From the early 1960s to this very day, Stax recording artist William Bell has crafted soul classics with a clarity, passion and grit that is truly unparalleled. Last week Sean McPherson sat in the backstage of the Dakota with the soul legend and discussed soul music with him.

Seven rows away from the stage last night, I sat munching on my chocolate chip cookie, not knowing quite what to expect. I was about to see Amy Ray and Emily Saliers — the Indigo Girls — perform with the Minnesota Orchestra. As conductor Sarah Hicks and the folk duo walked on stage, a roaring…

Joe Jackson has been turning out music for more than 40 years, and has just released a new album, 'Fool.' The Current's Jim McGuinn recently connected with Jackson to talk about his career then and now. 'The best work that I've done is always the latest,' Jackson says. 'It's always what I'm most excited about.' Check out the complete interview.

Jay and Jade dig into new albums from Ladytron, J.S. Ondara, Chaka Khan, and Tourist. Plus: 'Cuz I Love You,' a new single from Lizzo.

Less than a year after the release of their most recent full-length album, New York band Sunflower Bean dropped an EP, 'King of the Dudes.' The new release exudes a sense of fun. 'We ended up really experimenting with a different side of ourselves,' explains Sunflower Bean's Julia Cummings when the band stopped in for a session hosted by Mac Wilson.

On Feb. 8, author Paul Allen joined Jay Gabler on the Local Current stream to discuss his new book 'The Hopefuls: Chasing a Rock 'n' Roll Dream in the Minnesota Music Scene.' Listen to their conversation, along with 15 songs from the band and related projects.

A new academic study from Michigan's Lawrence Technical University claims that pop music is getting sadder and angrier.

The Cactus Blossoms – “Got A Lotta Love” This month, the Cactus Blossoms set up shop in Minneapolis’s Bockley Gallery and performed “Got A Lotta Love,” a tender song co-written with Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, from their upcoming album Easy Way (out March 1). WXPN has more info here. Inside Voice – “Do You Remember When Your…

Ska music in the Twin Cities has long had a passionate — if underappreciated — community. Tonight at the Turf Club, ska veterans the Prizefighters will perform in celebration of the band’s second full-length album, Firewalk, alongside other mainstays in the network of local ska bands including Umbrella Bed and Down ‘N’ Dirty Dancehall. In an e-mail,…

In a widely-discussed New York Times report, women including Mandy Moore and Phoebe Bridgers describe a long-term pattern of emotional abuse and sexual manipulation by singer-songwriter Ryan Adams. We spoke with music writer Jessica Hopper about the history of such behavior in the music industry, and about how to create safer spaces for everybody.