John Mark Nelson is a popular singer-songwriter from Minneapolis, and he’s touring the U.S. this month. Before playing shows with The Tallest Man On Earth, he performed for a crowd at Sasquatch! Festival last weekend. He recounts the experience in a mini-tour diary below: “The moment we got off I-90, and drove our van down the…

The Midwest Medical Examiner has released its autopsy report for Prince, revealing that “the decedent self-administered fentanyl.” Fentanyl is an extremely potent synthetic opioid commonly used for pain relief. The death was ruled an accident. Prince Rogers Nelson investigation results attached pic.twitter.com/CMt6lQSGxJ — Midwest Medical Exam (@MidwestMedExam) June 2, 2016 It has been widely speculated…

When I was a teenager, I wanted to learn the drums. I would tap along to music on any surface available, read drumming blogs, and replay the breakdown of John Mellencamp’s “Jack & Diane” more times than I can remember. But my family couldn’t afford a kit, and my grandparents wouldn’t pay for lessons the…

Prince has set a chart record for having more albums simultaneously in the Billboard 200 than any other artist ever has. With 19 albums in this week’s chart, Prince smashes a record previously held by the Beatles with 13 albums. (Star Tribune) Amanda Palmer and Jherek Bischoff have shared an orchestral rendition of “Purple Rain”: a ten-minute track being…

They say that if you want to stay creatively inspired, you should do something that terrifies you at least once a day. Well back in April I had the opportunity to do something that was unbelievably nerve-racking, yet so inspiring: I recorded an episode of my mental health and wellness podcast, The O.K. Show, in…

Guitarist Thomas Fekete, a founding member of indie-rock band Surfer Blood, has died at age 27 of a rare form of cancer. Fekete shared his diagnosis with fans a year ago, dropping out of a tour with Surfer Blood and releasing a solo cassette; artists including Yo La Tengo and Guided By Voices pitched in to help raise funds…

Tony the Scribe: Mixed Blood Tony the Scribe, of Killstreak, is releasing a solo EP called Mixed Blood on Monday — with a release show at Honey the following Thursday. “It’s dark and vulnerable,” writes the rapper, who’s already dropped a chess-themed single called “Checkmate.” Big Cats, Eric Mayson, and Chance York will be on hand to…

You might have seen this story bubbling up on your Twitter feed today: the story that Kim Gordon was attacked by a coyote at Whole Foods in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles. Time to burst that bubble: it’s a hoax, according to Gordon herself as well as according to Whole Foods. @KimletGordon did…

Beth Orton has taken down the video for her song “1973,” after being criticized for spray-painting a Joshua tree in the video. Joshua trees are under government protection, and painting them can be harmful. Orton says she believed the tree was dead when she applied the paint, and that she is “truly devastated” to learn…

On stage at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds at Soundset 2016, Sway Calloway shared some words on hip-hop culture: “It’s multifaceted and multidimensional.” The Sway in the Morning host was introducing legendary hip-hop crew (and Jimmy Fallon house band) the Roots, who proved his point in one neo-soul-to-swing-to-beatboxing set. But all day long, Soundset brought together disparate artists…