66-year-old singer Sonny Knight has a down-to-earth humble charisma that charms everyone he meets. Born in Jackson, Mississippi and raised in Minnesota, Knight describes his career as a series of “ups and downs.” He released his first single—as Little Sonny Knight and the Cymbols—almost 50 years ago, but his career stalled when he was drafted…

After spending almost a full calendar year of festivals in other cities (and countries!), the Replacements have just announced a much-anticipated hometown date at Midway Stadium on Saturday, September 13. Update, May 2: The Hold Steady and Lucero have just been announced as openers for this show. Hold Steady frontman Craig Finn is a huge Replacements fan,…

St. Paul’s “best remnant of the 40s” is about to get a few updates. The Star Tribune reports that the landmark venue will close temporarily during June and July, as they will be “installing the fire suppression system, repairing the bars, putting a new roof on, replacing all of the HVAC” and undergoing a new…

On Saturday, June 28, Trampled By Turtles will headline one of Minnesota’s favorite outdoor venues—Duluth’s Bayfront Festival Park—with special guests Doomtree, Low, and Haley Bonar. Tickets go on sale this Friday, April 25th, at noon. The Trampled By Turtles crew have been busy as of late, and don’t seem to plan on slowing down. Dave…

Tina and the B-Sides: Barricade Once fixtures of the Minneapolis New Wave circuit in the 80s, Tina Schlieske and her backing band the B-Sides—or “the B-Side Movement”—have spent recent years leaning toward roots rock and Americana. Now, in 2014, five years after the release of their Best Of in 2009 and 14 years after their most recent…

Last week, Prince announced that he’s made up with Warner Bros., the label with whom he had previously cut ties. Almost immediately, the Purple One promptly released a new single, “The Breakdown,” available for streaming and for download on iTunes. He debuted the song in concert last fall, and during his takeover of Arsenio Hall’s show…

There is an unsung hero at the root of much of modern rock, blues, and jazz. Blues great B.B. King called him the most influential guitarist of the twentieth century. His music laid the foundation for rock guitar heroes like Buddy Holly and Jimi Hendrix. Yet few people recognize his name. This is exactly the…

On July 15, Target Field will host Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game. The next month, on August 2, the Minnesota Twins’ outdoor field will host a performer who would be on anyone’s list of rock ‘n’ roll all-stars: Sir Paul McCartney. The gig is a long-awaited coup for the venue, certain to excite rock and pop…

While I sit here and try to figure out how I’m going to split myself in two and somehow get myself to all six of the equally compelling shows happening in the Twin Cities tonight, why don’t you take a gander at some of the latest and greatest videos to emerge from the scene? Fort…

Among the many awkwardnesses of my strange little generation—I was born in 1975, as Generation X was plowing into the deep demographic ditch from which the Millennials would rise—is that it’s been hard for some of us to know how to feel about the vinyl resurgence. People ten years younger than me have no living…