Tonight marks the opening ceremony for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

When you listen to the songs from folk group batteryboy’s first album, up for air, you’re quickly exposed to a project that sounds intensely intimate. Songs like “Choosing Sides,” “Winter’s Gate,” and “Matter of Trust” exhibit the group’s ability to showcase the sweet, yet endearingly bold vocals of lead singer Cobey Rouse against a soft sound palette filled with…

Mark Mallman, “The End Is Not The End” Following in his creative video-making tradition (see: “Terrified” and “It’s Good To Be Alive”), Mark Mallman plays with images using Prisma, a photo-animating app. The video jumps into the in between, showing people in dreams both individual and somehow shared. It’s split-screen; it’s “both and”; it’s questioning — and it urgently defies any typical narrative arc. As Mallman…

Now in its second year, Local Current’s DJ in Residence program is an opportunity for The Current to invite local musicians to take over our all-Minnesota music stream and share their favorite stories and music from the local scene. So far, Local Current’s DJs in Residence have included Danielle Cusack (Bruise Violet/Tony Peachka), deM atlaS,…

'American Bandstand' made its TV debut; 'Revolver' was released in the U.K.; the Runaways were formed; Aerosmith and Def Leppard signed with major labels; and Adam Yauch, aka MCA of the Beastie Boys, was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Today in Music History.

It’s hard to believe it’s been three years since we’ve heard new music from Dessa. She’s certainly remained busy since then, touring non-stop across the U.S. and Europe (she’s in Bari, Italy, tonight, and London on Tuesday), and even partnering with Izzy’s to create a new flavor of ice cream. On her new track, “Quinine,”…

The Tragically Hip, although never huge in the States, are national treasures in their native Canada. Those who get into the Hip's music -- like The Current's Jim McGuinn -- become fans for life. And now, as Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie faces a terminal brain cancer diagnosis, he and the band are lighting up arenas across Canada. So McGuinn and some friends are on their way to Winnipeg to see the Tragically Hip this Friday. And, as McGuinn explains, the connection runs even deeper than loyal fandom.

As part of the “A.V. Undercover” series, Har Mar Superstar stopped by the A.V. Club’s Chicago offices to perform his take on the Built to Spill song “Big Dipper.” While he was there, the A.V. Club asked him to also perform his cover of Prince’s “When You Were Mine.” Watch the video at the A.V. Club. Mercury…

Today kicks off the 2016 Minnesota Fringe Festival - 11 days of over 1,000 performers putting on 168 one-act plays that take over the Twin Cities theater scene. In honor of the Fringe, what particularly theatrical pop or rock songs do you want to hear for today's 9:30 Coffee Break?

Ask music makers, aficionados, or any guest on The O.K. Show, and they’ll tell you: Music can heal. This weekend, the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation celebrates both music and healing with its fourth annual HazelFest, a one-day concert featuring musicians from around Minnesota. Located in Center City, Minn., Hazelden is a hub for recovery, seeking to help people who’ve struggled…