Item World: Local news and views 10/7

Beer for gold
The folks behind the Town Hall Brewery on the West Bank have more precious metals hanging around their necks than Kanye West and Rick Ross combined. The acclaimed brewpub came away a big winner at last week's Great American Beer Festival in Colorado, where it won a gold medal in the Scottish-Style Ale category for its Hope & King Scotch Ale. It also won two silvers for Eye of the Storm Honey Ale (Specialty Honey Beer category) and LSD (Herb and Spice Beer category). Nearly 4,000 beers from 526 breweries vied for medals. Even if they hadn't won, I.W. is guessing the Town Hall brass wouldn't have gone nuts like Kanye. Either way, cheers for bringing home the gold.

Lifting the veil on Cleopatra

In the years she spent researching the renowned queen of ancient Egypt for her book, "Cleopatra," Stacy Schiff avoided watching the 1963 Elizabeth Taylor movie, she said Wednesday night. Schiff's de-mythologizing biography, now in paperback, reportedly is propelling a movie remake, with Angelina Jolie as a possible Cleo. Schiff spoke Wednesday in St. Paul as part of the Talking Volumes book club. A star in the literary world, Schiff has written four biographies, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Véra," about the wife of Vladimir Nabokov. While she was thrilled to win the prize in 2000, Schiff joked that "it doesn't get you a table at a restaurant." It sounds like it doesn't bring proper respect from her children, either. "The kids'll say, 'Look, mom can win a Pulitzer Prize, but she can't find the lid for the Tupperware.'"

Holding out

It was starting to look a lot like 2011 would be the first year in the Hold Steady's seven-year existence that the band did not perform in most of its members' former hometown. Lo and behold, the New Yorkers finally have a Minneapolis gig booked: Nov. 18 at Epic nightclub as the headliner of Vita.mn's fifth anniversary party, which will feature several more acts yet to be announced. Tickets ($25) are on sale at Vita.mn (yes, which is owned by the Star Tribune). The date looks to be the last Hold Steady performance on the books for the year, aside from the Bob Mould tribute concert featuring band leaders Craig Finn and Tad Kubler three days later in Los Angeles. Feel free to test any Hüsker Dü covers on us, guys.

Her Standards

A man for every occasion, rocker/educator Chris Osgood slipped on his sport jacket as he walked up the steps of St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral Wednesday for the memorial service for Eleanor Mondale Poling. The Twin Cities radio and TV personality was married to Chan Poling of the Suburbs and New Standards. And the music community came to pay its respects: Hugo Klaers and Steve Brantseg of the Suburbs, Prince & the Revolution's Bobby Z (who produced a Suburbs album), Dave Ahl of the Suicide Commandos, promoter Randy Levy (who managed the Suburbs) and Adam Levy, Max Ray, Dave Salmela, among others. After the service, Ted Mondale told I.W. that his sister insisted that the New Standards close the service. So they did -- sans Chan -- with John Munson on ukulele and vocals and Steve Roehm on vibes, doing the old Highwaymen hit "Silver Stallion." Said Ted: "She considered that she conceived the New Standards. It was her idea. Chan said [with Ted rolling his eyes], 'Yeah, OK, it was your idea.'"

A lot of the big news within the local music scene this past week could be gleaned from following the right musicians on Twitter. Here's one of many heartfelt tweets from Brother Ali, who hosted the Twin Cities Day of Dignity charity concert at Masjid An-Nur mosque Saturday with guests including Slug, P.O.S. and Dessa: "Meant a lot to me for the people who support this music scene to come to the North Side for a community service/celebration/block party." From Channy Moon Casselle of Roma di Luna, whose Caravan du Norde gig in Luverne, Minn., wound up being the band's finale: "Played the last roma di luna show last night ... ended the chapter in small town with maybe 15 people and @Heiruspecs in the audience." From Heiruspecs keyboardist DeVon Gray, off the same event: "Hey who was that helping you load out your heavy beastly Nord of a keyboard? Oh, just the mayor." And finally, a retweet from Mark Mallman via scenester Ben Perlstein, "So the Flaming Lips released a 6-hour long song? I'm sure @markmallman is not impressed."

Reunion pig roast

The good times rolled again Sunday for the Glen Hanson Gallery crowd that used to hang out at the New French Cafe and Bar. In its short heyday, 1978-82, Hanson's gallery was the epicenter of the Minneapolis warehouse art scene for local collectors, museum mavens and Manhattan aesthetes. About 150 of them gathered for a pig roast and "Then and Now" art show Sunday at ArtOrg gallery outside Northfield. A flock of Hanson artists -- Richard Cooper, Steve Hartman, Philip Larson, Mike Manzavrakos, John Marshall, Stuart Nielsen, Tom Rose, T.L. Solien -- turned out along with New York art critic Eleanor Heartney, photographer Jerry Mathiason, New French co-founder Lynn Alpert, gallery director Todd Bockley, General Mills curator Don McNeil, Northern Clay Center director Emily Galusha, sculptor Aldo Moroni and other pals. Now a vagabond country western guitarist, Hanson thanked all for a swell tribute that he didn't have to organize -- or die for.

Company of Giants

A daylong networking and brainstorming session for artists of all genres -- especially the ones who aren't very good at networking or brainstorming -- Giant Steps returns for a second year Saturday at the Guthrie Theater (9 a.m.-5 p.m., $125 late registration). The event is spearheaded by educator Susan Campion and local rap star M.anifest, and they have assembled quite a know-how who's-who's cast of speakers/mentors: photographer Wing Young Huie; hip-hop stars Maria Isa, I Self Devine, Desdamona and BK-One; music-biz vets Brent "Siddiq" Sayers (Rhymesayers) and Chris Osgood (Suicide Commandos); journalists Robyne Robinson (ex-FOX 9) and Nichelle Bell (Litt magazine), plus experienced publicists, tax geeks, etc. There's also an after-party open to everyone, with performances by many of said participants up in the Guthrie's Dowling studio (7:30 p.m., $8). Details at GiantStepsMN.com.