A new study based on recorded calls over two years determined which is the fastest-talking state in the union. The fastest talkers are in Oregon and the second-fastest are in Minnesota. For today's 9:30 Coffee Break, send us your ideas for songs that feature fast talking or fast singing.

A new electronic label has popped up in Minneapolis. Pytch – the name will make sense in a minute – began while producer Ryan Olcott (FoodTeam, Mystery Palace, 12 Rods, c.Kostra) was working with Garrison Grouse on Grouse’s record last year. Grouse and Olcott say they didn’t exactly have an epiphany moment leading up to Pytch’s official…

Nazeem Cunningham met Spencer Joles in middle school, and neither expected to be making music together almost a decade later. “I kind of just went up to him and started freestyling, but we wouldn’t ever freestyle about anything or have it rhyme. It would just be ridiculous,” Joles said. By the time the collaborators, now…

Warner Bros. has acquired the rights to make a movie based on the story of Zach Sobiech — the Lakeland teenager who died of osteosarcoma in 2013, just after his 18th birthday, leaving a musical legacy including the unforgettable song “Clouds.” His mother Laura Sobiech told the family’s story in her 2014 memoir Fly a Little Higher, which is to…

The Pines: Above the Prairie The Pines describe themselves as “transcendental folk.” The group — who hail from Moonrise, Iowa, but have strong local ties due in part to their longstanding relationship with St. Paul’s Red House Records — have never sounded more transcendental than on Above the Prairie, the new album they’re releasing on Friday. The title,…

In honor of the rare "Corpse Flower" set to bloom at the U of M this week, let's hear your suggestions for songs whose lyrics reference flowers and plants for today's 9:30 Coffee Break.

Singer-songwriters Rachael Kilgour (of Duluth) and Sarah Morris (of the Twin Cities) both competed in the 14th annual 2015 NewSong Contest, held last month at Lincoln Center in New York City. It’s a worldwide contest, with over 1,500 entrants this year, that is a showcase for up-and-coming artists to present their original musical compositions. (NewSong is a record…

When you imagine a concert presented by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, you probably picture the classical pros playing Beethoven in their new concert hall at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. Think again, though. Picture indie siren Zola Jesus and pianist Stephen Prutsman at the Amsterdam Bar & Hall. Picture rapper Serengeti collaborating…

With warm Boats and Bluegrass memories fading and the Mid West Music Fest yet to blossom this spring, the Weathered Heads — along with the help of some friends, and Minneapolis’s Insight Brewing — may have just what Winona music lovers need to get through the remaining frigid winter months. The rock-pop band will perform Feb. 18-21 at…

Howard was raised on her father's junkyard in the small town of Athens, Ala. "It was a really interesting way to grow up," she tells Fresh Air host Terry Gross. Listen to the complete interview.