Pachyderm poltergeist?

Ghost stories are commonplace at First Avenue, and now it looks like another Minnesota rock landmark, Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, might see its haunted reputation take off. Minneapolis pop-rock band the Capitol Sons recently had a few ghostly encounters at the studio/house where "In Utero" and "Grave Dancer's Union" were built. "I slept in the master bedroom suite, and I swear I saw a ghost-like green mist moving through the room all three nights," says guitarist Gary Vogel, whose crew also reported hearing voices, laughter and muffled screams and witnessing a TV set turn itself on. Oh, and Vogel swears the Sons don't do drugs, or drink too much. He doesn't want to discourage bands from working at Pachyderm, though: "That main recording room is magic. The drums sound frickin' awesome!" Hmmm, maybe Keith Moon was involved.

CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

Mason Jennings, who recorded his last album at Pachyderm, has a new record deal, but once again he will be working for a well-known musician instead of just some record-company suits. The Minneapolis strummer has signed with his longtime pal Jack Johnson's very eco-friendly label, Brushfire Records, after leaving Glacial Pace, the (apparently aptly named) Epic-backed imprint run by Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock. Brushfire already has an impressive roster that includes G. Love, Rogue Wave, Matt Costa and Johnson himself, with whom Jennings has toured going back to 2002. Look for his record to land in May.

CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

Something might be afoot with the Loading Dock in St. Paul. The funky 106-seat theater has been a favorite off-the-beaten-track venue for years, but its future in the arts firmament is uncertain as development plans take shape for the Renaissance Box building in Lowertown. Gremlin Theatre, currently showing a good production of "Orson's Shadow" at the Dock, (go here to see full review of the play) would be affected by any change in the building. Gremlin's Peter Hansen didn't want to say anything definite but confirmed that news may be forthcoming. It would be too bad to lose the Loading Dock, particularly now that the Loring Playhouse has been cut into office cubicles. Those were two sweet little stages for the small-theater community.

GRAYDON ROYCE

David Letterman is digging on the Twin Cities these days. Recent guest Hillary Clinton shared an anecdote about spending Super Bowl Sunday in a St. Paul bar, where she forced herself to take a break from shaking hands to watch the end of the game. Then earlier this week, during his "Small Town News" segment, Letterman cited a Star Tribune item about police investigating a "natural gas smell" that officers thought was either caused by the oven or the family dog. Glad we could help out, Dave -- and thanks for pointing out that the Twin Cities are hardly a small town. We assume the check is in the mail.

NEAL JUSTIN

The Minnesota Orchestra musicians at Sunday's concert at the new MacPhail Center broke out of the box musically, playing chamber works by Previn, Golijov and Brahms. They also were liberated from the more formal dress code of Orchestra Hall. So who shone? Music director Osmo Vänskä, who played clarinet in the Brahms B minor quintet, looked sharp in a tailored suit, gleaming tie and French cuffs. But I.W. gives best-dressed to newbie cellist Eugena Chang. She was cool and classy in her well-cut black tuxedo pants, big-heeled black-suede ankle boots, tailored gray tank with silver sequins and shiny white plastic hair band. (See Star Tribune review of this concert here.)

CLAUDE PECK

The good news: Frank Gehry's famous guest house on Lake Minnetonka will survive. The bad news: It's moving to an Owatonna farm. Designed in 1987 for Twin Cities philanthropists Mike and Penny Winton to complement a 1952 house designed by Philip Johnson, the 2,300-square-foot home is an architectural icon once dubbed "House of the Year" by Time magazine. Valued at $4.5 million, it's a sculptural cluster of rooms including a black tower, a brick rectangle, a limestone wedge, a sheet-metal box and a plywood garage clumped together like an overgrown troll village. Its current owner, real estate developer Kirt Woodhouse, who bought the 12-acre parcel including the two houses, gave the Gehry structure to the University of St. Thomas, which plans to have it cut into eight pieces and trucked 75 miles south, where it will be reassembled as part of a conference center overlooking a prairie. Woodhouse said he wants the public to appreciate that modern art "comes in many forms, including a house."

MARY ABBE