I'd agree with you about Minneapolis/ St. Paul... except I'm from there... and I know better... you're right... lot of really amazing musicians coming from Twin Cities... and a pretty good scene... man just listing the names: Prince, Morris Day, Replacements, etc... (Dylan too!) so you know it's a good town... for individual musicians making it big... but for a scene... I don't know... Minnesota in general has this kind of defeatist attitude about itself... most musicians there, they think the town's too small, and they'd rather be somewhere else, somewhere bigger... I don't think that anybody really invests their time and energy into the scene, whatever scene it would be... that's why there are few record labels. Maybe I was myopic when I was there, or just in the wrong genre or something, but that's just what I felt when I lived there...

Portland... now there's a town for music!!! I hope.

Actually, Mpls. has alot of really nice venues... First Ave. Dakota for jazz... alot of places... maybe I'm wrong and stupid... maybe I want to go back... who knows?