Email Author Rob van Alstyne

2011 Stories by Rob van Alstyne

• Kid Dakota transforms on Listen to the Crows...

  published December 28, 2011

  A fixture on the Twin Cities music scene for nearly a decade, Darren Jackson made an abrupt exit in the fall of 2010, returning to his tiny... More >>

• Valet

  published December 14, 2011

  My pick for the most criminally overlooked Twin Cities band of the early 2000s, melodious mid-tempo indie-rockers Valet never quite got their fair... More >>

• Wilco at the State Theatre, 12/6/11

  published Dec 07, 2011

  Wilco December 6, 2011 State Theatre, Minneapolis At their best, Wilco have always effectively straddled the line between dour art-rock and party-starting power pop. The trio of landmark albums maki... More >>

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  Mason Jennings on Minnesota

  published November 23, 2011

  Mason Jennings's debut album was the first local music I discovered after moving to the Twin Cities in the fall of 1999, my curiosity piqued by... More >>

• Chuck Klosterman

  published November 2, 2011

  While still best known as a pop-culture pundit with roots in the prairie, North Dakota native Chuck Klosterman has been gradually increasing the... More >>

• Bethany Larson & the Bee's Knees transform heartbreak

  published November 9, 2011

  For most people, heartbreak leads only toward paralysis, marathon cushion-cradling crying sessions, or, at best, an uptick in unproductive... More >>

• Talking Volumes: Colson Whitehead

  published November 2, 2011

  The current zombie craze has already spawned awesomely undead bar bashes (including Minneapolis's own Zombie Pub Crawl) and a flesh-eating... More >>

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  Megafaun's evolution

  published September 28, 2011

  North Carolina-by-way-of-Wisconsin trio Megafaun know a thing or two about sonic reinvention. Formed in the wake of the dissolution of... More >>

• Talking Volumes: Jennifer Egan

  published September 14, 2011

  Minnesota Public Radio's Talking Volumes author series is getting a serious injection of hip this season, focusing on edgy, fictional narratives... More >>

• Emot leave the city to Make You Electric

  published September 14, 2011

  After eight years of the urban grind, Matt Leavitt gladly left the Twin Cities behind to embrace a simpler life in rural Minnesota, settling... More >>

• Halloween, Alaska get a makeover

  published September 7, 2011

  Fans may think they have Twin Cities talents Halloween, Alaska all figured out, now that the band is already three albums and nearly a decade... More >>

• Ghost in the Water want you to dance

  published August 3, 2011

  After nearly a decade as somber songsmiths in local folk-rock band Fitzgerald, the husband-and-wife team of Nathan and Mandy Tensen-Woolery had... More >>

• Joey Ryan & the Inks

  published July 27, 2011

  Recent advances in home recording technology have turned album-making into a surprisingly affordable endeavor for millions of musicians who... More >>

• Okkervil River go from Dunn Bros. to First Avenue

  published June 8, 2011

  Okkervil River are one of the most critically acclaimed acts on the indie-rock circuit, subject of laudatory New York Times profiles and scads... More >>

• Al Church and State release mini-album Matter

  published June 1, 2011

  Considering the scads of bands with best-laid recording plans whose albums nevertheless fall flat, perhaps more musicians should follow the... More >>

• Paul F. Tompkins

  published May 11, 2011

  Comedian Paul F. Tompkins has been a staple of the alt-humor circuit for nearly 20 years. During that time he's flexed his laugh-inducing muscles... More >>

• White Light Riot ready to rebound after record label dispute

  published April 27, 2011

  The early chapters of White Light Riot's story read like an indie-rock fairytale. The group was formed by melodic brothers-in-arms/life Mike... More >>

• Haley Bonar moves back to Minneapolis

  published April 20, 2011

  Portland has a lot of things going for it: a rich arts and culinary scene, enviably mild winters, the possibility of bumping into relocated... More >>

• Wits: Chuck Klosterman

  published April 13, 2011

  The first installment of this year's season of Minnesota Public Radio's Wits at the Fitzgerald Theater kicked off the rapid repartee radio program... More >>

• Usonia have big-time sound and ambitions

  published April 6, 2011

  Ross Vander Werf was tired of being a hired gun. After years working as a musician in Iowa in gigs both covetously cool (he toured as the... More >>

• Wits: Patton Oswalt

  published March 23, 2011

  Those enamored of daredevil digressions and boisterous banter were bowled over by the premiere season of Minnesota Public Radio's "Wits" in the... More >>

• Wishbook using Kickstarter.com to fund their debut

  published February 16, 2011

  A lucky few bands lead a charmed life. They come together quickly, post a few singles online, and find the blogosphere worshipping at their... More >>