Always on the softer adult-alternative leaning side of the indie-rock spectrum to begin with, veteran singer/songwriter Josh Rouse "rocks" gentler than ever on his tenth album proper, The Happiness Waltz. Now firmly ensconced in his 40s and a married father of two, the reedy tenor's latest... More >>

1987 was a notable year for Minnesota: the Twins won the World Series, Prince released one of his best albums in Sign 'O' the Times, and St. Louis Park's own Coen Brothers released their first great comedy Raising Arizona. 1987 was also the year that Dr. Mambo's Combo was formed, and it just so... More >>

You might've heard of his son -- a man named Jimmy who teamed up with another man named Terry, the rest being R&B history -- but Cornbread Harris is a Twin Cities legend in his own right. Harris is a WWII vet who joined Augie Garcia to record the area's first rock'n'roll record (1955's "Hi Yo... More >>

Usually when someone's referred to as one of the best-kept secrets in town, it's an aspiring journeyman or a niche-genre artist that's flying under the radar. But as the weekly resident of one of St. Paul's premier clubs, Cory Wong doesn't quite fit under either category -- the jazz-and-more... More >>

"Retro" is a tricky niche to slot a dance night into. Usually you've got to find yourself an era and a genre, hew towards the hits, and maybe garnish it with an outsized wink, a double-pistol-point and a smirking acknowledgement that you think the past is, well, kinda goofy. But Transmission... More >>

Listening to the first minute and 45 seconds of "Yours Truly" by locals Hunting Club, music snobs prone to making comparisons might have the band name Muse on the tips of their tongues. There are the ultra-dramatic guitar lines and swooning vocals that manage to capture the width of six notes... More >>

1971's "Hot Pants (She Got to Use What She Got to Get What She Wants)" was one of several immortal singles from James Brown's early '70s run of heavy, J.B.'s-era classics. The same funk factory cranked out Vicki Anderson's saucy "I'm Too Tough for Mr. Big Stuff (Hot Pants)" the same year, and... More >>

The ex-frontman of San Francisco outfit Girls, Christopher Owens left guitar-driven rock band-dom behind to dive into sumptuous orchestral pop on his solo debut, Lysandre. The heavy melodic lifting formerly carried out by electric six-strings in Owens's songs is currently being handled by... More >>

Friday night gets all the love, Wednesday night has its nudge-wink "hump day" cachet and everyone hates Mondays so much that there's no choice but to go out and wash that start-of-the-week ennui away. But what about Thursday, the day of the week where people are most likely to put... More >>

Moses Oakland relocated from the Bay Area to the Twin Cities back in 1987, and since then -- well, it'd probably be easier and less space-consuming to list all the venues he hasn't played and the legends he hasn't gigged with. A blues, soul and jazz aficionado well-versed in a wide array of... More >>

Make all the jokes you want about the climate differences between Kingston and Minneapolis, but the cultural ones aren't as hard to reconcile. The aptly dubbed Lynval "Golden Voice" Jackson and his band have been a welcome and frequent presence in Twin Cities clubs for years now, and they're... More >>

The outside of U Otter Stop Inn features a mural of a dapper otter decked out in a top hat, suit, and bow tie, his googly eyes and martini glass saluting patrons knowingly. Step inside and you will find a long bar filled with disco balls, giant football helmets, and electric rodents drinking... More >>