Chris Riemenschneider: A bloody valentine, by Fitzgerald

It sounds like a cute little story: One night while he was sawing some ZZZ's, Mandy Tensen-Woolery woke up her husband, Nathan, with a catchy lyric on which he later based a song.

"I literally dreamt it up," Mandy recalled.

Psychologists might have a field day once they hear the song, though. It's called "Bloody Stumps," and it's only one of several tracks to reference bodily harm on the otherwise sweet-sounding new CD by the couple's band, Fitzgerald.

Hanging out Tuesday at a coffee shop near their home in Minneapolis' Seward neighborhood, Mandy and Nathan don't come off nearly as weird as they do in "Bloody Stumps" and other songs on "Raised by Wolves," their second CD. The tune -- one of many on the album to blend banjo, clarinet, guitar and the couple's hip, Stereolab/Low-like harmonies -- finds Mandy singing in her soft, pretty voice, "I think you should cut your hands off and wave your bloody stumps."

Nathan, who does most of the songwriting, said "Bloody Stumps" is a good example of how he tries to avoid "the obvious singer-songwriter themes." Obviously.

"I always try to avoid the personal-storytelling kind of songs," he said, pointing to other songs such as the strikingly catchy opener "How Far North?" and "The Alligator Wrestler," which are made-up stories. The album's standout track, the Postal Service-like electro-folk song "I Can Breathe Underwater," also was inspired by dreams he had as a kid hoping for Aquaman's abilities.

The Tensen-Woolerys (they took each other's last name) have lived interesting enough lives to write autobiographically. They were high-school sweethearts in Willmar, the western-Minnesota home of the Jennie-O turkey company. After college in the Twin Cities, the couple spent a year as social workers in India, where they dreamed up songs for their first CD, "Light a Match and Burn It Slowly."

"[India] was a great experience. Because I was so separated from the music I'm used to, it got me thinking and writing more unusually," Nathan said.

For "Raised by Wolves," the couple took a leap forward sonically thanks to Olympic Hopefuls frontmen Darren Jackson and Erik Appelwick, their labelmates on 2024 Records, who co-produced the album.

"They both have their own specialties, so Erik would kind of work with us during the day and Darren at night," Nathan explained.

Fitzgerald performs with a rotating cast of musicians, often with a rhythm section or sometimes just as a duo. Look for guests at their CD-release party Saturday at the Turf Club, which Haley Bonar is headlining.

And, for the record, a message up top on www.fitzgeraldmusic.com should clear up any possible controversy.

"We don't really think you should cut your hands off," it reads.

VARSITY FINALLY A GO

Jason McLean looked relieved but not exactly happy Tuesday, when he proudly showed off the newly renovated Varsity Theater. After waiting six months for the necessary city permits, McLean needed only a new exit door and a few other minor tweaks to finally reopen the historic Dinkytown venue this past weekend.

"The point is, we could have made the changes back in August or September, and we'd have been in business by October," said McLean, also the proprietor of the neighboring Loring Pasta Bar.

Whatever anyone thinks of McLean -- who has had many beefs with the city -- one look inside the new Varsity and you'll agree it's a shame that we didn't have it for more than a few weeks this past winter. It's now one of the warmest, coziest venues in town.

With its array of plush couches, chairs and even daybeds spread around a Lego-like array of moveable stage blocks, the Varsity can change from a songwriter's living room to a theater troupe's playhouse to a regular old rock concert hall, with capacity ranging from 180 to about 300. (The old movie theater had 940 seats. How's that for safety-code changes?)

The theater's art-deco lobby has also been turned into a full-time coffeeshop/cafe. McLean hopes "artists of all walks" will hang out there by day and breed creativity.

I don't know about that, but I do know that I can't wait to see a show there. We rock fans have two great opportunities next weekend: Valet on April 30 and Ike Reilly on May 1. (Half Cast Production's musical comedy, "Artists in Trouble," plays there this weekend.)

METSA DOES TEXAS

With echoes of Springsteen's "Nebraska" and Dylan's "John Wesley Harding," Paul Metsa's new CD, "Texas in the Twilight," comes from a single session recorded in Austin in 1990. Metsa was back in Austin promoting the disc at South by Southwest last month, when he had an unlikely encounter with Bush spinmeister Karl Rove at a tribute to psychedelic-rock pioneer Roky Erickson. That's just one reason why the Iron Range native joked that he should have called the disc "Texas in the Twilight Zone."

The CD is an all-acoustic collection featuring 15 Metsa originals, including "Kisses in the Wind" and "Judas Sang the Blues." It's raw but as powerful as a Texas tornado.

Coincidentally, one of Metsa's Austin pals (and fellow Dylanophiles), roots-rock balladeer Jimmy LaFave, just released his new CD, "Blue Nightfall," on St. Paul's Red House Records. Simply put, it's one of the label's best releases in recent years.

FEDERAL MINT?

So what's up with Mint Condition going all the way out to the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C., to record its concert special scheduled to air at 3 p.m. Sunday on BET? The TV show -- which will be released soon as a DVD -- and Monday's gig at the Quest are timed to Tuesday's release of "Livin' the Luxury Brown," Mint's first CD in six years.

In an interview last week (see the full story in Sunday's Arts & Entertainment section), the Mint guys admitted that they maybe made a mistake.

"We've always been a band that lived in the Twin Cities but worked everywhere else, so we didn't really know if a hometown crowd would give it up for us enough for TV," singer/drummer Stokley Williams said.

After the band's well-received gig at Escape Ultra Lounge in November (after the D.C. gig), bassist Ricky Kinchen said, "We definitely felt the love. So we'll return it at the Quest."

RANDOM MIX

Last Saturday's Wailers show at First Avenue, which didn't disappoint, did raise a good question about the new smoking ban: Can someone also get fined for smoking a joint in a club, in addition to the usual charges? Inquiring (and semi-lucid) minds want to know. ...

Another Powersurge pledge drive at Radio K (770 AM) culminates today with on-air performances by Haley Bonar (11 a.m.), Fog (4 p.m.) and other guests. ...

Members of the Peterson family, Debbie Duncan, Lori Dokken, Adi and Beth Yeshaya and many other local jazz players are taking part in a benefit Sunday at the Fine Line for a child with severe medical needs (7 p.m., $25 or more). ...

A correction: Last week's column named the wrong location for tonight's Magnolias reunion, which is at 7th Street Entry. Frontman John Freeman was worried his bandmates would show up at the wrong place, so I hope they'll read this.

Hear samples of Fitzgerald's and Metsa's CDs at www.startribune.com/localmusic. Chris Riemenschneider is at chrisr@startribune.com.