The iconic music venue First Avenue will be the subject of a new exhibition at the Minnesota History Center opening in May 2019. The exhibit, “First Avenue: Stories of Minnesota’s Mainroom,” will feature everything from memorabilia of the bands that have adorned the stages since the venue’s inception, to the “scenes, sounds and stories” that…

What began as a side-project of Odd Future members Syd and Matt Martians has since blossomed into one of the most prominent bands on the funk and R&B scenes today. After taking a three-year break to focus on solo projects, The Internet returned earlier this year with Hive Mind, an infectiously smooth, funky, and surprisingly subtle album.…

From homebodies to get-up-and-goers, from the bibliophiles to the audiophiles, there’s a Prince-themed gift for everyone on your holiday shopping list this year. We’ve compiled some gift ideas into a guide to help you find something for every Prince fan in your life. The Bookworm Prince: Before The Rain is by long-time Prince photographer, Allen Beaulieu, and…

The Eaux Claires Music & Arts Festival has announced that it will not hold its annual event in 2019. The festival’s first year took place in 2015, curated by Eau-Claire-born musician Justin Vernon (Bon Iver). The Eaux Claires team shared a statement on their website explaining that after four years, they are taking the coming…

Sony Legacy and the Prince estate have announced the first physical re-release of three major records from the Purple One’s mid-2000s output. The records will not contain any unreleased tracks, but they will be pressed on “highly collectible” limited-edition deep purple vinyl. August saw the streaming release of 23 albums from Prince’s NPG Records catalog,…

The Cactus Blossoms recently released the first single from their upcoming sophomore album, Easy Way. “Please Don’t Call Me Crazy” has a retro vibe to it — and not just because of the tremolo-soaked guitars. The song is a tribute to one of the Twin Cities’ veteran rock stars, Curtiss A. Curtiss A, born Curt Almsted, began…

I feel I should probably admit right off the bat that I have not been a massive fan of Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes. It’s not bad by any means, but it’s overall not quite melodic or singable enough and, Lord knows, Thom Yorke can write a beautiful melody. I’m more of a fan of, The Eraser or…

Static Panic – The Crazy Thing Static Panic‘s first music video is an animated project by Wisconsiner Jake Huffcut. For more on this “discolicious” band: The Current selected their EP Chrome as one of 10 Notable Albums of 2018, and they’ll perform at First Avenue’s Best New Bands show on Jan. 4. Emily Haavik & the 35s…

On Nov. 30 Rookie Magazine, an online publication, book series, and podcast headed by Tavi Gevinson, declared that it would shutter for good after a seven-year run. Due to financial difficulty, and ultimately Gevinson’s decision to abstain from implementing a pay wall or selling the site to new owners, the site has ceased to post…

On Thursday night, local advertising and communications professionals will step out of the office and onto First Avenue’s stage. Five advertising agencies will be competing in the Battle, a battle of the bands to raise scholarship money for students from diverse backgrounds studying advertising and communications. Five bands are battling it out — but really…