If I were to tell you that a local musician has somehow devised a plan to perform nonstop in a van on a road trip from New York to Los Angeles, would I even need to name the local musician?

Details are still being mapped out (literally), but Mark Mallman has dreamt up just such a venture for his Marathon 4 in mid-September. A posting on Facebook promises "gas, food, bandwidth + nonstop music" under a photo of an old conversion van. The sci-fi loving piano rocker will be wired up "Running Man"-like to create music while he sleeps using brain waves and heartbeats. He will also be picking up musicians at stops along the way to participate.

Mallman's previous three marathons took place at the Turf Club, including the last (and longest) one in October 2010 with 110 backing musicians and 78 hours of continuous music. There's not even a local pit stop planned this time, but we'll get his album release party Oct. 13 at the Ritz Theater in Minneapolis.

Random mix The local music story of the year that just keeps growing, north Minneapolis' Y.N. RichKids continue to see huge returns for the little song they made at the North Community YMCA, "Hot Cheetos & Takis." The clip was near 1.5 million views on YouTube at midweek and earned a four-star review at RollingStone.com. Look for our full story on it at startribune.com/music. ...

A week before their show at the State Fair's grandstand, Dessa and Jeremy Messersmith are on another lineup together Sunday at Hell's Kitchen, this one a benefit for the Southside Family Nurturing Center. The concert will also feature Toki Wright, 4onthefloor's Gabriel Douglas, Caroline Smith and more (7:30 p.m., $25, or $75 VIP). ... Messersmith was the opening act for Vice President Joe Biden's rally in Minneapolis on Tuesday. "All You Need Is Love" was one of his songs. ...

From the same planners who bring us the Red Stag and Barbette Bastille Day block parties, the inaugural Pat's Tap Block Party will be held Saturday from 3 to 9 p.m. with music by Romantica, Mariachi Estrella, Chokecherry, the Cactus Blossoms and more. The party will also feature the SooVAC Gallery's interactive Sideshow Soo (3510 Nicollet Av. S., Mpls., free, all ages). ... The Bryant-Lake Bowl Block Party was rescheduled and reimagined this year as the get-out-the-vote Rock for Democracy Block Party, happening Sept. 9 with Mr. Mallman, Heiruspecs, Zoo Animal, Me and My Arrow and more. ...

Slug and MaLLy are both featured on a new track called "Shameless," the first one released off an upcoming hip-hop compilation titled "Flood Watch." You can find it via Soundcloud. ... An all-hip-hop block party is also in the works for Sept. 15 outside the Nomad Pub. The Hip-Hop Harambee will star Talib Kweli -- who's also at Summer Set fest this weekend with Black Star -- plus Sims and Lazerbeak, Big Zach, Audio Perm, Meta and more. Tickets are $10 via Ticketfly.com. ... It's nice to know the outdoor shows aren't ending with Labor Day.

chrisr@startribune.com • 612-673-4658 • Twitter: @ChrisRstrib