As mundane as it can feel to talk about, it’s impossible to separate the culture of the Twin Cities from their frigid winters. Even the toughest born-and-bred Minnesotans can find themselves down in the dumps during cold months. With subzero wind chills and mountains of graying snow, calendars across the cities become dotted with residencies:…

As part of the making of Prince: The Story of 1999, Andrea Swensson got the chance to speak to Prince's longtime collaborator and keyboard player, Lisa Coleman. Lisa joined Prince's band in the early 1980s and became a member of the Revolution. 'Hang around Prince, and stuff was going to happen,' Coleman recalls. Listen to Andrea's full conversation with Lisa Coleman.

Today, December 17, is Wright Brothers Day. So for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear that mention flight, airplanes, jets, pilots, wings, the sky, etc.?

Renowned saxophonist and jazz musician Irv Williams has passed away at the age of 100. For today's 9:30 Coffee Break in his memory, what jazz songs - classic and contemporary - would you like to hear?

Paisley Park has announced the dates for the fourth annual Celebration, a festival that commemorates the life and legacy of Prince. After three years of April dates, the upcoming Celebration will move to June. The event, which features performances and panels with prominent Prince contributors and associates, will be held from June 4-7, 2020. As…

Donors including many members of the Minnesota music community have contributed nearly $12,000, as of this writing, to support Cedar Cultural Center assistant director of events Michael Lord. According to a GoFundMe campaign organized by Joshua Koepp, “on December 9th, Michael suffered a stroke and was brought to Abbott Northwestern for observation and urgent care.…

Big Thief return with their second album of 2019, 'Two Hands'.

Grammy-winning songwriter, producer and musician Nile Rodgers talks to Andrea Swensson about his friendship with and the influence of Prince. 'Prince made such an impression on the world,' Rodgers says, 'that it was one of those magical forces that was undeniable.'

Today in 2013, Beyonce's self-titled album was released with no advance notice, sending radio stations scrambling to get the songs on the air and generating lots of free publicity. So for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear that were from surprise album drops?

Twin Cities hip-hop artist Dua Saleh has released an innovative video for their new single “pretty kitten.” In collaboration with a design team assembled by Minneapolis agency Zeus Jones, Saleh crowdsourced vertical videos to create what they call “the first ever fan-contributed music video entirely made of Instagram face filters.” Speaking recently with Andrea Swensson…