Following Celebration 2019 at Paisley Park, Andrea Swensson talks to Mary Lucia about the experience of interviewing Jesse Johnson about Prince. 'Jesse had something very specific that he wanted to share with this audience,' Andrea says, 'and it really doesn't come across in a soundbite or two.' Listen to Andrea and Mary's full conversation about what Jesse Johnson had to say about his connections to Prince.

A week after Paisley Park’s Celebration 2019, we asked attendees to share their impressions. De Angela L. Duff Traveling to Paisley Park in April has become an annual pilgrimage. This year it was hard to not be at Paisley Park on April 21. I had grown used to being there the past two years. Because…

This week we are celebrating the music and culture of Iceland. For the past couple years, The Current has ventured to Iceland Airwaves in Reykjavik to cover brand-new music. Now, we at The Current have invited some folks from Iceland to come to the Twin Cities. So for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear from Icelandic artists?

Sanitation expert and a maintenance engineer Garbage man, a janitor and you my dear A real union flight attendant, my oh my You ain’t nothin’ but a waitress in the sky The lyrics to the Replacements’ “Waitress in the Sky,” a singalong favorite from their 1985 album Tim, are hardly complimentary. What listeners might not realize,…

The new exhibit "First Avenue: Stories of Minnesota's Mainroom" opens this weekend and will run for one year at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul. So for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear from bands that created memorable experiences for you at First Avenue?

On recordings, you can sound like anything. It’s one thing to create those sounds in the studio, but bringing them to life is another matter when you have an attentive audience waiting in anticipation in the First Ave Mainroom. Fierce and all-encompassing, Foals have an energy that sucks you in and spits you out, something…

As Mental Health Month begins, we're looking back at how ten past picks for the Rock and Roll Book Club have engaged mental health issues.

This week, Mary Lucia talks to Sam Choo, content manager at Call to Mind, MPR's mental health initiative, about mental-health conditions and conversations. 'We're really leaning into talking about mental health and conditions and the people who are dealing with them in a more treatment-positive way,' Choo says.

Governor Tim Walz has declared Friday, April 26, Del Counts Band Day as they have been performing since 1961 and are widely considered the longest-running rock group in the Minnesota. So for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what bands do you want to hear that have been performing for at least 30 years? Props to the Del Counts for being together for an astounding 58 years.

The Revolution now have a star of their own at First Avenue, unveiled on April 28 during Celebration 2019. Although “Prince and the Revolution” was one of First Avenue’s original stars, the star changed to just “Prince” when the building was repainted in 2010. Since Prince’s death, the Revolution have worked hard to continue his…