Although reflections on the life and career of Townes Van Zandt tend to focus largely on the singer's connections to Texas, Colorado and Tennessee, Van Zandt did spend some time in Minnesota. With January 2017 marking 20 years since the singer-songwriter's death, a search for Van Zandt's Minnesota connections unearthed some ties that run deep.

Local singer-songwriter Mary Bue has been awarded a residency from the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation to live and work in Taos, N.M. for three months. Before she goes, she’ll play a jubilant sendoff show with Alan Sparhawk (Low, Retribution Gospel Choir) and Molly Maher (of Disbelievers fame) at Icehouse on Saturday, Jan. 14. I caught up with…

Laurens Hammond, inventor of the Hammond organ, was born today in 1895. The sound of the Hammond has been used by many rock artists over time. So for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs featuring the organ do you want to hear? Bonus points if it's a song with a Hammond organ.

Today in Music History: Wayne Coyne was born, "The Twist" became the only single in the history of the charts to make it to #1 on two separate occasions; Bob Dylan started recording 'Bringing It All Back Home'; "Folsom Prison Blues" was recorded live at Folsom Prison.

Tyte Jeff, “1952” Who is the giant figure hulking around Minneapolis, and why isn’t Tyte Jeff frontperson Jeff Allen running away from it instead of striding through alleys? The song title “1952” is a hint. The band bring what looks like the Flatwoods monster to downtown in a video conceived and directed by Paul Danhauser. Tyte Jeff (Jeff…

Everyone’s wondering when we’ll hear more music from Prince’s legendary vault, but the late icon’s archives also include a lot of video — and Paisley Park has been using its weekly movie nights to showcase some rare concert footage. Last month the venue screened a 2012 Australia concert, and just last week visitors were able to…

Today's top music news stories include AARP honoring 50-year-old musicians, a Duluth musician surviving a dangerous accident, and even more inauguration updates.

Listen to Actual Wolf's newest song, 'Baby Please' from forthcoming album Faded Days.

January 12 is "Kiss a Ginger Day", a day to celebrate red-headed people around the world. If you see a ginger today, give him or her a smile. And if you plan to place a peck on that ginger, be sure to ask for consent. So for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear from ginger rockers?

Taylor Harris is Lady Lark, a pop/soul artist making her Entry debut on Monday. Her music is bouncy, playful, and slinky, cut out for the roller rink or a Mayer Hawthorne fan’s playlist; Harris is playful, too, but as Lady Lark, she ups the ante, becoming a compelling, commanding bandleader. She and her fellow songwriters,…