If there’s been one consistent thread in Bob Dylan’s long career, it’s that when you want him to do one thing, he’ll be most inclined to do precisely the opposite. Newly lauded with a Nobel Prize in Literature — an honor never before accorded to a popular songwriter — Dylan has announced his 38th studio album.…

The second night of the The Current’s 12th Birthday Party was greeted by a crowd buzzing with anticipation. Fresh off a successful first night of the birthday celebration, First Avenue concertgoers were excited to see what the sold-out Saturday show would bring, and it did not disappoint. The lineup included three local acts — Monica LaPlante,…

Not only did P.O.S sell out the Entry in a minute flat. Not only did he release his fifth album, a hailstorm of kinetic energy, vacuum-packed rhymes, and one of the best tracks of his career (“Sleepdrone/Superposition”). Not only did he make it through kidney disease to get there. But he sold out the Entry,…

Celebrations for The Current’s 12th birthday kicked off Friday night with the first of two nights of shows in First Avenue’s Mainroom. The lineup featured three local acts — Jay Smart, Black Market Brass, and jeremy messersmith — as well as Strand of Oaks and Joseph, who are based in Philadelphia and Oregon, respectively. The…

2016 was the year of ZULUZULUU in Minnesota music. The band — composed by MMYYKK, Proper T, Greg Grease, DJ Just Nine, ∆RT P∆RTÉ and Trelly Mo — actually formed years ago, putting out a song called “Let It Go” in 2014. But soon after they released their debut album in June 2016, they became one…

These days, it’s most common to hear Channy Leaneagh’s voice alongside turbulent production and crashing drums. As a key instrument of Poliça — her band with Chris Bierden (bass), Ben Ivascu (drums), Drew Christopherson (drums), and Ryan Olson (studio production) — her words slur through reverb and mingle with synths and basslines. But once, Leaneagh sang for Roma di Luna, the…

For an artist who rose to international fame thanks in part to a song called “When Doves Cry,” it’s no surprise that Prince had an affinity for the cooing, feathered symbols of love and peace. Doves were a major part of Prince’s imagery and artistry as early as 1984, and he kept pet doves for…

Paisley Park has been dipping ever-farther back into the Vault for Saturday night film screenings, and tomorrow they’re turning the clock all the way back to September 9, 1988 — when the Summer Olympics were about to begin in Seoul, Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child o’ Mine” ruled the Top 40, and Prince stopped in…

ZULUZULUU, “What’s The Price?” (Tiny Desk submission) NPR’s annual Tiny Desk Contest is back, and after Gaelynn Lea’s 2016 win, Afrofuturists ZULUZULUU are striving to keep the prize in Minnesota. Showing off their own tiny desk in hopes of playing at the original one in DC, their submission is a strong bid for NPR glory — and if…

In the mid ‘80s, alternative rock and new wave bands like the Suburbs, the Replacements and Husker Du dominated the local music scene and were starting to break out nationally. Prince was soaring into superstardom with the release of Purple Rain. And somewhere along the way, Jesse Ventura released an EP and toured the Midwest…