Talking Prince and drums with the NPG’s Michael Bland April 18, 2018 Though Prince’s use of drum machines—in particular, the LM-1, designed by Roger Linn—was a major part of his singular sound, he could also play serious grooves in a wide array behind a real-deal drum kit. Prince began drumming at age 12. “I learned on a big box of newspapers,” he told Modern Drummer in 2001.… Read More ›
Rock and Roll Book Club: Two Prince associates share their memories April 18, 2018 Owen Husney and Marylou Badeaux both had special places in Prince's history. Their new memoirs give poignant, informative, and amusing glimpses into the life of a legend. Read More ›
Music News: NYC unveils David Bowie MetroCards April 17, 2018 Today's top music news stories are all about unusual merch - from David Bowie MetroCards to a Kurt Cobain handwriting font to a Nick Cave skateboard. Read More ›
‘Prince shaped Minneapolis’: Symposium panel explores Prince’s pivotal impact April 17, 2018 Any good writer will tell you that sometimes the best way to touch on universal truths is to get specific and nail the details. That fact was in evidence this morning at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs, as the symposium Prince from Minneapolis convened what The Current’s Andrea Swensson called “a… Read More ›
Owen Husney reflects on meeting a teenage Prince: ‘He was not an icon then. He was a brilliant human being who was living in a basement’ April 17, 2018 Earlier this month, the longtime promoter, manager, advertising executive, and musician Owen Husney released his long-in-the-works memoir Famous People Who’ve Met Me. Owen is best known in the Prince universe for his role as Prince’s first manager — specifically, the one that was at Prince’s side helping to negotiate his historic three-album deal with Warner Bros.… Read More ›
Review and photos: Wild Child and the Wild Reeds were graceful and lush at the Cedar Cultural Center April 16, 2018 Between sets on Friday night, the crowd at the sold-out Cedar Cultural Center were treated to Gloria Estefan’s “Conga,” Bruno Mars’s “That’s What I Like,” Estelle’s “American Boy,” and even a club remix of Hall & Oates’ “I Can’t Go For That.” No one seemed entirely sure why the house playlist — normally such a… Read More ›
Music News: 'Singing road' drives Dutch village crazy April 16, 2018 Today's top music news stories include a disastrous 'singing road,' a huge donation for KEXP, and Cardi B setting a chart record. Read More ›
Back from Australia shows, Andre Cymone teases new projects April 16, 2018 Having recently played several shows in Australia, both in support of his 2017 album '1969' and as part of the New Power Generation, Andre Cymone is back home in Los Angeles and is ramping up two new albums. 'As an artist, I'm going to do whatever I'm inspired to do,' Cymone says. Read More ›
Kendrick Lamar wins Pulitzer Prize April 16, 2018 Rapper Kendrick Lamar is now a Pulitzer Prize winner. Earlier today, the Pulitzer Prize Board announced its 2018 honorees. Among them was Lamar, winning in the music category for his album “DAMN”. The win makes Lamar the first artist to win the award for a composition that’s neither classical nor jazz. Released in April of… Read More ›
Music on TV this week: Portugal.The Man; Franz Ferdinand; Ben Gibbard; Chaka Khan; Snow Patrol April 16, 2018 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. Read More ›
Purple Current Feedback April 04, 2018 Thank you for being among the first people to listen to Purple Current, our music stream dedicated to exploring Prince's musical universe. Have any feedback or thoughts on the programming? Please let us know. Read More ›
FDeluxe and Funk Soldiers close out a Celebration 2018 full of Prince music and memories at Paisley Park April 22, 2018 Will Celebration return? It sure sounds like it, based on the questions that Graceland’s managing partner Joel Weinshanker asked attendees on Saturday — and the responses he got. “Who’s coming back next year?” he asked a full soundstage audience before the evening activities began at Paisley Park. Most hands shot up. “Okay,” he noted. “Next… Read More ›
Phoebe Bridgers performs in The Current studio April 23, 2018 The lyrics of Phoebe Bridgers' songs are so emotionally vivid, it makes sense that when it comes to songwriting, Bridgers follows her gut. 'I don't really have a process that I could write out for anybody or tell anybody how to do it,' Bridgers says. 'It's just whatever happens to be on my mind.' In town for a sold-out show at the Turf Club, Bridgers and her band & stopped at The Current for a session hosted by Jade. Read More ›
L7 rock the rafters at The Current April 19, 2018 Los Angeles band L7 gave the structural integrity of the Bill Kling Public Media Center in St. Paul got a good test today with a rocking set in the The Current studio, in a session hosted by Mary Lucia. 'We're a meat-and-potatoes rock band with a conscience and some humor,' says L7 frontperson Donita Sparks. Read More ›
Durand Jones and the Indications bring their soulful sound to The Current studio April 12, 2018 Although the singing career of Durand Jones began somewhat reluctantly, soul-music outfit Durand Jones and the Indications are now in it for the long haul. 'It's been a pretty fun ride so far,' Jones says, 'and we've got a lot more work to do.' Durand Jones and the Indications recently visited The Current for a session hosted by Jade. Read More ›
Margaret Glaspy performs in The Current studio April 06, 2018 'Born Yesterday,' the new EP from Margaret Glaspy, was largely written while Glaspy was on tour. 'That's why it's only three songs!' Glaspy laughs. In town for a show at First Avenue, Glaspy, along with guitarist Julian Lage, stopped in The Current studio for a session hosted by Mary Lucia. Read More ›
The Decemberists in concert at the Palace Theatre April 04, 2018 On Saturday, April 7, The Current streamed live video of The Decemberists in concert at the Palace Theatre in St. Paul. Read More ›
Coffee Break: Minnesota music April 20, 2018 Tomorrow is Record Store Day and as we prepare to celebrate our local record stores and small businesses, let's spend some time this morning listening to local musicians. So for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs from Minnesota artists do you want to hear? Read More ›
Today in Music History: 'American Idiot' opens on Broadway April 20, 2018 Elvis Presley 'shook up' the singles charts; Deep Purple made their live debut; George Burns was in the Hot 100; numerous artists paid tribute to the late Freddie Mercury; Aerosmith got a grip with their 11th studio album; The Sound of Philadelphia became the first disco song to reach No. 1 in the singles charts; and 'American Idiot' opened on Broadway, 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 ›