When U2‘s new album Songs of Innocence was released for free to half a billion iTunes users, it came with temporary cover art. The album’s official cover has now been revealed; it features drummer Larry Mullen Jr. embracing the midsection of his 18-year-old son. Bono says the cover represents the idea that “holding on to your own innocence is a lot harder than…

Prince has always had a thing for numbers. To create his first recorded output in four years, Prince tapped a trio of musicians he found through social media to form his new band 3RDEYEGIRL. And after nearly two years of marathon jam sessions, rehearsals, and rounds of ping pong with his new bandmates and new producer, Prince ended up with not one, but…

This Saturday, Sept. 27, is the inaugural Cassette Store Day. It’s inspired many to think back on their many audiocassette memories. Here are ten of mine. The “Scream’r” blank cassettes. Each had a nose printed on it so that the two spools looked like eyes, which I thought was awesome. My first two pre-recorded cassettes,…

Buckle up, bbs. Fall is upon us and so is an avalanche of new releases from Minnesota artists of all genres, starting this weekend with big release shows from Toki Wright and Big Cats (who party tonight at Icehouse) and Luke Zimmerman (who releases his new one with Fathom Lane at the same venue tomorrow). As…

Local bands Carroll, Enemy Planes, and the Ocean Blue will play at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York in October. They will be joined by Strange Names, a recently-local group now based in NYC. Now in its 34th year, the CMJ Music Marathon is the world’s largest festival for emerging music. About 120,000 musicians,…

Drummer JT Bates will help kick off a new concert series, Landmark to Lowertown, over the lunch hour on Friday, Oct. 10 at Bedlam Theatre in St. Paul. He will be joined by Jeremy Ylvisaker and Jim Anton. Nicknamed L2L and sponsored by the American Composers Forum, the series was created to enrich St. Paul’s art scene…

The element of surprise is turning out to be increasingly popular among major artists. Beyoncé dropped her new album out of nowhere last December, U2 gave Songs of Innocence to half a billion iTunes users earlier this month—and now Radiohead’s Thom Yorke has suddenly released a new eight-song album, Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes, via the download service BitTorrent.…

Mostafa Kashe, a 53-year-old California man, claims that he’s suffered “substantial” injuries—including an impaired sense of smell—after being hit in the face with a soccer ball kicked into the crowd by Rod Stewart at a 2012 concert in Las Vegas. Kashe is now suing Stewart for $10,000. This isn’t the first time Stewart’s been sued by a fan…

The Minnesota Music Coalition’s Caravan du Nord is trekking across our great state once again beginning Sept. 26. This traveling showcase of Minnesota musicians will embark on a journey though Austin, Detroit Lakes, Red Wing, Faribault, and Duluth. Historic theaters in each city will host music artists for full-day slates of performances, workshops, and community engagement. The lineup…

“We still need one more hit,” Debbie Harry says of her band Blondie. “I take a lot of vitamins. It helps.” The band are celebrating 40 years together with a New York City art exhibit featuring rare memorabilia as well as photos of Harry by Robert Mapplethorpe, Annie Leibowitz, and more. (Billboard) Meanwhile, the band’s former hangout CBGB…