In hopes to add another all-female rock band to the Minneapolis music scene, Cindy Lawson took out ads in local magazines in the summer of 1985. Soon enough, the City Pages and now-historic Twin Cities Reader ads caught the attention of drummer Karen Gratz, bassist Patsy Joe and guitarist Roxie Terry, and The Clams were […]
After touring the country with Big Maybelle and Eugene Church, 17-year-old Maurice McKinnies moved to the Twin Cities, where he soon became a key player in the close-knit, flourishing R&B, funk and soul music community that pioneered the Minneapolis Sound. Upon moving to the area, he played with a band called the Big M’s, which featured […]
After hearing of John Berquist’s passing last week, we wanted to take some time to look at his impact in Minnesota through his passion for folk music, storytelling and the history of the Iron Range. An “Iron Ranger, born and bred,” Berquist grew up in Eveleth, Minn., and had recently moved to Fayal Township. Throughout his […]
It’s hard to imagine now, but in 1981, Minneapolis was still getting familiar with Prince as he made waves nationally with Dirty Mind. When people read about his upcoming show at Sam’s in Sweet Potato and the Star Tribune, they jumped at the rare chance to see the budding star from their hometown. “People had told Steve [McClellan], […]
This week at the Local Current, we’re looking back on Prince’s early career as we dedicate our next few history spotlights to stories behind his music. This time, we’re focusing our attention on “Just Another Sucker,” a 94 East song that 18-year-old Prince co-wrote with Pepé Willie. Recorded in 1977, “Just Another Sucker” came at […]
For decades, hundreds of vinyls and tapes sat untouched following the 1979 suicide of Audiotek Systems, Inc. owner Dan Holmes. Now, 260 reel to reel tapes from the Minneapolis record label and studio are on eBay for $19,900. ASI originally operated at 711 W. Broadway Ave. until Holmes moved the business to a studio attached to his […]
Christian Erickson remembers the moment he realized he was in a band. Gathered in a practice room, Angela Orluck, Amy Turaney and Janey Winterbauer began crafting harmonies for Erickson’s “Cape Canaveral.” Originally, Erickson had just planned for them to sing in some of the different tracks he had written, but he knew he was witnessing something […]
In the 1940s, Las Hermanas Rangel were a popular Mexican-American music group in St. Paul’s West Side, known for their romantic ballads and fast-paced corridos. The girls started performing after a parishioner at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church heard them sing in the choir, and offered to pay for the girls’ vocal lessons, said Genevieve Rangel, 83, adding that she […]
This week on the Local Show, we’re paying tribute to Vixen, which is widely regarded as St. Paul’s first all-female rock band. As a high school student in St. Paul, Jan Kuehnemund started an early version of the band in 1973 with three other girls. By 1984, she moved the project to California, where the “classic” ‘80s lineup […]
Comprised of high schoolers in the Minnesota small town Fulda, 1960s garage rock group the Continental Co-ets may have been the first all-girl rock and roll group in the country — or at least in the Upper Midwest. Claims to fame aside, the teenagers’ tenaciousness deserves recognition. With a DIY punk spirit, the girls started […]
