astralblak – “Jerkin” In this video, astralblak luxuriate in free time. “Jerkin,” directed by avant-gardist rappers Nazeem & Spencer Joles, features the members of the band enjoying sushi; yoga; and time at the roller rink. Tonight, they’ll pass the mood on to fans at the Fine Line, headlining a bill that also promises performances from Nazeem &…

Jake Edwin Charles Kennedy, aka Jake Bugg, was born today in 1994, making him 25 today. So for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear from bands with bug names?

February 27 is National Retro Day - a day to reflect on the time before smartphones and the internet and fondly remember a simpler time. Let's take a slight twist on this for today's 9:30 Coffee Break: what songs do you want to hear from modern artists that have a retro throwback sound?

Taking stock of Aretha Franklin's incomparable legacy can be overwhelming...so why not start with Meredith Ochs's accessible, photo-heavy introduction to the Queen of Soul?

Big V’s is closing this week (and immediately reopening under a new name and ownership), after four decades as a University Avenue landmark. We asked some local musicians and fans to share their Big V’s stories. Mark Larson (The Fattenin’ Frogs, the Federales) My best memory from Big V’s was at the first show of…

Last week, Mary Lucia shared a list of 10 music documentaries she recommends for binge-watching during winter weather. The snow continues, and this week, Mary shares some of your music-documentary recommendations.

So many wonderful artists were born today -- which ones would you like to hear for today's 9:30 Coffee break? And for fun, let's add plus or minus one day.

Through the front window of Big V’s in St. Paul, past the light rail tracks, looms the new soccer stadium on the other side of University Ave. Change is coming, and at the end of the worst February — weather-wise, that is — the Midwest has seen in almost six decades, Vick (a.k.a. Big V)…

During the time between their studio session and their sold-out gig at First Avenue in Minneapolis, Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz of Mandolin Orange took time to talk about the guitar they play, a Herringbone guitar made by the Pre-War Guitars Company in North Carolina.

Throughout Minnesota but especially in southern parts of the state, driving has been...complicated, with roads and events canceled, shoveling being frustrating and people feeling stir crazy trapped in their houses. So for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear that reference feeling stuck, trapped or stranded?