Brittany Howard Announces First Solo Album, Shares 'History Repeats' June 25, 2019 The Alabama Shakes singer will release Jaime later this summer. The first single, "History Repeats," is a punch-drunk and funk rumination on humanity's inevitable arc toward self-defeat. Read More ›
Get your tickets to Rock the Garden! June 18, 2019 Don't miss Rock the Garden this year featuring The National, Courtney Barnett, X, Heart Bones, deM atlaS, Bad Bad Hats, Adia Victoria and The Beths! Read More ›
Music on TV this week: SOAK; Jenny Lewis; Matt Maeson; St. Paul and the Broken Bones June 24, 2019 Artists heard on The Current are frequently featured on TV programs, and we've gathered the listings in one convenient place for you. See the complete listings and find performance videos as the week progresses. You can also subscribe to receive the week's schedule in your inbox to plan your TV viewing around music. Read More ›
Album of the Week: The Black Keys, "Let's Rock" June 24, 2019 You hear all the trademarks of The Black Keys on "Let's Rock" - the fuzzed out guitar tones, crushing drums, and the melodic rock songs that take in bits of influence from 70s AM radio choruses, and scuzzy garage rock. Read More ›
Water Month Concerts 2019 June 20, 2019 Celebrate Water Month with concerts near the water this July! Classical MPR and The Current have teamed up with the Water Main to create a calendar of over 150 outdoor concerts this summer in Minnesota. From jazz to rock to classical, let us be your guide to finding great live music this summer. Read More ›
Dave Bartholomew, a father of rock and roll, dead at 100 June 23, 2019 The Louisiana native became a mentor to Fats Domino, transitioning from well-regarded horn player to producer and arranger of some of rock and roll's bedrock artists. Read More ›
The National perform an intimate show live in the UBS Forum August 13, 2013 Ahead of last Tuesday's generous 23-song set at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul, The National stopped by to play songs off their latest record Trouble Will Find Me in Minnesota Public Radio's UBS Forum. Between songs, frontman Matt Berninger talked to The Current's Mary Lucia about songwriting, skinny jeans, fatherhood and his brother's suddenly skyrocketing film career. Read More ›
Music on TV this week: The National; Lykke Li; Regina Spektor; Maggie Rogers; Mavis Staples June 10, 2019 Artists heard on The Current are frequently featured on TV programs, and we've gathered the listings in one convenient place for you. See the complete listings and find performance videos as the week progresses. You can also subscribe to receive the week's schedule in your inbox to plan your TV viewing around music. Read More ›
Slideshow: The National at Roy Wilkins Auditorium, August 6, 2013 August 07, 2013 The National put on an incredible 23-song set at Roy Wilkins Auditorium last night. Opener Daughter and an on-stage collaborative effort with Nona Marie Invie of the Minneapolis-based Dark Dark Dark made The National's electric performance one for the books. Read More ›
The National perform in The Current studios August 09, 2010 Brooklyn-via-Ohio quintet The National have been peddling their slow-burning, epically emotional brand of indie-rock to growing acclaim for the last decade. Read More ›
Interview: Scott Devendorf of The National June 04, 2019 Ahead of headlining Rock the Garden on June 29, Scott Devendorf, bass-player for The National, sat down with The Current's music director David Safar to talk about the band's latest release, I Am Easy to Find. Read More ›
Music on TV this week: Mavis Staples; The National; Hozier; Anderson .Paak May 20, 2019 Artists heard on The Current are frequently featured on TV programs, and we've gathered the listings in one convenient place for you. See the complete listings and find performance videos as the week progresses. You can also subscribe to receive the week's schedule in your inbox to plan your TV viewing around music. Read More ›
Album of the Week: The National, 'I Am Easy to Find' May 20, 2019 'I Am Easy to Find' is a meditative album, full of negative space and several songs that have no words, just swelling female harmonies. Read More ›
Music on TV this week: Morrissey; The National; BTS; Of Monsters and Men; The Head and the Heart May 13, 2019 Artists heard on The Current are frequently featured on TV programs, and we've gathered the listings in one convenient place for you. See the complete listings and find performance videos as the week progresses. You can also subscribe to receive the week's schedule in your inbox to plan your TV viewing around music. Read More ›
Faye Webster performs songs from 'Atlanta Millionaires Club' in The Current studio June 19, 2019 Atlanta-based singer-songwriter Faye Webster creates songs with a warm, dreamy, nostalgic quality. Webster and her band stopped at The Current for a studio session hosted by Jade. Read More ›
Watch Father John Misty perform in concert at the Armory in Minneapolis June 16, 2019 On Friday, June 14, singer-songwriter Father John Misty (aka Josh Tillman) and his band performed in concert at the Armory in Minneapolis. The Current was on hand to record the set on live video, and you can watch the complete concert. Read More ›
Playlist: Aar Maanta Youtube hits June 14, 2019 YouTube has become an indispensable tool for Somali artists to share their music and create an online community. To give you a sense of the music and stories that exist on London-based Somali musician Aar Maanta's channel, we put together a list of some of the singer-songwriter's videos. Read More ›
The Current Rewind: Aan WadaMidnimayno Minnesota June 12, 2019 Ask most casual Minnesota music fans about the West Bank neighborhood of Minneapolis, and they'll probably tell you about the folk and blues hippie scene of the '60s and '70s. These days, the West Bank is home to a thriving Somali population, and several Somali-Minnesotans are famous throughout the diaspora for their own music and poetry. In this episode, we learn about music and community from our Somali neighbors. Read More ›
Photos: A tour of Minneapolis' Cedar-Riverside neighborhood June 12, 2019 With venues like the Cedar Cultural Center, Palmer's Bar, and Mixed Blood Theatre, Minneapolis' West Bank has become a hub for Somali music and culture. Cedar-Riverside resident and KFAI radio host Abdirizak Bihi takes us for a tour of his neighborhood, which he calls "Little Mogadishu." Read More ›
Download The Current app January 29, 2018 Download The Current's app to hear a crisp, high-fidelity stream of our station (and our additional streams) wherever you go! Read More ›
Listen to The Current via Smart Speakers July 23, 2018 Listen to The Current on Google Home and Amazon's Echo devices, and get enhanced functionality -- song names, requests, song of the day -- with our Alexa Skill. Read More ›
Coffee Break: Beatles for breakfast June 25, 2019 There are a lot of reasons and a lot of days set aside to celebrate the Beatles and today is one of them. It's Global Beatles Day - marked annually on June 25 in honor of the Beatles' performing "All You Need Is Love", broadcast to an international audience on the BBC program "Our World" in 1967. So for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs from the world of the Beatles do you want to hear? Read More ›
Today in Music History: Beyonce and Jay-Z kick off 'On The Run' June 25, 2019 Jackie Wilson kept on singing; Marvin Gaye has his third No. 1 single; 'Flashdance' hit No. 1 in the album charts; Prince released the 'Purple Rain' album; Debbie Gibson made chart history; Michael Jackson passed away; and 'On The Run' kicked off, Today in Music History. Read More ›
Coffee Break Suggestions and Archive November 08, 2016 Got an idea for a Coffee Break? Want to see what we did a while back? Read More ›