In its 15th fruitful year, fusion jazz trio the Bad Plus’ annual holiday series at the Dakota shows no sign of letting up. From Dec. 25-28, the innovative ensemble will knock out a whopping eight performances in four nights. Currently based in New York City, the Midwest natives originally planted their roots in Minneapolis circa 2000.…

Hunting for pre-Halloween festivities? Look no further: Free Range Music Cooperative will host a hodgepodge of Twin Cities performing arts at Bedlam Lowertown on Oct. 30. The event is a part of their Culture series, showcasing the diversity and cross-genre projects within the local scene. Established by Marcus Kar in 2011, Free Range Music Cooperative strives…

The Lizzo wave that started to rise last year is cresting ever higher: after a busy summer in which she played a heavy schedule of festivals and gigs in the U.S. (including Rock the Garden) and Europe, Lizzo’s fall has if anything been even busier. There was a surprise single followed by two packed First Avenue…

The eccentric and revered post-rock band 12 Rods—described by the Current’s David Campbell as “a music nerd’s dream and an A&R man’s nightmare”—have announced that they will reunite to play a show at First Avenue on January 16 to celebrate the reissue of their final album, Lost Time, on January 20, 2015. The show and album will…

Brian Wilson, Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters, Stevie Wonder, Lorde, Elton John, Brian May of Queen, Jake Bugg, Kylie Minogue, Chris Martin of Coldplay, Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders, Sam Smith, Paloma Faith, One Direction, and Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine were among 27 musicians who constituted a one-off supergroup known as “the Impossible Orchestra,” performing the Beach Boys‘ “God Only Knows” in the BBC’s first-ever pan-channel broadcast across all…

Last month, Minnesota musician Andrew Richardson—guitarist for the Crush, and later sales manager for guitar pedal company ZVEX Effects—died at the age of 36. Now, a group of musicians including the Black Keys, Spoon, Jeff Tweedy, J Mascis, Cage the Elephant, Har Mar Superstar, Tera Melos, and Midlake have donated items to be auctioned for…

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…