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 […]
“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 […]
“This feels like we’re actually going forward.” said MC Longshot, while discussing the community’s powerful response to the police killing of George Floyd, and the current momentum in the ongoing fight for racial equity. “That’s the actual, hardcore meaning of movement, so I’m really proud of Minneapolis.” Local Show host, Andrea Swensson, had a conversation […]
If you have a music video you’d like to be considered for an upcoming feature, send it my way at fridayfive@mpr.org! John Mark Nelson & The Quarantine Chorale – “You Are The One” The silver linings in the state of the world today have so quickly revealed themselves to be our communities and the art […]
Doomtree fans buckled in for a marathon celebration of the collective’s family tree last night at Familia HQ in Minneapolis. While Doomtree have not dropped a group album since 2015, its members have stayed ridiculously busy with side projects. Several offshoots had their chance to shine before the crew took the stage last night at […]
Lizea Harper – “Fire Escape” Lizea Harper watches from the wall as a house party unfolds. Mercies May directed and edited “Fire Escape” for Strange and Distant Pictures. Longshot & Lazerbeak – “Going Home” Longshot returns to Chicago in “Going Home.” Directed by Adad, the video shares a fond look at the biggest city in […]
Gaelynn Lea – “Lost In The Woods” Makeovers aren’t always for the better, as Gaelynn Lea knows in “Lost In The Woods,” a new song from her upcoming album Learning How To Stay (out Sept. 7). This tune may be short, but Lea makes time for a great violin solo. Longshot & Lazerbeak – “Just Dance” Longshot and […]
Longshot & Lazerbeak’s “Here For A Reason” was filmed in downtown Minneapolis, but it’s set in a whole other plane. One where green squiggles dash off from our movements; one where bricks go aquamarine as we walk by, a little like the tiles in “Billie Jean.” One where an invisible hand spraypaints the Sydney Prince mural […]
Bobby Vee: The Adobe Sessions Bobby Vee is a Midwest music legend. The Fargo-born singer emerged as a prodigy in the 1950s, playing with Buddy Holly and a young Bob Dylan and landing 38 hits in Billboard’s Hot 100. In an unusual and touching gesture, Dylan paid tribute to his former bandmate at Midway Stadium […]
