Yesterday, two friends and I decided at about 2:00 in the afternoon we’d make the hour-long, interstate trek out to River Falls for a free concert by Hippo Campus. We’ve all been Hippo Campus fans for some time now, but we missed most of their home shows this winter and have been foraging for any shows close…

July 22 is Hammock Day! For today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear while relaxing in a hammock? Send us your requests.

A new video for Prince’s song “Baltimore” features footage from the protests after the death of Freddie Gray, as well as photos and video from his “Rally 4 Peace” concert in May. The video, published to the YouTube account of Eryn Allen Kane—who sings on the track—also features animated lyrics underscoring Prince’s themes of mourning…

Minneapolis synth rockers Enemy Planes advanced to the final round of Hard Rock Rising, an international rock band competition. The group is flying to Barcelona for the live band championship on Thursday, July 23. More than 13,000 bands entered the competition with an A-list of judges: the E Street Band’s Steven Van Zandt, Panic! at the Disco’s Brendon…

An all-star group of musicians will perform a special orchestrated rendition of Big Star‘s 1978 album Third (later reissued as Sister Lovers) at First Avenue on Sept. 30. The musicians—including Big Star member Jody Stephens, Mike Mills (R.E.M.), and Chris Stamey (the dB’s)—first reconstructed the album’s intricate arrangements in 2010, and have been performing the album at venues around…

On an On:  And The Wave Has Two Sides The swelling ambience that On an On produce on their new And The Wave Has Two Sides is something to engross yourself in. The band’s sophomore release gets personal on “Behind The Gun.” It’s dreary gray clouds drifting over a slow-moving crescendo that drifts away from…

For today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear that feature a singer or bandleader giving an audible cue to an instrumentalist or section? Send us your requests.

Country, folk and bluegrass fans are promised an “immersive music camp” atmosphere this September in “the land of Dylan.” The first two Arrowhead Music Experiences will feature workshops led by renowned singer-songwriters in northern Minnesota near Virginia and Biwabik, an area that influenced Dylan songs like “North Country Blues.” Minneapolis-based organizers Scott Schuler and Molly Maher say the camp is modeled after other…

On July 31 and Aug. 1, Cobey Rouse of batteryboy will be curating a final set of special sessions at the Southern Theater. The third annual sessions will feature intimate, one-of-a-kind performances from batteryboy, Chris Koza, Al Church, Jillian Rae, Joey Ryan, Erik Koskinen, and Moon and Pollution. These sessions are a distinctive experience for listeners…

There were two big music festivals in the midwest this past weekend: Justin Vernon and Bryce Dessner’s inaugural Eaux Claires Music and Arts Festival and the 10th anniversary Pitchfork Music Festival. Ultimately, I decided to attend Pitchfork for the third time. It is consistently one of the best music festivals year after year. The diverse…