At The Current, we love music and we also love books about music. This month, Oake & Riley in the Morning associate producer Anna Reed reviews Bob Boilen's 'Your Song Changed My Life'.

Everybody who knows anything about First Avenue knows its significance to the 1980s music scene. The heart of the Twin Cities punk and funk scenes during the time, the historic nightclub was the pulse of the music that was coming out of Minnesota. Complicated Fun: The Minneapolis Music Scene, a new play presented by the History Theatre…

“Outlaw country” legend Merle Haggard was laid to rest on Saturday at Haggard’s Shasta County, California ranch. Per the request of Haggard himself, the private funeral service was officiated by country singer Marty Stuart. Stuart sang Haggard’s “Silver Wings” in a duet with Connie Smith, and Haggard’s friend and tourmate Kris Kristofferson also sang three songs. At the close…

Following a phone prank that resulted in fast-food workers smashing the windows of their restaurant, we're wondering what songs you'd like to hear that mention glass. Send us your requests.

From its very first song, Ray LaMontagne lets us know 'Ouroboros' is a different sort of outing. Stepping away from the easy-breezy folk music he's been known for, LaMontagne gives us a dreamy psychedelic album.

N.W.A., Cheap Trick, Deep Purple, Chicago, and Steve Miller were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in a Friday night ceremony that was marked by an unusual amount of controversy. During Miller’s acceptance speech, the classic-rock stalwart admonished the Rock Hall “to be more inclusive of women, and to be more transparent in your dealings with the public”;…

Each week on the Local Show, we’ll meet a new person from the Minnesota music community who has some fresh discoveries to share in a feature called “Ask a Cool Person.” These people will come from all corners of the scene, including record store clerks, recording studio engineers and producers, artists, writers, bookers, photographers, and…

On July 21, 1987, Guns N’ Roses’ groundbreaking debut album, Appetite for Destruction, was released on Geffen Records. It went on to become the best-selling debut album in history, but sales really didn’t start picking up until the following year, thanks in part to regular airplay on MTV (back when it played music videos). That’s when Appetite connected with…

Happy Rex Manning Day! For today's Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear from movies that feature a record store?

From locally-grown and Minnesota-made music videos to a feature-length documentary about Japanese punk rock performance artists, the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival offers an eclectic mix for local music lovers. The festival kicked off last night, April 7, and will continue through April 23 with events and screenings at venues around the Twin Cities. Here are five highlights.…