Secrets of the City

The second edition of this beer-fueled discussion and improv night promises to be even better than the last—and that could prove difficult, since the previous event sold out. If you’ve been keeping up with your tpt schedule, you might have caught “Constitution USA with Peter Sagal” the past few Tuesdays (yep, that’s the voice from Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!”), a series that puts Sagal on a motorcycle tour of the United States to see how the Constitution is faring these days where the rubber meets the road. From Federalism to the Fourteenth Amendment, Sagal has interviewed experts and common citizens alike to find where fact and public opinion collide. This event series is your opportunity to hash out your thoughts with like-minded beer-lovers and enjoy a little sketch comedy for good measure.

If you’ve missed a few episodes, nothing to fear—there won’t be a test, but there will be smart conversation with Eric Black of MinnPost and Gustavus Adolphus Poli Sci prof Alisa Rosenthal, plus plenty of opportunities to weigh in with your own thoughts. The Theater of Public Policy will be around to break the tension if things get heavy, and clips from the show will keep the conversation moving. Plus beer. Did we mention there’d be beer? 6:30 p.m. $10. —EK

Amsterdam Bar & Hall, 6 W. 6th St., St. Paul, 612-285-3112, amsterdambarandhall.com

“It’s not retro music. It’s American music that never died.” So says musician, songwriter, and music preservationist Pokey LaFarge about his frequently misunderstood genre. But to look at LaFarge is to stare directly into the past, as the man himself seems as though he walked straight out of the Dust Bowl. His crooning imitates no one; he’s a storyteller of his own design, though heavily inspired by traditional Americana, and his love of that musical era shines in his easy stage presence.

Whether you call it roots music, western swing, folk, or jug band, LaFarge’s repertoire is the real deal, authentic down to the vinyl on which it’s recorded.  Former White Stripes frontman and current Nashville musical godfather Jack White recognized LaFarge’s inimitable talent and signed LaFarge to his label, Third Man Records, for a new album scheduled to drop next month. This tour anticipates the release, sure to feature collaborations between White and LaFarge and tied together with LaFarge’s infallible energy and stage presence. Listen to his Tiny Desk concert or hear him the old fashioned way tonight at the Cedar, where the chairs are bound to get pushed back for a swing-friendly dance floor. Al Scorch opens. 7:30 p.m. $12 in advance, $15 at the door. —EK

Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Ave. S., Mpls., 612-338-2674, thecedar.org

If you’ve been following Coffee House Press’s readings this spring (or all year for that matter), it shouldn’t come as a surprise to hear that they’re presenting—what else?—a dramatic reading of Norah Labiner’s Let the Dark Flower Bloom tonight at the Minnehaha Falls Bandshell.

Like most Coffee House readings, this event is about more than just the words on the page, it’s an experience of intersecting genres and mediums bringing a story to life. This murder mystery about two rival writers willing to do anything for the perfect story will be performed by Mixed Precipitation, a local performance group. Add to it one of the finest art forms of all: good, old fashioned cake by Patisserie 46—rated as one of Mpls.St.Paul Magazine’s Best Of picks last December by our own Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl.

Let the Dark Flower Bloom is Labiner’s fourth book. She was a finalist for the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award, and her second novel, Miniatures, was an American Library Association Notable Book, a Minnesota Book Award winner, and a selection for the Utne Reader book club.  6 p.m. Free. —LT

Minnehaha Falls, 4801 Minnehaha Ave. S., Minneapolis, 612-338-0125, coffeehousepress.org