The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen, will be the musical guest on the Dec. 19 edition of Saturday Night Live — and he’s bringing the E Street Band along for the ride. Will there be a spirited rendition of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”? Will co-hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler join in? It’ll have to be a holiday surprise.…

At the Tiny Desk, Rateliff's body-shaking Southern-style soul takes on a slightly more laid-back sound. The resulting songs are served with a warm heart -- and suitable for a cold beer. Watch video of the performance.

Sunday night at 5:30 p.m., four panelists and more than 50 community members gathered at the Common Table community center in Minneapolis for Let the Woman Speak, a two-hour-long conversation addressing sexism in hip-hop. Discrimination against women is hardly unique to Minnesota, reaching across borders worldwide, but it often presents itself locally. Local organization Twin…

It's the birthday of singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, who wrote 'The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald'; the song tells the story of an iron-ore ship that sank in Lake Superior 40 years ago this month. For today's Coffee Break, what songs based on actual events would you like to hear?

Future Fossils: Future Fossils EP It’s all about the 808 with Future Fossils, who you may know as Kids Like Us. They’ve reincarnated for their debut self-titled EP as Future Fossils. The EP doesn’t hold back, with features from big local names like Muja Messiah and Big Zach being featured alongside some new faces such…

Hard to believe it hasn’t snowed in the Twin Cities yet, but if you’re already looking for a Minnesota winter retreat, consider Texas. The annual South by Southwest Music Festival returns March 15-20, 2016 in Austin and five Minnesota-linked acts have been announced in the first two rounds of official SXSW performers: Har Mark Superstar,…

More than 30 years after its release, Prince’s cult classic Purple Rain has been reimagined as a Nigerien film named Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai, often shortened to simply Akounak. The title literally translates to “Rain the Color of Blue With a Little Red In It,” as the Tuareg language has no word for purple. Director Christopher Kirkley describes…

The Four Seasons had a hit with 'Big Girls Don't Cry'; The Who launched a second tour of North America; The Commodores went to No. 1 with 'Still'; Patti Smith won a National Book Award; and singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley was born in Anaheim, Calif., Today in Music History.

Hailey Colwell wrote for our Local Current blog as a college contributor when she was attending the University of Minnesota—Twin Cities. She graduated this spring, and this fall she’s been living in Paris. This post is republished, with permission, from her blog Des mots // du monde. We had spent the night in a trance-like state, going between…

Prince has indefinitely postponed his solo European tour in the wake of Friday’s terrorist attacks in Paris. The tour would have included two December shows in Paris, as well as performances at 15 more cities across the continent. (NME) I was upset when they put those up in the morning @Prince3EG but totally understand your…