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Electronic Weapons feat. Afro Preachah @ Buster’s and Savoy Politics comics Redman @ Red Sky
Gravitone “The Musical” creates a superhero of good choices New Future Revolution
M.A.D Girl’s Roller Derby Team
New BIZ: Lucky Bucket (Formerly Kabob’s) & Chopp’s (Formerly Chopper’s) Feat. Cover Artist Ian McConkey
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“Gravitone, The Musical” creates a superhero of good choices Eat carrots or Cheetos? A vegetable dish at the Food Co-op or Old Country Buffet? Shop at the local store or Wal-mart? Those “good choice, bad choice” decisions are made every day -- until evil villain General Idiocy invents his M-ray and teams up with Siren Seductress Leather Alice to make the world “more stupider.” The only person who can stop them is Caped Scientist Captain Gravitone, who uses the power of gravity to sink bad choices. Eli Hoehn, a musician in the local band, String Theory, came up with the character and a plot line that had Gravitone wondering if all his good deeds really changed people’s behavior or simply made them rely on a super-hero to save the day. String Theory came out with a CD based around the premise called “What’s the Matter with Captain Gravitone?” But Hoehn kept thinking that he wanted more of a performance piece to accompany the music. So he sat down with local poet John Rezmerski and Mankato playwright Greg Abbott, who came up with a super-hero musical that incorporated String Theory’s music and lyrics. “It took the campy naivety of a 1950s Batman and put him in the modern day,” said Abbott. “Life may have seemed simple 60 years ago, but today making good choices is hard – spinach casserole or pizza buffet? Watching reality TV or public television? Drinking soda or water? All of these little choices can be overwhelming.” With Rezmerski poetically setting the scene, Abbott takes the action over-the-top for a hilarious farce that can appeal to adults and kids – complete with Nerf gun fights, dancing through the aisles of Wal-mart and a visit to the future. “I grew up on comic books,” said Abbott. “And I loved watching Adam West camp his way through TV’s early Batman shows. ‘Gravitone’ is a comic book hero set in 2013 whose characters are right out of 1950.” And what makes the musical strong is using String Theory’s audience favorites – like the bitingly funny “American Tango” or the idealistic “In My Mind.” Director Lolly Foy said any good super-hero story needs strong villains. And in this case, it pits Gravitone ( who hopes that by giving people a second chance, they’ll make the right choice) against General Idiocy (a jokester out to show that when given a choice, the human race will choose the worst option). To make things tougher, Gravitone also has to battle Leather Alice – who knows how to grab every last cent from any man she’s met. “Leather Alice is a modern-day Siren, who lures men into bankruptcy instead of luring sailors into the rocks,” said Foy. “But she also has a soft spot for Gravitone.” Gravitone is not the perfect super-hero of the past. His hermit-like scientist ways have prevented him from asking his long-time love, Emma, on a date. His poor choice is to always fear rejection. “It’s really a unique piece,” said Foy. “We combined local music, poetry and writing, and I was lucky to land a top-notch local cast of actors. We’re having a blast in rehearsals, and I know the audience is going to have fun with it, too. “Gravitone, The Musical” kicks off its premiere Friday, April 12 at the Grand Kabaret in New Ulm, but also includes an April 13 show at the Mankato Event Center and an April 19 show at What’s Up Lounge in Mankato. The show also stops at the St. Peter Arts Center April 26 and ends at the Roadhaus Restaurant in Henderson April 27. Tickets are just $5 in advance for adults, $3 for students and children. You can buy them in advance at the venues or online at http:// gravitone.wix.com/gravitone.
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Featured Cover Artist Ian McConkey
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Calendar of Events Check Online At slantedmag.com for our complete event calendar. Click on Events. Submit your events to slantedcreations@gmail.com
Ian McConkey is a 21-year-old graphic artist that lives in Mankato. McConkey designed the April cover of Slanted Magazine Southern Minnesota Arts and Culture. He was comissioned to do the cover by Lawson Media and Publishing. The publisher of Slanted wanted a certain look for the cover, a 20s-era comic book look. McConkey rose to the challenged and hit the nail on the head with his cover image, which features characters based on Lawson Media, Slanted, Swizz Apparel and the Mankato Gazette. McConkey graduated from South Central College in North Mankato last spring with an associate’s degree in graphic design. “I’ve always had a knack for art and I knew that I wanted to do it professionally - or music,” said McConkey. “Now I do both.” McConkey is in a heavy band called Valor Tracks. He designs their merchandise, promotional material and their album covers. McConkey said he was interested in art early on, but it was a distraction from some things. “I’d always sit in lass and sketch on my textbooks and notebooks,” he said. “I could never seem to pay attention (laughs).” McConkey is a former member of Discount Brown. McConkey grew up in St. Clair, just outside Mankato.
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