The Kanye West/Rihanna collaboration “FourFiveSeconds” was already distinctive for returning Paul McCartney to the top ten after 29 years—and now it turns out that it got Wilson Phillips back into the top ten as well. Carnie Wilson has revealed that the trio were specifically approached by Kanye to sing on the song: “When I think of authenticity and I think…

The Current first came on air in January 2005, and just a few months later, the 331 Club opened its doors as a music venue and neighborhood bar in Northeast Minneapolis. On April 3, we paid tribute to the widely-beloved 331 with an hour-long special on our Local Current stream of Minnesota music. I was joined…

The Staves: If I Was The Staves are an ocean and half a country away from being local, and but their newest release If I Was was recorded right in our backyard: in Eau Claire, at Justin Vernon’s April Base studio. “I think this is my favorite place to be to make music,” said one…

Wilco have canceled a May 7 performance in Indianapolis in protest of the Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a recently-passed law that has been controversial due to the fact that it permits businesses to refuse customers based on their sexual orientation. “The ‘Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act’ feels like thinly disguised legal discrimination to us,” wrote Wilco…

Performing in an arena like the Target Center can be a tough challenge for an artist to overcome. With all of that empty open space lingering between the stage and the sloping tiers of seats, it can be a downright Herculean task to convey any kind of authentic human emotion to the sea of people…

Prince is being sued by a producer named Jolene Cherry, who claims that Prince’s release of an album he produced for Judith Hill violates a contract that Cherry has with Hill. Meanwhile, Hill has filed her own suit against Cherry, arguing that Hill is “an independent artist, not bound by contract to anyone.” (Rolling Stone) The night before Prince…

2015 marks First Avenue’s 45th year of bringing world-renowned artists to the heart of the Twin Cities. We’re telling the stories of performers who have earned their places on the venue’s legendary Wall of Stars. Past features highlighted Babes in Toyland, Har Mar Superstar, Outkast, and Hüsker Dü. With their 30th anniversary show in the Entry tonight, next up are local…

Happy Friday! Here’s a handful of brand spanking new music videos to help your Friday afternoon fly by a little faster. Are you keeping up with these Hippo Campus guys?? Hippo Campus With a Conan appearance under their belt and a just-announced appearance at Lollapalooza on the horizon, this St. Paul Conservatory for the Performing Arts-reared quartet are…

“I’ve always been a big fan of music,” said Jade as we sat in the Minnesota Public Radio atrium last week. “I’ve never been able to play instruments, though—and I have a horrible singing voice.” Short of actually making music, though, Jade has spent her career doing just about everything else possible to get awesome sounds out…

When the door at 425 Portland Avenue clicks shut behind longtime Star Tribune music critic Jon Bream today, he’ll not only be saying farewell to the building where he started his professional journalism career 40 years ago. He will also be parting with a monstrous collection of 25,000 vinyl albums and thousands of CDs that…