Email Author Andrea Swensson

Awards

• 2010 - Page One Contest/Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists

  Year in Music

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2009 Stories by Andrea Swensson

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  New Year's Eve 2010 concert guide

  published Dec 30, 2009

  New Year's Eve is traditionally a huge night for live music, and a quick glance at the music calendar for Thursday evening is a bit overwhelming. Don't freak out just yet! To help, we've organized a l... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Estate release new song and video

  published Dec 30, 2009

  This just in from our pals in Estate, who are playing a New Year's Eve party tomorrow night with Lookbook, Mystery Palace, and Beatrix*JAR at Sauce Spirits and Soundbar. Just in time for the party, th... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Kind Beats dance nights featured in this week's City Pages

  published Dec 30, 2009

  In this week's print edition of City Pages (also known as Gimme Noise: The Dead Tree Edition), freelancer Ty Forve wrote an in-depth profile of dance party promotors Kind Beats, led by Hmong DJs Ville... More >>

• Free Ticket Tuesday: Win tickets to New Year's Eve at Sauce

  published Dec 29, 2009

  New Year's Eve is only two days away, have you made your plans for how to ring in 2010r If not, rest assured that we've got you covered -- check out our New Year's Eve concert guide for a complete run... More >>

• Mason Jennings, P.O.S., Solid Gold to play Current 5-year anniversary

  published Dec 29, 2009

  It's hard to believe it's already been five years since MPR first debuted the Current on 89.3 FM, but time flies when you're playing commercial-free music and spinning indie-rock tunes. To celebrate, ... More >>

• Spirits of the Red City

  published December 30, 2009

  Criminally underrated folk group Spirits of the Red City will return to the close-quarters cabaret theater in the Bryant-Lake Bowl for another... More >>

• Lookbook, Mystery Palace, Estate & Beatrix*JAR

  published December 30, 2009

  If you prefer your dance jams dialed down a notch and infused with throwback hooks and funk, look no further than tonight's stellar bill of local... More >>

• Kristoff Krane

  published December 30, 2009

  As far as underground improvisational hip hop goes, tonight's lineup at the Turf features some of the best in the scene. In addition to headlining... More >>

• DEMO New Year's Day Showcase

  published December 30, 2009

  Former First Ave manager Steve McClellan has been a longtime champion of up-and-coming local music, and when he parted ways with the club in 2005... More >>

• Felt 3 video, filmed at Fifth Element, released

  published Dec 28, 2009

  Some of you may remember the in-store appearance that the Felt 3 cast (Slug, Murs, and Aesop Rock) made at Fifth Element last month in support of their latest release. Maybe you were even there -- che... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Franz Diego offers free mp3

  published Dec 28, 2009

  "Here's a lil Christmas present for you and yours," writes local rapper Franz Diego, who just sent us an mp3 of him rapping over the outro to the Cool Kids' "Hammer Bros." As Diego raps during the son... More >>

• Best Albums of '09: Pazz & Jop ballot

  published Dec 28, 2009

  People can't seem to get enough of these year-end lists, so I thought I'd post my Pazz & Jop ballot for all to see. For the uninitiated, Pazz & Jop is a critics' poll conducted by The Village ... More >>

• Tay Zonday sings the Grinch theme

  published Dec 22, 2009

  You know whatr I think Tay Zonday has finally found the perfect song for his unique, low-register voice. Just in time for the holidays, here's Tay covering "You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch." Amazing. [vi... More >>

• P.O.S. announces headlining tour with Dessa

  published Dec 22, 2009

  Just yesterday, P.O.S. was twittering about how happy he was to finally be home from his tour and in his own bed. This morning, his publicity team has sent out a release announcing yet another tour fo... More >>

• Lifter Puller footage streaming on Pitchfork

  published Dec 22, 2009

  Have you heard about the Lifter Puller reissues, but aren't quite sure what all the fuss is aboutr Do you want to know what the band was really like, maybe with some footage of them playing on a local... More >>

• Free Energy named "band to watch" by SPIN

  published Dec 22, 2009

  First things first: Have you guys been reading this new LOL/OMG blogr As you can probably guess by the name, it's a fairly lighthearted approach to local gossip, and it's run by a few of my favorite T... More >>

• Roma di Luna Holiday Special

  published December 23, 2009

  If their new Christmas EP is any indication, Roma di Luna's Holiday Special at the Cedar will be overflowing with delicate tributes to... More >>

• The Bethany Larson Band

  published December 23, 2009

  Fans of country-folk take note: There's a new up-and-comer in town, and her name is Bethany Larson. On her debut EP, Sticks and Stones,... More >>

• Mark Mallman releases Cure cover for New Year's Eve show

  published Dec 21, 2009

  What happens when you combine two man-sized rats, a pair of dance-rap nerds, the singer from a psych-rock band, a hip indie rock dude, local piano man Mark Mallman, and the Curer Well, it turns out yo... More >>

• 10,000 Lakes Festival put on hiatus for 2010

  published Dec 21, 2009

  The Star Tribune is reporting that the 10,000 Lakes Festival, a popular annual jam band gathering, will not occur in 2010 and may be done for good. Though a crowd of 15,000 flocked to Detroit Lakes th... More >>

• Solid Gold announce new EP

  published Dec 21, 2009

  Aside from a couple of singles released via Green Label Sound, it's been over a year since locals Solid Gold have released any new material, so fans will be happy to hear that the band quietly announc... More >>

• The Roots and Brother Ali collaborate on "The Trap"

  published Dec 17, 2009

  We've been waiting for footage to surface from Brother Ali's collaboration with the Roots on Tuesday night's episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and now there are a few places to check out what h... More >>

• Romantica to release a new full-length record this spring

  published Dec 16, 2009

  Local alt-country group Romantica are preparing to release their EP, Control Alt Country Delete, this Sunday at the Cedar Cultural Center. And while the news of this jangly little country EP was excit... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  The Year in Music hits stands today

  published Dec 16, 2009

  There are only a few rules that every music journalist must follow, and we're doing our best to keep up with the most strictly enforced tenet of music writing: At the end of each calendar year, thou s... More >>

• Flyer of the Week: The Great Holiday Cover-Up

  published Dec 16, 2009

  God save the queen. This Friday's show at First Avenue is going to be ridiculously fun. The lineup features three of the Twin Cities' finest cover bands: Van Morrison lovers the Belfast Cowboys, wigge... More >>