There is a Mars-like quality to the Mojave desert of Southern California, where an endless sea of copper earth is broken up by the crooked branches and green, spiky sprouts of blossoming Joshua trees. It’s a setting that’s proven alluring for countless wayward travelers and artists over the years, from Gram Parsons and Keith Richards…

Nicole Pfeifer, also known by the moniker Devata Daun, exudes a warm confidence. She smiles easily and invites conversation, our topics ranging from septum jewelry to curry recommendations. This welcoming human being I recently met seems directly in contrast to her recent musical work, best described as “electro darkwave.” Both her persona and her music could…

Four musicians and a producer involved with the Gap Band‘s 1979 hit “Oops Upside Your Head” have been added to the songwriting credits for the Mark Ronson/Bruno Mars hit “Uptown Funk.” A chant in “Uptown Funk” closely resembles the sung hook in “Oops.” This brings the total number of “Uptown Funk” songwriters to 11: in addition to…

When my classmates heard Death Cab for Cutie (DCFC) would be in town for a show last night, their reactions ranged from, “I loved that band in high school” to “They’re still making music?” Indeed they are, having just released Kintsugi on March 31 (reviewed on our site by Stephen Thompson and Mac Wilson). The new album…

Blues legend B.B. King, 89, has told his fans that he is “in home hospice care at my residence in Las Vegas. Thanks to all for your well wishes and prayers.” King has recently been struggling with health challenges related to diabetes. (Billboard) Ben E. King, the R&B singer best-known as a member of the Drifters…

Yesterday, Billboard revealed that Prince has recorded a new song dedicated “to all the people of the city of Baltimore.” Release plans for the song have not yet been announced, but Prince shared the artwork for the song—above. Now, Prince has announced a “Dance Rally 4 Peace” tonight at Paisley Park. He shared the news with…

Influenced by spending a summer in the alluring Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Minneapolis singer-songwriter Esto is releasing an album based on his experiences. The album, Houghton-Hancock Hum-Alongs, is out today. When not going by the moniker “Esto,” Blake Morgan performs full time with the Twin-Cities-based, nationally renowned vocal ensemble Cantus. This nine-man group has performed…

It’s supposed to get up into the 80s tomorrow in the Twin Cities, so what better way to celebrate our first hot day of the season than by watching a video of someone snowmobiling across a frozen tundra? Aero Flynn This video is SO WISCONSIN. Or at least what other people must think it’s like…

Billboard reports that this week at Paisley Park, Prince recorded a new song that’s a “tribute to all the people of the city of Baltimore.” Release plans have not yet been announced, but Prince has shared the song’s artwork—above. “It’s understood,” according to Billboard, “that the track will address Freddie Gray’s death in Baltimore police…

Bono has given the New York Times an update on his slow recovery from the serious bicycle accident he suffered last November in Central Park. He still can’t move two fingers on his right hand, and remains unable to play guitar. It will take over a year to know how fully he’ll be able to…