It’s been a month since Minneapolis-based alternative synth band Enemy Planes started the trip of a lifetime: flying to Barcelona and winning the Hard Rock Rising international battle of the bands contest. Over 13,000 bands from around the world entered, but only six bands—from Argentina, Japan, Scotland, Kentucky, and New York—were flown out to Barcelona…

Though I’m a huge radio listener—especially public radio—the process of making radio happen has always been a mystery to me. Beyond the occasional in-studio performance, I had no experience with radio when The Current asked me to be the DJ in Residence for the month of August for the Local Current stream. To be honest,…

Billboard reports that the release of Adele‘s long-anticipated new album is being planned for November. The album, Adele’s first since the smash hit 21 (2011), is being made under tight secrecy. Collaborators known to be associated with the album include producer Danger Mouse; golden-eared hitmaker Max Martin; OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder, who co-wrote a song on 21; and singer-songwriter Tobias Jesso Jr., who…

Not to be outdone by St. Paul’s recent designation of “Positively 4th Street,” downtown Minneapolis will soon add a five-story Bob Dylan mural to its attractions. The mural is currently being painted, by artist Kobra, on the blank side of a building at 5th and Hennepin—very near the Orpheum Theatre, which Dylan formerly co-owned and where he played three…

The line starts to crackle as soon as Alan Sparhawk picks up the phone. As he greets me from his home in Duluth, Minnesota, the Low frontman’s voice booms and sizzles, as if it’s bristling against the wires in the phone line and wrestling to break free. Although I could easily adjust the volume, I…

When the Minneapolis-based indie folk-poppers We Are The Willows finished recording their latest album Picture (Portrait) in summer 2014, they had no idea what to do with it. The choice for members Peter Miller, Jeremiah Satterthwaite, and Travis Collins to release the record themselves under the label The Homestead Records came easily. Like a folksy…

Jessica Hopper, a writer who got her start in Minnesota as a teenager in the ’90s, has become one of the most well-known and best respected music journalists in America. She recently published her first book, The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic (which Andrea Swensson wrote about for The Current’s Rock…

Prince isn’t finished with his meme-inspired song “This Could B Us,” which first appeared on last year’s ART OFFICIAL AGE album. On Tidal, Prince has released a sultry, reimagined version of the song; the new version will appear on his forthcoming album HITNRUN, which is due for release September 7 on Tidal and later in physical formats. Listen to…

Eric Mayson: Detail Eric Mayson (Crunchy Kids) has played with a variety of artists all over the Twin Cities scene, most notably Caroline Smith, Big Cats, Lizzo, Toki Wright, and P.O.S. He’s now going solo with his Detail release. Mayson’s bright wavering voice will be familiar to some, though it’s a whole new musical world from…

When people around the world can’t stop praising a certain band, it’s best to let curiosity take control. Listen to some tracks and maybe buy a concert ticket—the artists could be worth the hype. If all else fails, at least you’ll get a dose of another country’s culture. Or at least, that was the logic…