As the holiday season comes upon us, many ballet companies around the country are getting ready to present Tchaikovsky’s traditional Christmas classic, but The Hip Hop Nutcracker is mixing things up and changing the story to keep up with the times. When I walked into the historic State Theatre last night, it was clear that […]
“You guys were so much more emotional and real,” said Sara Quin, paraphrasing something she’s heard in recent weeks as she and her sister/bandmate Tegan Quin revisit their 2007 album The Con. Sara’s response? “Eh, f— you.” The implication was that people who think synthpop albums like Heartthrob (2013) and Love You to Death (2016) aren’t “emotional and real” […]
Tegan and Sara have just released a new video for their Love You to Death track “That Girl,” directed by Allister Ann and spotlighting the sisters’ life on tour this fall. Some of the video was shot at their Sept. 12 State Theatre gig, and there’s even some footage from their in-studio performance at The Current. Below, […]
On our Local Current blog, we often write about local music venues. We wanted to add a touch of visual flair to our coverage, so we asked Minneapolis illustrator Allegra Lockstadt to create original illustrations of eight venues. Allegra explains the thinking behind her approach: I wanted to create a really romantic feel to these. […]
We may, one day, look back on these as halcyon days in Minneapolis music: days when, for the price of a Jenny Lewis ticket, you could get a complete album performance, a Staves guest appearance, the Cactus Blossoms doing Ben Gibbard doing Roy Orbison, and a Conor Oberst/Har Mar Superstar soul kiss. A day after Frankie Lee […]
Cloud Cult have always been my personal favorite band, but during their Saturday show at the State Theatre, they were everyone’s favorite band. The group delivered a visceral set to a sold-out crowd at the Minneapolis stop on their Seeker tour — named for their latest album, released Feb. 12, and the film that accompanies it. […]
When a colleague saw I was editing an audio recording called “Peter Asher,” he gasped. “Wow!” he said. “The Peter Asher?” Yes, indeed: the Peter Asher. Best-known as the “Peter” of Peter and Gordon, Asher has enjoyed a remarkable career in music that’s encompassed work as a producer and manager—perhaps most notably as a significant force in […]
If you went back in time and told the 15-year-old version of me that I would attend a sold-out Nickel Creek show in Minneapolis and sit nine rows from the stage, I would have thought you were lying. Firstly because I hadn’t quite experienced the joys of live (non-classical) music yet, and secondly because Nickel […]
Annie Clark, better known as St. Vincent, may not be of this world. She took the stage at the State Theatre in Minneapolis last night with her startling new look—curly white-purple hair; striking green eyeshadow; tall heels; and bouncing shoulder-pads. Her wide eyes felt too knowing to be human; her rigid, cryptic motions appeared to […]
“When we left our home in St. Paul where we started this show many years ago, as part of our penance for leaving St. Paul, the mayor, Chris Coleman, has decided to come wearing a skirt and play the bagpipes for us.” With that introduction from the New Standards’ Chan Poling, Mayor Coleman indeed appeared […]
