Listen to Looch: talking about J.S. Ondara January 15, 2019 This week on Listen to Looch, Mary Lucia is joined by Andrea Swensson for a conversation about the career and music of J.S. Ondara. Born in Kenya, Ondara moved to Minneapolis to launch his music career. This Saturday, J.S. Ondara plays at night two of The Current's 14th Birthday Party, and in February, his debut full-length album comes out on Verve Records. Read More ›
Music News: Broadway legend Carol Channing dies at 97 January 15, 2019 Carol Channing, a legend of the musical stage, has died at 97. Also in the news today: Alicia Keys will host the Grammys, Maroon 5's Super Bowl halftime slot is officially official, Kanye West contributes to an epic art project, a new app for music discovery, and Steven Spielberg's 'West Side Story' casts an unknown teenager to star as Maria. Read More ›
The Current's 14th Birthday parties December 11, 2018 Celebrate 14 years of The Current with back-to-back parties January 18 & 19 at First Avenue. Read More ›
Music News: Missy Elliott to be inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame January 14, 2019 Missy Elliott will become the first female rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Also in the news today: the Who announce new album and tour; vinyl sales still surging; trap star Kevin Fret dies at 25; BRIT nominations announced; and Hulu dunks on Netflix with surprise release of Fyre Festival documentary. Read More ›
Music on TV this week: Sharon Van Etten; Maggie Rogers; Muse; Greta Van Fleet; Arctic Monkeys January 14, 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 ›
Black Rock Matters: Turf Club show to celebrate rockers of color January 11, 2019 After hearing All American Rejects’ 2005 hit “Dirty Little Secret” while driving his tomato red Toyota Camry down the streets of Atlanta, Tim became a rocker. Defying what he calls the “heavy stereotype” that black people are exclusively hip-hop, rap, and R&B fans, Tim Dooley decided to venture into the world of rock and pursue… Read More ›
Bob Dylan to be interviewed on camera for Martin Scorsese Rolling Thunder Revue documentary January 11, 2019 For years, rumors have circulated about the making of a documentary about Bob Dylan’s “Rolling Thunder Revue” tour. Now, Netflix has confirmed that those rumors are true. Martin Scorsese is directing Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese, which Netflix described, in a statement provided to Variety, as “part documentary, part concert film, part… Read More ›
Watch Pedro the Lion's #Microshow performance, featuring new songs from 'Phoenix' January 11, 2019 Pedro the Lion's new album 'Phoenix' is out January 18 on Polyvinyl Records, but we're giving you a special live performance preview of their new material. Watch live January 11 at 4 p.m. CST. Read More ›
Friday Five: St. Paul Peterson, Yam Haus, and more new Minnesota music videos January 11, 2019 St. Paul Peterson – “You Got 2 Love” St. Paul Peterson funked around in Prince’s orbit for decades, filling in as a replacement member of the Time and serving a short-lived stint as bassist/vocalist in the Family (now known as fDeluxe). He’d soon depart (and break up) the latter band in search of a solo career,… Read More ›
Music News: 'Baby Shark' creators now have as many Top 40 hits as Jimi Hendrix January 10, 2019 Thanks to a viral hit video, the creators of the kids' song 'Baby Shark' are now in the Top 40. In other news today: Lady Gaga pulls R. Kelly collaboration, Michael Jackson documentary heads to Sundance, and Ron Burgundy challenges Lizzo to a flute-off. Also, we preview new releases from Taking Back Sunday, Neyla Pekarek, and Radar State. Read More ›
Radio Heartland Giveaway: Frances Luke Accord and Syvers at The Warming House January 10, 2019 Enter for a chance to win tickets to the Warming House to see Frances Luke Accord on January 31, 2019. Read More ›
Music News: Broadway legend Carol Channing dies at 97 January 15, 2019 Carol Channing, a legend of the musical stage, has died at 97. Also in the news today: Alicia Keys will host the Grammys, Maroon 5's Super Bowl halftime slot is officially official, Kanye West contributes to an epic art project, a new app for music discovery, and Steven Spielberg's 'West Side Story' casts an unknown teenager to star as Maria. 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 ›
Watch Pedro the Lion's #Microshow performance, featuring new songs from 'Phoenix' January 11, 2019 Pedro the Lion's new album 'Phoenix' is out January 18 on Polyvinyl Records, but we're giving you a special live performance preview of their new material. Watch live January 11 at 4 p.m. CST. Read More ›
Larkin Poe perform in The Current studio December 30, 2018 Sisters Megan and Rebecca Lovell are the nucleus of Larkin Poe. They perform powerful songs with a rootsy Southern underpinning. Their latest album, 'Venom & Faith,' was released on Nov. 9, 2018, and was self-produced. Larkin Poe stopped at The Current to talk about their songwriting process and to perform a couple tracks from the album, as well as one of their favorite Lead Belly tunes. Read More ›
Kurt Vile performs a solo acoustic set at The Current December 19, 2018 Ahead of a show with his band the Violators in the First Avenue Mainroom, Kurt Vile stopped at The Current for a session hosted by Mary Lucia. Vile played solo acoustic versions of a couple songs from his latest album, 'Bottle It In,' and one from his 2011 release, 'Smoke Ring for My Halo.' Read More ›
John Grant performs in The Current studio December 07, 2018 Michigan-born, Reykjavik-based musician John Grant is a fascinating individual even before he starts performing songs. Ahead of a show at the Fine Line in Minneapolis, Grant stopped at The Current studio to play songs and to engage in lively and thoughtful conversation with host Mac Wilson. Read More ›
Haley performs instrumentals from 'Pleasureland' in The Current studio December 06, 2018 Although Haley has composed instrumental music before, her 2018 release 'Pleasureland' is her first all-instrumental full-length. 'This was so much more satisfying when I wasn't trying to say something with words,' Haley says. 'It was how I felt and what I connected to.' Haley, along with Jeremy Ylvisaker, visited The Current studio to play music from 'Pleasureland.' Read More ›
Coffee Break: Fruit bands January 15, 2019 Today in 2018, Irish musician and singer-songwriter Dolores O'Riordan from The Cranberries died. We'll save our Irish musician Coffee Break for St. Patrick's Day in March, but for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what bands do you want to hear that have a fruit in their name? Read More ›
Today in Music History: Remembering Dolores O'Riordan January 15, 2019 Dolores O'Riordan passed away; The Rolling Stones were forced to change the lyrics of "Let's Spend The Night Together" to "Let's Spend Some Time Together" when appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show; Led Zeppelin's 'Black Dog' made its debut on the U.S. singles chart; and The Who had their first hit when they released "I Can't Explain" in the UK, 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 ›