AltWeeklies Wire
Nellie McKay Talks 'A Prairie Home Companion,' Politics, and Doris Daynew
As a forward-thinking musician, Nellie McKay has jumped all over the map in the last decade, with albums spanning pop music, funk, disco, and hip hop. Her most recent, Normal as Blueberry Pie, veers into surprisingly traditional territory with a collection of Doris Day covers.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Andrea Swensson |
01-06-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Solid Gold's Fantastic Voyage: From Twin Cities Band to National Treasurenew
The band's slow and steady climb doesn't seem to surprise any of the members of the group. For Solid Gold, this latest leap onto the national radar is just part of their master plan that started at the beginning of the decade by a couple of party boys in Madison, Wisconsin.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Andrea Swensson |
11-11-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Bodies of Water, Solid Gold
Mason Jennings Releases His Most Intense Record Yetnew
With the release of Blood of Man, longtime fans can breathe easy once again. In a dramatic shift, Jennings has returned to a more free-spirited form, recording all of the songs on his own, leaving them unfinished and raw, and (OMG!) plugging in an electric guitar.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Andrea Swensson |
09-23-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Blood of Man, Mason Jennings
Lusurfer is on a Satanic Mission to Spread Surf Rock to the Massesnew
The origins of Satanic surf-rock band Lusurfer are hazy at best. Over a round of PBRs at a local watering hole, I try to coax a narrative out of the four metal-heads-turned-surf-rock enthusiasts seated around me, but the details are implausible, sketchy, and at times ridiculous.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Andrea Swensson |
08-12-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
City on the Make Keep Pushing With Latest Albumnew
There's something irresistible about how difficult it is to label City on the Make's music, and it's part of what makes their latest album, Keep This on Fire, so intoxicating.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Andrea Swensson |
07-01-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
'Amphibian' Showcases the Danforths' Experiments with Answering-Machine Tapes and Microcassette Recordersnew
Found sounds create unusual texture in a compelling new album.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Andrea Swensson |
03-20-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Ukulele Prodigy Jake Shimabukuro Is Still Flying Highnew
For ukulele player Jake Shimabukuro, it all began with an innocent little YouTube video. Four years later, Shimabukuro is still following an upward trajectory, setting himself apart as an intense, disarming, and enigmatic performer.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Andrea Swensson |
03-04-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Jake Shimabukuro, ukulele music
Chastity Brown Is Melting Minneapolis With Her Powerful Soul-Jazz Combonew
A Southern singer/songwriter migrates north and turns the Twin Cities out with Sankofa.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Andrea Swensson |
03-04-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Jayhawks Flocking Together Once Againnew
Founding members Mark Olson and Gary Louris rekindle their musical partnership.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Andrea Swensson |
02-18-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Minneapolis's Aby Wolf Delivers Album of Mesmerizing Folknew
Wolf talks about her songwriting on Sweet Prudence.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Andrea Swensson |
01-21-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Minneapolis Hip-Hop Heavies Heiruspecs End Their Hiatusnew
Just four years ago, riding high on the national release of A Tiger Dancing, Heiruspecs were on the fast track to being the biggest band to come out of Minneapolis in the new millennium. By the end of 2005, however, it all came crashing down -- literally.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Andrea Swensson |
12-03-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Absent Arch Loves That Dirty Basement Soundnew
The band's new album combines polished folk and lo-fi charm.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Andrea Swensson |
11-19-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Bill Mike Band Reaches Across Party Lines to Find a New Sense of Unitynew
The band's new album, Truce, is really all about searching for Obamatopia.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Andrea Swensson |
11-13-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: The Bill Mike Band, Truce
Screaming Mechanical Brain Isn't Afraid to Piss Off Your Grandmanew
Over the past few years the electro-metal locals have carved out a place for themselves nationally, and they inform me matter-of-factly that their CDs and merchandise are now sold through Hot Topic, another development they can't quite explain.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Andrea Swensson |
10-29-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
