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Music News: David Bowie tribute concert streamed, uprooted

by Staff

March 31, 2016

Thursday night features the first of two concerts in tribute to the late David Bowie. The show, live from Carnegie Hall is being streamed – for a recommended donation of at least $5 – via Skype. Access to the stream can be found at musicofdavidbowie.com. The show, however, appears to be going on without the participation of Philly's most fabulous Roots crew. Drummer and bandleader ?uestlove decided to pull their participation after another artist reportedly refused to let them use their drum kit, despite organizer Michael Dorf encouraging bands to share gear to minimize set changes.

Update: The Rolling Stone review cites an outstanding show, with Michael Stipe as a stand-out highlight.

Mayor of music

St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman is set to receive the 2016 MN Music Champion award from the Minnesota Music Coalition, recognizing his work promoting and providing spaces for music and arts in St. Paul. He'll receive the award Thursday, April 7th at the Music Coalition's MN Music Summit kick-off event at Summit Brewing. You can hear Mayor Coleman's picks for great local music from the Local Show's recent "Ask a Cool Person" feature.

During his tenure, he has made the arts a priority and has invested in bringing new music venues to the city, such as Amsterdam Bar & Hall, Bedlam Lowertown and Vieux Carre—all of which regularly hire local artists. He has also worked to get state funding to renovate the Palace Theater, which is scheduled to open in fall 2016. A musician himself, Mayor Coleman has been a vocal supporter of working artists and recently declared 2016 the Year of Music in Saint Paul. He has also been known to play guitar or accordion joining some of the state's top talent on stage, as pictured above with the Suicide Commandos and Craig Finn.

The Party Party

It's not clear if the Party Party is anything more than an incredible pun (or an early April Fools' joke). Andrew W.K. never really offers a wink through the entire video — or anywhere on the site — and the voters he interviews sound like they're sincerely addressing real and serious concerns. But regardless, he makes at least one compelling argument: "Buried deep inside this mountain of overwhelming national anxieties, complex international dilemmas, and endlessly competing principals, there is a fundamental truth — that we are all in this together." (NPR Music)

Today's Fashion News

Rapper Nas has reportedly launched a fashion line based on the Ghostbusters franchise. Whether or not this is a premature April Fool's joke is up for debate. (Stereogum)

In other fashion news, Beyoncé has announced a new line of athletic wear called Ivy Park. (Pitchfork)

https://www.instagram.com/p/BDnsbxNBhFW/

Low's secret video

Pitchfork posted a video on Twitter of our favorite trio of Duluthians. The video of "Murderer" was filmed at this year's Festival NRML in Mexico City. Oddly enough, the well-produced video isn't on any website, just embedded as part of a tweet. (@Pitchfork)

Miles ahead

With Don Cheadle's Miles Davis biopic Miles Ahead opening on Friday, Pitchfork tries to explain Davis's complicated – and fascinating – 1980s career. (Pitchfork) A few years ago, we covered his brilliant 1970s fusion era.

Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment
This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.