Andrea Swensson

Nobel Peace Prize Forum: Brother Ali

Local critics, Gimme Noise included, converged on the Local Show

It's most opinionated time of the year. Thus, 89.3 the Current's studios opened up for a few gatekeepers from the Twin Cities music media to air out the wares they've been pushing all year long once again before moving onto the 2013 models. This is the Critics Pick edition.In an episode that aired S ... More >>

Critics' Picks: Kreayshawn, the Tragically Hip, Patrick Watson, and more

Polica documentary, Hold You Just a Little While, debuts

Required viewing: 2011 Picked to Click runner up Poliça gets their banner year summed up in a short Pitchfork.tv documentary titled Hold You Just a Little While. Directed by the tireless Dan Huiting, the nine-minute clip is an excellent companion piece to Jeff Gage's cover story about the band from ... More >>

Rihanna's Diamonds 2013 U.S. tour dates -- St. Paul in March

See Also:Lady Gaga plots Born This Way Ball 2013 tour -- St. Paul in FebruaryRihanna and Cee Lo Green at the Target Center, 6/16/11, SlideshowLive-Blogging The 2012 Video Music Awards: We Are Never Ever Ever Gonna Use Tonight As A BellwetherSo while many Americans were caught up in Thursday's politi ... More >>

SoundTown 2012 has been canceled

See Also:SoundTown 2012 statement: Ticket threshold wasn't metSoundTown 2011: A first-ever adventure in SomersetSoundTown 2012 lineup: Jane's Addiction, Florence the Machine, & moreMore cancellation news coming across today: SoundTown 2012 is indeed not happening, and artists are starting to s ... More >>

Jane's Addiction fans criticize the Brick, form "The Brick MN Sucks" site

​Well, that was swift. Within a few hours of the Brick's opening bash hosting Jane's Addiction in Minneapolis' Warehouse District, many dissatisfied customers have voiced their discontent. Our reviewer noted that the sound was excellent, but did have some concerns himself.Much of this commentary i ... More >>

Howler and the hometown hate debate

Jordan Gatesmith shares his true feelings on the music scene

Howler and the hometown hate debate

​Minnesota Give Up. No, that's not the title of Howler's next album, nor is it the slogan for the eyebrow-raising marketing campaign the band rolled out last week. But, if you were to read some of the things being bandied about on the interwebs about the interview that their baby-faced bandleader, ... More >>

The Current's 7 years of good luck: Dessa, Mary Lucia & more weigh in

​The Current, located at 89.3 on the FM dial, is far from just another a radio station. Over the past seven years, it has transformed into somewhat of a Twin Cities institution, offering an alternative to the redundancy of commercial radio while also acting as a musical rite of passage for up- ... More >>

Bon Iver ninth-best in Pazz & Jop 2011 Poll

​Bon Iver's Bon Iver was obviously a bit of a local success story, and we rightfully felt the need to put his bearded, thoughtful mug on our cover last fall. (Read Andrea Swensson's cover story here.) Our beloved sibling paper the Village Voice showed some serious (but not ultimate) dedication to ... More >>

Critics' Picks: Mark Mallman in 3-D, the New Standards, and more

Minnesota's Best Albums of 2011

Low, Doomtree, Brute Heart top best local releases

Celebrate Women in Music comes together at the Amsterdam

​Where would we be without women in music?  Specifically, where would we be without the women in the Twin Cities music scene?  On Wednesday, the Amsterdam Bar and Hall will be hosting Celebrate Women in Music, an event that aims to shed light on the hard work and talent of some of the mo ... More >>

Critics' Picks: Aretha Franklin, Battles, 4onthefloor, and more

Now Hiring: Gimme Noise is looking for new contributors

​Wanted: Smart, funny, musically obsessed writers to help us document and analyze the many facets of Minnesota's music scene.

Top 10 concert photos of the summer so far

It's been a rainy start to our summer so far, but that hasn't stopped Twin Cities fans from busting out their ponchos and going outdoors to take in live music. Between Rock the Garden, Soundset, the Warped Tour, and shows at the Minnesota Zoo's amphitheater, concertgoers have had plenty of chances t ... More >>

Gayngs' Coachella experience in 11 weird photos

​Online British music magazine the Quietus loves Gayngs almost as much as we do, as a quick search will attest. So it comes as no surprise that they would ask the band to visually document their Coachella experience.Also not surprising: the serious jank and wooze depicted therein.

MTVu Woodie Awards descend on Austin for SXSW

Photo by Andrea Swensson​There's nary a music-related (or even tangentially music industry-related) corporation who hasn't jumped on board this week's SXSW festival, so it's no surprise that MTV lept at the opportunity to smash their MTVu Woodie Awards in between all the other myriad events happen ... More >>

An analysis of people's analyses of music writers' writing

​Writing. We're reading a lot of it. We're writing a lot of it. The amount of words and thoughts ingested and composed on a daily basis is staggering, possibly psychologically damaging, and completely unprecedented. And that deserves a look. So what better time than now to do so, when over the pas ... More >>

Anthology

Turf Club closed until January 11, changing management

Photo by Andrea Swensson​Just a few hours before the doors were scheduled to open on Saturday night, the Turf Club called off its gig with Marijuana Deathsquads, turned out the lights, and hung signs on the front doors that read "Closed for repair."Manager Dave Wiegardt, who has worked at the club ... More >>

Best Twin Cities albums of 2010

Dessa, BNLX, Kristoff Krane, and more

Haley Bonar, B.B. King, Dawes, and more

Picked to Click 2010

Pink Mink lead the pack in our 20th annual best-new-bands poll

Weekend Checklist: Record releases! Famous people!

​by Andrea Swensson & Andrew FlanaganIf CD releases shows are riches, we certainly have an embarrassment of them this weekend in the Twin Cities. Here's a rundown of some of the must-see album release shows and other hot concerts happening in town over the next few nights.

Book of Right On, Dessa, Culture Cry Wolf featured in this week's City Pages

​Our music section in this week's City Pages is bursting at the seams with content related to this weekend's West Bank Music Festival, which spans several venues up and down Cedar Avenue. Here's a quick rundown of the articles you can find in today's paper:Dessa on DessaOne of the West Bank Fest's ... More >>

Chromeo, Glamorama, Psalm One, and more: Critics' Picks

Mates of State, Idle Hands, and more

Critics' Picks for this week

Coolest City Pages box ever

Photo by Andrea Swensson​Over the weekend at the Stone Arch Festival of the Arts, City Pages recruited a group of local artists to repaint our signature red newsstands with their own designs. Our favorite entry was this design by Taylor Lindgren, who incorporated stencils of Prince and P.O.S into ... More >>

City Pages wins 12 first-place SPJ Page One awards

City Pages won 12 first-place trophies at the annual Page One awards Friday, beating both the Star Tribune and the Pioneer Press for the second year in a row. The Star Tribune took home 8 first-place spots out of 17 overall; the Pioneer Press won 2 out of 10 nominations. City Pages won a total ... More >>

Ike Reilly plans another four-night stand with the Twin Cities

Here's a look back at his first four-night run, in the summer of 2001.

Glitter Ball 3, MPLS.TV Winter Jubilee, and more

Mischke show notes: Jan. 22, 2010

Join the conversation with T.D. Mischke on today's 'In The Stream' live from 2 - 3:30 p.m.

Bowerbirds, Caroline Smith, and more

Mark Mallman, Wookiefoot, and more

Romi De Luna's Holiday Special, Big Head Todd, and more

This week's City Pages cover: Solid Gold

This week's cover features rising electro-pop stars Solid Gold, improbably dressed up as buccaneers.

Mischke show notes: Nov. 6, 2009

Join the conversation with T.D. Mischke on today's 'In The Stream' live from 2 p.m.- 3:30 p.m.

Mischke show notes: Oct. 30, 2009

Join the conversation with T.D. Mischke on today's 'In The Stream' live from 2 p.m.- 3:30 p.m.

Electric Fetus to remain closed for the weekend

The store is scrambling to repair damages from Wednesday's tornado.

Photos: Electric Fetus, neighborhood tornado damage

An update on the status of the Electric Fetus damages.

Photos of Minneapolis storm/tornado damage

Check out the photos from a CP staffer and others in Minneapolis of damage from the tornado this afternoon.

The Pretenders, Cloud Cult, and more

9 Thrill-O-Meter: Songs we like right now

We tell you what songs are thrilling us right now. And yes, there are 9 of 'em. Listen here.

US Air Guitar Championships: Minneapolis Regional

Air Guitar Championships return to the Twin Cities this Friday

And now for something completely different.

Bret Michaels, James Cotton Blues Band, and more

Alan Sparhawk and more

Top 10 Local Albums of the Year

Our favorite albums released in Minnesota this year, with a handful of honorable mentions