Duluth singer-songwriter Breanne Tepler of Breanne Marie and the Front Porch Sinners is digging the new album by Matthew French, who is based in Minneapolis.

The album is called “Two Sides,” and French digitally released the first five songs as “Side 1” at the end of January. The songs take on themes arising from the pandemic.

Tepler singles out the song “Still Got a Heart” for its call to kindness and civility amid polarized politics.

“There's just something really comforting and exciting at the same time about his music, his voice and the way he plays his guitar,” said Tepler.

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The digital launch of “Side 1,” hosted by Sarah Morris, is viewable on YouTube. “Side 2” is coming at a future date.

Visual artist Alison Price of Minneapolis admires the bold colors and geometric patterning in the works of Sheri Grube, a mechanical engineer-turned-painter.

Grube lives with dystonia, a chronic neurological disorder that can cause muscles to contract and twist involuntarily. She turns to painting as a way to calm her tremors.

Price says the fine details of Grube’s paintings as well as her “inverted” colors, magenta trees and green skies turn flowers and landscapes into something new on the canvas.

Sheri Grube

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Grube’s exhibit, “An Affair of the Heart,” is on display at the Hastings Art Center through the end of March.

Science fiction writer Rayson Lorrey of Rochester loves the theater, and he’s looking forward to an upcoming play at the Rochester Repertory Theatre about one of the great contributors to astronomy.

“Silent Sky” by Lauren Gunderson tells the story of Henrietta Leavitt, whose work at Harvard University in the early 1900s helped astronomers realize how vast the universe is. Leavitt’s discoveries created a standard measurement for determining the distance to other galaxies.

Director Philip Muehe joined the Repertory Theatre last fall from the Commonweal in Lanesboro, Minn., which staged the play in 2018.

Lorrey likes the simple set that allows the strong story to shine. At times it appears the actors are walking on the night sky.

“Silent Sky” opens March 4 and runs through March 20.