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…

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…

Happy Friday! As we head into a busy Valentine’s weekend, I wanted to share some of the newer sounds I’ve been loving lately, starting with a hometown crooner who just released his first video and song… Jon Jones Thanks to Jake Heinitz over at Greenroom Magazine for hipping me to Jon Jones, a Minneapolis auto-tune…

Happy (almost) Valentine’s Day! We’re pleased to share “Cupid,” a poignant new rocker from the Suburbs. The song, written and sung by Chan Poling, features the Suburbs’ new lineup with Hugo Klaers, Steve Price, Steve Brantseg, and Jeremy Yvilsaker. It’s dedicated, writes Poling, “to all the beautiful ladies in our lives.” The song is out…

The 2015 Pitchfork Music Festival has announced its lineup, headed by Chicago natives Wilco as well as the reunited Sleater-Kinney and Chance the Rapper. Also performing in the festival, which will take place at Chicago’s Union Park from July 17-19, are CHVRCHES, Mac DeMarco, Future Islands, the New Pornographers, Kurt Vile, Run the Jewels, Courtney…

Readers across the country and around the world are mourning the sudden death yesterday of journalist David Carr. A writer covering the media beat for the New York Times, Carr was a Minnesota native who had a fiery career in local journalism—including a lauded stint as editor of the free weekly Twin Cities Reader—before moving out…

It’s official: Florence + the Machine will release their (her) next studio album on June 2. The album will be titled How Big How Blue How Beautiful, and Florence Welch kicked it off with new single “What Kind of Man.” (Billboard) Kanye West, never one to do things small, unveiled his new custom sneaker—the Adidas Yeezy 750 Boost—at a…

Even as Justin Vernon and Aaron Dessner have been busy rolling out details regarding this summer’s new Eaux Claires Festival, Dessner’s bandmate Bryce Dessner’s MusicNOW Festival—an annual festival in Cincinnati, typically featuring unusual combinations of artists—is preparing to celebrate its tenth year with a series of shows from March 11-15 featuring artists including Sufjan Stevens, white-hot classical…

In honor of the man they call “Duluth’s hardest working musician” and his new signing with St. Paul’s Red House Records, Fitger’s Brewhouse has created a special beer for Charlie Parr. “Parr’s Porter has hop and dark malt notes, a bit of fruit in the aroma and a dry finish,” writes the brewhouse on Facebook.…

On April 18, Information Society will play their first local show since 2009: they’ve booked a gig at the Fine Line, calling it their “Hello World hometown party” in reference to their Twin Cities roots—though none of the band members currently reside in Minnesota. _Hello World (note the preceding underscore) is the group’s most recent album,…