Bob Dylan has granted a rare televised interview about his lyrics and themes. The fine print: it’s a very short interview, with a talking computer, in an ad for IBM. (News Cut) Yoko Ono gathered over 2,000 people in New York’s Central Park to honor John Lennon‘s upcoming 75th birthday. That made for a pretty big…

Late last spring I got a job as an usher at Northrop, the newly refurbished concert hall at the heart of the University of Minnesota—Twin Cities campus. The majestic architecture and the famous acts who play the venue had always intrigued me, and working as an usher seemed like the perfect way to get to know both…

It's #MPRBooksDay during our Member Drive, and it turns out there are a lot of musical artists who have had a turn at writing books. So for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear by musicians who are also authors? Send us your requests.

At the end of May, MSU-Mankato band Navigating North drove through the night to North Carolina and recorded an entire EP, all in about 48 hours. The members of the band—Hailey Johnson, Josiah Jorgensen, and Jay Seaser—originally met as part of a worship team in the MSU campus ministry, the Navigators. The band happened organically, says Seaser. “We just started jamming…

Hozier has been sparring with singer-songwriter Chilly Gonzales, who pointed out similarities between Hozier’s 2013 hit “Take Me to Church” and the 2011 song “How Come You Never Go There” by Feist—a single that Gonzales played piano on. Hozier threatened to sue Gonzales for implying that he plagiarized the song; Gonzales apologized, and Hozier now says “there are no hard feelings…

October 5 is Do Something Nice Day. So for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear that are about being nice, doing good or trying to be good? Send us your requests.

For one night only, this Friday the Duluth Homegrown Music Festival will bring its “up north” vibes down to Minneapolis for an evening of music at the University of Minnesota’s Whole Music Club at Coffman Memorial Union. Performers will include Mary Bue, Dad’s Acid, Cherry Cola, and Unknown Creatures. The annual Duluth Homegrown Festival started…

Since December’s last Blowout show ever, Doomtree have kept busy; sites like First Avenue, Boston Calling, and Justin Vernon’s Eaux Claires Festival have all seen high-energy sets. Among fans, though, a question still lingered: what—if anything—could replace the Blowouts? This year, the answer is Doomtree Zoo. A one-day festival at CHS Field (home to the St. Paul…

Este Haim, 29, never saw the original Lillith Fair—but she says that she and her sisters (who are also her bandmates in Haim) talk “all the time” about how they’d love to revive the festival, or create a female-driven festival like it. Her dream lineup would include Lorde, Florence + the Machine, CHVRCHES, Jenny Lewis, Savages, and of course Haim’s tourmate Taylor…

Tomorrow night, Saturday, Oct. 3, Chastity Brown will join Vieux Farka Touré at the Dakota Jazz Club. Brown will be stepping in for NYC-based singer Julia Easterlin—Touré’s tour collaborator, who was unable to perform for the Minneapolis show. Born in Niafunké, Mali, Touré – often referred to as “The Hendrix of the Sahara” – is the son of the late…