Yesterday, I bought concert tickets for the first time in more than a year. The day beforehand, I received my first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. After a year of tension and austerity, these steps make me feel like a door is slowly creaking open — to what, I’m not sure. But I still find […]
Today, Minneapolis band Kind Country shared the news that Max Graham — lead vocalist, mandolinist, and a co-songwriter in the group — has died. “It is with deep regret and sorrow that we inform you that our dear brother, Max, has left this earthly home,” the group wrote in a statement on Facebook. “We are […]
Minnesota’s legendary for its cold winters. How do we survive? By steaming them up. As part of The Current’s Valentine’s Day celebrations, our local music team picked 17 songs that put the X in sex and prove that Minnesota can go toe to toe with any state in the union when it comes to…well, uniting. […]
As Caleb Brennan noted here on the Local Current blog last fall, TikTok is changing the way we interact with music, and fueling music discovery around the world. I thought I’d check back in to see what Minnesota musicians are up to on TikTok this winter. Any great local artists on TikTok that I missed? […]
Happy Christmas Eve! Yesterday, we played all new holiday music for the Coffee Break. Today, let’s focus on classic holiday songs. See if you can only suggest songs that came out 40+ years ago, so prior to 1980. For today’s 9:30 Coffee Break, what classic holiday songs do you want to hear? Respond with your […]
As The Current’s local music team, we used to find a lot of new music out at late-night shows, but this year, we’ve mostly been exploring releases through Bandcamp and SoundCloud (and our inboxes). Is it ideal? No, but it’s still rewarding. This year, Minnesota music has made us cry, dance, and cheer. Below, we’ve […]
Somewhere around 1990, when I was a teenager, I picked up a used copy of Bruce Springsteen’s classic five-LP set Live/1975-85. I knew the Born in the U.S.A. hits, and I was ready to take a deeper dive into the Boss’s oeuvre. I put on side one track one (“Thunder Road”), turned off the lights in my bedroom, […]
Right now we’re all making our best-of-2020 playlists and checking them twice (have you cast your votes in The Current’s Top 89 poll yet?). Do you ever go back and actually listen to the best-of playlists you made in prior years? Every time I do, I’m reminded of some amazing Minnesota songs from those years. […]
December is a time of reflection and celebration for people of many different backgrounds and traditions. For some, that means religious holidays like Hanukkah or Christmas. For others, it’s cultural celebrations like Kwanzaa. Some look to the winter solstice as a time of renewal, and everyone flips the calendar page on January 1. I’m going […]
This weekend, the world was saddened to learn of the death of a television icon: longtime Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek. Over the course of 36 years helming the popular quiz show, Trebek asked contestants (and, by extension, viewers) to display their knowledge on a vast range of topics. Among those topics, of course, was Minnesota music […]
