It has been a few years since we last heard from local band The Pines, presumably because they were working hard on their newest release "Dark So Gold" and sharing the stage with master Minnesota songwriter Mason Jennings during his recent tour. In that time, The Pines has expanded sonically to unleash their most powerful, raw, and stirring compilation of songs, combining influences inspired by natural Midwest roots and time spent in Arizona to create a worthy of waiting accomplishment.

A gifted young guitar player and singer-songwriter with a distinctively lovely voice, Bhi Bhiman is poised for major success in 2012. Though he's been billed as "a Sri Lankan Woody Guthrie," Bhiman has more American roots than that title suggests, having grown up on '90s alt-rock in St. Louis before moving to San Francisco, where he is currently based.

From those who surge to unrivaled exposure in short amounts of time like Polica and Night Moves to experimental artistry that many bands will never match like you find in Brute Heart; from seasoned veterans who claim membership in too many acts to count like Haley Bonar and Halloween, Alaska, to the wild genre-crossing found in Mystery Palace and Doomtree - this thirst to constantly explore and collaborate is what makes the state so unique and active.

The Suicide Commandos were punk before it was punk. The legendary local trio was playing "New York Rock" in ballrooms, bars, and high schools all over Twin Cities and Minnesota after they formed in 1975. In their four years as a band, they released two 7" EPs and a full-length in 1977 called "Make A Record."

The second night of 89.3 The Current’s 7th Birthday Party at First Ave was a huge success! Thanks to everyone who made it possible — our fans and members, and also all of the amazing Minnesota musicians who performed. Read Andrea Swensson’s recap here. Check out our photos from throughout the night, take a look…

  Slowcore pioneers and Minnesota indie icons, the Duluth-based band Low gave a lovely, slow-burning performance during the first night of our birthday party, and even welcomed members of Dead Man Winter onstage for a portion of their set. It was a performance that perfectly captured the intense musical beauty that garnered these local music…

Tapes n’ Tapes headlined the first night of The Current’s Birthday Party, ending the evening with a rendition of Prince’s “Purple Rain” with The Current’s staff doing double duty as back-up singers and instrumentalists. They stopped by our studios for a quick session on The Morning Show as a teaser for the night. Photos by…

Featuring members of Trampled By Turtles, the band plays a more brooding role in the folk music scene of Minnesota. Serving as a nice complement to the tunes that TPT have continually put out the past few years, the leadership of Dave Simonett has allowed the band to explore a sound that hasn’t been touched…

Rising local band Night Moves, fresh off a major label signing to Domino Records (Animal Collective, Four Tet, Arctic Monkeys), opened the first night of our birthday party at First Avenue. Most songs came from their debut Colored Emotions which will be out in the next few months. All photos by Nate Ryan

The evening ended with a gutsy cover of "Purple Rain"