Since relocating from South Dakota to Minneapolis in 2001, Cutler has headlined the landmark venue First Avenue and performed at dozens of other local venues, including the Walker Art Center. As songwriter and frontman of bands Lookbook (City Pages’ Best New Band 2009) and Grant Cutler and the Gorgeous Lords (First Avenue’s Best New Bands 2010) he played multiple national tours, SXSW, and CMJ. Cutler composed the score for feature film Stuck Between Stations, an official selection of the Tribeca Film Festival (2011), and for modern dance piece He & Him/She & Her (2012). His nuanced production is heard in collaborations with Jeremy Messersmith and Dave King, and on Zoo Animal’s widely acclaimed release Departure (2012). In 2011 Innova released Cutler’s atmospheric 2012, an LP featuring analog recording and tape manipulation.

This year, the Minnesota State Arts Board commissioned from Cutler a three-part composition for vocals and electro-acoustic instrumentation, which will premier this winter at the Cedar Cultural Center. Other current ventures include a two-piece performance project with vocals by Aby Wolf, commercial compositions, and exploring audience-triggered generative sound and visuals.

January’s liturgist, Scott Munson (remember him?) will also be there, debuting his new band, Orphan Brother. Head over right after church to see what he’s been working on. Music starts at 7.

Linnea Mohn (with Bello Duo)
Orphan Brother (Scott Munson)
This Sunday at the Aster
$5. 7pm

See you there!

Dedicated to my father William H. Schaefer (1924-1991) born in Hamburg, MN. As the years have passed I have realized that he was the source of my creativity and love of music. Hamburg is memory in my past, but profoundly effects who I am today.

My father was a creative thinker who was both plain spoken and complex. So instead of solely relying on the standard liturgical lyrics as I have done in the past, with Hamburg I wrote my own. The lyrics are intentionally simple to foster contemplation, the melody’s are intentionally easy to enable participation, but the chords moving underneath have complexity.

The liturgy can be performed with instrumentation as simple as voice / guitar or any size ensemble.

Mercy Seat Presents is a monthly music series sponsored by Mercy Seat Lutheran Church. We try to wrangle musicians who write music for us and other musicians that we just like, put them together and have a little soiree every month at the Aster Cafe in Northeast Minneapolis.
Gospel Machine
Dewi Sant
Aster Cafe
7-9PM
$5, all ages

Listen to a recording of the mass below.

In December 2012, she debuted her Incandescence Mass.

Here it is on google maps so you can be sure you’re going into the correct odd looking building.

You can give on-line to P.A.D.S. through our Dwolla Account (the memo link should contain “P.A.D.S.“)

*Alternatively, a plate is located by the exit for Mercy Seat general fund giving (which we really do need). Consider giving recurring plate funds through Thrivent Simply Giving by filling out this form.

Listen to a live recording!

Can’t wait to see you there!

Check out some demos of the Is This the Feast of Victory?:

I’m thrilled to have assembled an all star ensemble for the liturgy’s debut:
Dana Thompson (Minor Planets) – vocals / guitar
Drew Miller (Boiled in Lead, Felonious Bosch) – bass
Grant Johnson (Bitter Spills) – guitar
Greg Schaefer (GST) – banjo

If you have pledged shares in the past, don’t forget to renew your pledge this year so we can add your shares to our total.

Also, consider automatic giving using Thrivent Simply Giving. It just takes filling out a form and including a voided check. Automatic giving not only enables us to have a predictable budget, it has allowed us to change the way we give during our worship services.

Finally, thank you. It is not an exaggeration to say that you’re what makes Mercy Seat work. I firmly believe that this place is special and I hope you join me in making sure Mercy Seat continues to make redemption happen.

Newsom’s voice is the hook. Hazy and laced with vintage twang, it almost whispers at the end of some phrases, while contrarily resonating with power and conviction at others. She may be only 23, but there’s an old soul residing beneath that ribcage.

As the front of the Twin Cities minimalist rock band, Zoo Animal, Newsom has received quite a lot of attention in the last few years. Her presence on stage is enthralling, her voice carries shock, and her song-writing is mesmeric. Holly brings her liturgy Resonance to Mercy Seat in July 2011.

I’ve really been learning sometimes you have to position yourself so that you resonate with the truth. At first it may not feel natural, but once you allow yourself to relax, your being becomes in sync with the spirit and you find yourself able to move freely in the truth and it doesn’t feel binding. I used very minimal, repetitive notions musically in this liturgy to give the mind room to concentrate on it’s own being and how it is relating to Christ. It is meant to allow the partaker to meditate on the words and how real they are.

Listen to live recordings of the debut:

Will you join us helping our neighbors in NoMi to recover from the damage caused by the recent tornadoes? Every contribution helps!

http://givemn.razoo.com/story/MercySeatNEforNoMi

All donations will go to the Minneapolis Foundation‘s North Minneapolis Tornado Recovery fund.

We’ll meet after church at Stephanie Johnson’s house. Get directions at church.

Listen to an interview with John Hermanson:

Check out some demos of the Is This the Feast of Victory?:

*I have been told, by my own conscience, that using an Emeril reference is not topical, nor is it funny.

That’s the subtitle to Peter Singer’s 2009 Manefesto on affluence, poverty, and giving. Ambitious? Yes. Plausible? Perhaps. Insane? Let’s find out. The third Sunday of each month Mercy Seat meets for some postchurch textual healing. This month’s author has taken his 40 year career in bioethics and turned it on humans in The Life You Can Save. Grab your copy now ($3 used on Amazon) and meet us on April 17. (Location TBD)

*Barring unusual circumstances, Amelia Earhart will not be making an appearance.

The World’s Laziest Book Club® goes back (forward? sideways?) in time this month. Join us in returning to everyone’s favorite book from 5th grade*, Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time. As always, book club meets on the third Sunday (2/20), after church. Location TBD.

*as determined by an informal poll of everyone within 18” of my desk

This year, we’re asking you to take ownership in this little church of ours by investing in it. $16/week = 1 share of Mercy Seat. All we need to meet our financial goals this year is 100 shares. That’s it. That’ll cover pastors, childcare workers, musicians, composers, rent, and everything that makes Mercy Seat happen. So how ’bout it. Can you spare a share? Or 2? Or 10? Some people have even told us they want to hear about tithing (yikes!) at Mercy Seat. If you’re into that sort of thing, check your program scorecard this Sunday for a handy guide to giving at Mercy Seat.

Take a listen to some live recordings from the debut of the Reunion Day Mass.