Ok, who turned the news on full blast today? In between reporting on Brother Ali's arrest and mourning the loss of the A.V. Club Twin Cities, I took a minute to round up a few more local music notes for your viewing pleasure:

1. Halo Sparkle debut video, offer up free song

Halo Sparkle have been featured on the Local Show and the Local Current stream quite a bit recently, so we were happy to help the new Minneapolis quartet debut their first music video. An added bonus? You can grab a free download of the track “White Picket Fences” right here (right-click, save as).

2. Gabe Douglas bares all

No, that isn't the title of the 4onthefloor frontman's forthcoming tell-all book. Rather, it's what happened last night at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis when Douglas and several other prominent Minnesota musicians shaved their beards (and, in some cases, their heads) to raise money for Children's Hospital. Behold the transformation in this Instagram from Ellie Blades:

3. Fairfax, AK celebrate a b-day

Songwriter Pat Dougherty will be celebrating his birthday tomorrow night with his band Fairfax, AK, and a sweet lineup of like-minded artists at Memory Lanes. Fairfax will be joined by Brad Senne's Walker Fields as well as Hotel San Sebastian. The band says: "Don't think of it as a show. Think of it more as a backyard barbecue... only indoors, and without the barbecue." Fun!

4. The Midnight Evils reunite

Now that Chooglin' has officially called it quits, lead singer Brian Vanderwerf has time to reunite his old band, The Midnight Evils. Check out an interview about their reunion over on Gimme Noise, sample their sound below, and see 'em live tomorrow night at the 7th St. Entry.

5. Zoo Animal kick off Wabasha Days tonight

Here's yet another high-quality, free, outdoor summer event to add to your bustling concert calendar: Wabasha Days, a new series taking place outside of Amsterdam Bar & Hall in downtown St. Paul, gets underway tonight with a stellar four-band bill. Catch Zoo Animal, Aaron & The Sea, Actual Wolf, and Grant Cutler tonight starting at 4pm, and check out the full lineup for the series over on Amsterdam's site.