Scan the listings of the Twin Cities concert calendar each week, and chances are you’ll notice a pair of familiar words popping up time and time again: “Benefit concert.” The age-old practice of offering up a few sets of live music in exchange for donations from attendees has become something of a tradition in…

  Unearthed this past week in Duluth, after a decade of rumors of its existence, is the only known live performance footage by the Hospital People. Who were the Hospital People, you ask? During the late ’90s, Low bandmates Alan Sparhawk and Zak Sally began experimenting with electronic sounds and formed a side project they…

  The Walker Art Center unveiled its Music & Movies 2013 lineup this afternoon, which will once again feature a handful of Minnesota acts warming up for free movie screenings Monday evenings in July and August. There are a few surprises in this year’s lineup—namely, a night that will feature two separate musical performances, with…

  Metasota, a.k.a Meta, is one of those names that I heard people mention here and there, but for whatever reason I never took it upon myself to fully seek his music out. I actually just remembered while writing this that about a year ago, I was approached by a national retail clothing chain to…

  While most high school seniors have spent the school year looking ahead to the future, terminally ill Lakeland, Minnesota teenager Zach Sobiech has spent his time staring down the unimaginable. As his classmates made plans for prom and filled out college applications, Sobiech and his family juggled two unexpected, alternate realities: Zach’s bone cancer…

  Art-A-Whirl was rocking hard all day saturday. With many venues hosting concerts, lots of people were on bikes and on foot walking around the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District to enjoy the music as well as the art. The show at the 331 Club drew a large crowd that grew into the afternoon and evening…

Sue McLean, a high-profile concert promoter in the Twin Cities and the largest independent female promoter in the world, passed away today from cancer. She was 63. McLean had a 30-plus year career promoting concerts in Minnesota, starting with booking local bands like the Suicide Commandos and Curtiss A in the ’70s, working as the…

  Hot off the YouTube presses, here’s a handful of fresh videos to help you pass the time this afternoon. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for good weather this weekend, because we have no shortage of outdoor options at our fingertips. From all of the cool (and free) events happening at Art-A-Whirl to all the…

  As its name suggests, Art-A-Whirl is a celebration of all of the talented artists who live and work in Northeast Minneapolis. In addition to the hundreds of visual and fine artists who will open their galleries and studios to the public this weekend, Art-A-Whirl also has a huge musical component, with dozens of bands…

  It’s gearing up to be another busy summer for the members of Doomtree. P.O.S. is getting ready to play Soundset, Dessa is touring the East Coast in anticipation of her new album, Parts of Speech, and Sims has just announced a co-headlining show at First Avenue with his friend and longtime collaborator, Astronautalis. In…