Muhammad Ali, who died on Friday at 74, is being remembered by people from all walks of life — including musicians such as Bob Dylan. Having long taken an interest in boxing — he wrote the songs “Hurricane” and “Who Killed Davey Moore?” about boxers, and dedicated a verse to Ali (then known as Cassius Clay) on…

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds have announced their 16th studio album. Skeleton Tree will be released Sept. 9, and will debut in a one-night-only feature film called One More Time With Feeling that will be screened the preceding night at theaters across the country — including the Lagoon Cinema in Minneapolis and Zinema 2 in Duluth. “The project…

Prince has set a chart record for having more albums simultaneously in the Billboard 200 than any other artist ever has. With 19 albums in this week’s chart, Prince smashes a record previously held by the Beatles with 13 albums. (Star Tribune) Amanda Palmer and Jherek Bischoff have shared an orchestral rendition of “Purple Rain”: a ten-minute track being…

Guitarist Thomas Fekete, a founding member of indie-rock band Surfer Blood, has died at age 27 of a rare form of cancer. Fekete shared his diagnosis with fans a year ago, dropping out of a tour with Surfer Blood and releasing a solo cassette; artists including Yo La Tengo and Guided By Voices pitched in to help raise funds…

Beth Orton has taken down the video for her song “1973,” after being criticized for spray-painting a Joshua tree in the video. Joshua trees are under government protection, and painting them can be harmful. Orton says she believed the tree was dead when she applied the paint, and that she is “truly devastated” to learn…

On the first episode of his new Sirius XMU show, Julian Casablancas premiered a new Strokes song, “OBLIVIUS,” and announced that a new EP — Future Present Past — will be released June 3. The EP’s two other songs, “Drag Queen” and “Threat of Joy,” later premiered on Beats 1 and BBC Radio 1 respectively, and all three are…

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater stopped by to wish happy seventh birthday to Obadiah Gamble after the local youngster made a music video inviting Bridgewater to his party, and the video went viral. (City Pages) Fatal violence erupts at T.I. show Three were shot, one fatally, at a Wednesday night T.I. concert in New York. Just before the Atlanta…

Gord Downie, frontman of The Tragically Hip, has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. In a statement, the band say Downie, 52, has “endured a lot of difficult times, and has been fighting hard.” Nonetheless, a tour is being planned for this summer, and the Kingston, Ontario band say it will be their best yet. (Billboard) Update:…

Neon Indian has paid tribute to Prince with a cover of “Pop Life” that features contributions from Holy Ghost!, Kristin Kontrol, and several more guest artists. (Pitchfork) Questlove defends Madonna After the BET Awards criticized Madonna’s Billboard Music Awards tribute to Prince, Questlove responded by defending her performance. “Every Prince rendition will not be a life-changing orgasmic xperience,” tweeted the Roots leader. “Just…

At Sunday night’s Billboard Music Awards, Madonna paid tribute to Prince with a rendition of “Nothing Compares 2 U,” followed by a duet with Stevie Wonder on “Purple Rain.” Watch the video at Stereogum. Also at the awards, Kesha sang Bob Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me Babe.” The Star Tribune has published details of Prince’s final days. According to the report, Prince was…