Item World: Local news and views for 4/13

She hearts St. Paul

Fans of Kathleen Edwards probably need not worry about her fitting in a makeup date for Sunday's gig at the Varsity Theater (one of several postponed by vocal strain), especially since she's practically a local act now. The Toronto singer/songwriter has been living part-time in Fall Creek, Wis., where her Eau Claire-reared beau Justin Vernon has his house and studio. "I really love it out here," she said by phone from Wisconsin a few weeks ago, while Vernon was off playing Bon Iver dates in Australia (this weekend, he's at Coachella; playing right before Radiohead). However, she added, "If I get to choose where I live next, St. Paul would be the place. I'm pushing hard for it, in fact." -CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

Surly at the bat

Monday's Twins home opener also marked the debut of Surly beer at Target Field, whose operators finally gave the local brewer its own service cart (outside Section 124). Surly responded by brewing up a new exclusive ballpark brand called Bandwagon, a West Coast I.P.A. somewhat akin to the company's flagship beer, Furious, but with different hops. The scene at the cart Monday actually threatened to grow furious, however. Surly's line never got below 50-people deep throughout the game -- a blessing and a curse for Surly founder Omar Ansari as he stood nearby. "Why did you guys only open one cart?" one woman demanded. "It wasn't our call," Ansari sheepishly responded. The brewer wound up going down the line high-fiving customers, saying, "Thanks for waiting!" Hey, at least one Minnesotan had something to high-five about at the game. -CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

Hartnett drops in

St. Paul native Josh Hartnett returns to the Twin Cities Saturday to host a student summit supporting President Obama's re-election. He'll join Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak to lead a discussion with students from the University of Minnesota, Macalester, St. Olaf, Augsburg, Carleton and Hamline. The forum, at the U's McNamara Alumni Center at 11:30 a.m., will address such issues as college affordability, access to health care and job creation. Hartnett's a college dropout (he had some attractive work-experience offers in Hollywood), but he loves a good policy debate. -COLIN COVERT

The Making of MN

Oh, so Swede

Playing a sold-out show under their band name First Aid Kit, 1990s-born Swedish sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg were insatiably adorable at the Cedar Cultural Center Saturday, from their hippie-chic hairdos to their shimmering folk harmonies to the fact that their dad is also their sound man. When Papa Söderberg yelled something goofy at his daughters in Swedish, one didn't need a translator to understand the universal language of young girls embarrassed by their old man. Members of the audience also talked to the "Emmylou" singers in their native tongue. "We feel very at home here," Johanna said. Maybe the cutest, though, was how the Söderbergs talked so frankly about a radio session they taped at the Current that morning -- with a keyboard they had to replace that afternoon. "It was pretty terrible," Johanna said. Maybe the first time a band urged fans not to listen to them on the radio. -CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

Into the closet

The Guthrie Theater long has had a service to rent old costumes for Halloween and other dress-up occasions. Now you can take a 40-minute, guided tour of the costume closet on the first and third Saturday of every month (beginning at 11:30 a.m. April 21). The project houses more than 30,000 costumes and is a joint undertaking of the Guthrie and Children's Theatre Company. The Guthrie's Quinton Skinner said the costume shop is "much like the world's biggest closet belonging to the broadest cast of characters imaginable." For tickets and details, call 612-377-2224. -CLAUDE PECK

Airing dirty laundry

We can go for that