Watch video of an interview Mac Wilson had with Alex O'Connor, aka Rex Orange County. O'Connor talks about being on tour, about mental health in the music industry, and about his latest album, 'Pony.'

It's Alice Cooper's birthday, and today in 1976 David Bowie debuted his persona as The Thin White Duke. So, for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, we'd like to take a moment to celebrate artists with personas.

Saturday night saw First Ave welcome a who’s who of contemporary Minnesota music: Velvet Negroni, Dizzy Fae, Ness Nite, Iron Boy, Marijuana Deathsquads, and Hippo Campus. All these acts and more took the Mainroom stage as part of of Andrew Broder’s “Don’t F— This Up” benefit show. Proceeds from the event were donated to Voices…

Honoring the passing of Gang of Four's guitarist Andy Gill, today's theme is post-punk songs, illustrating the band's lasting influence. For today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what post-punk songs do you want to hear?

Norman Beavers is the keyboard player for funk institution Lakeside. He’s been in that band since the late 1960s. Lakeside are still going strong, playing shows throughout the year. When Beavers isn’t on the road with Lakeside, he’s right here in the Twin Cities, living in St. Paul. Purple Current host Sean McPherson recently got…

'Never Not Together' has all the hallmarks of the genre Nada Surf helped define but with a refined touch that comes from life experience and humility.

A founding member of the band and its only constant member since 1979, Gill's influence with Gang of Four was far reaching. Artists including Michael Stipe of R.E.M., Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, Bono from U2, and Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers all have cited Gang of Four as a vital influence.

It's been cloudy 72 percent of the time this month. The University of Minnesota St. Paul Campus Observatory has recorded the lowest amount of solar radiation for a January since solar radiation records began in 1963. We need some sun in the Twin Cities so today's Coffee Break theme is sunshine!

To submit music videos for consideration — whether they’re your own, or just new Minnesota music videos you think are awesome — e-mail fridayfive@mpr.org. MaLLy feat. Aby Wolf – “FLYING” MaLLy joins forces with frequent Dessa collaborator Aby Wolf, and her glimmering vocals sound right at home interspersed with MaLLy’s verses. It comes from his…

In town for a show at the Palace Theatre in St. Paul, Mandolin Orange's Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz visited The Current for a conversation with Mike Pengra about what proved to be a meteoric year for the band, some of their side projects, the music of Bob Dylan, and what might be next for the Chapel Hill, N.C., outfit.