The Blind Shake: Breakfast of Failures Power trio the Blind Shake have done it again. Fast riffs, fuzz, and distortion—Breakfast of Failures has what you want from the Minneapolis powerhouse. “Old Lake” is full of distorted riffs moving from droning tones on the chorus to electrified awkwardness over a drum beat that makes you wish…

In the upcoming film St. Vincent (no relation to Annie Clark), Bill Murray smokes and sings along with Bob Dylan‘s “Shelter from the Storm.” The whole movie comes out this Friday, but you can see what’s certain to be the best part right now. (Billboard) Dylan is our artist of the month; watch for Andrea Swensson’s capsule…

Paul Revere, leader of Paul Revere and the Raiders, has died of cancer at age 76. Known for their signature Revolutionary-era costumes, Paul Revere and the Raiders had a string of 1960s hits including “Kicks,” “Good Thing,” and “Him or Me—Who’s It Gonna Be?” Their biggest hit—and their only chart-topper—was one of their last, 1971’s “Indian Reservation…

After a few crazy-busy stretches of concerts it’s actually shaping up to be a fairly mellow weekend for local music, save for tonight’s sure-to-be-stunning album release show from the Ericksons at the Cedar and a few other promising gigs sprinkled about. I can’t say I mind taking a slower pace for a change—especially when there are so…

In the past, Ryan Adams has been miffed at being mistaken for Bryan Adams, but the hard feelings seem to have dissipated: Wednesday night in Santa Barbara, Adams (Ryan) covered Adams (Bryan) with a performance of “Run to You,” a top ten hit in 1984. All of a sudden, everyone realized the significance of the font Adams…

In Prof’s latest video “Farout,” the Rhymesayers cut-up trades his rap chops for some playful harmonization. Prof’s brand-new single discusses the fantasies of a daydreaming carwash attendant, accompanied by a video featuringwith plenty of poolside booty-shaking. “’Farout’ is about a feeling. A happy place,” explains Prof in a press release. “It’s a beautiful woman giving you a smile.”…

When I arrived last Thursday at the Boats and Bluegrass Festival grounds on Prairie Island—located right on the Mississippi River, in Winona—it was obvious that campfire would be my scent for the weekend. The campgrounds were already full of mini-communities bordered by canoes, and would only get more crowded over the weekend. Any apprehension I had that I…

Jackson Five fanatics rejoice—on Oct. 28, Minneapolis label Secret Stash Records will release the clan’s long-lost first recording of “Big Boy” circa 1967. The rare 45 RPM will be part of an elaborate anthology of soul, funk, and gospel tracks recorded for Chicago’s One-derful! Records between its founding in 1962 and 1971. Previously thought to be Steeltown…

MTV doesn’t call it the “Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award” for nothing: the late artist was a pioneer in music video, and his 1983 video for “Thriller” is among the landmarks of the genre, voted the greatest of all time by Rolling Stone readers. Director John Landis is now creating a 3D version of the 14-minute…

It’s October—better known to Minnesota music fans as “Rocktober.” More acts seem to play local music venues during this month than any other: the summer festival season is ending, and fall tours are ramping up. A lot of Minnesotans also believe touring acts try to avoid the Gopher State during our notoriously frigid winters, so they…