Happy Friday! The Pizza Luce Block Party and Square Lake Festival are just around the corner, as are plenty of other opportunities to get outdoors and enjoy some sun-soaked tunes this weekend. To get you up to speed on the latest in local music, here are five just-released videos from the Land of Sky Blue…

August not only marks the beginning of the dog days of summer, but also the fourth round of Local Current’s DJ in Residence! Here at the Current, we’ve been inviting local musicians to take over our all-Minnesota music stream to talk about the local music scene and to spin tracks from other local musicians. So…

Ryan Adams is in the process of recording a covers of all the songs on Taylor Swift’s album 1989, but Adams is setting the songs entirely in the style of the Smiths. When Swift learned of the project and Adams confirmed it, she tweeted, “I’m not gonna be able to sleep tonight or ever again,…

Last winter, student journalists at the University of Oklahoma couldn’t have guessed they were breaking a story that media around the world would find absolutely delicious—even though it was a story about guacamole. Specifically, the story was about the detailed (“we want it chunky”) guacamole recipe that Jack White and his crew required backstage for…

‘Tis the season for supergroups—apparently. Earlier this week we learned of the formation of EL VY (featuring Matt Berninger of The National and Brent Knopf of Memomena), and now we have Nevermen: a trio comprising Tunde Adebimpe (TV On The Radio), Mike Patton (Faith No More), and rapper Adam “Doseone” Drucker. After working together for years, the three have finally released music – the song…

Muja Messiah: Angel Blood Soup Although it doesn’t require a political agenda, art is a worthwhile platform for social commentary. Many progressive artists end up only skimming the surface, underwhelming the listener, and diminishing the issues at hand. On Muja Messiah’s latest effort, Angel Blood Soup, the rapper takes advantage of his spot on the mic and…

Lenny Kravitz may now know better than to go commando next time. While performing a gig in Sweden, Kravitz was wearing leather trousers that split open when he performed a squatting dance move. Kravitz evidently didn’t notice anything was amiss at first, but did exit stage rather quickly to put on another pair of pants.…

How does one recognize Bob Dylan for his prolific music career that has endured for more than 50 years? Certainly Dylan has received his share of accolades, but the people at ClickHole (a website owned and operated by The Onion) have decided Dylan needs a good night’s sleep. As such, the site has launched a…

It’s a tricky thing, following up a breakout album with new material. How will the band respond to the hype surrounding their sound? And can they capture the same energy that made their fans fall in love with them in the first place? For Twin Cities quartet Hippo Campus, things have changed dramatically for them since they…

Lately, I’ve learned a lesson. That pack of singer-songwriters I heard on the radio as a kid? There’s so much more to them than I thought. At Eaux Claires, Indigo Girls charmed me, skipping familiar hit “Closer To Fine” and playing their 1994 album Swamp Ophelia with verve and heart. Alanis Morissette may have been…