Racket

Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of important, overlooked, and/or interesting Minnesota news stories. When the CC Club last changed hands, in 2013, fear gripped the local drinking and music communities about whether something—anything—would change at the cherished Minneapolis booze institution. Aside from some minor cosmetic updates and the controversial introduction of a TouchTunes jukebox, things mostly stayed the same. Well, regulars, it's time to get worked up all over again.

The dance floor at Mortimer’s Bar in Minneapolis feels like a sauna on Pride weekend. Dani (aka Starthirl) is mixing hard-groove techno behind the decks on stage. The packed crowd of energetic dancers shuffles to the pounding kick drums. Bodies slick with sweat slide past one another toward the patio for fresh air and a smoke break. Metallic streamers dangle overhead. Joey (aka TECHNODOLL) jumps behind to decks next to turn the bass up even harder.

Somehow I don't think we've done this yet this year? Periodically, I like to check in and hear what music you all have been listening to. Doesn't need to be new or current. I'm just nosy that way. Have you been following my playlists here and here? Because I can't do this sort of thing halfway, I spent all morning compiling a list of (some of) my favorites from 2026. First is the non-local stuff, then the local stuff.

Freeloader Friday is your weekly guide to having fun no matter what your budget looks like. Each week we have a list of 100% free events like gallery parties, music, and films in the park, as well as free admission events like special happy hours, markets, and more.

Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of important, overlooked, and/or interesting Minnesota news stories. "Four days after Alex Pretti was fatally shot while filming officers taking part in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota, the Homeland Security Department quietly opened an investigation at its office in St. Paul," the New York Times' Alan Feuer and Ernesto Londoño write today (gift link).

I'm very excited Jane Schoenbrun's Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, curious about The End of Oak Street, and, no, I won't be going anywhere near The Brink of War. Scroll down for new reviews of the pretty good The Samurai and the Prisoner and the pretty OK Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Women in Love Manhunter: The Final Cut (1986) Alamo Drafthouse Before Anthony Hopkins, there was Brian Cox. $10.99. 7:15 p.m. More info here.

Inside the ring Joe Lee, better known to pro wrestling fans as The Freakshow CHO, is an artist. From his rainbow beard and blackened eyes to the doll mask and wig he wears for his entrances, Lee strikes fear in the crowds everywhere he goes. Outside of the ring, he’s a soft-spoken, thoughtful, humble guy who found a way to express himself and battle his own social anxiety. “I love telling stories,” Lee says of his approach to professional wrestling.

Welcome back to Racket’s Money Journal series, where you can snoop on the finances of an anonymous Twin Cities neighbor. Interested in submitting your own? Email jay@racketmn.com for instructions on over-sharing the monetary details of your life! (And gang? Let's keep the very popular series going following a long period of dormancy.) H/T to Refinery29 for pioneering a tremendous concept that we’re excited to localize.

Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of important, overlooked, and/or interesting Minnesota news stories. Minnesotans cast over 1.1 million ballots Tuesday, a recording-breaking primary turnout. That's also only about 25% of the eligible voting population, but hey, it’s something! Minnesota YouTube watchers are finally free from the constant barrage of Rep. Angie Craig ads, as Lt. Gov.

Recently, Blaine has become a hotbed of international cuisine. Baba Saj, a 24-hour shawarma and falafel spot with a drive-thru, came in hot in late 2025. Around the same time, Chelas X opened, serving Vietnamese and Latin tapas. So when the team behind Eden Prairie’s Asia Mall set their sights on the former Becker Furniture Outlet Space in Northtown Mall for Asia Village, I wasn’t all that surprised.