We're gearing up for a long weekend of cabining, small towning and staycationing that will gloriously conclude on July 4 - Independence Day. So for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear that mention America or the USA?

Two years after his first Red House album Stumpjumper, Charlie Parr is back with a new record, due out Sept. 8 on the St. Paul label. Packed with Parr’s signature, detailed observations and musings, the album’s title track “Dog” is out today. Listeners can expect the themes in “Dog” to appear throughout the album, as Parr tackles “emotional issues,…

Marvel Comics launched a title based on the band Kiss; Huey Lewis and the News hit No. 1 in the album charts with 'Sports'; guitar great Chet Atkins passed away; the Buzzcocks released the second-shortest single of all time; and fans rushed the stage at a Pearl Jam concert, Today in Music History.

JAY-Z’s new album 4:44 is out today. On one song, “Caught Their Eyes,” the rap icon and entrepreneur bitterly addresses his battle with Prince’s estate. “I sat down with Prince, eye to eye,” raps JAY-Z (who’s newly reclaimed the hyphen in his name, and upgraded himself to all-caps). “He told me his wishes before he died/…

EL.i.BE, “Balance (feat. O-Lay)” “I might get lit up if I swerve,” rapper EL.i.BE acknowledges, dreading a “sequel of Philando” at an impending traffic stop. While he and O-Lay share their rhymes, dancers Peace and Nteranya perform intense moves in this film by Benji Cooper. Nick Jordan, “Petty” Soul/R&B artist Nick Jordan brings viewers to paradise in the video for…

Today's top music news stories include a surprise release from Public Enemy, Kurt Cobain paintings going on display, and Loretta Lynn's recovery from a stroke.

The Current's Andrea Swensson pays tribute to the legendary Sonny Knight, who passed away earlier this month at the age of 69.

It's the last Thursday of June which means it's National Handshake Day - a day celebrating one of our oldest forms of greeting each other. So for today's Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear that say "shake" somewhere in the lyrics?

The Jimi Hendrix Experience played their final show together; Elton John crashed a concert in Oakland, Calif.; Bruce Springsteen kicked off a 15-month tour (and filmed a music video) in St. Paul, Minn.; and Little Eva was born, Today in Music History.

Today marks the 101st birthday of Prince’s father John L. Nelson — a professional musician whose stage name, Prince Rogers, became his son’s given name. To mark the occasion, Prince’s half-sister Sharon Nelson has released a new recording of one of her father’s songs. She says that “Heart of Mine” is the first track from…