On Sunday night the the Treasure Island Music Festival in San Francisco, Lauren Mayberry of CHVRCHES joined The National for a performance of the National song “I Need My Girl.” (Pitchfork) After covering Taylor Swift‘s album 1989 song-for-song, Ryan Adams sat down with Swift for a conversation about the differences between their relative interpretations of the material. (Rolling Stone) Don…

With news that London's Big Ben may temporarily fall silent due to necessary repairs, we're thinking about bells. So for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear that use bells or that mention bells or ringing? Send us your requests.

A benefit concert to support local musician Shon Troth, who is fighting cancer, has been announced for Nov. 11 at the LynLake Brewery. The benefit will feature music from Solid Gold, Dream Crusher, Johnny & Molly of Communist Daughter, Sean Anonymous, Phillip Morris, and DJ Name. Troth has been a musician and bartender in the Twin Cities…

Some Minnesotans dread the coming of the fall’s first snow, and others look forward to it with excited anticipation. We’ve chosen the latter route. In fact, the first time it snows, we’re going to have a party: a Prince party. When MPR News weather guru Paul Huttner officially certifies that one inch of snow has…

Kurt Vile's sixth studio album shows Vile's evolution as an artist and his exploration of his identity as a songwriter. The album showcases a mix of Vile's serious and silly sides, providing a signpost in a career of an indie-rock underdog who has found success by trying hard to not try hard.

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the Minnesotan production duo behind Janet Jackson‘s new album Unbreakable, surprised Jackson by joining her onstage Friday night in Inglewood, California. They were on hand to congratulate Jackson (and themselves) on the news that Unbreakable debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, making it Jackson’s seventh chart-topping album. (Billboard) Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead revealed…

When theatrical British rock band The Darkness come to the Varsity Theater tomorrow night, the audience will include the parents of the local baby who stars on the cover of the band’s new album, Last of Our Kind. “My husband, John, is a HUGE fan of The Darkness,” writes Colee Bean, an MPR member who lives with her…

Minnesota native Dan Wilson is renowned for his songwriting, but he is also an accomplished visual artist, specializing in calligraphy and ink drawing. Wilson's songs and visual art come alive at a show at Mia on Friday, Oct. 16; he tells The Current's Mac Wilson (no relation) all about it.

As Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band prepare for a show tonight in Minneapolis, we're wondering: For today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what tracks by supergroups do you want to hear? Send us your requests.

Patti Smith was at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois to talk about her new memoir when a fan named Noreen Bender walked up and handed Smith several items that had been stolen 36 years ago—possibly when a truck containing some of Smith’s touring equipment was stolen in Chicago in 1979. Bender said a friend gave her…