Independence Day is this Saturday, so let’s talk fireworks. No matter how you feel about them the rest of the year, you’ll probably want to be near some this weekend. Minneapolis is holding its annual Red, White and Boom celebration once again this year, featuring a half-marathon, live music, food, and (of course) fireworks. Music runs…

The Minnesota band Mint Condition return to First Avenue, where they were discovered in 1989, for a show on Thursday, Aug. 6 to benefit the National Association of Black Journalists. The show will also feature local artists #MPLS, 1000, Felix of Heiruspecs, and DJ Ray Richardson. Formed at St. Paul’s Central High, Mint Condition were discovered in 1989…

In honor of the 4th of July, Billboard created a feature highlighting the “Top 50 Stars of the 50 States,” and Prince got the nod for Minnesota. The article also mentioned Bob Dylan, but ultimately Prince took Minnesota’s title because he’s shown his home state a lot more love – most famously filming Purple Rain in Minneapolis, helping to turn First Avenue into an internationally…

There’s something about anniversaries that can make a person feel especially reflective. Leading up to the 10th anniversary reissue of his debut album, Lights Out Paris—which is out on vinyl for the first time this week—I wondered if Sims might be in the mood to think back to his beginnings of working with Doomtree and unpack some of the…

Demos that Amy Winehouse recorded for a planned third album that remained unfinished at the time of her 2011 death will never be heard, because they were deliberately destroyed by David Joseph, her label’s U.K. CEO. Joseph says his decision was “a moral thing.” He’s an executive producer of the new documentary Amy, which will be released in…

On a snowy day in late 1978, just a week before Thanksgiving, jazz saxophonist Morris Wilson staged a rally for working musicians on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis. Fed up with the dwindling opportunities for funk bands with horn sections in the Twin Cities and the rising popularity of dance music, he led a small…

Six months after reopening as Vieux Carre, the St. Paul space formerly known as the Artists’ Quarter has announced a grand opening celebration with, CBS reports, regular hours and a small kitchen. The grand opening on July 14 will include music by local vocalist Katia Cardenas, she announced on Twitter. The venue, now operated by the Dakota…

Eric Koskinen: Live Eric Koskinen recently recorded his live performance at St. Paul’s historic James J. Hill Library for the Real-Phonic Radio hour, and he’s releasing the performance as an album simply called Live. The lead single “Will You Feel My Love” is a nostalgic country-fueled track about the trials of keeping the old romantic…

The Longfellow Roots, Rock and Deep-Blues Festival, presented by Patrick’s Cabaret, returns on Saturday, July 18 for its fifth year, expanding from Lake Street to Minnehaha Avenue. The festival, which has earned numerous media honors, is returning this year with an even larger event than ever, featuring over two dozen bands on six stages, many local artists, and a new international food court. Among…

On July 24 Seattle’s Light in the Attic Records is to reissue Misty Flats, the 1974 album from Minneapolis folk singer/songwriter Goldberg. The album will be available on deluxe LP and, for the first time ever, on CD and for digital download. The reissue will include an exclusive interview with Goldberg and never-before-seen photos. Misty Flats reflects on Goldberg’s childhood…