In 2008, when Justin Vernon debuted his Bon Iver project with the release of For Emma, Forever Ago, the music world was forced to grapple with a project so far-flung from indie music at the time that it was soon shrouded in myth. Soft, sparse, and smoldering with emotional intensity, For Emma led curious fans…

On May 22, the Walker Art Center announced its 2019/20 Performing Arts Season lineup, which includes two co-presented performances with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra’s Liquid Music, a genre-bending series of collaborations between musicians and artists. As is the norm with any Liquid Music project, these performances will marry artistic and intellectual practices from a…

In celebration of Prince’s 61st birthday this June, Twin Cities PBS and other PBS affiliates across the country are set to air a concert recorded live at Paisley Park: Rave Un2 The Year 2000. Originally performed on Dec. 18, 1999 when Prince was still “the Artist Formerly Known as Prince,” the concert was a pay-per-view…

Tony “Little Sun” Glover, whose folk and blues stylings influenced generations of American musicians but had a special impact on those who shared his Minneapolis neighborhoods, has died at age 79 due to natural causes, the Star Tribune reports. A fierce harmonica player well-known for his musical partnership with Spider John Koerner and the late…

Paul Dickinson is Minnesota’s premier punk poet, frontman of Frances Gumm, co-founder of Dead Media, and former proprietor of the Speedboat Gallery — a St. Paul art space with a literally underground music venue where Green Day once played for $100. He certainly puts the “auto” into his new autobiography, Junker Dreams. The memoir brings…

Velvet Negroni – “Confetti” You’d think someone who’d just announced a new album would feel pretty amped, but Velvet Negroni looks unfazed in this hibachi-centered video. Welcome to the nighttime, cold-as-ice, gorgeous vibes of NEON BROWN, out August 30 via 4AD. Jillian Rae – “Medication” Jillian Rae released “Medication” as a single almost a year ago,…

Jamila Woods played a radiant show at the Turf Club last night in front of a sold-out crowd, along with special guest Nitty Scott. The Turf was the first stop on her national tour in support of her latest album, LEGACY! LEGACY! , which was released just this month. “This is the first time I’m…

It’s been a busy year for singer, songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist Eric Mayson. Having spent a lot of time collaborating with other musicians on their projects, Mayson recently made the switch back to taking the lead on some of his own projects — releasing not one, but two different albums in 2019. From May 23…

Weyes Blood played a sold-out show at the Turf Club last night with special guest Jackie Cohen. Throughout the 90-minute set, the stage was awash in warm light with flickering electronic candles; and draped over the keyboard, a gauzy white fabric was lit from beneath in psychedelic blues and greens. The atmosphere remained cozy while…

Soul Asylum’s “Runaway Train” is one of Minnesota’s iconic songs, its success propelling the 1992 album Grave Dancers Union to multi-platinum status. The song is also known for its distinctive video, which put the faces of three dozen actual runaway children on MTV — helping families and authorities to recover contact with most of the kids. A…