Fleetwood Mac - Rumours - Tuesday, May 31 - 9p CDT

A long time ago (okay, like maybe a year ago), @johnmoe had a great idea for Twitter. It was #candyclub. Every week, he would choose a candy.  Say a Clark bar. Everyone would eat a Clark bar at the same time and talk about it on Twitter. You can see where this is going.... We at #albumclub stole his idea. We feared legal action, but instead of suing us, he's going to guest curate an album for us.

Join public radio host, author, #candyclub founder, and all-around good guy John Moe for Fleetwood Mac's Rumours. Start the album at 9p CDT Tuesday night and tweet along with the hashtag #albumclub. New to #albumclub? Here's a FAQ.

Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique - Wednesday, May 25 - 9pCDT

"Shake. Your. Rump-ah!"

You know what's been missing from Album Club? Hip-hop. So this week we're going with the 1989 Beastie Boys classic Paul's Boutique. You remember the story. Second album. Commercial failure. Critical success. Eventually certified double platinum. But really, the important part is rump shaking.

Listen and tweet along Wednesday night at 9pCDT with the hashtag #albumclub. New to Album Club? Check our FAQ.

Marvin Gaye - What's Going On - Tues. May 17 - 9p CDT

Welcome to the first-ever spontaneously combusted Album Club.  It was a dark and stormy night.  Actually we think it was more like a unseasonably cool spring evening in the MSP.  The Twitters were crackling with chatter. Suddenly the collective brain trust of @alilozoff, @solace, @jefe23, @josephpettini, @munsongs, and probably a few that we're forgetting came up with this brilliant idea. Album Club should tackle Marvin Gaye's What's Going On. On the 40th anniversary of its release. With a live event. Great idea, #hivemind!

Unfortunately, technically we're not doing on the actual anniversary.  That's May 21. Which is a Saturday. So we assume you have better things to do with your life. Also, sadly there will be no live event. Despite the massive fun and fantastic hospitality at @astercafe with @booksandbars last week, I'm slightly worried the collective music loving geekdom in the area nearly spawned a tornado. In case you weren't there, this is what the sky looked like outside right before we dropped the e-needle on Purple Rain.

I know. Scary. Right?

But 1 out of 3 ain't bad! Heck, #hivemind, that's a better average than every Twin except Kubel! Atta-hive! Besides, there's something special about remaining separated --alone in our own, houses, apartments, condos, and/or vans down by the river -- connected only by the sinewy tissue of Twitter.

Star Marvin Gaye's What's Going On at 9p CDT May 17. Listen and tweet along with the hashtag #albumclub. Check the FAQ for more info about how Album Club works.

One Night Only - Books, Bars, Twitter, Album Club, Pulitzers, and Prince - Tuesday, May 10

On Tuesday, May 10, two burgeoning local cultural touchstones, Books & Bars and Album Club, are teaming up for one big live event at Aster Cafe. And it's free. Here's the scoop.

 Books & Bars:  This isn’t your mother’s book club. We provide a unique atmosphere for a lively discussion of interesting authors, fun people, good food and drinks. Jeff Kamin hosts. Tuesday, May 10 we're talking about Jennifer Egan's A Visit From the Goon Squad. It's the novel that won this year's Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The Pulitzers called it, "an inventive investigation of growing up and growing old in the digital age, displaying a big-hearted curiosity about cultural change at warp speed." Doors at 6. Discussion at 7. Followed by....

Album Club:  Your mother probably doesn't know what an album club is. But that's okay. You can tell her it's where everyone starts the same classic album at the same time, listens, and tweets about it using the hashtag #AlbumClub. Cause your mom is on Twitter, right? Anyway, for our first ever live event, we're going to listen to Prince's Purple Rain after Books & Bars. Be there for the dance party, or listen at home and tweet along. We'll start Purple Rain at 9.

This may be the best way to spend a Tuesday night since Glee! Wait. Is that show still on? Oh.  Well, I'm sure it's a repeat that night.

WHAT:  Books & Bars + Album Club, Together Again For The First Time
WHERE:  Aster Cafe, St. Anthony Main, 125 SE Main Street, Minneapolis, MN 55414, 612 379-3138
WHEN:  Doors at 6, Book Talk at 7, Album Club at 9
WHY:  Because we're creating innovative cultural hybrids of traditional media, social media, and the ways in which they are discussed. Oh, and it's fun.
HOW: Tweet along with hashtags #BooksandBars and #AlbumClub. Follow @BooksandBars and @Album_Club for live Twitter feed of the event discussion, too.
HOW MUCH:  FREE!  Plus drink specials with $3 Fulton beer and $3 house wines.

P.S.  Afterward you're on your own if you want to purify yourself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka....