WEST BANK SOCIAL CENTER

This Thursday night WBSC hosts diskurs, a monthly film and...

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:56:00 -0500

This Thursday night WBSC hosts diskurs, a monthly film and discussion series. Stop by at 7PM for an awesome & somewhat obscure movie followed by a discussion (over drinks) with a group of people who have awesome & somewhat obscure ideas.

This Month….

Black Sunday: The Mask of the Devil or La maschera del demonio Dir. Mario Bava 1960 // 87 minutes

Post-film discussion: We shall endeavor, collectively, to answer the question, “What’s scary?” Bring your ghost stories, personal experiences of fright and reasons why you like horror films.

BYOB or grab a drink/soda downstairs. A small donation is always helpful!

In January, when our friend Jeff Hnilicka spent time as...

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:00:00 -0500

In January, when our friend Jeff Hnilicka spent time as “Someone in Residence” at WBSC, he was often seen carrying a deck of tarot cards with him around the space. When I asked, he told me that he always reads one card before leaving the house, and does a full reading for himself about once every week, just to meditate on all the crazy things he has going on (like many of us, he has a lot going on).

When he read my cards, I was surprised at how helpful it was to talk for a few minutes with someone else about a question I would otherwise have left stewing in my own head.

Jeff will be trading tarot readings for food and other necessities this Wednesday night at WBSC. If you’re in the neighborhood, bring him something and he’ll tell you what the future has in store. Conveniently, there are a number of businesses in the neighborhood where you can get food or other things to trade.

RSVP here or swing by anytime after 6:00PM.

S.H.M.

WBSC to host Whitney Biennial | March 27th

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 17:11:00 -0500

Seriously folks, this is an honor. Our friend and occasional co-conspirator Jeff Hnilicka is curating an evening of 2-D, 3-D, video, performance, and alternative media projects all celebrating the career and life of Whitney Houston. In the curator’s own words: It’s not right, but it’s okay.

Submit your proposals by emailing Jeff[dot]Hnilicka[at]gmail.com or contact him through the Whitney Biennial Facebook page.

Guest DJ Dance Party // Saturday, February 20th @ 10PM You and...

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:08:00 -0500

Guest DJ Dance Party // Saturday, February 20th @ 10PM

You and you and you and I are the DJs. There are just four simple rules:

1) Bring yourself (and your friend(s))
2) Bring your iTunes compatible music library (e.g. iPod)(don’t sweat it if you don’t, WBSC will have a guest music library available)
3) DJ a three-song set off another attendee’s library
4) Dance and dance and dance

Hope to see you there… and dancing your pants off! RSVP, if you want.

If you’ve missed the Claiming Space mini-lecture series,...

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 19:23:00 -0500

If you’ve missed the Claiming Space mini-lecture series, you’ve got one more chance this Saturday, February 13 at 2pm with what should prove a fascinating talk by T. Harlan Morehouse: “Better Living through Future Catastrophe, Or, How I learned to appreciate ‘The Revelation of Saint John the Divine…’”

Here’s a taste of what Harlan’s got to say:

The End of the World – or, its rougher (albeit more agreeable) equivalent: the collapse of societal order – seems to be much en vogue these days. Whether we conjure it in conspiratorial whispers, or it comes to us in the creping anxiety of insomniac thought, we often seem struck dumb by the horror of total collapse and, in turn, write it off as nonsensical. However, what if the specter of societal collapse could be understood in less pessimistic terms? What if it could serve to reorient us to our present with liberation in mind? That is, in what ways could future catastrophe offer positive visions for how we might relate to each other and the environments within which we carve out the trajectory of our lives? In this lecture I draw from field research conducted at a ‘primitive’ survival skills school located in rural Vermont in order to advance a theory of better living through future catastrophe. To do so I focus on three aspects of life in the shadow of collapse: (1) Preparatory skills for post-societal lifestyles; (2) Methods of radical reorientation of self-to-environment; and (3) Techniques of struggle for community autonomy.

Note: This is a change from Harlan’s original lecture topic. If you were geeking out about geological depths and the subterranean, come out anyways. Maybe he’ll let you pick his brain about it.

Tonight our friends at diskurs host the second in a series of...

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 10:53:11 -0500

Tonight our friends at diskurs host the second in a series of monthly film discussions, this one on George Manupelli’s Dr. Chicago, its ongoing political relevance, and its use of satire. More information about the film and diskurs here.

Hope to see you!

-Shanai

WBSC is excited to host a series of Saturday afternoon lectures...

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:01:00 -0500

WBSC is excited to host a series of Saturday afternoon lectures in conjunction with the exhibit Claiming Space - The Material and Immaterial of Site and Language at the Regis Center for Art from January 22nd to February 18th. The lectures, which start this Saturday, begin at 2PM.

This Saturday, February 6 @ 2PM

Travis Freeman - Infinite Space in James Cameron’s Avatar and My Mind
With the movie as his launchpad, Freeman will move through the relationship between virtual space and spiritual space.

Morgan Adamson - Multiplication and Negation, Study #3 (@ 3PM)
For her Saturday afternoon lecture, Morgan Adamson will map the impossible boundary between life and money in the era of finance capital.

Saturday, February 13 @ 2PM:

Harlan Morehouse - The Future Beneath
We are accustomed, it seems, to privileging the earth’s surface over its depth. An understandable bias, perhaps - after all, it is upon the surface that we trace the trajectories of our lives. Yet, cannot the same be said of the deep? That is, cannot life and its associated risks, fears, hopes, goals, etc. be traced in the subterranean as well? In this lecture I wish to trouble the boundary between ‘the above’ and ‘the below’ and explore the relationships among the surface, the subterranean, and time by looking at three cases studies: The WIPP nuclear waste site in New Mexico; the Corbis high-security underground film preservation facility in Pennsylvania; and, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway.

More about the lecturers here.

Y’all ready for tonight? It’s gonna be a soul...

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 10:00:12 -0500

Y’all ready for tonight? It’s gonna be a soul party.

(“Soul Party” by Rocky Gill & the Bishops. From the HOT PANTS 2 compilation CD.)

If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a rent party is...

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 10:47:41 -0500

If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a rent party is where our friends help us throw a party with really great music, dancing, talking, hanging out & a few surprises. Everyone shows up, has a good time and throws a few bucks in a jar on the way through the door.

It’s been awhile, but we find ourselves with a heating bill that is totally ridiculous (even by Minnesota standards) and so we need your help. Help us heat this place.

The harder you dance, the warmer it gets.

Saturday, January 30th
From 9PM to the Future
$1 to get in, $4 to leave.

HOT PANTS DJs spin original 45s: northerns, funky ones, R&Bs, crossovers, lowrider rolas, boogaloos as well as the hardest local blues and dance rarities. Dedicated to bringing you the finest in underplayed records from the 60’s and 70’s.

We’re excited to welcome Crystal Meisinger & Elissa...

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 08:00:00 -0500

We’re excited to welcome Crystal Meisinger & Elissa Johnson of You Beast, You Gem back to WBSC tonight for their second collaborative night of queer performance, film, music & rabble-rousing.

Performances by the Default Project’s Loveless Ladies, Barton Stink, Mysti & Sissy La Poo, Mr E Krumpin Clown, Acroyoga Troupe & Marsha Stoned with Muscle Twitch. Come early to see a dj set by Lillith Fair & a short set by locals Brute Heart. YourSteppaDuJour will be taking over music duties after the first set of performances and will close out the night. Unkle Sinan of Minneapolis Art on Wheels will be playing videos through out the night as well!

It’s gonna cost you kids $3-5 bones to get in. Things get started at 9pm.

This Thursday the first installment of DISKURS will debut at the...

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:41:00 -0500

This Thursday the first installment of DISKURS will debut at the West Bank Social Center. Each month a film will be followed by a discussion on a related topic. No need to be a film buff to join-in, the conversation will be as fast and loose as the people who attend, so please attend, and bring your own beverages.

This Month: Madness via Werner Herzog’s film Woyzeck. 7PM!

Tonight help us welcome artist Jeff Hnilicka back to Minneapolis...

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:19:00 -0500

Tonight help us welcome artist Jeff Hnilicka back to Minneapolis for a short stint as somebody-in-residence at the West Bank Social Center. Over the next 20 days Jeff will be working in and out of WBSC, where he’ll be compiling a community-generated list of 20 ideas for the next decade.

You can stop by tonight to help kick things off and to add your ideas to what will likely become a sprawling, ambitious list. Our plan is to try to record at least one idea per day here, on ye olde Tumblr, so stay tuned (and speaking of the future, does the phrase “stay tuned” even make sense anymore? Hmm…)!

FORESIGHT IS 2020
ideas for the next decade

Kick-Off Pot Luck Dinner
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 | 6pm arrival | 7pm dinner

RSVP and other info here.

Minneapolis Art on Wheels 2010 Artist Residency Program // Call...

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 11:26:58 -0500

Minneapolis Art on Wheels 2010 Artist Residency Program // Call for Applications

We’re incredibly excited to be involved in MAW’s new Artist Residency Program. If you have ANY interest in public performances and interventions, experimental audio-visual works, interactive mobile media experiences, novel open source software instruments or performance tools…you’re going to want to check this out.

Join MCTC ceramics students and instructor Lauren...

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 19:19:10 -0500

Join MCTC ceramics students and instructor Lauren Herzak-Bauman for a Last Meal Dinner Party and Potluck this Thursday, December 17 from 7:30-10pm. After thinking about what they’d eat for their final meal, they’ve designed ritual table wear to serve the food, which might be steak, or gummi bears, or big jugs of wine…Come see their creations, share in their meals, and add a recipe card to our last meal cookbook. Bring an item from your last meal to pass.

Listen up Hulkamaniacs, come be a part of history as the West...

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:22:30 -0500

Listen up Hulkamaniacs, come be a part of history as the West Bank Social Center writes the next chapter in the Saga of Hulk Hogan’s Pastamania!

- Eat: spaghetti
- Witness: the unveiling of something very special
- Watch: a WBSC-curated Hulk Hogan video medley
- Listen: to Hulk Hogan And The Wrestling Boot Band’s seminal 1995 Rock/Rap hybrid album “Hulk Rules”
- Share: your best Hulkamaniac stories and memories
- Eat: more spaghetti

Like a phoenix from the ashes, Hulk Hogan’s Pastamania! will rise again! This is a one night only spaghetti-eating extravaganza you will not want to miss.

More information here.

The Incredible Saga of Hulk Hogan’s Pastamania! Chapter...

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 11:35:00 -0500

The Incredible Saga of Hulk Hogan’s Pastamania!

Chapter 1: Hulk Hogan’s Pastamania! opens at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN. (Resources: Actual video from the grand opening. Promotional photograph.)
Chapter 2: Hulk Hogan’s Pastamania! closes, shortly after opening at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN.
Chapter 3: An indeterminate amount of time passes.
Chapter 4: The sign from Hulk Hogan’s Pastamania! resurfaces on the awning of an abandoned building in the West Bank neighborhood of Minneapolis, MN. (Resource: Tim Kiser’s photograph - seen above - and investigative reporting.)
Chapter 4: The sign from Hulk Hogan’s Pastamania! disappears and said abandoned building is torn down. Minneapolis weeps…(Resource: Reid Priedhorsky’s documentation of the sign’s disappearance and said building’s demise, in reverse chronological order.)

The End.
Or so we thought…

On Monday, December 14th, come be a part of history as the West Bank Social Center writes the next chapter in this most amazing of stories (and eats way too much spaghetti). This is a one night only event you will not want to miss.

Like a pheonix from the ashes, Hulk Hogan’s Pastamania! will rise again! More information on Facebook.

- Colin

Just in case anybody would ever want to look at such a thing,...

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:44:51 -0500

Just in case anybody would ever want to look at such a thing, Troy found this super high-res image (click here) of our mixer/amp. Enjoy! - Colin

(it was one of those nights)

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 03:09:35 -0500

(it was one of those nights)

Hey, everyone: This Saturday, December 5, 9pm-?, bring the...

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:16:00 -0500

Hey, everyone:

This Saturday, December 5, 9pm-?, bring the noise— audio and visual— to WBSC as part of “Communal Mixtape,” an event hosted by Sergio Vucci, co-curator of Common Room. We’re creating, and projecting, a YouTube mixtape playlist you can access anywhere with the interwebs. By we, we mean you. Show up and add a song to the playlist, mingle, have a beverage, watch, dance, repeat.

Rules:
1.    Find the perfect, or near perfect, YouTube song video to share
2.    Arrive
3.    Plug in your YouTube song
4.    Bask in the glory

Check out a possible WBSC entry up above. A local favorite!

Very much! —Miranda

MNKINO #5: CUT / COPY / PASTE [ RSVP on Facebook ]Tuesday,...

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0500

MNKINO #5: CUT / COPY / PASTE [ RSVP on Facebook ]
Tuesday, November 24th; 8pm
at the West Bank Social Center, of course!

More info at MNKINO’s website — and don’t forget to check out last month’s entries!

(photos, from top to bottom: J E Theriot, ~mary, Allen)