Loud. Fast. Rules. With those three simple words, one of the biggest rock bands to come out of Minnesota was born. Before they were known as Soul Asylum, Loud Fast Rules was a band of energetic young dudes from Minneapolis who served food at downtown restaurants by day and tore up the 7th St. Entry…

On the 80th birthday of Johnny Mathis, let's celebrate those singers who perform in a smooth, intimate voice. For today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear by crooners past or present? Send us your requests.

Lorde appears as a guest vocalist on the new Disclosure single “Magnets.” A new video for the song is basically one long makeout session starring the New Zealand sensation—with a dramatic twist ending. (Rolling Stone) When EDM artist Oscar Powell e-mailed Steve Albini to ask the famous producer’s permission to use a vocal sample from Albini’s tenure with the…

Hippo Campus: South EP The boys of Hippo Campus have grown up. Fresh out of high school with a successful record already behind them, their songwriting has turned up some grit on the singles “The Halocline” and “South.” Don’t worry, though: they’re still as catchy as ever. The band’s new EP South comes out on Friday,…

On Monday, Sept. 28, NASA announced new findings that provide the 'strongest evidence yet' of salty liquid water currently existing on Mars. So for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear that mention Mars? Send us your requests.

Fresh off his recent visit to the U.S., Pope Francis has announced that he’ll release a rock album. Wake Up!, which will be released on Nov. 27, “features the Pontiff delivering sacred hymns and excerpts of his most moving speeches in multiple languages paired with uplifting musical accompaniment ranging from pop-rock to Gregorian chant,” explains Rolling Stone. As Billboard…

Tomorrow night Milkweed Editions and the Southern Theater will host a gathering of authors, musicians, and author-musicians to discuss and perform their work. The event serves as a book launch for Brian Laidlaw‘s first full-length poetry collection, The Stuntman. The evening’s focus is on the relationships among poetry, music, and communities. In addition to Laidlaw, the evening will include performances by Allison LaBonne…

Listener Brett sent us an email recently. 'I love songs with clapping in them!' she writes. For today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear that include hand claps? Send us your requests.

'Caracal' is a production masterpiece featuring some of the best contemporary voices of 2015. It works as an album and is more listenable than most rock albums out this year.

Concerts and festivals this past weekend brought out a number of unexpected duets. In Phoenix, Foo Fighters were joined on stage by Jewel, and together they covered Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love.” (Rolling Stone) In Nashville, Steven Tyler joined Taylor Swift for a rendition of Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.” (Rolling Stone)…