Phantogram are one of those rare duos who fit perfectly into the diverse Twin Cities music scene. Their advanced, electronic production combined with the soul of a punk rock band makes their sound speak to listeners of every type of music. They were an obvious choice to round out the Palace’s opening weekend. Phantogram’s set…

Laura Marling's latest album presents a California-tinged evolution of Marling's sound, exploring new ways of using her gifts and searching her creativity for a new form of muse. Although Marling may twist our expectations, 'Semper Femina' may be her most accessible album yet.

For the second night in a row, the Palace Theatre was packed with fans eager to see a lineup of all-local artists. They definitely drew an older demographic than Atmosphere on opening night, but the venue still felt like a perfect fit. The Cloak Ox opened the show, with Jake Hanson (Halloween, Alaska; Mason Jennings)…

It was one year ago today that 236 people attending a sold-out tribute to Ray Charles at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres got the surprise of a lifetime: Midway through the song “Let the Good Times Roll,” the city’s most famous resident, Prince, stepped out of the wings and onto the side of the stage to…

As the first show announcements rolled out, it seemed unclear what the very first public performance at the reopened Palace Theatre would be. It wasn’t a certainty that the first performer would be local, particularly with the room’s 2,800 capacity. Atmosphere, though, were a perfect choice for the first act to headline the stage: their local pedigree can’t…

The 48th annual NAACP Image Awards took place last month, and in the audience in Los Angeles were some very special nominees from the state of Minnesota. Going up against artists such as Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Bruno Mars, and Common were students from St. Paul’s High School for Recording Arts (HSRA) — for their collaboration with Sounds…

We'll be springing forward this weekend for Daylight Saving Time which begins first thing on Sunday. So for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs that mention time or clocks, or make tick tock sounds would you like to hear?

Gaelynn Lea, “Watch the World Unfold” Since winning last year’s NPR Tiny Desk Contest, violinist/songwriter Gaelynn Lea has toured non-stop. But her newest video, a stop-motion piece by New Jersey’s Melanie Schantz, breathes tranquility. Lea and guitarist Al Church, along with a couple dozen other Minnesota artists, are headed to South by Southwest this week.  P.O.S,…

The artist formerly known as Haley Bonar formally changed her name and would like to be artistically referred to as HALEY. In honor of her new moniker, what single-named artists would you like to hear for today's 9:30 Coffee Break?

SXSW is one of the largest festivals of its kind in the world, celebrating film, music and interactive media in a whirlwind of events spanning several days. Among the hundreds of artists who will be performing at this year’s music festival are a few Minnesota musicians who will be making the trek to Austin to play…