It was the mural so nice he painted it twice. Pop artist James Rosenquist attended a reception for his "North Dakota Mural" Wednesday night in the Plains Art Museum in Fargo. Rosenquist, a native of the state, had completed the 13- by 24-foot work and then saw it burn up when fire roared through his Florida home in 2009. "I just happened to have a sketch that I worked from and I repainted it exactly the same," he said this week. The mural includes birds, fish, an oil rig, an Indian tepee, part of a tractor tire and a canopy of stars -- all taken from the artist's consciousness of his home state. When asked how long it took him to paint the piece, he said "76 years and two months," his age at the time of completion. Though he's internationally known, Rosenquist is still a Dakota boy at heart. He opined that North Dakota farmers are going to do well this year because of strong global demand, and recalled that as a youth, "I shoveled grain in 1946 when there was a famine in India and we had to produce so much grain that they dumped it on campuses and we shoveled it on the trains."
GRAYDON ROYCE
Sun sets on High Noon A band that outlived the "Urban Cowboy," "Achy-Breaky Heart" and "boot in the ass" phases of mainstream country music -- not to mention dozens of Twin Cities country venues -- High Noon won't make it past this weekend. The veteran twangers and occasional classic-rockers are throwing in the towel after two farewell shows Friday and Saturday at Povlitski's in Spring Lake Park (9 p.m., $15). Band leader Bob Thompson chalked up the decision to simply "wanting a break. The band has never gotten along better, and we still get plenty of bookings despite the economy -- we're just tired," said Thompson, the longest-running member of the group at 18 years (it's actually been in business 27 years). The biggest changes, he said, were the advent of home video and the statewide smoking ban, "which means there have been less bars in business and less people going out. But our fans have really stuck by us through all that, and we're extremely grateful."
CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER
Hungry heart Max Weinberg hinted to I.W. last summer that he wouldn't be joining Conan O'Brien's new chat show this fall. He made it official the other day, explaining he had heart surgery last winter. The drummer/bandleader, who performs Monday at the Guthrie, confided to I.W. that his health situation was so precarious that last year when he was touring with Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Weinberg kept a defibrillator underneath his drum kit. However, like the Boss, Mighty Max proved it all night without any artificial stimulus.
JON BREAM
Whoa, Nellie! New York cabaret star Nellie McKay likes to perform without a net. Tuesday at the Dakota, backed by members of the Guy's All-Star Shoe Band from Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion," she announced: "Not only have we not rehearsed this one but we don't even have a chart. It's Minnesota jazz. Who's running this show? Garrison? Also, we've got to do it in British accents." At McKay's behest, the band tore into the standard "It's All Right With Me" and really swung -- with Minnesota accents.
JON BREAM
