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…

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.…

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…

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…

Our critic reports from Chicago.

When you think of artists who might cover pop star Olivia Newton-John, alt-rock luminary Juliana Hatfield probably isn’t the first name that comes to mind. When you hear Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John, though, it all makes beautiful sense. Hatfield spoke with me by phone about her joyful new album, which is out today. I understand…

As we approach the two-year anniversary of Prince’s untimely passing next Saturday, April 21, hundreds of people from around the world will make the pilgrimage to Minneapolis to honor him in his hometown. The week will culminate in the big Prince from Minneapolis symposium at the University of Minnesota on April 16-18 and the now-annual Celebration…

Dan Israel — “You’re Free” Veteran singer-songwriter Dan Israel, who was the first ever musical guest on The Current’s Local Show, is back with his 14th album. You’re Free is out now, and Israel will be celebrating the release with a May 9 show at the Cedar Cultural Center. Photographer and videographer Steven Cohen shot the…

This Friday and Saturday, the annual Minnesota Music Summit returns with a timely new theme: “Amplifying Our Voices,” a two-day series of events at St. Catherine University that seeks to elevate women and nonbinary artists in the music community. The headliner for this year’s summit is the revered Portland songwriter Laura Viers, who will deliver…

Pop duo Holidae made a splash in 2016, winning the Star Tribune‘s Are You Local? contest and performing sets all over the Twin Cities. Then, they briefly dipped under the radar. Today, vocalist Ashley Gold and producer Garrett Neal are back with big news; not only have they dropped a new music video today, they’re also planning…