Saxophonist and best-selling memoirist James McBride offers an anti-music biography with "Kill 'Em and Leave: Searching for James Brown and the American Soul."

Some “making of” stories are more significant than the next. On the less captivating side, there are the songs that take steady work, their authors adjusting minute details at every turn. And then there’s “First Take” by local artist Dua, featuring a beat by Ness Nite compatriot Mike Frey. Dua has been creating art for…

Last week, Mary Lucia welcomed her friend and mentor Kevin Cole to the airwaves. ' Kevin has been at the inception of all things cool in Minneapolis: a trusted record store taste maker, club DJ, and program director of one of the most innovative radio stations this town has seen,' Mary writes. Read more of Mary's thoughts about Kevin Cole, and listen to their full conversation.

Today is National Teacher Day - a day to celebrate the hard-working teachers in our lives. So for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear for teachers?

Mayte Garcia talks with Jill Riley and Brian Oake about her new book 'The Most Beautiful: My Life with Prince' before her reading and book signing evert at the University Club of St. Paul.

One of the quintessential viral videos, entitled “Chocolate Rain,” has officially turned a decade old. For those in need of a refresher (or who are too young to remember), you can watch the original video below. “Chocolate Rain” was published to YouTube on April 22, 2007. The song was written, produced, and recorded by Tay Zonday.…

As I walked into Treehouse Records on this past, balmy, Saturday afternoon, I immediately noticed that I was the youngest person in the building by a good margin. And it was awesome. A crowd was gathered to watch the Suicide Commandos play an acoustic set of new songs a day after the release of Time…

Today in 1990, Frito-Lay used a Tom Waits sound-alike in a Doritos commercial and had to pay dearly for the unauthorized move. So for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear that have been famously used in a commercial?

Earlier this spring, the powerhouse soul singer Sonny Knight announced that he would be canceling all of his scheduled tour dates so that he could undergo chemotherapy treatment for cancer. It was shocking news for a local community who had become accustomed to seeing Sonny command stages at the Fitzgerald Theater, First Avenue, and the…

Equal parts history lesson, autobiography and love letter, 'All The Beauty In This Whole Life' delivers Brother Ali's bone-cracking messages while maintaining a beautiful amount of gratitude.