As the oldest winter carnival in America, the Saint Paul Winter Carnival has been attracting families with its ice sculptures, light displays, and events since 1886, but music is also a big part of the festival. The free Pabst Winter Carnival Music Series runs from Jan. 26 – Feb. 5 in Rice Park and will showcase local…

As of today, just one degree separates the Minneapolis rap scene and the Marvel Universe, thanks to local artist P.O.S. His new song “Born A Snake” is featured in a video for Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet — the Ta-Nehisi Coates-penned comic series, not the Black Panther movie quite yet — and it has fans excited both for new comics and…

Since opening in 2015, Winona’s Mid West Music Store has emerged as a premier destination for live music, offering truly unique concert experiences; Gaelynn Lea’s sold-out performance on Friday, Jan. 13 was no exception. The Duluth native and 2016 NPR Tiny Desk Contest winner returned to play the intimate 80-person venue for a second time.…

This year’s Oscar nominations were announced this morning via livestream. As expected, La La Land dominated with a Best Picture nod and 13 others — including a nod for Best Original Score and two nominations for Best Original Song. That ties the all-time record for most nominations, set previously by Titanic and All About Eve. In a surprise,…

In honor of Minnesota Public Radio’s 50th anniversary, which was Sunday, January 22, the Current assembled a list of 50 Songs for 50 Years. Which got me thinking about how many important songs have come out of our state over these past five decades, from the commercially successful to the culturally significant. This list was…

Tomorrow (Saturday, Jan. 21) at 9 p.m., Paisley Park will be screening footage from a 1992 Prince concert. The concert, a London show that took place on June 15 of that year, was part of Prince’s Diamonds and Pearls tour. The Diamonds and Pearls tour was the first to feature Prince’s backing band the New Power Generation, which first…

Hippo Campus, “way it goes” Indie pop band Hippo Campus and friends escape to a Cumberland, Wisconsin cabin to decompress in the snow. Find “way it goes” on the band’s first LP, landmark, which will drop Feb. 24. deM atlaS, “In The Mud” Straight after co-starring in Sarah White’s “Sweet Song” video, deM atlaS debuted his own latest…

“I really hope it stays in place,” says jeremy messersmith about the Affordable Care Act. “If that just means rebranding it as Trumpcare, then sure, why not?” When Donald Trump is inaugurated as the 45th president of the United States, the Republican party will control both the legislative and executive branches of the national government,…

On April 21 last year, I stepped in for Andrea Swensson to host a showcase of four up-and-coming local music acts at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. As all of us were still processing the news of Prince’s death, it brought genuine comfort to watch new artists play music for an enthusiastic crowd: a reminder that…

KTCA-TV (the station now known as Twin Cities PBS) aired The Minneapolis Sound in 1988, narrated and produced by Emily Goldberg. The 60-minute documentary spotlighted artists including Prince, the Time, the Replacements, Hüsker Dü, the Jets, Alexander O’Neal, and others, and it’s just emerged on YouTube. “Right now, Minneapolis has become one of the major music centers…