Local musician Maria Isa, who is also an experienced actress, will be starring in a public reading of a new music-themed play by Idris Goodwin on March 2 and 3 at the Playwrights’ Center. The REALNESS: the second break beat play tells the story of Thomas, who leaves his suburban home to experience hip-hop culture in the city. When…

The babes are back. After a long hiatus ending in two reunion shows and a European tour announcement, Minneapolis grunge trio Babes in Toyland returned with an intimate show Feb. 10 in Palm Springs, Calif. It was, as Andrea Swensson points out in her review, “their first official show in 14 years and first show as that particular threesome…

In August 2006, Sleater-­Kinney performed their last show, in Portland, before taking a seemingly indefinite hiatus. In August 2006, Barack Obama was not yet a household name. Besides Saturday Night Live, Fred Armisen’s most prominent role was probably that of Tino the nightclub owner from Anchorman, with Portlandia still a half-decade from its premiere. I was…

My mom recently sold the house where I grew up, and in digging through one of my old boxes I came upon an issue of Rock Express from late 1986. It’s an incredible time capsule, with a back-cover advertisement for the story of Max Headroom ($26.99 on VHS) and a Janet Jackson news item headlined “Baby…

Here’s a sentence you don’t get to type very often: if anyone had a wilder weekend than Prince, it was Paul McCartney. Both were in New York City over the holiday weekend—along with more than the usual contingent of A-list celebrities—to celebrate Saturday Night Live, Nike sneakers, and of course themselves. Prince got off to an…

Lesley Gore has died of cancer at age 68. Discovered by Quincy Jones as a 16-year-old ingenue, Gore performed the indelible 1963 hit “It’s My Party” as well as “You Don’t Own Me,” “Judy’s Turn to Cry,” and “She’s a Fool” – all top five hits, with “It’s My Party” taking Gore to number one just weeks after her…

'Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance' is another strong collection of songs from one of the world's strongest bands; the only diminished area of strength is as an album per se. Fortunately, the band decided to release a deluxe edition, creating an entirely new and vastly more fulfilling experience. Read Mac Wilson's review.

The lead up to Nina Simone’s State Theater concert in 1991 had been complicated. Reporters for both the Star Tribune and the Pioneer Press had been unable to connect with her for an interview. There was no email, and telephone trans-continental telephone connections were hard to make. She lived in France, and her manager was…

For today's 9:30 Coffee Break, Jeanne from Cinnaminson, N.J., had an idea that's perfect for the day before Valentine's Day: song titles that can fit on those pastel-colored candy hearts. What songs with two- or three-word titles would you like to hear?

When I first was introduced to the music of Dr. Nina Simone…I remember it was the early ’90s.  I was in the music store Tidal Wave in Saint Paul with my mama. She was doing her usual weekly perusing for new music. There I was, 10-year-old me, walking around on exploration mode as Tidal Wave…