From May 20-22, the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association will celebrate its 21st annual Art-A-Whirl. This open-studio tour remains the largest in America, featuring hundreds of artists and exhibits. It’s also become an unofficial music festival, showcasing dozens of concerts by local musicians. (What’s more, one art exhibit is entirely dedicated to Prince.) A few of…

Beneath the McGuire Theater’s ornate black balconies, Venezuelan-American singer/songwriter Devendra Banhart and a handful of other artists (selected by Banhart himself) played “Wind Grove Mind Alone,” a two-night, sold-out concert series at the Walker Art Center. Genres ranged from Spanish folk to avant-garde, electronica to spoken word, making the shows perfect candidates for the Liquid Music series. Friday: Devendra…

It’s hard to imagine now, but in 1981, Minneapolis was still getting familiar with Prince as he made waves nationally with Dirty Mind. When people read about his upcoming show at Sam’s in Sweet Potato and the Star Tribune, they jumped at the rare chance to see the budding star from their hometown. “People had told Steve [McClellan],…

Red Hot Chili Peppers canceled a Saturday night performance in Irvine, Calif. as frontman Anthony Kiedis was hospitalized with stomach pains. Kiedis’s bandmates took to social media to apologize to fans and wish the singer “a speedy recovery.” (ABC News) Today’s presidential news Macklemore became the first non-politician to appear on President Barack Obama’s weekly address. Obama was addressing…

Since Prince’s death on April 21, there have been innumerable tributes and services held in the music legend’s honor — from a private gathering for family and close friends at Paisley Park to a huge public party thrown by Spike Lee in Brooklyn. Sheila E. has spoken of plans for a musical tribute featuring Prince’s…

For the past year, The Current has been inviting local musicians to take over our all-Minnesota music stream to talk about the local music scene and to share tracks from their favorite local artists. So far, the roster for Local Current’s DJ in Residence has included Martin Devaney, Sophia Eris, Al Church, Kerry Alexander (Bad…

Lizzo, “Good As Hell” Get ready for an instant mood boost. Celebrating black women and self-love everywhere, Lizzo and director Calmatic pair her Barbershop: The Next Cut jam “Good As Hell” with footage of ladies celebrating their hair (and each other!) in a dream salon. If Lizzo and the rest of GRRRL PRTY play this song at Rock the…

Prince’s two ex-wives, Manuela Testolini and Mayte Garcia, reportedly organized a memorial service Tuesday night in Los Angeles. Among those who attended to pay homage were Nile Rodgers, Janelle Monaé, and Spike Lee — who reportedly said that a Brooklyn tribute service is being planned for June 7. (Pitchfork) Also in L.A., Stevie Wonder, Dave Chapelle, Nas, John Mayer, and Kid (of Kid & Play)…

Old buildings have the power to provoke certain feelings: an awareness of untold events, for example, and a respect for the tread of history. Wistfulness comes about, too, when the building’s been unfilled for years. Such is the case with St. Paul’s Palace Theatre, which is located on West Seventh Place in downtown St. Paul. It…

On the evenings of Friday, May 13 and Saturday, May 14, Venezuelan-American musician and painter Devendra Banhart will play a two-part concert series at the Walker Art Center as part of the Liquid Music series. The shows will feature additional performances by Lucky Dragons, Jessica Pratt, Helado Negro, William Basinki, Rodrigo Amarante, Hecuba, Harold Budd, and…