Lady Midnight (artist)

Last updated

Adriana Rimpel, known professionally as Lady Midnight, is an American multidisciplinary artist, vocalist, songwriter, educator and community leader based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Contents

Early life and education

Rimpel was born in St. Paul's West Side in Minnesota. [1] Her father was a drummer and her mother a singer in the first Minnesota salsa band, Sabroson. [2] She was an intern on Don’t Believe the Hype, a television program on Twin Cities' PBS produced by POC youth that empowered young people's creativity. [3] [4] She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and studied Studio Dance for over 12 years. [5] [6] Rimpel is bi-lingual and identifies as Afro-Indigenous, Mexican, Haitian, and Aztec. [6] [7]

Music career

Rimpel has a background in Afro-Cuban music, hip-hop, pop, R&B, and experimental music. She first started performing music as a vocalist in the Minneapolis-based Afro-Cubana group Malamanya in the year 2000. [6] [1] [7] She was with Malamanya for four years and performed with them as part of The Lowertown Line, a live recording and interview by TPT Twin Cities PBS. [1] She is also a member of the twin cities' electro-pop group VANDAAM. [1] In 2016 she put out a 5-song EP with Afrokeys under the name Parables of Neptune which included the song "Wax Line". [1] [7]

Rimple coined the name Lady Midnight in 2012, and debuted her solo act of the same name during her performance titled Midnight Special at First Avenue's 7th Street Entry in 2016. [7] [2] Lady Midnight's performances are a blend of sound, visuals, and costume. Blending indigenous and futuristic aesthetics, she uses costume and hair to create wearable sculptures. [7] She works with Minneapolis-based hair artist and activist Dre Demry-Sanders to create unique head dress and cornrow styles for her performances. [8] [9] Her music is an expression of her experiences with culture, feminism, and race. She believes that music has healing and restorative powers. [2]

Rimpel had her Chicago debut in 2018 at Kombi Chicago with opening act DJ Just Nine. [10] She performed at Pilsen Fest in Chicago in 2018. [11] Her debut solo album, Death Before Mourning, was recorded in the south Minneapolis's Woodgrain Studios and was released in 2019. [12] Her album release show was held at St.Paul's Turf Club and featured opening acts Ziyad, Booboo, and DJ Keezy. [13]

Rimpel has performed and recorded with artists including Brother Ali, Bon Iver, Common, Sarah White, Moby, Andra Day, P.O.S., Maria Isa, Mike the Martyr, and Aloe Blacc. [14] [15] [7]

Community outreach

Rimpel was the Teen Programs Manager at the Walker Art Center's Teen Arts Council in 2010 where she encouraged teens to learn artistic and creative problem-solving skills as well as gain knowledge of the arts and their potential for civic contribution. [16] She is a freelance instructor at the University of Minnesota, St. Paul's Community Libraries and Rec Centers, and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. [10] She teaches music performance and production to youth at Kulture Klub Collaborative, a Minnesota arts non-profit for youth experiencing homelessness. [6] She has spoken on panels and contributed to research nationwide about the impact of the arts on youth, in partnership with The Walker Art Center, The Whitney Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, and Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. [10]

In July 2020, Rimpel teamed up with DJ Keezy and Sophia Eris to launch a fundraiser on the platform GoFundMe. The fundraiser, which raised nearly $30,000 on its first day, aims to fund the opening of a music venue called Aunties, which would be the only music venue in Minnesota to be owned by women of color. The artists stated their inspiration to start a venue comes from both the uprising following the murder of George Floyd and the need to create a safe space in the wake of accusations of misogyny and sexual assault in the twin-cities music industry. The artists pledged to bring in workers in mental health and sexual violence advocacy fields as well as community members in order to create a business model that reflects their goals and mission. [17] [18]

Awards

Rimpel was named one of The Local Show's Artists to Watch in 2016. [19] She was named Best Twin Cities Vocalist of 2017 by City Pages, [13] and #3 Picked to Click in 2017 by City Pages. [20] Her album, Death Before Mourning, won Best Album from the City Pages' Best of the Twin Cities 2020. [21]

Related Research Articles

The music of Minnesota began with the native rhythms and songs of Indigenous peoples, the first inhabitants of the lands which later became the U.S. state of Minnesota. Métis fur-trading voyageurs introduced the chansons of their French ancestors in the late eighteenth century. As the territory was opened up to white settlement in the 19th century, each group of immigrants brought with them the folk music of their European homelands. Celtic, German, Scandinavian, and Central and Eastern European song and dance remain part of the vernacular music of the state today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Avenue (nightclub)</span> Nightclub and music venue in Minneapolis, Minnesota

First Avenue and 7th St Entry are two historic music venues housed in the same landmark building in downtown Minneapolis. The nightclub sits on the corner of First Avenue North and 7th Street North, from which the venues get their names. The two are colloquially distinguished by locals as The Mainroom and The Entry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Suburbs (band)</span> American new wave/punk band

The Suburbs are an alternative punk rock/funk/new wave band from Minneapolis, Minnesota that was popular in the late 1970s and 1980s. The band frequently headlined at Minneapolis's most influential music clubs, including Jay's Longhorn Bar and First Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dessa</span> American rapper and writer (born 1981)

Margret Wander, better known by her stage name Dessa, is an American rapper, singer, writer, and former record executive. She is a member of the indie hip hop collective Doomtree.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay's Longhorn Bar</span> Punk-rock club in 1970s-1980s Minneapolis

Jay's Longhorn Bar was a nexus of the punk rock and New Wave scenes in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doomtree</span> American hip hop band

Doomtree is an American hip hop collective and record label based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The collective has seven members: Dessa, Cecil Otter, P.O.S, Sims, Mike Mictlan, Paper Tiger, and Lazerbeak. The collective is known for incorporating a wide range of musical influences into their work with lyrical complexity and wordplay, and their annual "Doomtree Blowout" events held in Minneapolis venues to showcase their group performances and the Twin Cities music scene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curtiss A</span> Musician and visual artist from Minneapolis

Curtiss A is a musician and visual artist from Minneapolis. One of the original artists on the Twin/Tone Records label, he performs one of the most popular shows in the Twin Cities, an annual tribute to John Lennon held at First Avenue. He was the first musician to headline at First Avenue's sister club 7th Street Entry, and opened for Prince's first concert at First Avenue.

Twin Cities hip hop, also referred to as Minneapolis hip hop, is sub-genre of rap music that originates from the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Minnesota.

Minneapolis is the largest city in the US state of Minnesota, and the county seat of Hennepin County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lowertown Historic District (Saint Paul, Minnesota)</span> Historic district in Minnesota, United States

The Lowertown Historic District is a historic district in the Lowertown neighborhood of Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. This 16-block warehouse and wholesaling district comprises 37 contributing properties built 1870s–1920. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 for the significance of its river and rail connections, economic impact, architecture, and urban planning. Lowertown was originally the lower landing on the Mississippi River; the first port of access to the Twin Cities. Several warehouse, railroad, banking, and distribution buildings served the entire Upper Midwest from 1880 to 1920. A significant concentration of these buildings survive, unified by similar architectural styles and construction materials. Many were designed by the city's most prestigious architects, including Cass Gilbert and Clarence H. Johnston Sr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Saint Paul</span> Neighborhood in Ramsey, Minnesota, United States

Downtown Saint Paul is the central business district of Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. Its boundaries are the Mississippi River to the south, University Avenue to the north, US 52 to the east, and Kellogg Boulevard to the west. It is bounded by the Dayton's Bluff, Summit-University, West Seventh, Frogtown, West Side, and Payne-Phalen neighborhoods. The West Side neighborhood is on the other side of the river, and can be accessed via the Robert Street Bridge or the Wabasha Street Bridge. Interstate 35E and Interstate 94 run through the north side of the neighborhood, providing a separation between the Minnesota State Capitol and other state government buildings with the rest of downtown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chastity Brown</span> American musician (born 1982)

Chastity Brown is an American singer-songwriter and musician based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Critics have dubbed her "a banjo-playing soul-singer" and "a rocking, rolling encyclopedia of roots music."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Communist Daughter</span> American indie rock band

Communist Daughter is an indie rock band from Saint Paul, Minnesota, founded by Johnny Solomon in 2009. They have released three albums and three EPs.

Chay Douangphouxay is a Lao-Khmer American artist and activist from Minneapolis. Douangphouxay is a spoken word artist known for covering topics such as race and gender. Through her art, she has sought to redefine the image of Asian-Americans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palmer's Bar</span> Bar and music venue in Minneapolis

Palmer's Bar is a dive bar and music venue located in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Known for its strong drinks, the bar is a live music venue at night.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank J. Brown</span> African-American visual artist (1956–2020)

Frank J. Brown was an African-American visual artist active in Minnesota. His sculptures have entered several public collections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Junauda Petrus</span> US author, filmmaker, performance artist, and pleasure activist

Junauda Juanita Petrus-Nasah is an American author, filmmaker, performance artist, and "pleasure activist". Her debut novel, The Stars and the Blackness Between Them, was a winner of a Coretta Scott King Honor Award.

Akeena Bronson, known professionally as DJ Keezy, is a DJ from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Dayna Frank is an American businesswoman who has served as president and CEO of First Avenue Productions, independently owned and operated concert venue and promoter, since 2009.

Ta-coumba T. Aiken is a painter and public artist who identifies his work as superlative realism. He has created over 600 murals and public art works. A mural Aiken designed in 2013 using over 596,000 Lite Brite pegs holds the Guinness World Record for the largest picture made of Lite Brite. He has also taught and curated. He is sometimes referred to as the "mayor of Lowertown" for his neighborhood presence at his longtime studio in the Lowertown Lofts Artists Cooperative in the Lowertown neighborhood in downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Swensson, Andrea. "Artist to Watch: Lady Midnight". Local Current Blog | The Current from Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Rivera, Erica. "Picked to Click 2017 No. 3: Lady Midnight". City Pages. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Adriana Rimpel: From Don't Believe the Hype to The Lowertown Line". Rewire. October 18, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  4. ↑ "The Lowertown Line". Twin Cities PBS. December 8, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Adriana Rimpel, Untitled". mcad.edu. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Nov. 21/Lady Midnight (Adriana Rimpel) | Pillsbury House Theatre" . Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Harris, Keith. "On 'Death Before Mourning,' Lady Midnight's many styles form a singular sound". City Pages. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  8. ↑ "What's Your Hair Identity? with Dre Demry-Sanders". The Coven. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  9. ↑ "YouTube". www.youtube.com. August 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 "Lady Midnight". Kombi. April 26, 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  11. ↑ "MUSIC 2018". Pilsen Fest. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  12. ↑ Reed, Sophia (April 17, 2019). "Twin Cities Voices: Lady Midnight's Bold Music and Even Bolder Look". WUCW. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  13. 1 2 "Lady Midnight". www.thecurrent.org. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  14. ↑ Moran, Andrea Swensson and Lydia. "Lady Midnight performs three songs off debut release 'Death Before Mourning' on the Local Show". www.thecurrent.org. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  15. ↑ "LADY MIDNIGHT". first-avenue.com. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  16. ↑ "The Kids Are Alright: Teen Engagement and the Walker". walkerart.org. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  17. ↑ BringMeTheNews (July 2020). "Women artists of color launch fundraiser for new Minneapolis music venue". Bring Me The News. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  18. ↑ Diamond, Peter (July 1, 2020). "Twin Cities Artists Launch Fundraiser for Auntie's Music Venue". Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  19. ↑ Swensson, Andrea. "The Local Show's Artists to Watch in 2016". Local Current Blog | The Current from Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  20. ↑ Harris, Keith. "Picked to Click 2017: Thomas Abban is Minnesota's best new music act". City Pages. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Best Album | Lady Midnight, 'Death Before Mourning' | Music | Best of the Twin Cities® 2020". City Pages. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.