After 30+ years of being at the forefront of the alternative rock vanguard, Sonic Youth show no signs of slowing down. With this year's release of their 16th studio album - "The Eternal", on Matador Records" - the band has once again earned critical and mass acclaim for their genre-bending sound that defies categorization.

Listen to the stories that Francis tells and see if you can guess as the playlist unfolds, what is the theme that links it all together?

The three-piece band Double Bird is comprised of bassist Pete Biasi, Ben Ivascu on drums, and David Storberg on guitar. They may have the best name in the Twin Cities but they have yet to record and release an album.

The Jayhawks originally formed in the winter of 1985 in Minneapolis. Founding members Gary Louris, Mark Olson, and Marc Perlman haven't performed together as The Jayhawks since 1995 -- until a reunion in Minneapolis earlier this month.

Free Energy is a new band based in Philadelphia, PA and created by Red Wing, MN native Paul Sprangers. The band used to be known throughout the Twin Cities music scene as Hockey Night.