Braving 83º heat, about 30 fans lined up outside St. Paul’s RiverCentre Sunday afternoon to catch glimpses of celebrities arriving at the Starkey Hearing Foundation’s 16th annual “So The World May Hear” gala. “We’re hoping to see Johnny,” said Kimberly Lantto, 32, of Maplewood. “I’ve almost cried five times today thinking I’ll see Johnny Depp.”…

Yesterday at the Cedar Cultural Center, Minnesota musicians including Lydia Liza, PaviElle, Eric Mayson, deM atlaS, Fort Wilson Riot, ZULUZULUU, and BDP took the stage at a benefit concert that raised funds for the family of Philando Castile.

Alan Vega, singer in the seminal duo Suicide, has died of natural causes at age 78. The band’s 1977 self-titled debut album, with a dark and minimalist yet melodic sound, is widely considered one of the most influential releases of that decade. One of the band’s most ardent fans is Bruce Springsteen, whose classic Nebraska was influenced by Suicide…

Inveterate collaborators John Munson and Matt Wilson (Semisonic; Trip Shakespeare; E. Brown) dropped their second Twilight Hours album, Black Beauty, today; they’ll play a sold-out Turf Club tonight and the 7th Street Entry tomorrow. To celebrate, Minneapolis mayor Betsy Hodges and St. Paul mayor Chris Coleman made Twitter declarations declaring “Only John Munson Day” and “Only Matt Wilson Day,” respectively,…

deM atlaS, “Sum-Mo” deM atlaS is at the top of his game in this new track from mF deM, a new album featuring his rhymes over previously released MF Doom beats. Distrakt directed and animated the video. mF deM drops today, with CDs, vinyl, and free digital copies available at Fifth Element. Astronomique, “Masquerade” Astronomique follow up their self-titled…

For a man who was so mercurial creatively, Frank Zappa was resolutely focused and consistent throughout his career when it came to his message about who he was and what he did: he was a musician, and he just wanted to be free to make the music he wanted to make for the fans who…

400 pieces of art and furniture from the private collection of David Bowie will be sold at Sotheby’s in November — but first they’re going to star in an exhibit that will visit London, Los Angeles, New York, and Hong Kong. A visual artist himself, Bowie owned pieces by towering figures including Marcel Duchamp, Damien Hirst, and Jean-Michel Basquiat.…

The Cedar Cultural Center and event organizers Curious Incidents have announced a concert titled “We Stand Together: A Fundraiser for Philando Castile,” which will take place at the Cedar on Sunday, July 17. Running from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday, the event will benefit the family of Philando Castile, who was killed by a police officer while…

Forty-five minutes before slam poet Six is Nine calls “Alright,” by Kendrick Lamar, the song of 2015—before the poet aligns its presence at protests with Shostakovich’s 1942 Leningrad symphony premiere and brings tears to my cheeks—DJ Keezy spins the song. “Alright” is sandwiched between other jams, hits that people have been pausing conversations to throw…

Murs has announced that on Sept. 28, he will live-stream an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for longest freestyle rap. The record is currently held by Arkansas rapper Romane Armand, who freestyled for just over 24 hours. “People can go to bed, wake up and make sure I’m still rapping,” says Murs — who admits,…