Jesse Larson, Minnesota native and contestant on The Voice, has advanced as one of the top ten finalists of Season 12. The blues-influenced singer-songwriter will be facing off against the other remaining finalists next Monday during a special two-hour live performance show. While many know that Jesse Larson is a Minnesotan, what they don’t know is just…

It’s official: Friday, May 5 is Suicide Commandos Day in both Minneapolis and St. Paul. “The Suicide Commandos carved a path where there was none before,” writes Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges in her proclamation, which may be the city’s first official mayoral proclamation to cite the Sex Pistols. “The Suicide Commandos helped shape a rock…

It’s hard to believe in 40-degree, late-April weather, but we’re just a few weeks away from summer — and all of the Twin Cities music block parties and festivals that go along with it. As lineups for dozens of events get solidified, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has made its annual “Music and Movies…

Local bands will be playing a benefit concert for UNICEF’s efforts to help Syrian children refugees on Sunday. With a lineup consisting of Fury Things, Murf, Bug Fix, Celica and the United Teachers of Music, the event also features a raffle with prizes from the Twin Cities arts and music scene — such as posters…

“So many cities would kill to have something like this,” said John Munson, standing next to a fermentation tank at Island City Brewing Company. He could have been talking about the beer — which he later praised, onstage with the Twilight Hours — but what he meant was the Mid West Music Fest (MWMF). The…

“Get a lay of the land. Stay hydrated.” “Best way to beat the heat: cold compress laced with an essential oil blend of peppermint and eucalyptus.” “Bring at least one outfit that pushes your limits. A little too sexy. A little too neon. A little too Lycra.” Those are just a few of the responses…

“I’m not exactly — none of us are exactly — born for the stage,” producer Jamie xx told The Seattle Times in 2010. He wasn’t wrong; neither he, bassist/vocalist Oliver Sim, nor guitarist/vocalist Romy Madley Croft employ amazing looks or pop-star charisma. Yet as the xx, they’ve played to crowds nearly 100,000 strong. Friday night…

I kept waiting for the tears to fall. Which is typical for a wake, I suppose, even one that’s being held a year after someone has passed away. There is a tendency to steel yourself until just the right moment, to try to hold it together in the face of unpredictable emotional ebbs and flows,…

The first unreleased track from the upcoming deluxe reissue of Purple Rain has been made available for streaming. Though Prince sometimes played “Electric Intercourse” live, the studio version — featuring Prince’s falsetto over piano — was tucked away in Prince’s vault until Warner Bros. and NPG Records made the track available this week for streaming. “Electric Intercourse”…

Pye Luis & Devata Daun, “Weakening” The Pytch Records family comes together on Pye Luis and Devata Daun‘s new single, “Weakening,” off their forthcoming EP Plastik Boxes. Ryan Olcott (a.k.a. c.Kostra) mixed and mastered the project; Garrison Grouse and Pye Luis (a.k.a. Efren Maldonado) produced it. Adam Dunn directed the video with VFX by Evil Ice Cream…