Sitting in a tub of ice, Minnesota singer-songwriter Jeremy Messersmith recently nominated the Current’s program director Jim McGuinn to participate in the Ice Bucket Challenge—that is, to be doused in ice water to raise money and awareness to fight the disease ALS. (It’s been a busy week for Jeremy—take a behind-the-scenes look at his recent appearance…

The 11th installment in Bob Dylan’s official “Bootleg Series” will be an expanded version of an album that could be described as his first official bootleg release: The Basement Tapes, a 1975 release of recordings made with the Band in 1967. On Nov. 4, Dylan will release The The Basement Tapes Complete: The Bootleg Series Vol. 11, a…

Music retailers are looking to fall releases to put some perks in their sales figures: among the highest-profile releases are new albums by Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean, One Direction, and Lil’ Wayne. Only the Beatles, though, could inspire the production of a million copies—in mono—of albums they’ve already released. That’s how many vinyl records Universal…

After 15-plus years as Burnsville’s acclaimed community youth center, the Garage will transition to a nonprofit music venue in 2015. The Star Tribune reported the organization’s future plans following a joint City Council and school board meeting in July. City Pages recently sat down with project leaders Jack Kold-Williams and Logan Adams to discuss its…

If you think Labor Day weekend marks the final hurrah of summer fun, think again. For those reluctant to usher in the back-to-school season, take a trip up the North Shore over the following two weekends: Grand Marais will be hosting its annual Radio Waves and Unplugged music festivals. From Sept. 5-7, the talents of over 30…

There are some great tribute artists and fun celebrity impersonators out there, but Jason Michael Hurley has put them all to shame: he took his Scott Weiland impersonation to such lengths that he actually sat in jail as the singer for four weeks—completely fooling the cops, who issued a press release bragging that they had arrested…

After dropping hints for months, Prince has finally announced expected release dates for PLECTRUMELECTRUM—his album with his band 3RDEYEGIRL—and a record under his own name, ART OFFICIAL AGE. Both are now available for pre-order on iTunes and are expected on Sept. 30. Each pre-order also includes an entry for a chance to win a trip to see Prince at…

Happy Friday! As the workin’ week winds down, take a look back at some of the best Minnesota-made music videos to emerge this week—including a few from Adam J. Dunn’s ongoing Lights and a Backdrop series, the latest of which he filmed at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis. Before we get into this week’s goods, I…

Nearly 14 years after playing their final show, Babes in Toyland have quietly reassembled and started rehearsing in North Hollywood, California—and this week we got our first look at the reunited group. Founder and lead singer Kat Bjelland, drummer Lori Barbero, and bassist Maureen Herman (who joined the group after Michelle Leon’s departure in 1992) started discussing…

This past spring, Molly Kate Kestner—an 18-year-old high school senior in Austin, Minnesota—captured the hearts of millions of people with a wildly popular video, recorded off the cuff with a cracked iPhone, of herself singing and playing her original song “His Daughter.” The song, about a young girl who transcends a turbulent family situation thanks…