It’s been a smooth first day at Eaux Claires Music & Arts Festival, the sequel to last year’s premier Eaux Claires (a.k.a. the renaissance of Bon Iver). The lines have been short, the water has been plentiful, and the music has been incredible. All day long, I sampled songs around the festival, picking up pieces of sets here and there before moving along.…

For an artist who has achieved a global footprint not just as the man behind Bon Iver but also as the artist responsible for pushing big-name hip-hop acts like Kanye and Chance the Rapper to meld gospel with Auto-Tune, Justin Vernon could have his pick of any collaborator, any studio, any city in the world. But…

The tracks, 'Too Much Is Never Enough,' 'I Will Be' and a cover of Ben E. King's 'Stand By Me' were recorded for the sountrack of the Final Fantasy XV video game.

President Barack Obama just released his summer playlist, which includes jams that could be practically plucked straight from the Current's catalog. So let's all handpick our favorites, for today's 9:30 Coffee Break.

Fleetwood Mac made their stage debut; Led Zeppelin held their first rehearsal; Lionel Richie electrified a global television audience; the Beatles' film, 'A Hard Day's Night,' opened in U.S. theaters; and Janis Joplin played her last concert, Today in Music History.

The woman who inspired Prince’s classic song “Little Red Corvette” has come forward to tell her story. Mi-Ling Stone Poole tells City Pages she decided to open up about her relationship with Prince after David “T.C.” Ellis, a rapper who performed with Prince’s New Power Generation, said he’d asked Prince to confirm whether Stone Poole inspired “Little Red Corvette,” and…

On Saturday, August 20, the Local Show’s Artists to Watch event will feature 10 of my favorite up-and-coming acts in Minnesota performing across two stages at the Cedar Cultural Center. As we gear up for the showcase, you’ll be hearing from the performers in segments on the Local Show and here on the Local Current Blog. I first saw…

Yesterday a man spent three hours scaling the glass facade of Trump Tower seeking "a private audience" with Donald Trump. So for today's Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear that feature going to extremes in order to get someone's attention?

Neil Sedaka had a poppy hit at the top of the charts; the Knack had the knack for album sales; Led Zeppelin played their final U.K. show; Bruce Springsteen topped the album charts in the U.S. and Britain; Ray Parker Jr. had a No. 1 single with the theme from a popular film; and Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie is 40, Today in Music History.

Camping and/or dorm supplies stowed in your car? Directions to Foster Farm pulled up on your phone? Bruce Hornsby cassette loaded in the tape deck? Okay, you might be saving all the preparation for the last minute. But that’s what this final pre-festival day is for, right? We’re talking about Eaux Claires 2016, the second…