First Avenue will start moving ahead with booking talent for a weekend festival to take place at Parade Stadium in Parade Park next summer after the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board gave preliminary approval at last week's board meeting.

"In the spirit of both First Avenue's and Parade Park's histories, we look forward to collaborating with the Park Board to bring an outdoor festival or concert series to the heart of Minneapolis," First Avenue says in its proposal. "With the skyline as our backdrop as national talent is paired with homegrown bands, our shows would be worthy of national attention with a distinctly local feel."

While the event could just be back-to-back stand-alone concerts next year, First Avenue has high hopes that it could grow into a new festival to resemble other events around the country such as Pitchfork in Chicago or Summerstage in New York.

"It should be an event that people in Minneapolis can look forward to every year," said Nate Kranz, First Avenue's general manager.

The only hints we get about potential performers is that there are plans for a "major touring act whom First Avenue has built a relationship with throughout the last 40 years," "one or two local artists with fervid hometown appeal" and some local bands. A date hasn't been established yet.

First Avenue had several meetings with the Lowry Hill Neighborhood Association, which gave its endorsement for the proposal on the condition that First Avenue will work with a group of community members on some of the planning details. First Avenue plans to contribute a per-ticket greening fee to the association and volunteer some time to a neighborhood project.

Over the next month, a more formal agreement should be ironed out that outlines the requirements for First Avenue. It should be back in front of the board at its Nov. 16 meeting.

Mikey "Eyedea" Larsen's mom, Kathy Averill, is hosting a tribute to her son on the anniversary of his death Sunday 10/16, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., in St. Paul's Cherokee Park, where a picnic table and park bench is being dedicated in his honor. Word is that some of Larsen's friends will be there to perform, and Averill herself is cooking food for the event.

Depending on your level of geekery, Saturday is shaping up to be a busy day. One of the year's biggest comic-book conventions, FallCon, will attract fans of all ages to the State Fairgrounds for an all-out blitz of vintage comics, collectibles and middle-aged guys in costume. The whole thing goes from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and costs $8. It's a good time. More info at www.midwestcomicbook .com. Also that day is Rain Taxi's annual Twin Cities Book Festival, taking place at the Minneapolis Community & Technical College. By looking at the authors list, you'd think Kevin Sorbo was booked for the wrong convention. Nope, the campy Sorbo will be talking about his new memoir, "True Strength: My Journey From Hercules to Mere Mortal -- and How Nearly Dying Saved My Life." Admission to the book festival is free and lasts from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. More info at www.raintaxi.com.

When Patty Schemel was shooting hours upon hours of home video footage during her time in the '90s as drummer for Hole, she never imagined it would turn into a feature-length movie.

Schemel, whose footage comprises most of "Hit So Hard," a documentary charting her time with Hole, among other things, says she got the camera for Christmas in 1994, and just started recording. "I never had goals of being a filmmaker, and still don't," she said.

The screening is part of the Sound Unseen film festival (preview on page 56) this Friday at the Ritz Theater (7 p.m., $15), where the longtime and well-respected drummer will appear for a Q&A after the film. Schemel was a part of Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain's lives during those years, and some of the film showcases never-before-seen footage of the former Nirvana frontman with his wife and daughter, Frances Bean.

In the film it's mentioned that Schemel nearly became Nirvana's drummer, something she calls "one of those weird myths that Courtney [Love] perpetuates." In truth, she simply jammed with Kurt a lot back in the day.

The film is mostly a personal tale, though, about Schemel's longtime battle with drug and alcohol abuse as well as coming to terms and opening up about her homosexuality.

"I didn't think it was going to be that personal," she said, "but there is no other way to do it but to be honest with my experience, and put it out there."

Schemel, who says she's currently obsessed with the all-female indie rock band Warpaint (especially their drummer), was surprised and excited when someone mentioned the film works as a guide through the 12-step recovery path, but that was a happy accident.

"Hit So Hard" is something of a cautionary tale about descending down a hole of rock clichés. Sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll, with an emphasis on the drugs.

"When I got into rock and roll, that just increased the time that I could be drinking and doing drugs," says Schemel. "And it is a cliché, this story is everywhere, not just in rock and roll."

As always, local bands are adding to the wonderful noise at this weekend's Sound Unseen fest. Pink Mink will perform Friday at 7 p.m. at the Ritz with the screening of "Hit So Hard". Then the Magnolias will play a set before Saturday's 7:30 p.m. showing of the punk- rock dad doc "The Other F Word," while Banner Pilot pilots the after- party a few doors down at the 331 Club.

Now the longest-running radio station charity album in the country, Cities 97's 23rd annual "Sampler" collection will go on sale Nov. 17 at area Target stores for $25.97. It looks to be a cooler-than-average year, with Adele, Mumford & Sons, Florence + the Machine, Ray LaMontagne, Lissie, Fitz & the Tantrums and the Head & the Heart (also all favorites on the Current) bumping up against more standard fare by David Gray, Michael Franti, Sara Bareilles and O.A.R. Americana rockers Farewell Milwaukee represent the local music scene this year.

Just a few days after the Cities 97 announcement, the Current finalized the track list for its own nonprofit collection, "Live Current Vol. 7," which went on sale Wednesday to coincide with its fall membership drive. The Current's sampler features two acts also on Cities 97's disc, Lissie and Fitz & the Tantrums, plus one more local band than its competitor's disc, with both Low and Atmosphere. Mostly, though, "Vol. 7" plays to the core Current audience with lovely, stripped-down studio recordings by Band of Horses, Broken Bells, the National, Dawes, Sharon Jones and Iron & Wine.

There's also a few less-obvious participants that could bring in some fresh, younger supporters, including the Temper Trap and Foster the People. When I first heard that Foster dude go into the falsetto, "woo-hoo-hoo" part of this acoustic version of "Pumped Up Kicks," I laughed even harder than when Kenny G joined them on "Saturday Night Live." But the track's inclusion is undoubtedly a serious boost to the nonprofit efforts here.

Hip-hop collective Doomtree is turning its seventh annual Blowout bonanza into a seven-night extravaganza Dec. 4-10, featuring five nights in 7th Street Entry and two in the First Avenue mainroom. Each of those five Entry shows will be curated by one of the crew's five rappers. Opening night belongs to Sims (Dec. 4). After that will come Mike Mictlan's show (Dec. 5), Dessa (Dec. 6), P.O.S. (Dec. 7) and Cecil Otter (Dec. 8), with guests each night to be announced. Then the usual giant show with all seven members will take place again Dec. 9-10. Let's hope there's not another major snowstorm like the one that shut down the city last year (but didn't actually ruin the Blowout; the group even added a third night just to spite the weather and accommodate fans who had to miss the second night).

Another all-crew Doomtree album is set to come out just in time for the Blowout marathon.