The Current learned Saturday that Terry Katzman, a longtime fixture in the Minnesota music scene, has died. For decades, Katzman has been a champion of bands like Hüsker Dü, the Suburbs, the Replacements and many others. Notably, in January 1982, Katzman was on hand to record a performance by the Replacements at a rent party […]
Hüsker Dü. The Replacements. Two seminal names in Minnesota rock, two bands that exploded out of the Twin Cities alternative scene in the ‘80s and changed the course of popular music. There, the similarities end. Or do they? I invited Replacements superfan Martin Devaney, a local singer-songwriter, to sit down with Hüsker Dü superfan Brian […]
Two of the most influential rock bands in Minnesota history just happened to hit the scene at the same time. Hüsker Dü exploded out of the Macalester College campus, while the Replacements crawled up from South Minneapolis. Formed in 1979, both groups became legends with international cult followings. Lots of people were fans of both, […]
Pitchfork, perhaps the most-respected critical outlet in music, has just published a new list of the 200 best albums of the 1980s. According to the publication’s editorial staff, the decade’s best album was Prince’s Purple Rain. As City Pages notes, that represents a vault upwards in status for the classic soundtrack; when Pitchfork last listed the […]
Tuesday night at the Turf Club, Hüsker Dü bassist Greg Norton joined the evening’s headliners, the Posies, on stage for a handful of Hüsker Dü numbers. After the legendary St. Paul rock band broke up in 1987, Norton left the music industry for a couple of decades, but has returned to music in recent years […]
Approximately 53 minutes after a solar eclipse darkened the skies of St. Paul and beckoned the entire city outside to gaze upward in awe, Grant Hart wandered into my cubicle and stood quietly behind me, smiling politely and nodding his head hello. His hands were tucked into the pockets of a dark navy suit coat, […]
As holiday shoppers look for gifts related to their favorite bands, two Minnesota greats are cautioning against purveyors of bootleg merch. Earlier this week, Greg Norton shared a post on Facebook warning against bootleg Hüsker Dü merchandise. In his post, Norton (the band’s bassist) includes a photo advertising a t-shirt and sweatshirt with the artwork […]
This past Saturday, Oct. 7, at Cal Jam 17 in San Bernardino, Calif., Bob Mould opened his set by paying tribute to Grant Hart. Mould performed Hüsker Dü’s “Never Talking to You Again.” The song, written by Hart, comes from the 1984 album Zen Arcade. Prior to starting the song, according to attendee John Loughney, […]
In the wake of Grant Hart’s recent death, many have been wondering about plans for a memorial service or tribute concert. Although Hart didn’t expect such a tribute, one will take place, says his widow — but not for a few months. The delay is, in part, to allow for the organization of a charity […]
The music world was all abuzz in 2015 when it was announced that the three members of Hüsker Dü — Bob Mould, Greg Norton, and Grant Hart — had met with the intent of creating a band website. The news came as a shock for a few reasons. The first was that up until that point there […]
