The group calls itself a "syndicate of free equals" from "the temple of the 12." But what exactly is the New Land of Milk and Honey? The short answer is that it's an artist commune -- a creative utopia where Catholic rites, MGMT-style video, magical tetrahedrons and sustainable agriculture collide.

Onlookers got a glimpse of the group last Saturday at the Soap Factory at an opening reception that was half church service, half infomercial. A man in white with a knit, triangular headpiece (Croix Clayton) and a knit-clad woman (Aby Wolf) introduced the tenets of the NLMH: "exercise," "collaboration" and "tetragrammatons" (huh?). Then the MCs divided up the audience by their zodiac signs for a group chant, followed by a tamale-eating ritual.

The exhibition was created by five local designers: brother-and-sister duo Brett and Erin Smith, fashion designer Annie Larson, Target cool-hunter extraordinaire Ann Marie de Lathouder Freeman and her husband, videographer Adrian Freeman. The group met through the arts scene and their employment with Target. Larson recently resigned from her design job there to pursue her own projects, and Erin Smith currently works her "dream job" at Target as a designer of pet clothes.

Visitors to the Soap exhibit can read NLMH's literature and view its eclectic videos, which are the commune's call-to-arms shot in a DIY aesthetic characterized by lots of triangles and lots of outer space. Other creations on display include Larson's knitwear, with innovative color schemes and structured patterns that would intimidate the most nimble-fingered of grandmas.

So, are the members of the New Land of Milk and Honey just ultra-hip subscribers to the urban religion of irony, or are they working professionals who spend their lunch breaks underlining passages of Thoreau? Their Adult Swim-like aesthetic suggests that the designers take their mission with a grain of (organic) salt. Brett Smith swears that their manifesto is sincere -- but clearly, "we're making fun of ourselves," he said. "If we could pack up and shift our location [to a farm the group visits in Wisconsin], it would be an ideal situation for us," he added. The group seems dead serious about community, but their innovatively crafted utopia proves they're more about talent than touchy-feelies. More event details.

It's time to dust off that Ed Hardy T-shirt. Hot off the first season of MTV's hit reality series "Jersey Shore," star Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino will host a night of fist pumping Saturday at Bootleggers. The downtown party bar has partnered with Red River Entertainment to fly in the Situation. With his cocky attitude and ridiculous physique, the Situation became the trainwreck-of-a-show's breakout star (he'll soon launch his own fragrance, called Sitch). A select group of partygoers will be granted a special meet-and-greet. Here's how: Be one of the first 100 people to hit Bootleggers' $10 open bar on Friday (9-11 p.m., must call ahead, 612-940-2668). Or, be one of the first 100 people through the door at 7 p.m. Saturday ($5). The first 50 people on Saturday will also get a personal GTL gift bag (If you're unfamiliar, that's Gym, Tanning and Laundry). Fist pump! More event details.

After making a meaningful appearance at the Current's fifth anniversary party last month at First Avenue, Prince has given the radio station first crack at a new song called "Cause and Effect." The track -- described as "a rocker filled with virtuosic guitar work, explosive drum breaks, a poppy chorus, trademark shrieks and whoops" in a Current press release -- will debut Friday at the very un-Princely time of 7 a.m. This is quite a coup for the nonprofit Current. It's appropriate for Prince to premiere the song locally, though, since he has been living here again for a few months and recording a lot at Paisley Park. This track will reportedly be issued along with many more on his $77 annual subscription service at www.lotusflow3r.com.

Last week, more than 5,000 Minnesotans submitted artwork for the Minneapolis Institute of Arts' "Foot in the Door 4." Any piece that could fit inside a 12-inch wooden cube would be included in the once-a-decade exhibit. On Thursday night, the museum opened the show to the public -- a whopping 7,069 people packed the MIA to get a peek at the mini-masterpieces. The museum paired the "Foot in the Door" premiere with its monthly Third Thursday event, which included live music by Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles and DJ tunes by Jake Rudh. It was the largest crowd ever recorded for a Third Thursday. More event details.

Illustration by Michael Gaughan Gayngs

Take a mish-mash of prominent indie-rock and hip-hop musicians from Minnesota and Wisconsin, throw them together on the same album and use 10cc's schmaltzy 1975 hit "I'm Not in Love" as your musical reference point, and what do you get? We'll find out in May, when the all-star project Gayngs debuts with an album on Jagjaguwar Records and two prom-themed release parties at First Avenue. The recording is the brainchild of Digitata/Building Better Bombs sonic maestro Ryan Olson, who started working on it with Solid Gold's Zach Coulter and Adam Hurlburt plus his old Eau Claire buds Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver) and members of Megafaun. Olson went on to recruit Bombs cohort P.O.S., Digitata bandmate Maggie Morrison, Morrison's Lookbook partner Grant Cutler, plus Dessa, Mike Lewis (Happy Apple), Channy Moon-Casselle (Roma di Luna), Shon Troth (Solid Gold) and more. The album, "Relayted," will be out May 11, followed by two First Ave shows on one night, May 14 ($15 tickets on sale Friday).

"We're from here now. We've got the documentation to prove it." Jeff Tweedy wasn't kidding when he made that declaration six songs into another ridiculously fun Duluth concert by his band Wilco last weekend. Before the 2¼-hour show, the city's young mayor, Don Ness (who's 36 but looks like he's 19), gave the Chicago kingpins a proclamation backstage officially declaring them Duluth citizens. Tweedy recounted it this way, holding up a pleather-bound document: "This teenager came up to us and said he was mayor. We think it's legit." He proceeded to hold up the fancy proclamation about 50 times during the show whenever he wanted some cheap applause. It worked every time.