B.B. King, one of the greatest bluesmen to ever live, has died at age 89. King had been suffering from health issues related to diabetes, and was in hospice care at his home in Las Vegas. King, wielding his signature instrument “Lucille,” was widely regarded as one of the most influential guitarists of all time. The distinctive style…

When Nashville’s Walk of Fame Park, which has been under renovation, re-opens on June 4, Jack White and Loretta Lynn will be honored. The two artists, who have collaborated in the past, will each be honored with a plaque alongside the likes of Elvis Presley and Les Paul. (NME) Blues legend B.B. King has died at age 89. (Local Current)…

For today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear by bands who have been animated? When you give your request, be sure to tell us where your artist appeared in animated form.

When explosive punk duo Birthday Suits played the Turf Club earlier this month, they had a lot of milestones to mark. Not only was it time to release their long-awaited new full-length, Spin the Bottle: Adult Party, but the band’s lead singer and guitarist, Hideo Takahashi, was returning from a year-and-a-half sojourn to Japan just in…

Courtney Barnett plays an anchorwoman in a video for “Shiny Gun,” a song by her fellow Australian Fraser A. Gorman. (Pitchfork) See Barnett IRL this summer at Rock the Garden. The first show of U2‘s world tour will happen as scheduled tonight in Vancouver despite the recent death of drummer Larry Mullen Jr.‘s father. Mullen left…

Before playing a high-profile “Rally 4 Peace” concert in Baltimore on Sunday, Prince and 3RDEYEGIRL warmed up with a “Dance Rally 4 Peace” at Paisley Park on Saturday, May 2. He’s now released 42 minutes of audio from that concert, streaming on Soundcloud. (Listen below.) On Saturday, Prince also used Soundcloud as the platform for…

Activision has announced its upcoming version of Guitar Hero will have a tracklist featuring more indie artists than in the past. For today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs would you, as a listener of The Current, want to add to the Guitar Hero tracklist? Send us your requests.

After Prince‘s Sunday concert in Baltimore—a concert that was live-streamed on Jay Z‘s Tidal music service—Jay Z and his wife Beyoncé, along with Alicia Keys, met backstage with relatives of Freddie Gray and Mike Brown. Tidal will be matching proceeds from donations made to a fund created to support work towards police accountability and racial justice. (Billboard) Beyoncé & Jay Z with #FreddieGray‘s…

I believe in rock ‘n’ roll and I think rock ‘n’ roll believes in me. These words were broadcast far and wide recently by my friend and colleague Mary Lucia, and they’ve also been echoed by countless rock ‘n’ roll believers over the past 50 years. While Mike Mictlan might spit that “rap won’t save…

As 'American Idol' announces it will be ending its run in 2016, for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear by artists who would never have made it onto 'American Idol'? Send us your requests.