For those of you looking to satisfy your summer block party cravings, this weekend offers the perfect opportunity: Tilia is hosting their fourth annual Augtoberfest (like Octoberfest, but on August—get it?) this Sunday, August 17 in Linden Hills from 2:00 to 10:00.  Great food and drinks, live music, and family fun can all be found this…

It’s no secret that Lizzo and Caroline Smith are besties. When Smith launched her new soul-inspired sound last year Lizzo was right beside her on stage, and it’s rare that one of them will perform a solo shows in the Twin Cities without bringing the other out for a cameo. So when the two performers announced that…

Riding a wave of early acclaim for his self-titled album (to be released September 9) Ryan Adams has released a deliciously creepy video for single “Gimme Something Good” that features none other than Cassandra Peterson—a.k.a. TV legend Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Tonight, you can catch Adams on Jimmy Fallon’s show. This might not be Peterson’s…

Here’s a fun project: use Wikipedia to make a playlist of every song that’s been #1 on your birthday. Here’s my playlist, and here’s my very subjective (it’s my birthday, after all!) ranking of the 41 songs that have topped the charts on August 13 since I was born in 1975. [Updated to reflect the songs that…

This past Saturday the Square Lake Music and Film Festival took over a small private farm in Stillwater. The festival was in many ways the opposite of a hot and crowded summer block party, instead spread out on a green lawn surrounded by trees. The festival, in its 11th year, has intentionally stayed small with only 400 tickets, which leads to a feeling of…

On Saturday, August 23, Chaperone Records is hosting a Block Rockin’ B-day Bash. The musical festivities will be taking place at the 200 block of E. 2nd St. in Duluth, both outside and inside the new Red Herring Lounge. The event, celebrating the record label’s first birthday, will feature artists from the Twin Cities as well as…

Kyle Johnson, the original rhythm guitarist and co-founder of the beloved Minneapolis garage rock band Run Westy Run, passed away on Friday. He was 54 years old. Run Westy Run formed in 1984 by Kyle and his brothers Kirk Johnson (who sang lead vocals) and Kraig (who played bass) in St. Louis Park, recruiting guitarist…

Spooky Black, Leaving EP One of the most interesting local music stories of the year, Spooky Black is a teenager from St. Paul who became an Internet sensation on the strength of his atmospheric song “Without You” and its eccentric accompanying video. Playing his cards close to the vest, Spooky Black has kept quiet about his future plans;…

Leonard Cohen will celebrate his 80th birthday next month by releasing his 13th studio album, it was announced at a Cohen fan convention in Ireland. Cohen’s birthday is September 21, and the following day will see the release of Popular Problems, an album of entirely new songs. Some of the new material was previewed on Cohen’s Old…

Two years ago, the local team here at the Current stumbled across so many impressive high-school bands that we decided to air the first ever high-schoolers-only edition of The Local Show. And it’s turned into quite the fun tradition—there are only so many young up-and-coming bands that we can stumble on by chance, so it’s become our annual “call…