A year and a half worth of collaboration and creation culminated in Friday night’s world premiere of Poliça and s t a r g a z e: Music for the Long Emergency at the historic Fitzgerald Theater. The sold-out show wasn’t just a concert, but an artistic experience that allowed the audience a glimpse into the ingenious…

The tastemakers at Pitchfork have just published a list of the 50 best holiday tracks of all time, and Minnesota is well-represented. In keeping with the list’s overall tilt toward contemplative rather than exuberant Christmas songs, both selections by local artists are decidedly in a somber mood. “Another Lonely Christmas” lands at number 13. “Nobody…

Purple Rain won its first American Music Awards in 1985, for Favorite Pop/Rock Album, Favorite Soul/R&B Album, and Favorite Soul/R&B Single (“When Doves Cry”). There was no Top Soundtrack award that year, but don’t worry: the album scooped that one too, Sunday night at the 2016 American Music Awards. (AMA nominations are based on popularity and other…

Picture this: you’re an artist living in St. Louis, painting whenever you’re not spending time with your family. It’s 1998, and Prince is about to play a “New Power Soul” show in nearby Collinsville, Illinois. You’ve been asked to loan some art for his arrival. The night of his show, Prince doesn’t seek out your paintings…

Crunchy Kids, “Wrong Medicine” The kids are back! Eric Mayson, Chance York, Marcus Skallman, and Eric Burton just dropped this trippy video — actually a compilation of still photographs from Peter Jamus — and are drumming up excitement for their opening slot at First Avenue on Jan. 21.  Mike Dreams, “Change Up” Twin Cities trap sounds good in…

“I’m excited, but this isn’t an easy place to leave.” This has been my mantra for the past few weeks, inside and out. Let’s start with the first part: I’m excited about moving to Seattle! I’ll be taking on a new marketing role with Seattle Theatre Group – a cultural hub for the Pacific Northwest…

Como Zoo, in St. Paul, has welcomed a new baby giraffe — and his name is Prince. Making his first appearance before the public today, Prince stands 6’6″ and weighs 160 pounds. The giraffe was named by Gretchen and David Crary, who have been the most generous donors to the zoo on Give to the…

Reina Del Cid and her band have announced that they’ll play a residency at Icehouse in Minneapolis, before recording a new album early next year. “We can try new things, host special guests, and just have way too much fun in the middle of the week,” say the band in a Facebook event. The band promise performances ranging…

After weeks of will-he-or-won’t-he speculation, the answer is: both. Bob Dylan will accept his Nobel Prize in Literature — but he won’t do so in person. In a statement headlined “Bob Dylan has decided not to come to Stockholm,” the Swedish Academy reports that “yesterday evening the Swedish Academy received a personal letter from Bob Dylan, in…

Jeremy Messersmith says he’s simplifying his life and freeing himself from distractions — including Facebook. While his public page remains active, he’s deactivated his personal account. (Public pages can be managed by multiple users, including, for example, a manager or publicist.) So far, he writes in a note posted to his website, he has no…