Nightlife notebook: Nation of poets

By TOM HORGEN, Star Tribune

Last update: November 20, 2008 - 6:20 PM

Nation of poets

Spoken-word maestro Bao Phi has done it again. For Saturday's free Equilibrium show at the Loft Literary Center, he's gathered a dozen of the Twin Cities' best spoken-word poets from the new CD project "¿Nation of Immigrants?"

Last summer Phi asked these poets to record individual pieces representing their unique perspectives on the immigration issue. He got a CD full of moving, hard-hitting poetry from Minnesota artists who can trace their roots across the globe. They include established and rising stars such as Robert Karimi, Tish Jones and Bobby Wilson. You can buy the CD ($10) and hear many of the poets at the show.

The album's title comes with Spanish question marks, punctuation that's "meant to really question and challenge the notion of who an immigrant is," Phi said. "It's also celebratory."

Some of the poets don't fit the typical definition of "immigrant," but have experienced the same struggle. Some are refugees from Africa or adoptees from Korea, while others are American Indian. All are worth a listen. (8 p.m. Sat. The Loft at Open Book, 1011 Washington Av. S., Mpls. Free. 612-215-2585. www.loft.org.)

Go Guetta

Spin keeps the international DJs coming. This week it's superstar house DJ David Guetta. The Frenchman is still riding high off his 2007 hit, "Love Is Gone," which crossed over big-time in the United States and in our club scene. He comes to Minneapolis for the first time, rocking a Tuesday night at the downtown nightclub. (9 p.m. Tue. 10 S. 5th St., Mpls. $15. 18 and older. 612-333-5055. www.spinmn.com.)

Shelter to close

Sad news for fans of underground dance music: The Friday electronic night, Shelter, will come to a close this month at Bar-Fly's Loft space. The night was the brainchild of Zak Khutoretsky (aka theDEVIOUSone), who started Shelter this past summer fresh off the closing of his last endeavor, Foundation nightclub. There are two more Fridays left: Tonight features DJ duo Attitude City ($5), and next Friday closes with Derek Plaslaiko ($10). (10 p.m. 711 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls. 18 and older. 612-333-6125. myspace.com/sheltermpls.)