The Twin Cities enjoyed a bounty of concerts on Saturday night. Metallica rocked U.S. Bank Stadium; Wilco played Hall’s Island; Har Mar Superstar, Flume, Square Lake Music & Film Festival, and a half dozen other shows went down all over the metro. The Cedar, though, had an edge (plus written support from U.S. Representative Keith Ellison; read his letter…

On Saturday night at the Cedar Cultural Center, ten up-and-coming local artists played The Local Show’s Artists to Watch showcase. In honor of the occasion, U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison — whose congressional district includes the City of Minneapolis — penned a letter supporting the artists, and local music generally. The letter was read onstage at…

With frontman Gord Downie facing terminal brain cancer, the Tragically Hip played their final show Saturday night in Kingston, Ont. Canada’s prime minister Justin Trudeau was on hand to pay tribute. (Pitchfork) Read Jim McGuinn’s story about taking a road trip to Winnipeg to see a show on the band’s goodbye tour. Frank Ocean album finally drops It’s finally…

The first time Metallica performed in the Twin Cities was Feb. 6, 1985. They performed at First Ave (or, according to a t-shirt listing every Twin Cities show they’ve done, “The First Avenue”) in support of the Ride the Lightning album. Thirty-one years later, the metal monsters rolled into town for a show just down the road from…

Broadcast update: Tune in on Friday September 9, 2016 at 10 p.m. CST to hear the concert from Hall’s Island again. Last night, Wilco and Kurt Vile delighted concertgoers at Hall’s Island in Northeast Minneapolis. Despite the weather, people happily braved the drizzle for a chance to see Wilco perform in the Twin Cities once…

On Friday, June 23, 1989, Metallica and crew attended a public screening of Tim Burton’s Batman at the local cineplex in my hometown of Waukesha, Wisc. I was 16 years old, quite excited to see Batman, and totally unaware that we were in the presence of future metal legends. There was one seat left in…

Lutheran Heat, four Minneapolis-based musicians making summery garage pop, are a ton of fun. The band split their time between making music (see: their first LP, Louder From The Other Side, out today), day jobs (from dog-walking to graphic design), and hanging out in hometown favorite bars. Whatever they’re up to, they’re probably joking around — guitarist/vocalist…

Haley Bonar, “I Can Change” Haley Bonar and team are pulling on the heartstrings these days. In “I Can Change,” inner demons dog a father (and, by extension, his family). Tickle Torture, “Full Court Press (feat. Velvet Negroni) Tickle Torture‘s “Full Court Press,” featuring Velvet Negroni (a.k.a. Spyder Baybie a.k.a. Jeremy Nutzman), is a jam.…

Tommy Stinson has regrouped his band Bash & Pop, he tells Billboard — and a new album is expected out in January. Billboard points out that “Stinson is previewing some of the songs this summer on the road with Cowboys in the Campfire, a duo he formed with his uncle-by-marriage Chip ‘Sippy Fly’ Roberts.” Stinson also has…

Pizza Hut has developed a pizza box printed with turntables that you can actually play by syncing the box to your laptop and sliding your fingers over the box. A limited number of the turntable boxes will be given away at select locations — but sorry, for the moment the promotion is limited to the…