; food, music and family fun in the afternoon; and fireworks at 10 p.m. between the Stone Arch Bridge and Nicollet Island. 

For more details, go to minneapolisparks.org.

D4th, 5th and 6th of July

If hot dogs, relay races and kids with sticky faces don’t float your boat, why not go to three days of punk and hardcore shows?

The Triple Rock’s extravaganza is headlined by Dillinger Four on Friday, featuring performances from 16 other bands including The Riverboat Gamblers, A Wilhelm Scream, The Flatliners and Off With Their Heads. 

The festival starts at 6 p.m. every night from Thursday to Saturday at the Triple Rock Social Club (629 Cedar Ave., Minneapolis). Each night is $15.

Twins play the Yanks

It is all too fitting that the Twins play the New York Yankees at Target Field this Fourth of July at 1:10 p.m. 

Lou Gehrig famously gave his moving “luckiest man”” address to Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939 after finding out he had what we now know as Lou Gehrig’s disease. 

Let’s hope that this year leaves Yankees fans equally upset but without the lingering heartache. 

7th Annual 4th of July Underwear Ride: Freedom from Pants

Freedom doesn’t need to be an abstraction; taking off your pants makes it real.  Midway through this bike trek, which starts in Northeast, there’s a chance to take a dip, cool off and then air dry on the final leg to Powderhorn Park’s 4th festivities. 

The Underwear Ride is a more natural, “Minnesota nice” spin on the naked rides that happen in more than 50 cities. 

The ride starts at the vacant lot at 616 SE 2nd Ave., Minneapolis on July 4 at 6 p.m.

CONvergence 2013: British Invasion

Damn lobsterbacks! No worries, this British invasion is of the sci-fi and fantasy sort.  Anyone from Doctor Who to Harry Potter is fair game for fans clamoring for something a little less gung ho American on the most patriotic of all days.  That’s not to say that your Trekkie outfit or Ghostbustin’ uni needs to stay at home: The Daleks and hobbits from across the pond are merely the theme. 

The 15th annual conference is held at Bloomington’s DoubleTree Hilton, goes for four days and is expected to draw over 5,000 people.

Visit convergence-con.org for more information. 

U.S. History: Whaddaya know?

1) Which of the following U.S. presidents did not die on July 4?

A.     John Adams

B.     Thomas Jefferson

C.    Ulysses S. Grant

D.    James Monroe

2) Which of the following was not one of the beach landing zones on D-Day?

A.  Utah

B.  Silver

C.  Juno

D.  Sword

3) A famous Civil War naval engagement pitted two ironclad ships against one another: the Southern “Merrimack” versus what Northern vessel?

A) “Monitor”

B) “Ticonderoga”

C) “Gladiator”

D) “Essex”

4) Washington famously crossed the Delaware in a surprise attack on what mercenary forces?

5) Benedict Arnold held what rank in the Continental Army when he famously switched sides?

Answer key: 1) C, 2) B, 3) A, 4) The Hessians stationed in Trenton, 5) Major General

Great Movies with Firework Scenes

1.     “V for Vendetta”(2005)

2.     “Born on the Fourth of July” (1989)

3.     “The Godfather Part II” (1974)

4.     “Mulan” (1998)

5.     “The Castle of Cagliostro” (1979)

6.     “Bottle Rocket” (1996)

Recipes for fireworks-in-your-mouth

Pigs in a pig blanket

These little guys are a succulent treat — crank up the oven and throw ’em in to snack on while the grill is heating up. 

1 pound package little smokies

1 can sliced water chestnuts

1 pound bacon

1 bottle BBQ sauce of your choosing

Toothpicks

Slice the strips of bacon into thirds.  Place a slice of water chestnut on a cocktail weenie, then wrap it with a strip of the bacon, securing it all in place with a toothpick through the middle.  Place on non-stick pan in a 400 degree oven.  Let cook for 30-35 minutes.  Remove and add the BBQ sauce.  Place back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes, or until the porky aroma gets too hard to resist. 

Cannon blast burgers

These behemoth burgers are just what the doctor ordered if you’re about to pop a squat to watch some pretty explosions.  You won’t want to move with this food baby in ya. 

1 pound ground beef

1 egg

1/2 red onion, diced

1/2 red pepper, diced

1 jalapeño pepper, diced

3 button mushrooms, diced

1 tablespoon BBQ sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl and form into patties (depending on your preference, anywhere from 3-5 burgers).  Grill them suckers.  Enjoy. 

Flag Protocol

The American flag is a cool piece of history — a living symbol — and the Fourth of July is a great time to show your pride and respect for the United States of America. The key words here are “pride” and “respect.” 

While the Fourth is a raucous, celebratory good time, keep in mind that we can’t have the Fourth without the numerous sacrifices of our men and women in uniform. 

All too often a guy will be wearing a flag cape and it’s dragging on the ground.  Doesn’t anybody remember their time in the Scouts? The flag should never touch the ground. 

Safety

Remember folks, the Fourth of July is indicative of the whole summer when it comes to crime: There’s more of it.  People are hot, drunk and outside; that is a recipe for blood and altercations. 

Recognizing this in May, Minneapolis police increased the number of officers on the street for the summer. So beware the allure of illegal fireworks, or worse. 

By: Joe Kleinschmidt

STUFF TO DO

SATURDAY:

“Pride and Prejudice”

Be honest with yourself: you’ve never actually read a Jane Austen novel. You might as well start with the most well-known one. And hey, it’s the 200th anniversary of the famous 19th century romance. Like Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, overcome your pride and prejudice — get off your ass and witness a stage adaptation of a true classic of English literature. For “Mad Men” fans, note that Pete Campbell himself, Vincent Kartheiser, plays Mr. Darcy in this production.

Where: Wurtele Thrust, Guthrie Theater, 818 South 2nd St. Minneapolis

When: 7:30 p.m.

Cost: $30-$85

SUNDAY:

Los Lobos and Los Lonely Boys

These two West Coast groups draw from a staggering amount of influences—rock, blues, soul and tejano, traditional Spanish and Mexican music. Reminisce to the single “Heaven” from the Grammy-winning Los Lonely Boys and discover the veteran prowess of Los Lobos. The latter has been around since the 1970s, a testament to the longevity of this singular American band. Expect classic rock and roll mixed with plenty of Chicano soul.

Where: Minnesota Zoo Amphitheater, 13000 Zoo Blvd, Apple Valley

When: 7:30 p.m.

Cost: $56-$68.50

MONDAY:

Pharaoh Sanders

Tenor saxophonist Pharaoh Sanders might not actually be the son of John Coltrane, who’s the Father Almighty. Yet according to avant-garde jazz musician Albert Ayler, the two are linked spiritually, as the Father and the Son (with Ayler himself as the Holy Ghost.) Whatever religious affiliation free jazz pioneer Sanders represents, the veteran’s long career shows a divine testament to the experimental side of freeform jazz. Since releasing his first album in 1964, the Little Rock, Ark. native continues to tour extensively today. He’s collaborated with Coltrane himself and received his nickname from Sun Ra. All you have to do is believe.

Where: Dakota Jazz Club, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis

When: 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.

Cost: $25-$30

CULTURE TO CONSUME

LISTEN TO THIS:

“Magna Carta Holy Grail” by Jay-Z

Prepare for the second highest-grossing rapper’s twelfth album. It’s coming, whether you like it or not. Jay-Z’s long advertisements for “Magna Carta,” featuring a lounging, barefoot Rick Rubin and Pharrell, have already racked up some serious buzz. Coming off his “Watch the Throne” tour and album with Kanye West, the new record signals even further experimentation. Jay-Z borrows Nirvana and R.E.M. lyrics this time out. He’s also collaborating with his wife Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake and Frank Ocean, just to name a few.

WATCH THIS:

“The Lone Ranger”

All eyes on Johnny Depp as he reprises the role of Tonto from the original 1933 “Lone Ranger” radio program. The portrayal of the Lone Ranger’s sidekick raises questions as writers like Sherman Alexie view the “Kemo sabe” — saying caricature of the past as degrading. It’s been 32 years since another “Lone Ranger” adaptation and now’s the time for a more satiric, biting Tonto. Let's hope the man who played Jack Sparrow and Edward Scissorhands  can turn Tonto into something other than a stereotype.

READ THIS:

“The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot

In the early 1950s, scientists took a sample from a woman with cancer. Her cell line would become one of the most important tools in medicine as the “HeLa” stock still lives on today. If you think you’re in for a stock biography of scientific heroism, you’re wrong. Skloot uncovers the story behind Henrietta Lacks and her family, a piece of investigative journalism in itself. While the biology provides plenty of informational backing to the book, the power of the story lies in how Skloot exposes grave inequality. A multimillion-dollar industry ballooned after one woman’s cells lived on while the Lacks family never received anything.

By: Spencer Doar

The world is a changing place, and Malamanya, a 4-year-old salsa, samba and Cuban son sextet, is living proof of that.

Singer Adriana Rimpel is Mexican and Haitian, timbales player Jesse Marks is a Lithuanian Jew and percussionist Luis Ortega is Panamanian and Puerto Rican — and that’s only half the band.

 “This is a sign of the times,” Rimpel said.  “Twenty years ago, we may not have been around.”

Nobody in the group is from Cuba, the country most associated with the pan-Caribbean rhythms they have proved so adept at performing.

While the band represents an eddy, the meeting of multiple Latin musical currents, they try to do justice to the roots, those eponymous giants associated with the sizzling origins, the Tito Puente’s  of the world. 

With its cast of Minnesotans, Malamanya manages to make the sea breeze gust and the sweat pour in a land of 10,000 lakes and abbreviated summers.  The band members have come to appreciate winter hibernation as a time to work on new material and refresh themselves after busy summers.

Malamanya is one of many salsa bands in the area, but its global citizenship (and a lead singer who’s eloquent in Spanish and English) aids in its exposure. 

“We can be a bit insular, you find a community and you stay amongst it,” Rimpel said.  “I think, since we’re from a community-building background, we’re able to broach or be a bridge to our community.” 

The truth and power in her words are evident when non-Spanish speakers feel the emotion conveyed by Malamanya and reflect it in dance, an inextricable aspect of its music.

What:  Malamanya

When: 8 p.m. Friday

Where: Amsterdam Bar and Hall, 6 W. Sixth St., St. Paul

Cost: $8

Age: 21+

By: Spencer Doar

Wednesday

Femi Kuti & The Positive Force

 Femi Kuti is the eldest son of afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, though when you’ve mastered the funky, dance-inducing rhythms from West Africa, it doesn’t matter whose kid you are. (Funny enough, Femi’s son — one of the artist’s six children with five women — has played with the band from time to time.) Perhaps the strangest thing about Femi Kuti is that sometimes when he sings, he sounds eerily like Wayne Brady doing an accented rendition of an afrobeat tune on “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” For those concerned about summer’s harsh onslaught, the Cedar sports a new air conditioning system.

The Cedar Cultural Center

416 S. Cedar Ave., Minneapolis

$45

All Ages

Thursday

Country Fest 2013

Four days out in the Wisconsin sticks with a cohort of Stetson-wearing, alligator boot-stomping, truck-driving country nuts sounds like a rollicking good time. Hunter Hayes, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Toby Keith, Montgomery Gentry, Brantley Gilbert and Jake Owen are just a sampling of the names making the trip out to Cadott to perform. If the prospect of seein’ more stars-and-bars than stars-and-stripes leaves a nasty taste in your maw, swing by three weeks later for Rock Fest, featuring the likes of Whitesnake, KISS, Megadeth and Korn.

Amphitheater Concert Grounds

24447 S. County Highway, Cadott, Wis.

Thursday through Sunday

$87.50-$525

All Ages

Friday

Twin Cities Jazz Festival

From the open-air stage at Mears Park to the subterranean atmosphere of the Artists’ Quarter, the Twin Cities Jazz Festival shimmies and writhes into St. Paul like the soaring notes of a cornet. With previous iterations seeing the likes of Chick Corea, Dave Brubeck and John Scofield, you can rest assured that technical proficiency and professionalism will reign supreme at the 15th annual festival. Drop an ice cube down your shirt, and prepare to witness the real birth of the cool.

Downtown and Lowertown St. Paul

Thursday through Saturday

Free

All Ages

CULTURE TO CONSUME

Watch this: Movies in the Parks

As of 2012, there are merely 368 drive-in movie theaters left in the United States — at their peak in the ’50s, there were some 4,000. Now, events like Movies in the Parks represent rare opportunities to get the big-screen cinematic experience in the great outdoors. In Minneapolis, you can catch these flicks at the park:

Wednesday: “Little Women” at Lyndale Farmstead Park

Thursday: “Hunger Games” at Luxton Park

Friday: “West Side Story” at the Lake Harriet Bandshell

Saturday: “Here Comes the Boom” at East Phillips Park

Listen to this: Smith Westerns’ “Soft Will”

There’s a decent degree of indie-rock posing when it comes to Chicago’s Smith Westerns, affectedly affected and clad in the tightest of torn skinny jeans. Their new album is a charming release, rather different from the uncouth appearance of the three gentlemen. They managed to keep the garage-y attire, while shifting their music in a more mature direction with this third release. It’s a breeze to listen to, the kind of stuff that makes doing the dishes fly by.

Follow this: WW2 Tweets from 1941, @RealTimeWWII

If the timeline of the biggest conflict of the century confused you in elementary social studies, look no further than this ‘real time’ news feed of breaking events. Quotes from leaders, anecdotes, battles, troop movements: Everything is on the table. Right now, followers of @RealTimeWWII are being treated to the details of “Operation Barbarossa,” the codename for the German invasion of the Soviet Union, which began in mid-June. 

By: Spencer Doar

Wednesday

Femi Kuti & The Positive Force

 Femi Kuti is the eldest son of afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, though when you’ve mastered the funky, dance-inducing rhythms from West Africa, it doesn’t matter whose kid you are. (Funny enough, Femi’s son — one of the artist’s six children with five women — has played with the band from time to time.) Perhaps the strangest thing about Femi Kuti is that sometimes when he sings, he sounds eerily like Wayne Brady doing an accented rendition of an afrobeat tune on “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” For those concerned about summer’s harsh onslaught, the Cedar sports a new air conditioning system.

The Cedar Cultural Center

416 S. Cedar Ave., Minneapolis

$45

All Ages

Thursday

Country Fest 2013

Four days out in the Wisconsin sticks with a cohort of Stetson-wearing, alligator boot-stomping, truck-driving country nuts sounds like a rollicking good time. Hunter Hayes, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Toby Keith, Montgomery Gentry, Brantley Gilbert and Jake Owen are just a sampling of the names making the trip out to Cadott to perform. If the prospect of seein’ more stars-and-bars than stars-and-stripes leaves a nasty taste in your maw, swing by three weeks later for Rock Fest, featuring the likes of Whitesnake, KISS, Megadeth and Korn.

Amphitheater Concert Grounds

24447 S. County Highway, Cadott, Wis.

Thursday through Sunday

$87.50-$525

All Ages

Friday

Twin Cities Jazz Festival

From the open-air stage at Mears Park to the subterranean atmosphere of the Artists’ Quarter, the Twin Cities Jazz Festival shimmies and writhes into St. Paul like the soaring notes of a cornet. With previous iterations seeing the likes of Chick Corea, Dave Brubeck and John Scofield, you can rest assured that technical proficiency and professionalism will reign supreme at the 15th annual festival. Drop an ice cube down your shirt, and prepare to witness the real birth of the cool.

Downtown and Lowertown St. Paul

Thursday through Saturday

Free

All Ages

CULTURE TO CONSUME

Watch this: Movies in the Parks

As of 2012, there are merely 368 drive-in movie theaters left in the United States — at their peak in the ’50s, there were some 4,000. Now, events like Movies in the Parks represent rare opportunities to get the big-screen cinematic experience in the great outdoors. In Minneapolis, you can catch these flicks at the park:

Wednesday: “Little Women” at Lyndale Farmstead Park

Thursday: “Hunger Games” at Luxton Park

Friday: “West Side Story” at the Lake Harriet Bandshell

Saturday: “Here Comes the Boom” at East Phillips Park

Listen to this: Smith Westerns’ “Soft Will”

There’s a decent degree of indie-rock posing when it comes to Chicago’s Smith Westerns, affectedly affected and clad in the tightest of torn skinny jeans. Their new album is a charming release, rather different from the uncouth appearance of the three gentlemen. They managed to keep the garage-y attire, while shifting their music in a more mature direction with this third release. It’s a breeze to listen to, the kind of stuff that makes doing the dishes fly by.

Follow this: WW2 Tweets from 1941, @RealTimeWWII

If the timeline of the biggest conflict of the century confused you in elementary social studies, look no further than this ‘real time’ news feed of breaking events. Quotes from leaders, anecdotes, battles, troop movements: Everything is on the table. Right now, followers of @RealTimeWWII are being treated to the details of “Operation Barbarossa,” the codename for the German invasion of the Soviet Union, which began in mid-June. 

By: Joe Kleinschmidt

Under a mountain of inked paper and Adderall, Tao Lin worked tirelessly on “Taipei.”

Crafting his third novel — an alienating piece of comic fiction — required copious amounts of drugs and hours of editing. Starting with nearly 25,000 pages of material, the Brooklyn-based artist and writer stayed up nights to find the autobiographical novel’s structure.

“I had a huge pile—probably 600 pages,” he said, recalling the point where “Taipei” came together. “From there, for three months, I tried to find something that would work as a novel.”

Soft-spoken and painfully self-aware, Lin speaks about his writing with plain precision. Over the phone, the guise of an Internet provocateur diminishes. Now that the 29-year-old landed Vintage Books to publish “Taipei,” he’s forced to answer questions about his own success. Bewildered, he pauses for a few seconds.

“I just don’t ever think that word,” he said.

Between chronicling his Xanax consumption on Vice and writing about shoplifting, Lin garners a reputation as simply a literary novelty. He occupies a social media sphere of self-promotion via Tweets and extreme transparency.

His irony-laden second novel, “Richard Yates,” followed characters named Haley Joel Osment and Dakota Fanning (with no relation to the actual child stars). He even published a profile of himself as a “Great American Novelist” mocking Time’s bombastic coverage of Jonathan Franzen.

“I can’t believe I did that,” he said. “That actually has a lot of really accurate information. But people will just say whatever they want to say.”

“Taipei” proves the author’s gift exceeds the confines of a Tumblr page—the story follows an author named Paul as he traverses the art world in New York and visits family in Taiwan. Lin writes with a cold detachment that seems clinical at first, but he gives much-needed insight into the apathetic world of iPhones and anti-depressants. His characters talk about Wikipedia pages and take MDMA, all the while never quite exuding the ironic gestures that “Richard Yates” propped up. Lin’s self-described style, a “concrete literal” prose, feels almost claustrophobic, but Paul’s trip starts to break through the shell.

“In the first trip, Paul thinks of Taipei as a fifth season outside of his life in America, which he starts to feel is becoming really repetitive,” he said.

“Taipei” does not give off the same novelty appeal of “Richard Yates,” but exceeds its base comedy. Although the novel is supposedly his “magnum opus,” Lin vows to strive for stranger territory next time out.

“I never want to write the same thing twice,” he said.

What: “Taipei” with Tao Lin

Where: Paper Darts Pop-Up, SooLOCAL, 3506 S. Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis

When: 7 p.m., Wednesday

Cost: Free

By: Joe Kleinschmidt

Under a mountain of inked paper and Adderall, Tao Lin worked tirelessly on “Taipei.”

Crafting his third novel — an alienating piece of comic fiction — required copious amounts of drugs and hours of editing. Starting with nearly 25,000 pages of material, the Brooklyn-based artist and writer stayed up nights to find the autobiographical novel’s structure.

“I had a huge pile—probably 600 pages,” he said, recalling the point where “Taipei” came together. “From there, for three months, I tried to find something that would work as a novel.”

Soft-spoken and painfully self-aware, Lin speaks about his writing with plain precision. Over the phone, the guise of an Internet provocateur diminishes. Now that the 29-year-old landed Vintage Books to publish “Taipei,” he’s forced to answer questions about his own success. Bewildered, he pauses for a few seconds.

“I just don’t ever think that word,” he said.

Between chronicling his Xanax consumption on Vice and writing about shoplifting, Lin garners a reputation as simply a literary novelty. He occupies a social media sphere of self-promotion via Tweets and extreme transparency.

His irony-laden second novel, “Richard Yates,” followed characters named Haley Joel Osment and Dakota Fanning (with no relation to the actual child stars). He even published a profile of himself as a “Great American Novelist” mocking Time’s bombastic coverage of Jonathan Franzen.

“I can’t believe I did that,” he said. “That actually has a lot of really accurate information. But people will just say whatever they want to say.”

“Taipei” proves the author’s gift exceeds the confines of a Tumblr page—the story follows an author named Paul as he traverses the art world in New York and visits family in Taiwan. Lin writes with a cold detachment that seems clinical at first, but he gives much-needed insight into the apathetic world of iPhones and anti-depressants. His characters talk about Wikipedia pages and take MDMA, all the while never quite exuding the ironic gestures that “Richard Yates” propped up. Lin’s self-described style, a “concrete literal” prose, feels almost claustrophobic, but Paul’s trip starts to break through the shell.

“In the first trip, Paul thinks of Taipei as a fifth season outside of his life in America, which he starts to feel is becoming really repetitive,” he said.

“Taipei” does not give off the same novelty appeal of “Richard Yates,” but exceeds its base comedy. Although the novel is supposedly his “magnum opus,” Lin vows to strive for stranger territory next time out.

“I never want to write the same thing twice,” he said.

What: “Taipei” with Tao Lin

Where: Paper Darts Pop-Up, SooLOCAL, 3506 S. Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis

When: 7 p.m., Wednesday

Cost: Free

By: Joe Kleinschmidt

After a storm knocked out electricity for more than half a million homes and businesses in the metro, Erica Krumm and Jim Kolles entered their cramped Minneapolis practice space to check the power.

The trees littered outside City Sound looked post-apocalyptic, but inside, Krumm embraced the damage. She outlined her lyrical obsessions for Oaks, her shoegaze band, with stark simplicity.

“Love and death and nature. That’s a good summary,” Krumm said. Even if her description sounds intensely somber on paper, the married duo’s latest EP, “Field Beat,” finds a wistful introspection amid a wall of sludge.

Bass lines from Kolles, awash in reverb, accompany Krumm’s lilting, distorted vocals. Kolles credits post-punk predecessors in guiding Oaks’ clash of industry and nature.

“A lot of those bands — Joy Division and Jesus and Mary Chain — it’s so stripped down,” Kolles said. “The bass lines are melodic and hit the right notes, but not very technical, which was a big guiding thing for us I think.”

Taking cues from his work in metal bands like Ganglion and Carnivore, Kolles gives Oaks a palpable heaviness. Since founding the band in 2010, the duo has relied on an organic spontaneity they attribute to their long-lasting relationship.

“We just can read each other when we’re writing,” Krumm said.

“We don’t ever talk about notes or anything — it really does just flow.”

“Feathers,” off of the duo’s first recording, was the group’s first collaboration to bear fruit; a revelation for the band, Krumm said.

 “We just kind of accidentally made this song that we both really love,” Krumm said.

Even though Krumm and Kolles held positions in other bands over the years, they find their new partnership most exciting. After hours of tinkering with sounds, the spare demo gave way to a slew of material.

“Field Beat” does damage through sheer minimalism — an “artificial as hell” drum machine guides the record. “Clouds” and “All Mine” work a dreamy spin of post-punk. Trying to dissect their roles in Oaks, the duo loses the words.

“We really write together, so I feel like we feed each other in a way that’s hard to separate,” Kolles said.

The most consistent member of the band remains the drum machine, a ticking clock that both represents a mock drummer and a chance to fill in the creative blanks. Through constricting themselves around the simple setup, Oaks forges an alley for variation.

Kolles describes the duo’s extended sessions in the practice space as a laid-back chance to find another natural Oaks song.

“We force ourselves into situations where you can stumble upon songs,” he said.

What: Oaks, Claire de Lune, Moonstone and Dream Weapon

Where: Cause Spirits & Soundbar, 3001 S. Lyndale Ave., Minneapolis

When: 9 p.m., Thursday

Cost: $5

Age: 21+