Today's top music news stories include Patti Smith's performance on behalf of Bob Dylan at the Nobel Prize ceremony, word of Prince's plans for a reality series, and underground venues facing new scrutiny.

“I’m your self-care guidance counselor,” Lizzo said after a raucous performance of her latest hit, “Phone,” last night in the Mainroom at First Avenue. After a series of concerts promoting her EP Coconut Oil across the United States and Canada, her homecoming in Minneapolis was a joyous affair as she reflected on her personal journey and, true to…

Before graduating high school, Jeff Cerise and Brad Mattson had already traveled the country with their cover band. So when the duo arrived at Moorhead State University and met some like-minded musicians at orientation, it didn’t take long for them to trade in their textbooks for a life on the road. With bassist James Riley…

The Blenders, a Minneapolis-based vocal quartet, returned to the Pantages Theatre on Friday to kick off their Christmas tour. Tim Kasper, Ryan Lance, and brothers Allan and Darren Rust are all originally from Fargo and have been singing and touring for 27 years. They launched their career by doing the college circuit, singing a cappella. They…

Hamilton, the Broadway musical Michelle Obama calls “the best piece of art in any form that I have ever seen in my life,” is coming to Minneapolis. We just have to wait a couple of years. Producer Jeffrey Seller and the Hennepin Theatre Trust — the nonprofit organization that manages the Orpheum Theatre and three other…

This weekend, Bob Dylan will be honored with a Nobel Prize in Literature at a ceremony in Sweden. He won't be attending, but he will be providing a speech to be read on his behalf, and Patti Smith will perform Dylan's "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall." So for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what Bob Dylan songs and covers do you want to hear?

Neil James Innes was born, Billy Joel went No. 1 with "We Didn't Start The Fire", Darren Robinson died of a heart attack, and Chic went No. 1 with "Le Freak".

Atmosphere, “A Long Hello” “After a forever of running around the world and making music, we will now take a month off to sit on the beach of our minds,” Slug says in a recent press release. He and Ant (well, a cardboard cutout) wade into the surf as they bid you “A Long Hello.”…

“We wrote the lyrics in, like, 45 minutes,” Lydia Liza told Andrea Swensson this week when she and Josiah Lemanski visited our studios to sing their new version of the holiday standard “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” The two never guessed that their recording would become a viral hit, resonating with listeners around the world who disliked…

Lots of Prince news today - from stories shared by his friends to the latest developments in his estate.