Local bands that deserve must-hear status this week

Now in its third year, the Mid West Music Fest brought concertgoers to downtown Winona for three days of concerts across 15 different venues. I had a chance to attend approximately half of the festival, arriving for the the later part of Friday night and staying through Saturday evening, and was impressed by the variety…

Photo highlights from the Friday and Saturday night festivities at the third annual Mid West Music Festival in downtown Winona. Check out our recap of the acts here. ALL PHOTOS BY BEN CLARK.

18 years after formation, Snow Patrol is still barreling onward with record releases, their most recent being Fallen Empires.

Jack White is no stranger to making records. From The White Stripes to The Raconteurs, to The Dead Weather and producing records for Loretta Lynn and Wanda Jackson, he's become a music icon and an admired guitar player. Until now, we've experienced Jack White's trademark sound and vocal style through his various projects and bands. After all this time, he's finally made a record under his own name. It's his debut, solo full-length album "Blunderbuss."

California-based singer-songwriter and fiddler Sara Watkins first rose to fame as a member of the popular and prolific progressive bluegrass trio Nickel Creek in the '90s and early 2000s. Watkins is set to release her second solo album, "Sun Midnight Sun," on May 8th on Nonesuch Records.

The Current's Program Director responds to ticketing, line-up feedback

Lucy Michelle and The Velvet Lapelles have been together for a long time. A string of well-received albums, best band nods and consistently well-attended shows has made the act a local treasure. In the past year though, they've been a little off the radar. Now we know why - the band has traded in their traditional folk sound for a full sonic revamp and the results on their newest record "Heat" couldn't be more promising.

Release show is tomorrow night at Honey

Read about and download their new track "Give Me A Call"