good current minnesota bands?

Owls http://www.citypages.com/databank/25/1208/article11850.asp
Halloween Alaska http://www.halloweenalaska.com/
POS (et al) http://www.doomtree.net/
Robert Skoro http://www.robertskoro.com
Olympic Hopefuls http://www.olympichopefulsmusic.com/

STNNNG (pronounced Stunning) (marries current noise scene stuff to classic punk druve and actual songs, with great spoken word rants on top): http://www.stnnng.com/

The Belles of Skin City (great and hard to describe...The Fall fronted by hillbilly preacher): http://www.angelfire.com/band2/belles/ (not much on site really)

Thunder in the Valley (like glammed up old tyme music): http://www.walkingdead.net/~titv/news.html

The Blind Shake (classic Am Rep stylee): http://www.theblindshake.com/home.htm

Sicbay (not that new, great post punk from dude that was there ex Collosamite, Dazzling Killmen): http://www.sicbay.com/

The Divebomb Honey (great keyboard/guit new wave, think old B52s): http://home.myspace.com/thedivebombhoney

HAND (late polvo meets horns and keyboards, art torch songs): http://home.myspace.com/hand

also, Malachi Constant. google for website.

otherwise drawing a blank right now, not sure why...

In Memorium: Helva (long gone, I guess)

More when I have the time to remember.

damn, thanks dude! : )

VR9Rd (or whatever the hell their name is)

sadly, they will be calling it a day at the end of the summer...

Signal to Trust (also recently RIP)

Happily, they are going to be playing again soon, with a new drummer....

Flaked on Falcon Crest and Askeleton. Also good.

yep. bass player.

Ova! (http://www.ovasite.com)

Spaghetti Western String Co. http://spaghettiwesternmusic.com

HAND!

Ova!..um....they're somehow a little too "guitar center" for me...rote mechanical technique, like yngwie malmsteen for noize boyz.

Seawhores are an amazing noise band too. Now ex-Cows dude is drumming for them.

Build My Gallows High - like if GSYBE! were working class Touch n' Go toughs and not Candian hippies.

-Dr. Mambo's Combo!

Really a great band, perhaps hobbled a bit by the fact that they were constantly dabbling in outside influences like reggae/dancehall/big band and got pigeonholed as a ska band, which really wasn't at all indicative of the scope of the influences involved.

Which guitarist are you taking lessons from (Shane or Nate)? Both are phenomenal players and great guys, but I can tell you more if I know who you're talking about.