Perhaps an insult to the musicians who worked hard for a year to get on the lineup for First Avenue's annual Best New Bands of 2009 showcase -- but at least it's adding a little interest and media hype to the event -- a trio of St. Cloud teens who posted a you-betcha-Minnesota spoof of Jay-Z's/Alicia Keys' hit "Empire State of Mind" on Youtube have been newly added to the lineup for the Jan. 15 show.
Going by the name TheAfternoonDLight, the pasty and openly dorky trio posted "Minnesota State of Mind" on Dec. 6 with footage of them rolling around St. Cloud and singing hokey Minne-centric lines such as, "Welcome to the hottest spot / MOA where we shop," and, "Man, Favre made the Vikes more famous than the Yankees, man."
The clip so far has racked up 51,000 views. That's a far cry from the 10 million views that similarly brought "Chocolate Rain"-maker Tay Zonday to the First Ave stage in 2007, but it was enough to get the club's staffers smiling. "It seemed like a fun thing to do," explained booker Sonia Grover.
Here are more of the lyrics:
Minnesota niceness, up here we know how to act
You've heard the stories, miracle on ice
Herb Brooks glory, for the gold theres no price
Yeah we represent, Minnesota raised
The illest rhymes we spittin you know are grade A
Three degrees below, snowboard and ski
Santas at the mall, on his knee, patiently
I hope he will give me, a brand new handmade
Real colorful, and accurate to scale, map of
In Minnesota, frozen tundra that we are fond of
Theres nothing you cant do, in Minnesota
These lakes will make you feel brand new
Big trees will inspire you, life in Minnesota
-Sota, -sota...
