Last week, thousands of authors met up in Minneapolis for the annual Association of Writers & Writing Programs conference (also known simply as “AWP”); while many panels and readings delighted the crowds, one of the highlights of the conference featured local artists Dessa and P.O.S, as well as agile poet Adrian Matejka and hip-hop expert/Rhymesayers…

It takes a little navigation, but you can find it on the Duluth Trading Co.’s website. Scroll to the bottom of the site, then click on “about us,” then look at the bottom of the left-hand menu, and there it is: “Apology to Don Henley.” “As many of you know,” reads the statement at that…

Just after the Target in Victoria, British Columbia closed on March 31—along with other Target stores across Canada—a group of employees recorded a cover of Semisonic‘s “Closing Time” for a poignant video that’s now gone viral. (Vita.mn) Don Henley has accepted the Duluth Trading Co.’s apology for an e-mail ad headlined, “Don a henley and take…

Record Store Day marks its ninth year on Saturday, April 18 with a brand-new round of exclusive releases. Celebrating independently owned record stores, RSD has grown into an international phenomenon, with 1,400 participating stores in the U.S. alone and thousands more across six continents. No matter which corner of the Twin Cities you find yourself in…

Conservative British Prime Minister David Cameron is up for reelection in just a couple of weeks, and his wife Samantha Cameron is making headlines across the Pond for her appreciation of indie rock. In what the Daily Mail describes as her “first full interview,” Cameron says she constantly listens to BBC 6—the British Broadcasting Corporation’s indie…

Jack White announced on Tuesday that “he will be taking a break from performing live for a long period of time.” First, though, he’s going to conclude his Lazaretto world tour with his first-ever acoustic tour (“amplified only with ribbon microphones”): an eccentric five-stop tour with tickets sold exclusively at the door, one per buyer, for $3…

It’s no secret we are living through preoccupied, frenzied times. Our minds are being pulled in a hundred directions at once and stretched thin like saltwater taffy, and we are living under the constant pressure that we should be doing more, producing more, clicking more, and consuming more—all while being more available to the world…

Soul legend Percy Sledge died this morning at age 74, his agent has confirmed. Sledge, who had suffered from liver cancer, was at home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Sledge, a.k.a. “the King of Slow Soul,” is best-known for his hit “When a Man Loves a Woman,” which topped the Billboard singles chart in 1966 and became one…

For his tenth State of the City address, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman is trying something new. “We want people who would never, ever, ever think of coming to a State of the City address to come down and hear great music,” he says. Mayor Coleman joined Jill Riley and Sean McPherson on The Current’s…

David Letterman, who will retire as host of CBS’s The Late Show on May 20, has given a preview of the guests to be featured during his final stretch of shows. Among A-list acting talent like Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and George Clooney, Letterman’s upcoming musical guests will include The Avett Brothers, Brandi Carlile, Elvis…