April 7-13 is National Library Week, originally formed in 1958 to motivate people to read and to support libraries. So for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear for National Library Week?

You probably wouldn’t think to connect mini golf and contemporary music — beyond, maybe, the Gee Gee Shinn novelty record released by Putt-Putt Corporation in the late ’60s. There are more connective threads, though, than you might imagine. The popularity of mini golf was exploding just as rock and roll was born in the 1950s, and both came to…

Mayor Jacob Frey has issued a proclamation naming today “Trevor Engelbrektson Day” in the City of Minneapolis. Engelbrektson played bass in Southside Desire and was a familiar face at many Twin Cities venues, where he worked as a sound engineer. The musician and sound professional died in a highway crash in Arizona last month while traveling with…

We're about halfway through the time frame for submitting your Essential Songs since the year 2000, and the top 893 songs will air back during the May member drive. Here on Oake & Riley, we are just at a lost for how to get our own lists started, so let's do some brainstorming today. What are your essential songs since 2000?

The Current is partnering with Radio Milwaukee and Manitoba Music to present the annual Midwest Music Exchange. The exchange will include performances across the three regions by Manitoba’s Silence Kit, Milwaukee’s Zed Kenzo, and Minnesota’s own Lady Lark. As they prepare to take the stage at Icehouse this coming Wednesday, April 10, here’s a brief…

Marvin Gaye tapped the biggest names of the day for 'You're The Man,' including Larry Mizell, Willie Hutch, and Smokey Robinson to make this highly anticipated follow-up. The studio sessions were prolific and the writers brought their A-game.

As the weather starts to feel a bit more like spring around the Twin Cities, many formerly snowed-in cyclists are dusting off their rides and re-experiencing the outdoors on two wheels. Nothing beats the sensation of listening to your favorite tunes while riding for exercise or leisure, and studies show listening to music can even increase…

Listening to the music of Bailey “26” Cogan — songwriter, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and leader of the Minneapolis-based group 26 BATS! — is not a passive experience. While listening to the band’s latest album, Onyx, on the Green Line recently, the sharp rays of sun bouncing off windowed office buildings and fresh puddles mirrored the album’s…

Kurt Cobain of Nirvana died today in 1994 at the age of 27. Despite releasing only three full-length studio albums in their seven-year career, Nirvana has come to be regarded as one of the most influential and important rock bands of the modern era. So for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what Nirvana covers do you want to hear?

Paisley Park may be the most widely recognized brick-and-mortar locus of Prince Rogers Nelson’s half-century spent creating and producing in Minnesota; until quite recently, little was done to recognize or even protect the other homes, studios, and venues where the artist spent many years honing his sound, recording some of his best-known work, and playing…