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Music News: Will Minnesota commission a song for the State Capitol?

Minnesota State Capitol Rotunda, photographed during a performance by Lucius for The Current
Minnesota State Capitol Rotunda, photographed during a performance by Lucius for The CurrentNate Ryan/MPR

by Jay Gabler

February 13, 2017

A bill introduced Monday in the Minnesota Legislature would set $5,000 aside to commission an original song to celebrate the official grand reopening of the Minnesota State Capitol in August — when a multi-year renovation is finally complete. (The building is now open to the public as workers add final touches.)

"It could be amazing," says state Sen. Jim Abeler (R-Anoka), one of the bill's two sponsors. "We have some really talented artists and musicians, and if they do it right this could be a song that endures for time. And if it goes bad, we're like, 'We're glad that's over.' But I hope it's the kind of song that we look back and it equals the majesty and the amazing work that the Capitol has had done to it, and Minnesota as being a great state and that it exemplifies all of that."

Abeler "is envisioning an upbeat symphonic march, something on par with the University of Minnesota 'Rouser,'" reports MPR News.

Grammys postgame analysis

What was up with the crazy gold costume Cee Lo Green wore on the Grammys red carpet? It turns out it was an incarnation of a new persona the singer is debuting: Gnarly Davidson. Davidson has "his" own Twitter account, and Green has already released a track under the new name. The new song has two alternate titles, and the version we can say on the radio is "Love Me, I'm Famous." (NME)

TMZ thinks it knows what happened with James Hetfield’s malfunctioning microphone during Metallica’s set with Lady Gaga. "According to TMZ, a source close to the production said that in between the mic check and the performance, a stagehand accidentally unplugged a wire beneath the stage," summarizes Pitchfork.

A lot of people — seemingly including winner Adele — thought Beyoncé could and would win Album of the Year. Among musicians weighing in for Lemonade are Win Butler ("If we have any respect for albums Lemonade is the album of the year"), Diplo ("I wish that the Grammy voters took a chance on such a personal statement as Lemonade"), and Solange, who shared a link to Frank Ocean’s statement on why he boycotted this year's Grammys. (Pitchfork)

Vogue has the details on the extraordinary gold dress Beyoncé wore for her Grammys performance. It turns out that designer Peter Dundas enlisted 50 people to work for a week to complete the intricate embroidery on the dress.

New venture for Michael Angelakos

Michael Angelakos, the leader of Passion Pit, is founding a new company "to support musicians and provide them with legal, educational and healthcare services," reports Mashable. "The project is being described as an 'Artist Research and Protection Service' and is primarily focused on a mental health program. The effort is quite personal for Angelakos — he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 17."

Super Bowl boost for Gaga

Does playing the Super Bowl help an artist's sales and streams? It sure did for Lady Gaga, whose halftime show buoys her new album Joanne to number two on the Billboard 200 — up from number 66 the preceding week. Rapper Big Sean sits at the top of the chart with his new album I Decided. (New York Times)

Iconic Garcia guitar goes up for auction

The "Wolf" guitar, so-called because of a sticker affixed to its neck, is instantly recognizable to Grateful Dead fans as the primary instrument played by Jerry Garcia from 1973 to 1993, is going up for auction. It last sold at auction in 2002, going at that time for over $700,000. The current owner — whose identity is officially anonymous but who Grateful Dead fan page Aces Back to Back identifies as Dan Pritzker of Sonia Dada — is re-selling the custom-made instrument on May 31, with proceeds going to benefit the anti-discrimination Southern Poverty Law Center.

"I've been a fan of the Dead since I was a kid, and playing this iconic guitar over the past 15 years has been a privilege," said the guitar's owner in a statement. "But the time is right for Wolf to do some good. My wife and I have long supported the efforts of the Southern Poverty Law Center, and if ever we needed the SPLC, we sure do need them now." (Rolling Stone)

Trump goes emo

Los Angeles entertainment company Super Deluxe has set Donald Trump’s tweets about the election to the tune of a turn-of-the-century-style emo song. "We noticed that Trump's tweets are basically the lyrics to an early 2000s emo song," the company said in a video description, "so we turned them into one."