John Kuker, who ran the Seedy Underbelly recording studio as it migrated from Minneapolis to Los Angeles and New York, and who most recently renovated and reopened the historic Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, Minn., passed away suddenly yesterday. He was 40 years old. Kuker got his start in the Twin Cities music scene with the original Seedy…

When it comes to music making, Aaron Livingston has been in the background for a long time. He's ready to come forward. Performing under the moniker Son Little, Livingston stopped by The Current studio to record a session for New Hot with host David Safar.

Many local music fans might not have realized that rapper MF Doom had any Minnesota ties—and now he has two. As City Pages notes, MF Doom released the album MM.. Food in 2004 via Minneapolis label Rhymesayers, and now World Street Kitchen—an eatery located just a few blocks from Rhymesayers in Uptown—has a Doom Yum Yum Rice Bowl.…

For today's 9:30 Coffee Break, we're thinking about songs that feature muted strings to create percussive chunks. What songs would you like to hear that feature the muted strings of an electric guitar, used more percussively or rhythmically, for today's 9:30 Coffee Break?

Bob Dylan: Shadows in the Night One of the most acclaimed and prolific artists of all time, Bob Dylan, released his new studio album Shadows in the Night today. The album marks studio album number 36 for Dylan. The songs were recorded live in the studio with Dylan’s five-piece band, in the order they appear on the album. Shadows in…

Everyone’s talking about Harper Lee today, with the announcement that the beloved author has a second novel set to be released this summer. The new book will be a follow-up to her first and (to date) only book, the masterpiece To Kill A Mockingbird. The book, following a 50-year publishing break, is a Mockingbird sequel of sorts titled Go…

This week, John Moe chatted with The Morning Show's Steve Seel and Sean McPherson (in for Jill Riley) about the Seattle Seahawks, about an affordable computer called the Raspberry Pi 2 and about a Twitter account in which various Swedes take turns representing their nation to the world.

Minnesota natives Joshua Norton and Luke Polipnick have recorded an improvised sci-fi jazz record, and are seeking Kickstarter contributions to fund the vinyl pressings. The two have been collaborating and producing this album as a companion to novelist H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu, and the album will be aptly titled Hideous Monolith: Cthulhu Interpretations. Polipnick, now based in Omaha, does…

Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens died in a plane crash just outside Clear Lake, Iowa; the Blues Brothers had the No. 1 album in the U.S.; and guitarists from the Kinks, Sonic Youth and Big Audio Dynamite were born Today in Music History.

The Current is proud to present a track from Koo Koo Kanga Roo‘s album Whoopty Woop. On “Shake It Well,” a paean to the joys of orange juice, Bryan and Neil are joined by very special guest P.O.S. “In 2006 Bryan and I were sophomores in college,” explains Neil, “and also roommates. P.O.S’s second album Audition had just…