No matter what your interests are, there is something for everyone at the Minnesota State Fair. That goes for music fans, as well. In addition to plenty of free shows that take place throughout the fairgrounds every year, high profile acts and entertainers have been performing at the Grandstand since 1962. Even though the Grandstand…

“Now Amy will oversee the comings and goings of her home town forever,” says Mitch Winehouse, father of the late Amy Winehouse, in reference to a bronze sculpture of the songstress that will be unveiled in Camden Town, London on Sept. 14: the date that would have been Amy’s 31st birthday. (Billboard) The pathbreaking Swedish experimental dance-pop…

Even under the fuzz of a speakerphone, the voice of Zachary Scot Johnson was clear as a bell, full of more pep than I would except from someone who woke up at a hotel somewhere in Door County. He was there because because it was the weekend, and for Johnson, weekends are for touring. “I graduated…

Fans of Minneapolis singer-songwriter Jeremy Messersmith know him not only as a gifted craftsman and performer, but also as a thoughtful participant in larger discussions about politics, sociology, current events, and one of his favorite topics, “nerd culture.” So when he appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman last night to play a song…

The Current’s Nate Ryan was on hand as Jeremy Messersmith and his band made their network television debut on CBS’s The Late Show with David Letterman. Here’s Nate’s fly-on-the-wall story and photos. Last Thursday was when we first found out that Jeremy was confirmed to be on The Late Show with David Letterman. At that…

Who are the world’s richest bassists? Maybe that’s not a question that you realized you wanted to know the answer to, but now that it’s been asked, aren’t you curious? The Richest lists the top ten (in descending order of richness): the Beatles‘ Paul McCartney ($1.2 billion), the Police‘s Sting ($300 million), KISS‘s Gene Simmons ($300 million),…

In addition to the high-profile Grandstand shows—including our own MN Music-on-a-Stick showcase on Aug. 30—the Minnesota State Fair is alive with free music. The Fair has posted complete schedules of performers at their free stages and other venues (booths, restaurants, etc.), and MPR will be hosting several performances at our own booth—but who are all these artists?…

“We like to regionalize our locations,” said Jeff Nolan as he walked through the new Hard Rock Cafe at the Mall of America. “It’s a heck of a lot easier here than in a lot of places,” he continued, noting Minnesota’s “singular” music history. That history of course includes Prince—whose outfits, including one emblazoned MINNEAPOLIS…

Protests and tensions continue in Ferguson, Missouri after the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown on Aug. 9, and numerous musicians are sharing their views on the situation—many expressing anger and sadness. Chuck D, Questlove, John Legend, Frank Ocean, Talib Kweli, Moby, and Rage Against the Machine‘s Tom Morello have criticized the actions of local law enforcement,…

Phantom Tails: Rides Battalion Phantom Tails describe their genre as deep-space doom-funk. As strange as that sounds, they’ve gained a big local audience for their far-out but indisputably rocking records. Their newest release, Rides Battalion, is available today followed by the release show this Friday at the Triple Rock. “All Your Cities,” the first single…