Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey and St. Paul mayor Melvin Carter have both declared today, Dec. 12, to be Blenders Day, according to a press release from the band. Minnesota governor Tim Walz and North Dakota governor Douglas Burgam have also issued “certificates of congratulations” in honor of the 30th anniversary of the Minneapolis-based vocal group…

The Library of Congress announced today that it’s added Purple Rain, the 1984 film that defined the most iconic of Prince’s many images and launched him into the stratosphere of superstardom, to the National Film Registry. 25 films are selected annually for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically” important. This year’s selections also include the Loretta…

In the closing weeks of a year that saw her land a record-setting number one single with “Truth Hurts” and lead the Grammy nominations, Lizzo has earned yet another well-earned honor: Time magazine has named her Entertainer of the Year for 2019. “With the Internet a scary toilet, measles somehow making a comeback, and everyone…

Friday Five is back after last week’s Thanksgiving break! Here are five music videos that caught my eye over the last couple of weeks. And if you’re interested in submitting a video for next week, send a link to our new associate blogger Emma Manley (emanley@mpr.org), who’ll be handling this post on Dec. 13. Solid…

“2019 is all about the experiences,” read a e-mail I recently received from a publicist. “Consumers are shifting their gift lists from products to experiences/memories that will last a lifetime. This year, you can get your loved one a personalized shout out from a favorite musician.” The publicist was writing about Cameo, a service that sells…

Michael Stipe just released his first single as a solo artist. You might remember when Stipe was the singer for R.E.M. — but Craig Franklin remembers when he wasn’t a singer at all. “His hair was all curly, like Roger Daltrey. That was the main reason, when we needed a singer I asked him to…

As the coldest months of winter take their hold on Minneapolis, concerts begin to hold a different sort of power over the city’s music fans. Far from the carefree sticky summer evenings’ confetti-filled festival fields, live music becomes a deliberate escape from the frigid weather and the moods that can too often accompany it. As…

As always, this year saw a lot of remarkable music come out of Minnesota, and you probably didn’t catch all of it. We’ve rounded up 10 local albums released in 2019 that you should definitely queue up. Find all these albums on our Spotify playlist, and tune in to our Local Current stream to be…

It’s good to be back at the wheel for Friday Five! I’ve been out for a couple of weeks and would like to thank Jay Gabler for filling in admirably. In fact, I’m on the road again this week — coming at you from Wisconsin, where I’m emotionally preparing to attend Eaux Claires Hiver this…

Fiona Boler reads “You Need To Know: FPA” I had butterflies in my stomach as I walked down the stairs into the lobby of the MPR building. Of course I was prepared for my first interview for The Current — but all that preparation may have led to extra butterflies, because the more I learned…