Salon Saloon // The Home & Garden Show (Photos by Zoe Prinds-Flash)

Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of Salon Saloon? Well, for a very long time, I did. And on Tuesday, January 24^th I finally got the sneak peek I’ve dreamed of my entire life (we’re talking womb-dreams here, guys). Though Home and Garden was the third Salon Saloon I’ve attended as a Regular Jane audience member, it was my first foray into the seedy underbelly of the SS Ship as a member of the background staff. Which means that I got to be there for the pre-show rehearsal, scurry around attempting to make myself useful after the show, and finally explore the depths of the Bryant-Lake Bowl basement.

Totally rad.

For those of you who weren’t able to make it on Tuesday, here’s what went down from the audience perspective.

The Salon Saloon house band kicked it off with an original home and garden themed song, complete with Donna Reed name drops. Andy Sturdevant informed the audience that guest Ben Heywood’s Chicago flight was scheduled to set down at MSP any minute, and encouraged those with a smart phone (which is apparently everyone in the world except Andy and I) to track his flight arrival LIVE—so intense!

The guests that weren’t currently flying 37,000 feet above the city came up on stage to share their Home and Garden glories.

First up, Broc Blegen, artist-around-town and founder/owner of Hopsack Painting Company. Hopsack, for those of you that don’t already have the neutral beige splashed on your living room wall, is the top-selling paint color in the United States according to Valspar Paint Corporation. Blegen and his team reinvent the traditional interior painting model by only using Hopsack paint and primer. The results are abstract, artistic, and sometimes a little outside the Hopsack bounds—one artist slapped chard from the client’s fridge on the wall just to incorporate a little color.

Next up was Allison Broeren. Allison is the creator of Speak Easy Twin Cities, a monthly reading series, hosted in the homes of friends, performers, and volunteers. The readings for Speak Easy are similar to what you might see at any other live reading, but in a cozier atmosphere and with more freedom to read longer pieces.

Mike Haeg, a regular on the show, talked about his experience as Mayor of Mount Holly, an official city within Shakopee city limits that he created around the property of his own home. Population: 4 (his family). Want to know more about Mount Holly and the life of a big time mayor? Check out the Mount Holly register, follow Mayor Mike on Twitter, or watch this short segment Fox 9 News did on Mount Holly in 2009.

Brad Liening and Lani Merritt, a married couple that run Hell Yes Press out of their home, spoke about the dynamic of living and working together. Along with their trustworthy staff of two house cats, Brad and Lani put out a variety of poetry projects in different formats, from zines to chapbooks to their newest project, a mix tape (yes, tape) of live poetry readings.

Finally, arriving just in the nick of time, Executive Director of the Soap Factory Ben Heywood. Ben filled us in on the intense culture of English gardening, read a few letters from the Soap Factory’s Leon Bowser archives, and shared some information about the Soap’s upcoming FLO(we){u}R project.

Naturally, the Salon Saloon house band then closed out the night with a rousing rendition of The Beatles’ Octopus’s Garden.

Sad you missed The Home and Garden show? Never fear, the Salon Saloon Radio Show is coming up in just a few weeks! Visit the Salon Saloon website for more info.

Salon Saloon: The Radio Show
Tuesday, February 28th, 7 to 9 pm
Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater
Tickets $6 - 12 sliding scale (pre-order here!)

-RS