The Chart Show: Alice in 'Mint' Condition January 16, 2019 Alice Merton tops the chart this week, joined by a heap of debuts from Mitski, Cloud Cult, Death Cab for Cutie, The Raconteurs, and more. Read More ›
Music News: Synthmaker behind R2-D2's voice dies at 93 January 16, 2019 Alan R. Pearlman, whose synthesizers were favored by everyone from Kraftwerk to 'Star Wars' sound designer Ben Burtt, has died at 93. Also in the news today: the Killers haven't exactly been known as a political band, but their new single is a protest song. Plus: Corey Hart is being inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, Colin Kaepernick hasn't cosigned the Super Bowl halftime show, musicians cover silence (yes, really), and a fiery blues guitarist goes viral. Read More ›
Minnesota musicians pay tribute to the late great Willie Murphy January 16, 2019 Though the Twin Cities lost the local R&B legend Willie Murphy earlier this week, he is far from forgotten. From fans and fellow Minnesotan musicians alike, here are just a few of the tributes to the “godfather” of the Minneapolis music scene that have spread on social media since the musician’s death. Willie also told… Read More ›
The Chart Show Ballot January 16, 2019 Vote every week for your top five tracks (and enter our weekly ticket giveaway while you're at it), then tune in Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. CT to see if your favorites make the Chart Show, hosted by Mark Wheat! Read More ›
Rock and Roll Book Club: 'Small Victories' tells the story of Faith No More January 16, 2019 Faith No More are like the elephant in the famous parable: every listener will describe them differently. If there's one thing they want readers of this new authorized biography to know, though, it's that they don't want to be blamed for nu metal. Read More ›
Music News: Broadway legend Carol Channing dies at 97 January 15, 2019 Carol Channing, a legend of the musical stage, has died at 97. Also in the news today: Alicia Keys will host the Grammys, Maroon 5's Super Bowl halftime slot is officially official, Kanye West contributes to an epic art project, a new app for music discovery, and Steven Spielberg's 'West Side Story' casts an unknown teenager to star as Maria. Read More ›
Music News: Missy Elliott to be inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame January 14, 2019 Missy Elliott will become the first female rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Also in the news today: the Who announce new album and tour; vinyl sales still surging; trap star Kevin Fret dies at 25; BRIT nominations announced; and Hulu dunks on Netflix with surprise release of Fyre Festival documentary. Read More ›
Music on TV this week: Sharon Van Etten; Maggie Rogers; Muse; Greta Van Fleet; Arctic Monkeys January 14, 2019 Artists heard on The Current are frequently featured on TV programs, and we've gathered the listings in one convenient place for you. See the complete listings and find performance videos as the week progresses. You can also subscribe to receive the week's schedule in your inbox to plan your TV viewing around music. Read More ›
Black Rock Matters: Turf Club show to celebrate rockers of color January 11, 2019 After hearing All American Rejects’ 2005 hit “Dirty Little Secret” while driving his tomato red Toyota Camry down the streets of Atlanta, Tim became a rocker. Defying what he calls the “heavy stereotype” that black people are exclusively hip-hop, rap, and R&B fans, Tim Dooley decided to venture into the world of rock and pursue… Read More ›
Bob Dylan to be interviewed on camera for Martin Scorsese Rolling Thunder Revue documentary January 11, 2019 For years, rumors have circulated about the making of a documentary about Bob Dylan’s “Rolling Thunder Revue” tour. Now, Netflix has confirmed that those rumors are true. Martin Scorsese is directing Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese, which Netflix described, in a statement provided to Variety, as “part documentary, part concert film, part… Read More ›
Radio Heartland Giveaway: Frances Luke Accord and Syvers at The Warming House January 10, 2019 Enter for a chance to win tickets to the Warming House to see Frances Luke Accord on January 31, 2019. Read More ›
Music News: The story of Stevie Wonder's 'Happy Birthday' MLK tribute January 18, 2019 Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! In honor of the civil rights icon, we're dedicating today's episode to the story of 'Happy Birthday,' the Stevie Wonder song indelibly associated with the push to designate a national holiday in MLK's honor. Read More ›
Download The Current app January 29, 2018 Download The Current's app to hear a crisp, high-fidelity stream of our station (and our additional streams) wherever you go! Read More ›
Listen to The Current via Smart Speakers July 23, 2018 Listen to The Current on Google Home and Amazon's Echo devices, and get enhanced functionality -- song names, requests, song of the day -- with our Alexa Skill. Read More ›
Watch Pedro the Lion's #Microshow performance, featuring new songs from 'Phoenix' January 11, 2019 Pedro the Lion's new album 'Phoenix' is out January 18 on Polyvinyl Records, but we're giving you a special live performance preview of their new material. Watch live January 11 at 4 p.m. CST. Read More ›
Larkin Poe perform in The Current studio December 30, 2018 Sisters Megan and Rebecca Lovell are the nucleus of Larkin Poe. They perform powerful songs with a rootsy Southern underpinning. Their latest album, 'Venom & Faith,' was released on Nov. 9, 2018, and was self-produced. Larkin Poe stopped at The Current to talk about their songwriting process and to perform a couple tracks from the album, as well as one of their favorite Lead Belly tunes. Read More ›
Kurt Vile performs a solo acoustic set at The Current December 19, 2018 Ahead of a show with his band the Violators in the First Avenue Mainroom, Kurt Vile stopped at The Current for a session hosted by Mary Lucia. Vile played solo acoustic versions of a couple songs from his latest album, 'Bottle It In,' and one from his 2011 release, 'Smoke Ring for My Halo.' Read More ›
John Grant performs in The Current studio December 07, 2018 Michigan-born, Reykjavik-based musician John Grant is a fascinating individual even before he starts performing songs. Ahead of a show at the Fine Line in Minneapolis, Grant stopped at The Current studio to play songs and to engage in lively and thoughtful conversation with host Mac Wilson. Read More ›
Haley performs instrumentals from 'Pleasureland' in The Current studio December 06, 2018 Although Haley has composed instrumental music before, her 2018 release 'Pleasureland' is her first all-instrumental full-length. 'This was so much more satisfying when I wasn't trying to say something with words,' Haley says. 'It was how I felt and what I connected to.' Haley, along with Jeremy Ylvisaker, visited The Current studio to play music from 'Pleasureland.' Read More ›
Coffee Break: Songs your dad hates January 18, 2019 In 1987, Jill Riley's childhood home was filled with the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, and her dad thus retreated to the garage for about a year. Whether it's punk rock, novelty soundtracks, kiddie bop, or screamo, surely we all played something that irked our dads. So for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear that your dad hated? Read More ›
Today in Music History: Stevie Wonder was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame January 18, 2019 Glenn Frey passed away, Stevie Wonder became the youngest inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The Rolling Stones hung out with Phil Spector and The Beatles put out a hand. Read More ›
Coffee Break Suggestions and Archive November 08, 2016 Got an idea for a Coffee Break? Want to see what we did a while back? Read More ›