Social Media Intern for Bespoke Beauty Brands | Former associate blogger for 89.3 The Current
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Articles by Kayla Song
Max Weinberg talks with Jill Riley ahead of Red Wing show
E-Street Band Drummer Max Weinberg attends the Cousin Brucie Saturday Rock and Roll Party Live from the Silverball Pinball Museum on May 13, 2017 in Delray Beach, Florida. (Mychal Watts/Getty Images) Play/Pause Listen: Max Weinberg: interview with Jill Riley Download MP3 | 00:07:18 Best known for his participation in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, drummer and TV personality Max Weinberg will be at Red Wing's Sheldon Theatre for an eclectic show centered on the concept of a jukebox.
Music on TV this week: Liam Gallagher; Wu-Tang Clan; FKA Twigs; Coldplay
Still image from FKA Twigs' video for 'home with you' (YouTube via NPR) Artists heard on The Current are frequently featured on TV programs, and we've gathered the listings in one convenient place for you. We'll also post videos of performances as the week progresses. Sign up for the Music on TV newsletter Receive the week's lineup each Monday morning in your inbox along with early access to this post.
Listen: Original demo of Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash ‘Wanted Man’ duet
Bob Dylan Johnny Cash Contributors Bob Dylan Travelin'Thru box set art Sponsor Sponsor The original demo for “Wanted Man,” a song from Johnny Cash’s 1969 live album At San Quentin, has emerged from the archives of Bob Dylan’s music vault. Originally written by Dylan for Cash in the late 1960s, the song is featured on the upcoming box set Bob Dylan (Featuring Johnny Cash) — Travelin’ Thru, 1967-1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 15.
Lizzo, J.S. Ondara, Hippo Campus lead list of Record Store Day Black Friday 2019 releases
J.S. Ondara at The Current, 2019. (Nate Ryan/MPR) Sponsor Sponsor The countdown for the annual Record Store Day Black Friday sale continues to count down with little over a month left, and some familiar names are on the list of vinyl exclusives: including Lizzo, J.S. Ondara, Hippo Campus, Paul Westerberg/Grandpaboy, and the Hold Steady.
Music on TV this week: Sam Fender; David Byrne; the National; Jenny Lewis; Chance the Rapper
Sam Fender performs at The Current Day Party at Barracuda in Austin, Texas, on Friday, March 15, 2019, during the SXSW music festival. (Nate Ryan | MPR) Artists heard on The Current are frequently featured on TV programs, and we've gathered the listings in one convenient place for you. We'll also post videos of performances as the week progresses. Sign up for the Music on TV newsletter Receive the week's lineup each Monday morning in your inbox along with early access to this post.
Review and photos: Turf Club summons Starcrawler for a bewitching performance
Starcrawler Turf Club Contributors Photos by Mary Mathis/MPR Sponsor Sponsor Last night at the Turf Club, Starcrawler’s set literally started with a bang as a sudden strum of the electric guitar made everyone jump in their bar stools. That’s all it took to get the party going. Frontwoman Arrow de Wilde took the mic dressed like a zombified ice skater in a blood-stained, sheer white bodysuit with strands of dirtied cloth hanging from her waist as if it was once a full skirt.
Nur-D wins City Pages 2019 Picked to Click poll
Nur-D performing at The Current. (Nate Ryan/MPR) Sponsor Sponsor With 69 points, Nur-D took first place as the Twin Cities’ “best new local artist” in the City Pages annual Picked to Click poll of Minnesota music influentials. It shouldn’t be a surprise that the winner and some of the other artists who made the top 10 are free spirits who can’t be categorized into traditional genres of music — something the Twin Cities music scene thrives on.
Music on TV This Week: Morris Day; Tyler Childers; Steve Earle; encores aplenty
Morris Day (MPR Photo / Nate Ryan) Artists heard on The Current are frequently featured on TV programs, and we've gathered the listings in one convenient place for you. We'll also post videos of performances as the week progresses. Sign up for the Music on TV newsletter Receive the week's lineup each Monday morning in your inbox along with early access to this post.
New Prince mural towers over North Loop in downtown Minneapolis
Kayla Song/MPR Sponsor Sponsor On the side of the 424 building on Washington Avenue in the North Loop neighborhood of downtown Minneapolis, you might have seen the beginnings of yet another mural of Minnesota music icon Prince. You can thank the Floyd’s 99 Barbershop for the commission — but it wasn’t originally planned to be just a painting of Prince. Many Floyd’s 99 Barbershops all over the country have murals on the side of their buildings.
Music on TV this week: Lizzo interview; The Avett Brothers; Black Pumas; Rex Orange County; Maggie Rogers
Maggie Rogers performs on 'Austin City Limits' season 45 on PBS. (courtesy KLRU-TV/Austin City Limits. Photo by Scott Newton) Artists heard on The Current are frequently featured on TV programs, and we've gathered the listings in one convenient place for you. We'll also post videos of performances as the week progresses. Sign up for the Music on TV newsletter Receive the week's lineup each Monday morning in your inbox along with early access to this post.
Reina Del Cid celebrating new album, touring Minnesota with Caravan Du Nord
Reina del Cid Cedar Cultural Center Contributors Jill Riley and Reina del Cid at The Current. Photo Courtesy Anna Weggel/MPR Sponsor Sponsor When she was growing up, Reina del Cid didn’t anticipate a musical career. Now, she’s releasing her third full-length album before embarking on cross-state adventure with Caravan du Nord, the annual showcase that brings top regional acts to towns across Greater Minnesota.
Music on TV this week: Wilco; Gary Clark Jr; Lukas Nelson; the Highwomen; Tegan and Sara; Angel Olsen
Wilco return with 'Ode to Joy,' out October 4, 2019, via dBpm Records. (Annabel Mehran) Artists heard on The Current are frequently featured on TV programs, and we've gathered the listings in one convenient place for you. We'll also post videos of performances as the week progresses. Sign up for the Music on TV newsletter Receive the week's lineup each Monday morning in your inbox along with early access to this post.
Interview: Steve Lukather of Toto talks about the enduring legacy of 'Africa'
Steve Lukather in Venice, 2014. (ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP/Getty Images) Play/Pause | 00:10:45 When they started playing music together as high school students in 1974, the members of iconic rock band Toto could not have predicted how long of a run they'd have. Their greatest hits album 40 Trips Around the Sun is proof of their enduring popularity, commemorating the 40th anniversary of Toto's debut album.
Lizzo sets Billboard chart record with number one hit ‘Truth Hurts’
Lizzo at The Current, 2019. (Nate Ryan/MPR) Sponsor Sponsor Music critics and enthusiasts everywhere are praising rapper/ singer/ songwriter and flute goddess Lizzo as her hit song “Truth Hurts” becomes the longest-running Billboard Hot 100 #1 by a solo female rapper — eclipsing Cardi B’s three-week reign with “Bodak Yellow” in 2017. Her success certainly won’t stop here: she’s just been ruled eligible for possible nomination as Best New Artist at the next Grammys.
Music on TV this week: Paul McCartney; Cage the Elephant; Jade Bird; Brittany Howard; Cherry Glazerr; Gary Clark Jr.; Tegan and Sara; Billie Eilish
Paul McCartney (courtesy Capitol Records) Artists heard on The Current are frequently featured on TV programs, and we've gathered the listings in one convenient place for you. We'll also post videos of performances as the week progresses. Sign up for the Music on TV newsletter Receive the week's lineup each Monday morning in your inbox along with early access to this post.
With supergroup Ringing Bell at Walker benefit, Channy Leaneagh’s ready to ‘move on’ from accident
Ringing Bell. l-r: Alex Nutter, Mina Moore, Channy Leaneagh, Mark McGee. (Photo by Sarah White, courtesy Walker Art Center) Sponsor Sponsor Six months after an accident that left Channy Leaneagh with a broken vertebrae, the frontwoman of Poliça is stepping back onto the stage for the first time. She’ll be performing with Ringing Bell, a one-night musical supergroup created for the Walker Art Center’s annual Avant Garden benefit this Saturday.
Where did that Prince mural on the Midtown Greenway come from?
Prince mural on the Midtown Greenway. (Jay Gabler/MPR) Sponsor Sponsor Over the past several weeks, bikers and walkers along the Midtown Greenway in Minneapolis have noticed a very familiar, larger-than-life, face under the Aldrich Avenue bridge: Prince, circa his 1999 era. What’s the story behind this latest Prince mural in Minnesota?
Music on TV this week: Fitz and The Tantrums; Chance the Rapper; the Lumineers; Joy Williams; Sheryl Crow; Willie Nelson
Fitz and the Tantrums (Courtesy of Dangerbird Records) Artists heard on The Current are frequently featured on TV programs, and we've gathered the listings in one convenient place for you. We'll also post videos of performances as the week progresses. Sign up for the Music on TV newsletter Receive the week's lineup each Monday morning in your inbox along with early access to this post.
Welcome to MSP: Ten Minnesota songs for newcomers to groove to
Lady Midnight at The Current. (Mary Mathis/MPR) Sponsor Sponsor This week, individuals and organizations across the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area are celebrating MSP Welcome Week: a Make It. MSP. initiative designed to roll out the red carpet for valued newcomers to our area. We thought we’d do our part by offering this introduction to Minnesota music via ten songs and videos recorded in our studio. These tracks are also available as a playlist on YouTube and Spotify.
Music on TV this week: Vampire Weekend; BANKS; Houndmouth; The Hold Steady
Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend (Michael Schmelling) Artists heard on The Current are frequently featured on TV programs, and we've gathered the listings in one convenient place for you. We'll also post videos of performances as the week progresses. Sign up for the Music on TV newsletter Receive the week's lineup each Monday morning in your inbox along with early access to this post.
Music on TV this week: The Raconteurs; Pixies; Maren Morris; Tanya Tucker and Brandi Carlile; J.S. Ondara
J.S. Ondara performs on 'CBS This Morning' Saturday Sessions, which aired on Sept. 7, 2019. (CBS News) Artists heard on The Current are frequently featured on TV programs, and we've gathered the listings in one convenient place for you. We'll also post videos of performances as the week progresses. Sign up for the Music on TV newsletter Receive the week's lineup each Monday morning in your inbox along with early access to this post.
Darwin, Minnesota names ‘Weird Alley’ in honor of twine ball troubadour ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic
via Darwin Twine Ball on Facebook Sponsor Sponsor With “Weird Al” Yankovic in town to perform at the Minnesota State Fair, the city of Darwin, Minnesota (pop. 350) has christened a roadway to honor the parodist who helped make their giant twine ball a nationally-known tourist attraction.
Music on TV this week: Durand Jones & The Indications; Pete Yorn; The Head and the Heart; Aurora
Durand Jones & The Indications (Photo courtesy of the artist.) Artists heard on The Current are frequently featured on TV programs, and we've gathered the listings in one convenient place for you. We'll also post videos of performances as the week progresses. Sign up for the Music on TV newsletter Receive the week's lineup each Monday morning in your inbox along with early access to this post.
Music on TV this week: Lizzo; Vampire Weekend; Paul Simon; Bishop Briggs
Lizzo (MPR Photo | Nate Ryan) Artists heard on The Current are frequently featured on TV programs, and we've gathered the listings in one convenient place for you. We'll also post videos of performances as the week progresses. Sign up for the Music on TV newsletter Receive the week's lineup each Monday morning in your inbox along with early access to this post.
Music on TV this week: Pete Yorn; Common; the Avett Brothers; Chance the Rapper
Singer-songwriter Pete Yorn (Jim Wright) Artists heard on The Current are frequently featured on TV programs, and we've gathered the listings in one convenient place for you. We'll also post videos of performances as the week progresses. Sign up for the Music on TV newsletter Receive the week's lineup each Monday morning in your inbox along with early access to this post.
Motorcycles and music: How my dad taught me to roll with rock
Sponsor Sponsor The kind of music I listen to depends on my mood. Some days the sky is green-grey from an oncoming storm and I feel like listening to Lana Del Ray’s smooth, eerie vocals while I sip hot tea on the couch with my two cats. Other days I’ll blast some King Princess or Lizzo while I drive because I’m feeling great in my favorite pair of jeans. When I hop on a motorcycle, like for a lot of riders, it tends to be classic rock for me.
The Nude Party perform a rollicking set at The Current
The Nude Party perform 'Astral Man' from their self-titled 2018 album live in The Current studio.
Music on TV: Ex Hex; Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real; Noel Gallagher; Tyler Childers; Smashing Pumpkins; Natalie Merchant
Ex Hex (Photo courtesy of the artist.) Artists heard on The Current are frequently featured on TV programs, and we've gathered the listings in one convenient place for you. We'll also post videos of performances as the week progresses. Sign up for the Music on TV newsletter Receive the week's lineup each Monday morning in your inbox along with early access to this post.
Blazes of Glory: Pyrotechnic designers and engineers add fiery drama to the concert experience
When you go to a concert by Macklemore, Pitbull, or Marshmello, it’s not just for the music—you’re also going for an elaborate spectacle, and often that means waterfalls of sparks raining down from the ceiling or pillars of fire erupting from the edge of the stage. In short, pyrotechnics. Pyrotechnics can incorporate anything from fire and confetti to sparklers and something called a concussion—basically a huge bomb sound.
Making sparks: How pyro pros make concerts go boom
'You’re blowing up stuff and people are paying you for it. That’s a cool feature of it. But the other thing is that you’re a part of lasting memories,' says Max Freedman, who helped create this 2017 Coachella display for Marshmello.
Music on TV this week: Highwomen; Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus; Bishop Briggs; Sam Fender
The Highwomen, left to right: Natalie Hemby, Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris and Amanda Shires. (Alysse Gafkjen) Artists heard on The Current are frequently featured on TV programs, and we've gathered the listings in one convenient place for you. We'll also post videos of performances as the week progresses. Sign up for the Music on TV newsletter Receive the week's lineup each Monday morning in your inbox along with early access to this post.
Review and photos: Jeff Lynne’s ELO electrifies Xcel Energy Center
Jeff Lynne's ELO Contributors Review Jeff Lynne's ELO performing at Xcel Energy Center for the 2019 North American Tour. Sponsor Sponsor Almost every single seat in the Xcel Energy Center was filled Thursday night while the Electric Light Orchestra’s iconic spaceship hovered on screens above the stage, the audience awaiting the British rock band that’s been rolling since the ’70s.
Graveyard Club share new music at The Current
Matthew Schufman of Graveyard Club performs at The Current (Mary Mathis | MPR) Play/Pause Listen: Graveyard Club - Full session + Interview Download MP3 | 00:25:32 Graveyard Club - Full session + Interview 25:32 Graveyard Club - It Hurts 04:10 Graveyard Club - William 04:20 Graveyard Club - Finally Found 04:09 Performing songs off their upcoming album Goodnight Paradise, synthpop band Graveyard Club brought feelings of melancholy nostalgia to The Current studio with Matt Schufman on lead...
Music on TV this week: The Raconteurs; The 1975; Nilufer Yanya; Greta Van Fleet
The 1975 at The Current (MPR / Nate Ryan) Artists heard on The Current are frequently featured on TV programs, and we've gathered the listings in one convenient place for you. We'll also post videos of performances as the week progresses. Sign up for the Music on TV newsletter Receive the week's lineup each Monday morning in your inbox along with early access to this post.
Eric Mayson moving to Mankato to attend flight school
Eric Mayson performs at Tattersall Distilling on July 11, 2019. (Jay Gabler/MPR) Sponsor Sponsor It’s an understatement to say it’s been an eventful first half of 2019 for the multifaceted Minneapolis musician Eric Mayson. In just a few months, Mayson released his newest albums, Op-Nope and It’s All Real It’s All Fake, worked on a play and a dance piece, quit smoking, and got hitched. Up next for the electropop instrumental genius is…flight school?
Music on TV this week: Kacey Musgraves; Weyes Blood; Spoon; David Crosby; The Mountain Goats
Kacey Musgraves performs at the Palace Theatre in St. Paul on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019. (Andy Witchger for MPR) Artists heard on The Current are frequently featured on TV programs, and we've gathered the listings in one convenient place for you. We'll also post videos of performances as the week progresses. Sign up for the Music on TV newsletter Receive the week's lineup each Monday morning in your inbox along with early access to this post.
Music on TV this week: Parquet Courts; Vampire Weekend; H.E.R.; interview with Bastille
Parquet Courts perform in The Current studio (Nate Ryan | MPR) Artists heard on The Current are frequently featured on TV programs, and we've gathered the listings in one convenient place for you. We'll also post videos of performances as the week progresses. Sign up for the Music on TV newsletter Receive the week's lineup each Monday morning in your inbox along with early access to this post.
Music on TV this week: Patty Griffin; Steve Earle; encores from the Killers; Sting; Bonnie Raitt; Middle Kids; Mumford and Sons
The Killers perform on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' on ABC on Monday, April 1. (Randy Holmes/ABC) Artists heard on The Current are frequently featured on TV programs, and we've gathered the listings in one convenient place for you. We'll also post videos of performances as the week progresses. Sign up for the Music on TV newsletter Receive the week's lineup each Monday morning in your inbox along with early access to this post.
Music on TV this week: SOAK; Jenny Lewis; Matt Maeson; St. Paul and the Broken Bones
Jenny Lewis performs at Microshow in the Clown Lounge at the Turf Club in St. Paul, Minn., on March 28, 2019. (Nate Ryan | MPR) Artists heard on The Current are frequently featured on TV programs, and we've gathered the listings in one convenient place for you. We'll also post videos of performances as the week progresses. Sign up for the Music on TV newsletter Receive the week's lineup each Monday morning in your inbox along with early access to this post.
Hometown hero José James coming ‘full circle’ as Twin Cities Jazz Fest headliner
José James Twin Cities Jazz Fest Contributors José James performs at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 2018. (EVA HAMBACH/AFP/Getty Images) Sponsor Sponsor José James has traveled the world touring his music, recently performing a project called Gershwin Reimagined with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in Australia. His success has earned him worldwide recognition, but he has a soft spot for his original home state of Minnesota.
Turf Club brings Black Rock Matters back for round two: Queer Edition
Timisarocker Turf Club Contributors Photo by Ja'mon Kimbrough, courtesy Timisarocker. Sponsor Sponsor Tim Dooley, frontman for the band Timisarocker, hasn’t stopped moving since his first Black Rock Matters show brought the band into the spotlight in February. Being a rocker, a drag queen, a podcast host, an ordained minister, and recently becoming a standup comedian, Timisarocker has been busy to say the least.
Nur-D performs for the Local Show
Nur-D performs 'Take My Picture,' heard on The Local Show and recorded live in the studio of The Current. (Nate Ryan | MPR) Play/Pause Listen: Nur-D - Full Performance and Interview on the Local Show Download MP3 | 00:24:46 Nur-D - Full Performance and Interview on the Local Show 24:46 Nur-D - Take My Picture 03:20 Nur-D - Nin10doh 02:57 Nur-D - Black Wizard Wave 02:55 Twin Cities rapper Matt Allen, also known as Nur-D on stage, didn't start out as the hip-hop artist he is today.
Music on TV this week: The National; Lykke Li; Regina Spektor; Maggie Rogers; Mavis Staples
The National - promo shoot for "I Am Easy To Find" Album, NYC, April 22, 2019. (Graham MacIndoe) Artists heard on The Current are frequently featured on TV programs, and we've gathered the listings in one convenient place for you. We'll also post videos of performances as the week progresses. Sign up for the Music on TV newsletter Receive the week's lineup each Monday morning in your inbox along with early access to this post, plus a new Sunday afternoon week-in-review highlights email.
Music on TV this week: Mavis Staples; The Lumineers; Alessia Cara; Aloe Blacc
Mavis Staples (Chris Strong Photography) Artists heard on The Current are frequently featured on TV programs, and we've gathered the listings in one convenient place for you. We'll also post videos of performances as the week progresses. Sign up for the Music on TV newsletter Receive the week's lineup each Monday morning in your inbox along with early access to this post.
Music on TV this week: The War and Treaty; The Specials; summer encores
The War and Treaty -- Michael and Tanya Trotter -- perform in The Current studio. (Nate Ryan | MPR) Artists heard on The Current are frequently featured on TV programs, and we've gathered the listings in one convenient place for you. We'll also post videos of performances as the week progresses. Sign up for the Music on TV newsletter Receive the week's lineup each Monday morning in your inbox along with early access to this post.
Music on TV this week: Mavis Staples; The National; Hozier; Anderson .Paak
Mavis Staples (Chris Strong Photography) Artists heard on The Current are frequently featured on TV programs, and we've gathered the listings in one convenient place for you. We'll also post videos of performances as the week progresses. Sign up for the Music on TV newsletter Receive the week's lineup each Monday morning in your inbox along with early access to this post.
Belinda Carlisle and Dessa top Minnesota State Fair’s 2019 free music lineup
Belinda Carlile performs with the Go-Go's at the Billboard Music Awards in 2016. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images) Sponsor Sponsor For this year’s variety of free (with Fair admission) concerts, the Minnesota State Fair has booked some ringers. On the recently announced free music lineup, names like Belinda Carlisle and Dessa are at the top. Carlisle, a Go-Go gone solo, will perform one evening for the Fair at the Leinie Lodge on Aug.
Music on TV this week: Morrissey; The National; BTS; Of Monsters and Men; The Head and the Heart
The National's new album I Am Easy To Find is due out May 17 on 4AD. (Graham MacIndoe) Artists heard on The Current are frequently featured on TV programs, and we've gathered the listings in one convenient place for you. We'll also post videos of performances as the week progresses. Sign up for the Music on TV newsletter Receive the week's lineup each Monday morning in your inbox along with early access to this post.
Lady Lark gives 'Permission' to dance in The Current studio
Lady Lark performs her song 'Rendezvous' live in The Current studio. (Nate Ryan | MPR) Play/Pause Listen: Lady Lark - Full interview + performance Download MP3 | 00:23:18 Lady Lark - Full interview + performance 23:18 Lady Lark - Rendezvous 03:33 Lady Lark - Right Kinda Love 03:44 Lady Lark - Shopping Bags 05:05 Taylor Harris's music career started after a Friday night of karaoke with friends. Now known as Lady Lark, she is set to launch a dance virus with her new album Permission.
Musical Minnesota: Visiting 8 destinations around the state immortalized in song
Planning a Minnesota road trip? Check a local landmark off your bucket list—specifically, one of these places made immortal by shout-outs in song. Get your playlist and your map app ready! Red Wing “Kelly’s Bar,” Trampled by Turtles Our musical road trip starts on Old West Main Street in Red Wing, Minnesota, where a particular bar and grill inspired the lyrics for a song by Trampled by Turtles. With the band’s trademark upbeat Americana vibe, “Kelly’s Bar” sets the pace for a sprightly journey.
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