astralblak – Wanna Be Saved MMYYKK, Greg Grease, Proper T, Just Nine, and ∆RT P∆RTÉ reemerge as astralblak on upcoming album Seeds. This video for single “Wanna Be Saved” will steer you right toward that title. Meanwhile, the band says: We all need each other. The strong need the weak. The young need the old. As…

Paisley Park announced on Monday that the Chanhassen venue and museum will be dedicating Friday’s Paisley Park After Dark party to Piano & A Microphone 1983. The album, being released that day, is a collection of private rehearsal recordings including renditions of “Purple Rain” and “International Lover,” among many others. Three tracks from the album have already…

If your parents or teachers are your role models, well, good for you. I haven’t been so lucky. As a young adult, I grew attached to a musician/writer named Dessa, looping her lyrics through my brain; processing a not-break-up through her music. For the last two years, I’ve been watching those bonds fray. It’s not…

Tom Sullivan, who co-owned the legendary Minneapolis music venue the 400 Bar from 1996 until its closing in 2013, died on Tuesday at age 62. Sullivan “died peacefully in his sleep,” his brother Bill told the Star Tribune; the cause of death is not yet known. Sullivan and his brother Bill, a former tour manager…

Low – Rome (Always In The Dark) If Low‘s Double Negative triptych had you befuddled, take another leap at their new album here. “Rome (Always In The Dark)” bears a similar undulating buzz, but the melody and visuals are so eye-catching that you might feel yourself carried away. Early Eyes – The Basement Early Eyes host…

Minnesota-based musician Dave King is not afraid do something unconventional. Known for his work as a drummer in groups like the Bad Plus, Happy Apple and Halloween, Alaska, King pushes the boundaries of music and doesn’t stick to the status quo. What King’s fans might not know so well is his work in film. On Friday,…

Funk-pop artist Bruno Mars has been showing up in Minnesota music news quite a bit in the past few days. He kicked off night one of two at the Xcel Energy Center last night (the second performance is tonight at 8) and now there is news circulating about how he’s not playing the role of Prince…

First Avenue has announced that it’s purchased the Fine Line Music Café, taking control of the downtown music club on Oct. 1. “We’re incredibly excited to add the Fine Line to the First Avenue family, and really — more importantly — to keep this local venue independently owned and operated,” said First Ave owner Dayna…

Pitchfork, perhaps the most-respected critical outlet in music, has just published a new list of the 200 best albums of the 1980s. According to the publication’s editorial staff, the decade’s best album was Prince’s Purple Rain. As City Pages notes, that represents a vault upwards in status for the classic soundtrack; when Pitchfork last listed the…

This month, Dessa is preparing to release her new memoir, My Own Devices, in which she shares the very personal stories behind many of her best-known songs and offers poignant reflections on love, heartbreak, and her life on the road. In the first portion of this interview, Dessa and I discussed her long on-and-off relationship with the…