s Watchdog group finds spooky Spotify ad is too scary for kids, causes 'distress' By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Thu, 18 Oct 2018 05:59:11 -0500 In 60 seconds, the commercial showcases a medley of horror film tropes, including a maniacal doll that presumably kills a group of young people whenever they play a catchy pop song. Full Article
s Ed Sheeran brings his one man band to U.S. Bank Stadium By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Fri, 19 Oct 2018 09:51:18 -0500 Ed Sheeran will be performing Saturday night at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Sheeran is a one-man band, creating his music using only his voice, guitar and loop machines. Full Article
s A 'cosmic connection' between two violinists By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Sun, 28 Oct 2018 15:00:00 -0500 For decades, Cologne-based violinist Geoffry Wharton has played jazzy crowd-pleasing encores written in the 1930s by an obscure composer, Audrey Call. Then Wharton discovered a spooky connection with her. Full Article
s On Barbra Streisand's latest album, the walls do talk -- to the president By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Sat, 03 Nov 2018 16:00:00 -0500 With her latest release, Barbra Streisand has done something different: Her new album, Walls, addresses songs -- including some of her own originals -- to the president of the United States. Full Article
s Grammy-winning jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove dies at age 49 By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Sat, 03 Nov 2018 18:15:00 -0500 Many of Roy Hargrove's peers regarded him as the greatest trumpeter of his generation. Through his own bands and as a sideman, Hargrove brewed his jazz with African and Latin sounds, R&B, soul, pop, funk and hip-hop. Full Article
s Mac Miller died from overdose involving fentanyl, coroner finds By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Mon, 05 Nov 2018 14:44:43 -0600 The Los Angeles medical examiner said cocaine and ethanol were also present at the time of death. Full Article
s 28 trombonists play 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' will send shivers down your spine By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Fri, 30 Nov 2018 06:24:31 -0600 Recorded during the 2018 International Trombone Festival, this brass choir elevates the cover game. Full Article
s Ensemble 'gives a voice' to Nazi death camp prisoners through unearthed music By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Sun, 02 Dec 2018 10:30:00 -0600 While conducting research at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, a music theory professor discovered manuscripts of music that haven't been heard since World War II. Full Article
s Minnesota Orchestra's Osmo Vanska to step down in 2022 By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Wed, 05 Dec 2018 18:24:00 -0600 Minnesota Orchestra music director Osmo Vanska will step down at the conclusion of his contract, in August 2022. Vanska made the announcement at the Orchestra board's annual meeting Wednesday. Full Article
s 'Baby, It's Cold Outside,' seen as sexist, frozen out by radio stations By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Thu, 06 Dec 2018 05:54:55 -0600 Programmers have banned the song after fielding listener complaints that the song is offensive, only to face a backlash against that decision. Full Article
s Friends in high places: Dayton asks Garth Brooks for another show, Brooks says 'I'm in' By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Sat, 15 Dec 2018 09:20:00 -0600 Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton on Friday called on Garth Brooks to add another Minneapolis show to his upcoming stadium tour — and it sounds like the country music star is on board with the idea. Full Article
s Russian authorities stage crackdown on rap, pop music By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Sat, 15 Dec 2018 13:35:00 -0600 Alarmed by the growing popularity of rap among Russian youth, President Vladimir Putin wants cultural leaders to devise a means of controlling, rather than banning, the popular music. Full Article
s Country superstar Garth Brooks announces second show at U.S. Bank Stadium By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Mon, 17 Dec 2018 07:00:00 -0600 Tickets for the May 3 show go on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday. Full Article
s Jayhawks play Friday night at First Avenue in Minneapolis By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Fri, 21 Dec 2018 09:08:59 -0600 The latest album is mostly made up of songs that Jayhawks leader Gary Louris initially wrote for other artists like Jakob Dylan and Carrie Rodriguez. He wrote it with the Dixie Chicks. Full Article
s New U.S.-Cuban youth orchestra to create diplomatic notes By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Thu, 27 Dec 2018 14:07:11 -0600 The idea for the ensemble grew out of the Minnesota Orchestra's visit to Cuba in 2015. Full Article
s Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman" reached number one 50 years ago By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Fri, 28 Dec 2018 09:04:02 -0600 Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman" reached number one on the Billboard Country chart 50 years ago today. Jimmy Webb, who wrote the song, told Songfacts that the inspiration was an image he witnessed while driving one day. Full Article
s Rosanne Cash on the importance of living out loud By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Sat, 29 Dec 2018 10:30:00 -0600 Rosanne Cash's latest album, "She Remembers Everything," cuts a path through gun violence, sexism and the relentless march of time. "There's no point in hedging my bets about what I write about anymore," she says. Full Article
s Connie Evingson performs tonight at Crooners Lounge By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Mon, 31 Dec 2018 09:07:53 -0600 Hibbing native Connie Evingson will be performing tonight at Crooners Lounge in Fridley. That's one of your many musical options this New Year's Eve. Full Article
s Twin Cities hip-hop pioneers I.R.M Crew to reunite By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Fri, 04 Jan 2019 10:39:42 -0600 The I-R-M Crew -- the first Twin Cities hip-hop group to release an album in the mid-1980s -- reunites for a performance Friday night at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis. Full Article
s Dom Flemons presents a new image of the American cowboy By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Sun, 06 Jan 2019 10:40:00 -0600 The singer-songwriter's latest album, "Black Cowboys," chronicles the role played by African-Americans in settling the West after the Civil War. The album has been nominated for a Grammy. Full Article
s Steven Heitzeg composition to be sung at inaugural By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Mon, 07 Jan 2019 09:42:20 -0600 "O, Colored Earth" by Minnesota composer Steven Heitzeg was performed by the Minneapolis Youth Chorus during the inauguration ceremony Monday at the Fitzgerald Theater in downtown St. Paul. Full Article
s 'Baby Shark' has crashed into the pop charts. How did it get there? By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Thu, 10 Jan 2019 06:15:24 -0600 The uber-viral children's song "Baby Shark" landed in the top 40 of the Billboard charts this week, years after it debuted on YouTube. Full Article
s St. Paul Peterson releases new music By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Fri, 11 Jan 2019 08:57:51 -0600 He'll be playing a record release show Friday night at Icehouse in Minneapolis. Full Article
s Documentary shows 'perception and reality' of infamous concert flop By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Sun, 13 Jan 2019 09:30:00 -0600 In 2017, the Fyre Music Festival was billed as an exclusive event in the Bahamas. The reality was very different. Director Chris Smith tells the behind-the-scenes story in a new Netflix documentary. Full Article
s Beautiful! Carole King makes surprise appearance in Broadway show By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Sun, 13 Jan 2019 10:20:00 -0600 Anything can happen in live theater, and audience members seeing "Beautiful," the life story of Carole King, got a surprise when King appeared in the role of herself to celebrate the show's fifth anniversary on Broadway. Full Article
s Twin Cities music legend Willie Murphy dies at 75 By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Sun, 13 Jan 2019 14:20:00 -0600 Murphy was part of the Minnesota music scene for decades, and fronted the band Willie and the Bees. "One of my main crusades (is) to get people to dance," Murphy told MPR News in 2009. Full Article
s For many with disabilities, 'Let It Go' is an anthem of acceptance By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Tue, 22 Jan 2019 06:16:04 -0600 The breakout song from Disney's "Frozen" has inspired many marginalized groups -- but its message of rejecting stigma holds special resonance for disabled people and their families. Full Article
s Latest tour takes Minnesota Orchestra 3 miles north By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Thu, 24 Jan 2019 14:04:13 -0600 Musicians hope their visits to north Minneapolis will result in lasting relationships. Full Article
s 'Proud Mary' released 50 years ago By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Fri, 25 Jan 2019 09:01:07 -0600 John Fogerty wrote the song shortly after being discharged from the National Guard. Full Article
s Sixty years later, remembering 'The Day the Music Died' By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Sun, 27 Jan 2019 13:15:00 -0600 Sixty years ago this week, the Winter Dance Party concert tour was crisscrossing Minnesota and neighboring states, featuring Ritchie Valens, J.P. "the Big Bopper" Richardson and Buddy Holly. Then came "The Day the Music Died." Full Article
s Five things to watch for in Super Bowl LIII By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Sat, 02 Feb 2019 16:50:00 -0600 Sunday's Super Bowl pits the New England Patriots against the Los Angeles Rams. LA's talent-packed offense gives New England's head coach Bill Belichick a tough choice on who to target. Full Article
s Buddy Holly's hometown looks back, 60 years after 'The Day the Music Died' By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Sun, 03 Feb 2019 17:35:00 -0600 "He sang strictly country," said Larry Byers, a former DJ in Lubbock, Texas, who heard Buddy Holly's early performances. "Until he saw Elvis Presley and decided that maybe he should change his style a bit." Full Article
s Bobbie Gentry's 'The Delta Sweete' gets a much-belated tribute By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Sat, 09 Feb 2019 07:50:00 -0600 Back in 1967, Bobbie Gentry sang a haunting ode to young love and sad endings in the deep South called "Ode to Billie Joe." A year later, Gentry released a country-rock opera, "The Delta Sweete." It hardly sold at all — but has since become a cult classic. Full Article
s Kacey Musgraves and Childish Gambino win top awards at Grammys By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Mon, 11 Feb 2019 06:21:05 -0600 No single artist dominated, but over the course of a night in which a handful of artists won major awards, a thread became clear: The Academy was attempting to make amends for past mistakes. Full Article
s An Italian town fell silent so the sounds of a Stradivarius could be preserved By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Sun, 17 Feb 2019 08:15:00 -0600 The mayor of Cremona, Italy, blocked traffic during five weeks of recording and asked residents to please keep quiet so master musicians could play four instruments -- note by note -- for posterity. Full Article
s Dominick Argento, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, dead at 91 By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Thu, 21 Feb 2019 12:40:07 -0600 Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Dominick Argento died Wednesday. He was 91. Known for his eclectic range of work, he composed operas such as "Casanova's Homecoming", "The Dream of Valentino" and "Miss Havisham's Fire." Full Article
s Peter Tork, Monkees' lovable bass-guitar player, dead at 77 By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Thu, 21 Feb 2019 14:17:36 -0600 Peter Tork, who studied at Carleton College in Northfield and later rose to teen-idol fame in 1966 playing the lovably clueless bass guitarist in the made-for-television rock band The Monkees, has died. He was 77. Full Article
s R. Kelly out on bail in sexual abuse case By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Mon, 25 Feb 2019 11:04:42 -0600 R&B star R. Kelly has been released from jail after posting the required bail of $100,000 -- 10 percent of the bond. He entered a not-guilty plea Monday in response to being charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. Full Article
s R. Kelly calls accusers 'liars' in sex abuse case By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Wed, 06 Mar 2019 08:46:33 -0600 The singer, out on bail following his Feb. 22 arrest in Chicago, said he has done "lots of things wrong" when it comes to women, but said he has apologized. He denies doing anything against their will. Full Article
s R. Kelly goes back to jail, takes risks with TV interview By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Wed, 06 Mar 2019 19:56:27 -0600 A spokesperson for the Cook County Sheriff's Office said Kelly would not be released from jail until he pays the full child-support debt. His next hearing was scheduled for March 13. Full Article
s Nat King Cole remains 'one of the great gifts of nature' By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Sun, 17 Mar 2019 09:50:00 -0500 Born 100 years ago today, Nat King Cole topped the charts year after year, sold more than 50 million records, pushed jazz piano in a new direction and paved the way for later generations of performers. Full Article
s At 83, Mary Lane upholds the blues tradition: 'I still got it' By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Sun, 17 Mar 2019 14:25:00 -0500 The Arkansas-born blues singer looks back on her career and discusses "Travelin' Woman," her first album in more than 20 years. Full Article
s Dick Dale, 'King of Surf Guitar,' dies at 81 By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Sun, 17 Mar 2019 18:45:00 -0500 Dick Dale, whose pounding, blaringly loud power-chord instrumentals on songs like "Miserlou" and "Let's Go Trippin'" earned him the title "King of the Surf Guitar," has died at age 81. Full Article
s How "God Bless America" became a hit By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Thu, 21 Mar 2019 10:38:34 -0500 80 years ago Kate Smith recorded what would become her signature song "God Bless America." The original version was written in 1918 by Irving Berlin. He re-worked the lyrics a bit and when Smith sang it on her nationally-syndicated radio show, it became an immediate hit. Full Article
s Need a can't-miss wheel of cheese? Try playing it some hip-hop By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Sun, 24 Mar 2019 17:10:00 -0500 Researchers exposed cheese to different genres of music for 24 hours a day over six months to find out that hip-hop might create the tastiest cheese. Full Article
s Jenny Lewis performs new album in Twin Cities this week By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Thu, 28 Mar 2019 09:05:08 -0500 Thursday afternoon she'll be playing in the intimate Clown Lounge under the Turf Club. Then Friday night she'll be at the Palace Theatre in downtown St. Paul. Full Article
s Rolling Stones postpone tour as Jagger receives medical treatment By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Sat, 30 Mar 2019 15:10:00 -0500 The Rolling Stones are postponing their latest tour so Mick Jagger can receive medical treatment. Full Article
s Officials say rapper Nipsey Hussle shot and killed at 33 By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Mon, 01 Apr 2019 01:44:24 -0500 Nipsey Hussle, a respected rapper who earned a Grammy nomination this year for his major-label debut, was fatally shot outside his clothing store, authorities said. Full Article
s Bob Dylan whiskey distillery to open fall 2020 in Nashville By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Tue, 09 Apr 2019 06:12:24 -0500 A news release says Heaven's Door Spirits will transform a 160-year-old church into the Heaven's Door Distillery and Center for the Arts, featuring the distillery, a whiskey library, a restaurant and a 360-seat live performance venue. Full Article
s White singers in Hungary claim to be African-American, for an opera By minnesota.publicradio.orghttps Published On :: Fri, 12 Apr 2019 06:31:47 -0500 The Gershwin estate stipulates that "Porgy and Bess" should be performed by an all-black cast. The Hungarian State Opera in Budapest reportedly asked its mostly white cast to say that they are black. Full Article