After graduating from Minneapolis College of Fine Art and Design in 1995, musician Mark Mallman immediately dove into a puzzling array of projects in the Twin Cities circuit. As a glam-rock-leaning songwriter, he spent half a decade...

Joining a growing Midwestern tradition of infusing otherwise tried-and-true genres with an indie-electro sensibility, Minneapolis' Ruby Isle, who play the Cactus Club tonight at 9 p.m., utilize particularly novel source material: classic rock, the unspoken scourge of indie-rock circles. Lending additional . . .

With his wild mane and his focused stare, Minnesota’s Mark Mallman looks a little bit like an indie-rock Meatloaf, although his sound is more grounded in Big Star-styled power-pop and T. Rex-styled glam-rock. Just for the hell of it, we’ll compare him to early Elton John, too, since his slick piano playing is the foundation . . .