Double Grave is a band I, along with many others, became acquainted with in a way that feels completely natural to the Minneapolis music scene. Sometime in 2017, I descended some rickety stairs into an unfinished basement where a packed room of music fans nodded along to Double Grave’s distorted, shoegaze-influenced breed of punk. That […]
Whether your desk is tiny or gigantic, chances are you may be spending more time at it than ever this summer. As many of the artists who submitted to National Public Radio’s Tiny Desk Contest can attest, it’s a great time to have a project, and for some, that meant participating in this year’s contest. […]
The White Castle on 32nd and Lyndale is itself part of Minneapolis history. In 1986, the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission worked to protect this then 50-year-old piece of the city’s architectural history by having it saved from demolition and entered into the National Register of Historic Places. The literal white castle will soon house another […]
“When it all started happening, I had reached a point — the first time in my life — where I was making a living solely through doing sound and other music projects,” said Ian Sutherland, “and had just kind of come to the realization that I’d finally reached that little goal of mine. And then, […]
After a sold-out homecoming show in Minnesota last December following the release of his first album and a long string of tour dates, Ondara told Andrea Swensson, “Looking at my journey and my trajectory, where I’m from is just so far that there’s just no way…I can’t go back. Forward is the only place to […]
“This is not about me. This is not about Cody [Colton Otte]. This is about George Floyd. This is about Ahmaud Arbrey. This is about Elijah McClain. This is about Toyin [Salau]. This is about every Black person who has been murdered because of systematic oppression.” Those are the words of MC Longshot regarding his […]
Last Friday, a stream of vehicles rolled into the parking lot outside Burnsville City Hall, parked in spaces marked with chalk, and lowered their windows. Some patrons opened chairs and umbrellas to protect against the heavy afternoon heat, placed dinner trays on laps, and sat alone or in familial clusters waiting for the show to […]
TikTok is one of the most magical, surreal, creative apps there is today. Prince was one of the most magical, surreal, creative artists of his time. The two may make a perfect match as Prince’s entire discography is now available for TikTok creators to use legally. Prince was not a fan of his songs appearing […]
This is the last edition of Friday Five in its current iteration. Moving forward it will be replaced by a longer, biweekly post about one music video including conversations with the artists behind both the music and the videos. Continue to send submissions to fridayfive [at] mpr.org for consideration! UPRISING – “A.Y.R.D.” An all-star list […]
Dayna Frank, owner of First Avenue, has long been a leader in the Minnesota music community. Now, with First Avenue and all independent music venues in crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic, Frank is stepping into a national leadership role by spearheading the founding of a new association advocating for suddenly vulnerable clubs and theaters […]
