The A.V. Club, the arts and culture site that’s part of The Onion’s digital network, invited Hippo Campus in to participate in their “Undercover” series. Each year, the A.V. Club makes a list of songs and invites bands into their Chicago office to cover them. Once a song is picked, it gets scratched off the list, so the later…

CHVRCHES have released an evocative new video for their song “Leave a Trace.” The song will appear on the band’s new album Every Open Eye, due out Sept. 25. (Pitchfork) After the video’s release, frontwoman Lauren Mayberry responded forcefully to negative comments made by some users of the site 4chan regarding Mayberry’s appearance in the video.…

Last Friday, legendary record producer Bob Johnston passed away in Nashville, Tenn., at age 83. So for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, let's remember one of the studio greats. What songs produced by Bob Johnston do you want to hear? Send us your requests.

Amid hot and volatile weather, this year’s electro-centric Summer Set Music & Camping Festival had its ups and down but definitely had a lot to offer. This weekend featuredacts ranging from local jam bands to old-school hip-hop acts to Top 40 hitmakers. Summer Set is becoming one of the area’s biggest annual music festivals, and it’s clear that…

When a chunk of First Avenue’s ceiling collapsed Wednesday evening, the story was covered by media outlets across the country and beyond. How is this Minneapolis institution seen by people outside of Minnesota? The coverage gave us an opportunity to find out. Unsurprisingly, mentions of Purple Rain were all but mandatory; the Replacements and Hüsker Dü also…

The name of Frank Turner's new (and sixth) studio album could also be his mission statement. It's clear the them to this ablum is about finding the positive in many situations. Turner has taken that attitude and set it to music.

Record producer Bob Johnston has died, at age 83, in a Nashville hospice. Johnston worked on some of the most acclaimed albums of the rock era, including Bob Dylan‘s Blonde on Blonde, Johnny Cash‘s At Folsom Prison, and Simon and Garfunkel‘s Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. It was Johnston to whom Dylan was speaking when he said, “Is it rolling, Bob?” at…

After almost two years in the making, the Diverse Emerging Music Organization (DEMO) Center For Music will finally be opening in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis. Expected to be functional for many purposes, the space’s proprietors hope to host music lessons, workshops, discussion groups, and live performances for all ages. The driving force behind the center…

As the new N.W.A. film 'Straight Outta Compton' opens, we're wondering what other artists you think deserve a biopic. Request a song by an artist you'd like to see portrayed in a biopic, and in your request, be sure to tell us which actors you think should play the role of your requested artists.

Back in February, I wrote an article called “10 Twin Cities Bands to Watch,” a roundup of brand-new acts I liked. Somehow, over the course of the past six months, all of those bands found each other and decided to put together a two-day showcase. They asked me to host the whole thing, and I…