Around this time each year, local music enthusiasts typically gather in Winona, Minnesota to attend the Midwest Music Fest. This year, due to social distancing rules, Mid West Music Fest is going virtual, and is now Midwest Music Fest at home. The event will be streamed from the Midwest Music Fest Facebook, YouTube, and Vimeo,…

If you have a music video you’d like to be considered for an upcoming feature, send it my way: fridayfive [at] mpr.org! Early Eyes – “Clarity” Perched on rooftops and hopping around railroad bridges, Early Eyes’ latest video showcases their effortless magnetism as a band better than ever before. With sticky bass lines and gauzy vocals,…

Prior to the cancellation of her 2020 tour, Sophie Allison, a.k.a. Soccer Mommy, was ready to hit the road and promote her latest record, color theory. To make it up to her fans, the 22-year-old singer-songwriter has been trying to provide performances and content across a variety of digital platforms. The Nashville-based artist has remained…

No one knows when exactly venues will reopen, but many have speculated that it could be many months or even over a year until we are able to safely gather in large crowds again. “It was estimated that 90% of independent venues and promoters could close if this goes more than six months,” said First…

'Resistance' means many things in the title of Tori Amos's new book about her songs and their inspirations.

It's May the 4th - the unofficial holiday celebrating the Star Wars franchise. It's a pun on the famous line "May the force be with you" and it was allegedly coined by Margaret Thatcher's followers in 1979. Wow! For today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear that a fan of Star Wars might love?

“I just want to say thank you,” said Dessa in an emotional video posted to Twitter on Sunday. “You’ve been an important port through so many storms.” Her sentiments echoed those of many Minnesotans paying tribute to the Lyn-Lake restaurant Muddy Waters. It opened in 1987 as a coffee shop at 24th and Lyndale before,…

The Strokes return with their long-awaited sixth studio album, 'The New Abnormal'.

As a part of her Phone a Friend series, Morning Show host Jill Riley got a chance to catch up with Britt Daniel (Spoon, Divine Fits) and talk about upcoming releases that are being written during this period of isolation, as well the impact that the coronavirus has had on Austin, Texas, and the celebration…

May 1 is International Workers' Day - a celebration of laborers and the working classes. So for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear for the working class?