Considered a landmark venue of the Twin Cities (and Minnesota culture in general), First Avenue has been integral in the formation and continued vibrance of the music scene in the metropolitan area. Every major city has an iconic place to see live music; First Avenue is ours.
First Avenue
Interview
Caroline Smith and Jesse Schuster reflect on touring with the Good Night Sleeps
Band returns home to headline First Avenue this Saturday
Caroline Smith
The singer-songwriter and leader of the Good Night Sleeps returns to the Mainroom tomorrow. Nate Ryan/MPR
In recent years, it seems that when a band “graduates” to performing on larger stages their turning point often hinges on playing a show in First Avenue’s Mainroom. Tonight, for example, Pert Near Sandstone will test their drawing power in that big, black room after playing two back-to-back nights at the Cedar earlier in the year. Often the excitement surrounding the band’s inaugural Mainroom appearance will be enough to bring out the far corners of their fanbase.
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First Avenue, Etix, Gimme Noise and The Current announce SXSW day party
Five local acts will perform in Austin, Texas on March 16
Trampled by Turtles
The Duluth quintet will close out First Avenue's SXSW day party. Publicity photo
For the second consecutive year, First Avenue is teaming up with my former stomping grounds, Gimme Noise, to showcase some of the most high-profile Minnesota artists at a SXSW day party down in Austin, Texas. And this year, First Avenue's ticket partner Etix and 89.3 The Current are joining in on the fun. We couldn't be more excited to share our lineup with you this morning.
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Current Birthday Bash transformed into dreamy love letter to the scene 5
Videographer Ron Johnson documented Saturday's show
Channy Leaneagh of Poliça
Poliça is one of four acts in Johnson's "love letter" video. Nate Ryan/MPR
If a picture is supposedly worth a thousand words, then this video is worth at least a million. Forget all those pesky adjectives and metaphors; Twin Cities videographer Ron Johnson (who by day works for news outlet Fox 9) gets the job done and recaps his experience at the Current Birthday Party in a mere two and a half minutes. Johnson attended Saturday night's show with Poliça, Suicide Commandos, Sims, and Haley Bonar, and found himself swept up in the energy of the night.
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Tapes 'n Tapes, Dead Man Winter, Low, and Night Moves kick off the Current's birthday bash
The evening ended with a gutsy cover of "Purple Rain"
Josh Grier of Tapes 'n Tapes
All photos by MPR's Nate Ryan
What started as a slow-burner of a night ended with an explosion of adoration and positive energy, serving as a perfect kick-off to the Current’s birthday parties in the First Avenue Mainroom. Now in its seventh year, the station expanded their popular all-local birthday bash into a two-night run, and judging from the celebratory spirit of last night’s show we’re in for a fantastic night again tonight.
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Meet Jared Isabella, the drummer in three of First Avenue's seven Best New Bands
Isabella says the busy Twin Cities scene makes it easy to multi-task
Jared Isabella
The busy drummer will perform three sets tonight. Courtesy Jared Isabella
It's a classic Minneapolis love story. Drummer moves to town, joins a band, then joins another band, and another -- and soon he's juggling so many gigs and projects that it's enough to make the casual concertgoer's head spin. Such is the case for 25-year-old Jared Isabella, who started drumming in Yer Cronies but soon found himself entangled in a web of musicians who bandy between handfuls of different projects.
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Friday Five: New videos from Polica, Sleep Study, more 2
Local music notes from the week of January 9-13
The Minnesota music scene has apparently missed the memo that January is supposed to be a slow month for concerts and new releases. With so many new videos, tracks, and show announcements coming out on a weekly basis, we thought it'd be a good idea to take a step back every Friday afternoon and round up some of the things you might have missed.
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First Avenue undergoing renovations
General manager Nate Kranz says the goal is to improve sightlines
January is typically a slow month for touring acts coming through the Twin Cities, and downtown Minneapolis mainstay First Avenue is taking advantage of the lull in shows by completely tearing apart their Mainroom and reconstructing the south side of the space.
Read full post ›About the blogger
Minnesota music is my life. For the past seven years, I have worked as a music writer and editor, researching and reporting on our local music community. I strongly believe that the strength of an artistic community relies not only on its artists and performers, but on the support of a media infrastructure that can act as a spotlight, a gauge, and a living, breathing document of what’s happening right here, right now.
The Local Current Blog is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.Sponsor
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- Poliça 12
- Doomtree 8
- Trampled by Turtles 8
- Howler 8
- Night Moves 7
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