It's the birthday of singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, who wrote 'The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald'; the song tells the story of an iron-ore ship that sank in Lake Superior 40 years ago this month. For today's Coffee Break, what songs based on actual events would you like to hear?

Future Fossils: Future Fossils EP It’s all about the 808 with Future Fossils, who you may know as Kids Like Us. They’ve reincarnated for their debut self-titled EP as Future Fossils. The EP doesn’t hold back, with features from big local names like Muja Messiah and Big Zach being featured alongside some new faces such…

Hard to believe it hasn’t snowed in the Twin Cities yet, but if you’re already looking for a Minnesota winter retreat, consider Texas. The annual South by Southwest Music Festival returns March 15-20, 2016 in Austin and five Minnesota-linked acts have been announced in the first two rounds of official SXSW performers: Har Mark Superstar,…

More than 30 years after its release, Prince’s cult classic Purple Rain has been reimagined as a Nigerien film named Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai, often shortened to simply Akounak. The title literally translates to “Rain the Color of Blue With a Little Red In It,” as the Tuareg language has no word for purple. Director Christopher Kirkley describes…

Hailey Colwell wrote for our Local Current blog as a college contributor when she was attending the University of Minnesota—Twin Cities. She graduated this spring, and this fall she’s been living in Paris. This post is republished, with permission, from her blog Des mots // du monde. We had spent the night in a trance-like state, going between…

Prince has indefinitely postponed his solo European tour in the wake of Friday’s terrorist attacks in Paris. The tour would have included two December shows in Paris, as well as performances at 15 more cities across the continent. (NME) I was upset when they put those up in the morning @Prince3EG but totally understand your…

Following Friday's attacks in Paris, among the many things to which people turn for comfort is music. There are songs that express empathy, hope and solidarity. What message would you like to send, and what song does that for you? Let us know. For today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs for Paris do you want to hear?

Thanksgiving hasn’t even happened yet, but people are already thinking about next year’s Minnesota State Fair concerts. The Dixie Chicks just announced that they will be playing at the Grandstand on Aug. 27, 2016 as part of their U.S. tour. It has been over ten years since their last U.S. tour and, as singer Natalie Maines…

Although he could probably walk away from music after the success of 'Once,' Glen Hansard obviously enjoys making music. And on his second solo album, 'Didn't He Ramble,' Hansard shows that he is just plain good at it.

The world is reeling in the wake of a series of brutal terrorist attacks in Paris. Friday’s coordinated assaults by the extremist group known as ISIS took 132 lives and wounded hundreds more. Adding poignance to this tragedy, for music fans, is the fact that the most deadly of the assaults took place at a rock concert: a…