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Music News: Dave Pirner to play new MSP airport venue opening

Dave Pirner performs in the Forum at Minnesota Public Radio in 2013
Dave Pirner performs in the Forum at Minnesota Public Radio in 2013Nate Ryan/MPR

October 13, 2016

A motley group of musicians will play the opening of a new music venue at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. In a concert starting at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 14, the McNally Smith College of Music Stage at Republic will host performances by Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum; Chris Osgood and Dave Ahl of the Suicide Commandos; St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and his band the MSP Messengers; jazz duo Solomon Parham and Spencer Christianson; and McNally Smith students.

According to a press release, "the McNally Smith Stage at Republic is located at the intersection of Concourses C and D (near Gate 1) in Terminal 1-Lindbergh at MSP International Airport." In the future, "musicians from the McNally Smith community will perform in the new live venue during peak travel times -- 3:30-7:00 pm on Thursdays and Fridays, and 1:30-5 pm on Sundays. Reflecting the diversity of contemporary styles taught at the College, performances will span a variety of genres, ranging from traditional jazz to classical guitar to hip-hop."

Peers praise Dylan's Nobel win

Musicians are celebrating Bob Dylan’s Nobel Prize in Literature. "Holy mother of God!" tweeted Rosanne Cash. "I love this," said Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics. Other plaudits came in from the estate of George Harrison and beyond. (Billboard)

Many critics said the award was well-deserved, and a long time coming. "Mr. Dylan is among the most authentic voices America has produced," wrote Dwight Garner in the New York Times, "a maker of images as audacious and resonant as anything in Walt Whitman or Emily Dickinson."

Sir Elton announces memoir

Elton John has announced a "cathartic" memoir about the "crazy life I have had the extreme privilege of living." The as-yet-untitled book, written with Alexis Petridis, will be published in 2019. (New York Times)

Jerry Garcia's first recordings set for release

The first studio recordings made by Jerry Garcia will be released on Nov. 11. The 1962 sessions feature Garcia's early band the Hart Family Drifters, which also included Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter. Garcia, who was then just 20 years old, would begin to form the Grateful Dead three years later. (Rolling Stone)

Roger Waters announces tour

Roger Waters has announced a 2017 tour that will combine Pink Floyd classics with new solo compositions. The "Us + Them" tour, named for a Dark Side of the Moon track, will kick off on May 26 in Kansas City and will hit the Xcel Energy Center on July 26. (Pitchfork)

Corey Feldman: Still singing

But enough about music legends...let's catch up with Corey Feldman, who returned to The Today Show to play a new song called "Take a Stand." The gig follows Feldman's strange September appearance in which he and his band played a different song and provoked a snarky public reaction — though Feldman says he heard praise from the likes of Pink, Miley Cyrus, and Paris Jackson. (Rolling Stone)

Nas knows a celeb when he hears one

Hip-hop great Nas easily beat Friends star Matthew Perry in a game of "Name that Famous Celebrity" on Jimmy Kimmel Live. (Billboard)