First Avenue's big Four-Oh

Turning 40 isn't so bad. Just ask First Avenue. The legendary club hits the big 4-0 on April 3, a milestone that surely makes it one of the nation's oldest (and most productive) music venues. It's a good weekend to celebrate, with sold-out Spoon shows next Friday and Saturday.

The anniversary comes at a time when the old club is embarking on some new ventures.

The second-floor VIP Room has always been a haven for intimate dance nights, but in the past few years it's really blossomed as an incubator for forward-thinking DJs (the Moon Goons, Jimmy 2 Times & Plain Ole Bill, Attitude City). Thus, First Ave is renaming its upstairs danceteria the Record Room. The club has hired Twin Cities artist Greg Gossel to paint a giant mural that will run throughout the space. The Record Room's April 4 launch party will feature DJ sets by Passion Pit (after finishing its mainroom show), plus the Moon Goons, Ricky Biggs and more.

And after many delays the club is set to open the Depot Tavern in mid-May, next door to the Entry on 7th Street. First Ave general manager Nate Kranz has said he wants the Depot to be a neighborhood bar in downtown. Expect burgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese sandwiches and cheese curds. Watch out (literally) for the "Diamond Dog," a quarter-pound all-beef hot dog wrapped in pepper bacon and then deep-fried on a pretzel bun (yikes!). The burger-and-beer joint should help the club capitalize on traffic to the new Twins stadium.

Tom Horgen

That home team spirit

In a beleaguered industry that's changing as rapidly as Lady Gaga's wardrobe, Minnesota companies and musicians are facing the music biz together in harmony -- at least when there's free booze involved.

Romantica flew into Dallas for last week's South by Southwest using free passes from Mendota Heights-based airline Sun Country, which the twangy rockers got in trade for some private performances and participation in Sun Countrty's in-flight Minnesota music programming (there's even a photo of them in the airline magazine).

After flying first class on a 7 a.m. flight, drummer Jim Orvis quipped, "I took the one free drink just because I could, but I didn't really want it that early."

Richfield-based retail giant Best Buy -- which never had much of a presence at SXSW before -- co-sponsored a Vita.mn-backed showcase for Minnesota acts to promote its new-ish Musical Instruments stores-within-stores, which are taking over some of the space that used to belong to CD racks.

"Our whole goal is to make it easier for people who want to create music to do so, whether they're professional musicians or a kid making the next step up from 'Guitar Hero,'" said Kevin Balon, Best Buy's vice president of Musical Instruments, attending his first SXSW. "Obviously, this is a good place to connect with those kind of people."

Former Babes in Toyland drummer Lori Barbero -- who now lives in Austin and works for SXSW as a production manager -- made the rounds to several Minnesota bands' showcases to make extra sure they had everything they needed to rock the houses. Said Barbero, "These are still all my homeys."

And talent bookers for Minneapolis clubs -- in theory, sharp competitors -- were often seen hanging together and comparing notes at SXSW showcases, putting up something of a joint front against the ever-consolidating corporate concert industry (see: the pending Ticketmaster and Live Nation merger). Their friendliness shocked the New York-based manager of nationally known Minnesota string-pickers Trampled by Turtles, whose first official showcase at the festival after years of national touring was a bona-fide knockout in front of a packed crowd on the Red Eyed Fly patio.

"He couldn't believe that we hang out like this, instead of trying to outdo each other," said Cabooze booker James (Taco) Martin while hanging with the Fine Line's Kim King.

Said King, "I think one of the reasons the Twin Cities has more autonomy from the corporate music world is because we don't play real cutthroat with each other."

Chris Riemenschneider

Ludacris controls the Universe

Hip-hop star Ludacris had his doubts about Nickelodeon Universe. Then he learned: You don't mess with SpongeBob and his amazing rides.

The rapper was in town Monday to open for the Black Eyed Peas but checked out the Mall of America beforehand. In a YouTube video captured by MOA's Erica Dao, Luda backtracked a bit: "When you come to the Mall of America, your expectations for the roller coasters are very low," he said. "You don't think that it's gonna be for adults. You think it's all for kids. However! I got on the first roller coaster and I can honestly say that, uh, it surprised me."

Also in the video (watch it on the MOA's YouTube channel): Ludacris getting a big hug from a furry yellow duck, a band of unimpressed kids walking straight through the rapper's entourage, and, lastly, Luda's roller-coaster review.

Tom Horgen

A Stewart-Pohlad threepeat

Bill Pohlad hearts Kristen Stewart, apparently. She stars in the Minneapolis producer's new "The Runaways," and had a supporting role in his 2007 film "Into the Wild." Now comes word that Pohlad's company Apparition has snapped up distribution rights to "Welcome to the Rileys," in which Stewart plays an underage stripper taken in by good Samaritans James Gandolfini and Melissa Leo. A fall release is expected, prompting some to speculate about an Oscar campaign hyping the "Twilight" star's against-type performance.

Colin Covert

A new fest on the block

Although the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival is less than a month away, organizers are moving forward with plans for a new Twin Cities Film Fest in the fall.

Founded by Jatin Setia, a U of M marketing grad who's made some short films, the organization had a kickoff fundraiser/housewarming party last week at its new offices in the Ford Centre, near the new Twins stadium. The festival is aiming for the sweet spot between the Toronto and Sundance festivals in hopes of picking up some bigger titles and Oscar hopefuls that wouldn't make the MSPIFF lineup. Though it has no funding yet -- Setia is trying to secure corporate sponsors -- it plans to screen about 30 films. The artistic director is Robert Roessel, a Minnesotan who runs Mexico's Puerto Vallarta film fest.

Bobby Marsden, who works with the advertising agency Mojo Solo, created the brand, trailer and website for the fest, which will be unveiled at an invite-only event Thursday at Cosmos in the Graves 601 Hotel.

That might seem odd, since Marsden programs local films for MSPIFF, and hopes to do so for the Twin Cities fest as well. "There hasn't been any conflict," he said. "My goal always has been to make sure there are enough outlets here to showcase local work."