A guide to Minnesota music at the 20th annual Twin Cities Jazz Festival June 21, 2018 Jazz fans and musicians alike look forward to the Twin Cities Jazz Festival each summer. Founded in 1998, the free festival takes place every June and brings about 30,000 people to Mears Park in Lowertown every year. The 20th annual Twin Cities Jazz Festival will take place from June 21-23. Headliners for this year’s festival… Read More ›
Music News: Akon announces 'Akoin' cryptocurrency June 21, 2018 Today's top music news stories include Akon announcing 'Akoin,' Bruce Springsteen speaking out against child separation, and Paul McCartney planning a new album. Read More ›
The Chart Show: Festival touring schedules are tough, am I really in Mongolia tonight?! June 20, 2018 Lake Street Dive and Nathaniel Rateliff both made entries into the Hall of Fame this week, while Childish Gambino landed back at the top of the chart with "This Is America". Read More ›
The Chart Show Hall of Fame June 20, 2018 When a song stays on The Chart Show's chart for more than 10 weeks, we retire it from the poll and it enters the very prestigious Chart Show Hall of Fame. Read More ›
Listen to Looch: who is going to play Eaux Claires? June 20, 2018 This week, Mary Lucia is joined by Brian Oake, and they each share their speculative lists on who they think will play at the upcoming Eaux Claires festival in Wisconsin. Who do you think will perform there? Read More ›
First Ave and the Electric Fetus star in new Sylvan Esso ‘Signal’ video June 20, 2018 Today, Sylvan Esso released a music video for “Signal,” a track on their latest release What Now. Directed by Minnesota native Dan Huiting, the video features footage taken on their What Now Tour from last year, and a few iconic Minnesota symbols shine brightly. Just a minute and ten seconds into the video, we see… Read More ›
Hellavision provides a space for animators and musicians to create without judgment June 20, 2018 The theory of improv hinges on the idea of creating quickly and without judgment. Minnesota motion designer Peter Steineck took that idea and brought it to the world of animation. Steineck is the founder and facilitator of Hellavision Television Animation Show. Hellavision is a series of short animations that animators create the idea of working quickly… Read More ›
Dusty Heart: counting on each other musically June 20, 2018 The first time the women of Dusty Heart sang together, they knew their voices had enough chemistry to spark something new. Read More ›
The Chart Show Ballot June 20, 2018 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 ›
Caroline Smith changes name to ‘Your Smith,’ announces new music for next week June 20, 2018 We haven’t heard any new music from Caroline Smith since her tap-dancing 2016 release “Trying Not To Love You,” but yesterday, not only did she announce that she’ll soon release new music, she also officially rolled out her new name: Your Smith. She posted a message on Twitter and Instagram explaining the fresh start. All… Read More ›
New Ta-coumba Aiken mural celebrates Rondo community spirit at Walker West Music Academy June 20, 2018 In the heart of the Rondo community, music comes alive at the Walker West Music Academy. Founded in 1988 by musicians Reverend Carl Walker and Grant West, Walker West Music Academy has created a safe space in the community, teaching people of all ages and backgrounds to play music. When the academy moved from its… Read More ›
First Avenue ranked among largest LGBT-owned businesses in the Twin Cities June 20, 2018 The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal recently published a list of the largest LGBTQ+ businesses in the area, and three of the top five are prominent entertainment venues. In order to qualify for this list, “businesses must be headquartered in the Twin Cities 24-county metro area and be majority owned by a person who identifies themselves as… Read More ›
Frank Turner performs in The Current studio June 22, 2018 'Be More Kind,' the new album from Frank Turner, has been described as an optimistic album. 'I think it's important to temper our short-term pessimism with a little bit of medium-term optimism,' Turner acknowledges. Before playing an all-ages show at the Myth Live Event Center in Maplewood, Minn., Turner and bandmate Matt Nasir visited The Current studio for a live session hosted by Mac Wilson. Read More ›
Jade Bird performs a MicroShow at the James J. Hill House June 18, 2018 Impressed by the captivated audience and the opulent surroundings of the Victorian mansion, singer-songwriter Jade Bird told the audience 'This has been my favorite so far on this trip, so thank you!' Listen to the complete MicroShow, which includes the songs 'Lottery,' 'Cathedral,' 'Good At It' and more, plus a rip-roaring Johnny Cash cover. Read More ›
The Raccoon Climbers feat. Mark Mallman - Raccoon Climber #MPRRaccoon June 15, 2018 You watched the world-famous ascent. Now, see the music video. Read More ›
Okkervil River perform in The Current studio June 11, 2018 Macalester College alumnus Will Sheff is frontman of the band Okkervil River. Ahead of their show at the Turf Club in St. Paul, Sheff and company stopped at The Current for a session hosted by Mary Lucia. Read More ›
Caroline Rose rocks, in The Current studio and the 7th Street Entry June 07, 2018 Arriving in Minnesota to kick off a headlining tour, Caroline Rose and her band played songs from their acclaimed album 'Loner' in The Current studio before heading to the 7th St Entry to cap the day with a sold-out show. Read More ›
Coffee Break: LGBTQ artists June 22, 2018 As we head into pride weekend, what LGBTQ artists would you like to hear? Read More ›
Louie Anderson pulls back the curtain on his creative projects June 22, 2018 St. Paul native Louie Anderson is so busy -- with his hit series 'Baskets' on FX, with a new book, a new comedy special and a string of standup shows -- but he still found time to stop by Oake & Riley in the Morning to share some stories with Brian and Jill. 'It's a magnificent love and responsibility to make people laugh,' Anderson says. 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 ›