Album comes out July 17, with a show at First Avenue on July 20

Local bands that deserve must-hear status this week

Dave Pirner stops by The Current Wednesday to tease new record

Logistically, traveling from the Twin Cities to Duluth is a breeze. It’s a quick two-and-a-half-hour jaunt up I-35, barely enough time to work up the need to take a bathroom break much less stop to fill the gas tank, and the downtown strip is less than a half-mile off the highway. And yet, as Duluth’s…

As I mentioned in my overview of the Duluth Homegrown Music Festival and the Twin Ports scene, I had a chance to attend the last half of the eight-day-long local music bonanza and caught about 30 different acts. While the first night was centered around downtown Superior, the rest of the shows were primarily booked…

When people ask me what Afghan Whigs record they should listen to as an introduction to the band, without hesitation I say "Gentlemen" and here's why.

Justin Townes Earle shouldn't be overshadowed by his famous father Steve Earle. The two may have similar styles, but Justin modernizes what his dad began popularizing in the late '90s. His newest record "Nothing's Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now" has garnered considerable accolades in the Americana scene, and there's a chance for you to win a copy of that CD from The Current this week.

Dylan Hicks has been in the midst of a long-term hiatus. We saw the release of his last record in 2001 after a string of prolific efforts starting all the way back in 1990. Maybe he was tired and maybe he needed something new, but we can at least partially chalk up his absence as the result of his most recent endeavor: "Boarded Windows," Hicks' new book.

I Self Devine's new record features a slew of hip-hop power players to complement an emcee who is gaining major ground locally and nationally for his whip-smart and poignant raps. In his debut for The Current, I Self Devine talks Soundset, origins, his wide-range of influences from disco to his mother, graffiti and more.

I love this quote from the band regarding the sound and texture of the record: "We wanted the louder stuff to sound cranky." Oh, it does. Even the tiniest moments of silence have a buzz and a darkness about them.