Coffee Break: Panic January 17, 2019 Thanks to Loran for writing in with today's theme idea -- songs that are NOT about keeping calm. What songs can you think of for today's 9:30 Coffee Break that mention panic, freaking out, hysteria, etc? Read More ›
Today in Music History: Happy Birthday, Susanna Hoffs January 17, 2019 The Smiths bassist turns 54, The Rolling Stones put out their first EP, Jimi Hendrix couldn't pay his bill, and Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles is 60 today. 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 ›
The Chart Show: Alice in 'Mint' Condition January 16, 2019 Alice Merton tops the chart this week, joined by a heap of debuts from Mitski, Cloud Cult, Death Cab for Cutie, The Raconteurs, and more. Read More ›
Music News: Synthmaker behind R2-D2's voice dies at 93 January 16, 2019 Alan R. Pearlman, whose synthesizers were favored by everyone from Kraftwerk to 'Star Wars' sound designer Ben Burtt, has died at 93. Also in the news today: the Killers haven't exactly been known as a political band, but their new single is a protest song. Plus: Corey Hart is being inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, Colin Kaepernick hasn't cosigned the Super Bowl halftime show, musicians cover silence (yes, really), and a fiery blues guitarist goes viral. Read More ›
Minnesota musicians pay tribute to the late great Willie Murphy January 16, 2019 Though the Twin Cities lost the local R&B legend Willie Murphy earlier this week, he is far from forgotten. From fans and fellow Minnesotan musicians alike, here are just a few of the tributes to the “godfather” of the Minneapolis music scene that have spread on social media since the musician’s death. Willie also told… Read More ›
The Chart Show Ballot January 16, 2019 Vote every week for your top five tracks (and enter our weekly ticket giveaway while you're at it), then tune in Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. CT to see if your favorites make the Chart Show, hosted by Mark Wheat! Read More ›
Rock and Roll Book Club: 'Small Victories' tells the story of Faith No More January 16, 2019 Faith No More are like the elephant in the famous parable: every listener will describe them differently. If there's one thing they want readers of this new authorized biography to know, though, it's that they don't want to be blamed for nu metal. Read More ›
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 ›
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: Synthmaker behind R2-D2's voice dies at 93 January 16, 2019 Alan R. Pearlman, whose synthesizers were favored by everyone from Kraftwerk to 'Star Wars' sound designer Ben Burtt, has died at 93. Also in the news today: the Killers haven't exactly been known as a political band, but their new single is a protest song. Plus: Corey Hart is being inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, Colin Kaepernick hasn't cosigned the Super Bowl halftime show, musicians cover silence (yes, really), and a fiery blues guitarist goes viral. 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: Deathbed playlist January 16, 2019 Thanks to Jesse for today's (morbid, but great) theme idea. A U.K. palliative care doctor has started paying attention to the music his patients request to be played as they are passing on. For today's 9:30 Coffee Break, tell us -- what's the last song you want to hear before you die? Read More ›
Rock and Roll Book Club: 'Small Victories' tells the story of Faith No More January 16, 2019 Faith No More are like the elephant in the famous parable: every listener will describe them differently. If there's one thing they want readers of this new authorized biography to know, though, it's that they don't want to be blamed for nu metal. 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 ›