alt-J are at #1 for the third week in a row; Seth Avett and Jessica Lea Mayfield are the highest new entry; The Black Keys and Jack White have new entries; Alvvays jump ahead of the Decemberists, who they'll be opening for on their upcoming tour.

Rob Grote and Pat Cassidy of The Districts have an equal stake in their Gibson Les Paul Recording II guitar: Rob owns it, and Pat plays it. But after all their gear and their van were stolen, it's lucky they even have it at all. Rob and Pat tell the story.

The Brit Awards—widely regarded at the British Grammys—were held on Wednesday, and though for Minnesota music fans the huge news was local MC Allan Kingdom joining Kanye West on stage for a song debut, the big winners in terms of awards were Sam Smith and Royal Blood. Smith won Global Success and British Breakthrough Act, while Royal Blood…

At the Brit awards tonight, Kanye West debuted a new song called “All Day” – accompanied by none other than Minnesota MC Allan Kingdom. West was also joined by Theophilus London for the song, which is expected to appear on West’s new album; it’s the fourth song he’s previewed from the album, which will also include…

The music world has been buzzing today with news that a Joshua tree—the Joshua tree, for music fans—has been vandalized. Someone’s hacked a limb off of the tree made iconic by Anton Corbijn’s photography for U2’s classic 1987 album The Joshua Tree, apparently to claim an inch-thick slice as a souvenir. That’s a sad, simple story—but…

After last night's Flaming Lips show at First Avenue, we're thinking about bands who put on a full sensory experience during their concerts. For today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs would you like to hear by bands who are known for visual spectacle at their live shows?

Dara Moskowitz-Grumdahl stops by The Current to talk about a new experiment happening at Travail Kitchen in Robbinsdale, Minn.: ticketed reservations and surge pricing.

Buddy Holly had his first hit; Frank Sinatra performed his final concert; Stevie Wonder was honored by President Barack Obama; and the youngest Beatle was born Today in Music History.

Tomorrow night, Feb. 26, Liv Warfield and the NPG Horns are set to play Jimmy Kimmel Live! Fans of Minnesota music, and of Prince specifically, are familiar with Warfield. The Prince protégé regularly joins Prince on stage, including at a recent Wall Street concert celebrating the 30th anniversary of Nike’s Jordan sneakers. Warfield got her start…

This Friday, Feb. 27, local roots-inflected band Calamity and the Owl will record their first live album, at Hell’s Kitchen. In an e-mail, band member Raquel Sidie-Wagner explained that the decision came as a result of the residency the band had at Hell’s Kitchen this past year. Given the high quality sound system and excellent sound engineers, Sidie-Wagner wrote,…