The Welsh indie-pop septet Los Campesinos! have been cranking out smart, charming and richly emotionally textured rock songs for nearly five years at this point. On the heels of their third and most recent record, "Hello Sadness," they stopped by The Current studios to chat with Mary Lucia and play a few songs.

On the heels of major local and national buzz, Polica headlined the second night of our birthday party to an overwhelming response, even elicting calls for an encore from the audience, something the band is obviously not used to hearing yet. The best part of the performance may have been the news that they are…

Considered one of Minnesota’s most iconic bands, The Suicide Commandos reunited for what many thought was the highlight of Saturday night, ripping through ten songs in 25 minutes before even pausing to take a breather. They stopped by for an in-studio performance earlier in the day which you can check out here. Photos by Nate…

Sims flew back to town for just one night to take part in our birthday party while the Doomtree crew continues their national tour. Apparently in the midst of sleep deprivation, you certainly couldn’t tell that was the case, and Sims successfully pumped the crowd up (including a random woman who ambushed the stage). Photos by Nate…

Haley Bonar kicked off the second night of our birthday party, playing a range of songs from her lengthy catalogue including new ones from Golder released last year. She moved freely between Rhodes piano and guitar, bringing on The Bad Plus’ Wendy Lewis for a few gorgeous arrangements. Photos by Nate Ryan

The much-buzzed about headliner lived up to the hype

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."