This week, we're going to talk about the documentary about Jay's Longhorn, which was a club in Minneapolis that, for me, almost felt like an urban legend because I'd been hearing about it for years and years. This documentary, directed by Mark Engebretson, does a fabulous job of telling you exactly where it was, and how it came about.

The club opened in the late '70s, and at that time in Minneapolis, you really couldn't play a club unless you were playing covers. And clearly, at that time, music was changing, as it always is, and there were a lot of musicians in town who thought, "I don't want to play songs by Boston; I want to play my own stuff." So a bunch of tastemakers and record-store owners and Andy Schwartz from the New York Rocker went on a search for Minneapolis's own CBGB, and they found it, in Jay's Longhorn.

The Longhorn was short-lived, yet it packed such a huge punch. The venue drew national acts as well as giving the opportunity for these local bands like Flamingo and the Suburbs to have a place to play, and Curtiss A, of course, ruled the joint.

There's a screening of Jay's Longhorn: Let's Make a Scene at the Minnesota History Center Tuesday night at 7 o'clock. That will be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A after the screening. On Nov. 30, there will be a DVD release party and concert at the Parkway Theater in Minneapolis.

External Link

Jay's Longhorn film - official site