Caroline Smith

The best Twin Cities concerts: 4/24-4/30

It's the last week of April, and the snow is finally melting away. Wednesday, local favorites Poliça play a show in the First Avenue Mainroom, while songwriter Josh Ritter plays a set the next night. Mill City Nights also welcomes Mindless Self Indulgence as new local band Ginkgo plays a set at the ... More >>

Mid West Music Fest 2013 Day Three: Neon, the Ultrasounds, Reina del Cid, and more

MWMF Day Three With Hang 'Em High, the Ultrasounds, Neon, Reina del Cid & the Cidizens, Eli Glor, Stereo Confession, and Riflebird Winona, Minnesota Saturday, April 20, 2013 After spending much of Friday night at Mid West Music Fest pleasantly cooped up at Ed's seeing a strong cadre of established ... More >>

Mid West Music Festival in Winona

The three-day music event featuring more than 100 local artists celebrates its fourth year

Local Frames: New videos from STNNNG, The Chalice, Dirty Baby, and more

As the Twin Cities music scene grows, more and more artists are creating music that demands our attention. Combine the music with talented filmmakers locally and beyond, and you have a fruitful mix of distinct skills that generates more locally connected music videos than ever before. While it's im ... More >>

Summit Backyard Bash is Saturday

Last year Summit Brewing Company celebrated 25 years of beer with a blowout in the brewery's backyard. This year they turn 26. Seems like a good excuse to throw another party. And party is just what the folks at Summit plan to do. This year's Summit Backyard Bash happens Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p ... More >>

Critics Picks: Summit Backyard Bash, Metric, and more

Summit Backyard Bash announces all-local lineup

See Also:Summit Unchained #10 launches this weekSummit Beer has long been the local brew of choice for many Twin Cities concertgoers over the years. And now, the good folks at Summit are set to put on one hell of a show of their own, as the Summit Backyard Bash is set to take place behind their brew ... More >>

Weekend Checklist: Basilica Block Party, 311, Blitzen Trapper, Warped Tour

The Basilica Block Party marks the beginning of July and the end of weeks of promotion for presenting radio station Cities 97, who bring soft-rocker Mat Kearney and Train on Friday and alt-country group The Avett Brothers on Saturday night. 311 will be swinging through Minneapolis on their national ... More >>

Weekend Checklist: Rock for Pussy, Rock the Vine, Greg Laswell, Too Short

This is definitely a weekend reserved for rock with Rock for Pussy, a tribute to David Bowie at First Ave. on Friday and Rock the Vine, a day reserved for music and wine tasting, on Saturday. Minneapalooza will be taking over Nick & Eddie's and Joe's Garage on Saturday with many local musicians. ... More >>

Chris Koza on covering Beyonce, oboe accompaniment at Works for Words this Friday

Chris Koza will probably introduce himself first as a musician, then as a lyricist. Over the course of his lengthy career, he has distinguished himself as one of Minnesota's premier singer-songwriters. His recent work as the frontman of folk-pop ensemble Rogue Valley, where he orchestrated the relea ... More >>

Mid West Music Fest, Day Two: The 4onthefloor, Rogue Valley, Ruben, and Midwest Dilemma

Mid West Music Fest, Day Two: Featuring the 4onthefloor, Rogue Valley, Ruben, and Midwest DilemmaWinona, MNFriday, April 20, 2012See also:Mid West Music Fest Day One with Tapes 'n TapesMid West Music Fest, Day Three: Kimya Dawson, the MelismaticsFriday at the Mid West Music Fest brought sunny skies ... More >>

Ten videos using Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" cue-card concept

​Bob Dylan make one of the earliest "music videos" ever with a clip from D.A. Pennebaker's 1967 documentary Don't Look Back. Accompanying the masterful "Subterranean Homesick Blues," Dylan daftly tosses cue cards that wittily accompany his lyrics with the occasional misspelling ("suckcess").This w ... More >>

Retribution Gospel Choir releases free EP (DOWNLOAD)

​Retribution Gospel Choir, the more-strummy side project of Low's Alan Sparhawk, has released a new EP. Titled The Revolution -- not a Prince thing -- the four tracks gather some great vintage rock replete with cowbell, sassy guitar licks, and some full-on shredding. And it occurs all in the span ... More >>

Weekend Checklist: Mason Jennings, New Year's Eve, Kid Dakota, The Cloak Ox

​So this is the new year And I have no resolutions For self assigned penance For problems with easy solutions - Death Cab for Cutie

The Cloak Ox, Mason Jennings, more locals featured on Daytrotter

Illustration by Johnnie CluneyCreepiest rendering of Mason Jennings ever?​"We have made it people, we have finally made it." Recent Picked to Click champs the Cloak Ox were the latest in a long string of Twin Cities acts to proudly announce that they'd recorded a session with Illinois-based record ... More >>

Picked to Click 2011: Complete list of ranking bands

​While we only have space to feature the top 10 finalists in our Picked to Click issue (or 13, this year, because of several ties), we think it's important to publish the complete list of ranking bands so you can see how the points were awarded all the way down the line. And just for added nerdlin ... More >>

The Daredevil Christopher Wright releases new EP in advance of First Ave. show Friday

Courtesy of the Daredevil Christopher Wright​There must be something in the water out there in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Justin Vernon has seen his popularity skyrocket recently coming off the release of his sophomore effort Bon Iver, Bon Iver, an album chock full of layered falsetto and choirboy ... More >>

Caroline Smith, Fortified Five add last-minute SXSW send-offs this weekend

Photo by Amanda Johnson​This just in: In addition to the big SXSW tour kick-off happening tomorrow night at the Turf Club, which features Pink Mink, Hastings 3000, and Von Bondies lead singer Jason Stollsteimer's new project, the Hounds Below, there will be two more last minute SXSW send-off of so ... More >>

SXSW 2011: Minnesota roll call

​With South by Southwest less than a month away (the music portion kicks off on March 16), we thought it a good time to start compiling our list of Minnesotans making the haul down to Austin, Texas this year.At first glance, it looks like there will be quite a few bands repping our great state -- ... More >>

Naughty By Nature collaborates with Solid Gold for Daytrotter session

​So here's a string of words I never thought would appear in the same sentence: Recording site Daytrotter recently invited Naughty By Nature to their Illinois studios for a session, with locals Solid Gold sitting in as their backing band. Wait, what?

Mark Mallman's New Year's Eve stunt: The 'Keyborg'

Photo by Erik Hess​Mark Mallman has made a tradition out of returning to the Varsity each New Year's Eve for an extravagant show, and for his 5th annual NYE bash he pulled out all the stops.

North Shore Sessions capturing intimate musical moments in Duluth

​Much in the same vein of our weekly City of Music series created by MPLS.TV, University of Minnesota Duluth senior Trent Waterman has been hard at work creating a music video series called North Shore Sessions, which features "Minnesota artists performing in interesting locations -- barns, shoppi ... More >>

Mark Mallman preps for his annual New Year's Eve bash

​"I want to be the Lorie Line of New Year's Eve." The year was 2006, and the time was 11:59 pm. Mark Mallman stood on stage in front of a packed Varsity Theater and uttered those words, helping the audience count down the final moments of the year and usher in 2007. Since that epic night, which cl ... More >>

Roma di Luna release Then The Morning Came

Alexei and Channy Moon Caselle talk about their growing band and brood

We Are the Willows tour diary, Vol. 2

​It's hard to know what sort of person I need to be to survive socially when in a new place. Is it important to be super duper extroverted? Maybe...but sometimes I can appear to be a little nuttso buttso when I'm like that. But if I don't take initiative to talk to folks and make friends, I'm just ... More >>

Pizza Luce block party this Saturday

Props to Pizza Luce for hosting its 8th annual block party!​Okay, so this is more of a music event than a food one--the pizza, brats, veggie brats, and Summit beer will surely be overshadowed by the 11 (!) musical acts scheduled to perform at the Uptown Pizza Luce block party this Saturday. Bu ... More >>

Racktacular, Palmfest, Screeching Weasel, and more must-see shows

​Greetings, campers! In honor of this beautiful summer Friday, as you all pine to get up from your cubicles and out the door to get your weekend party on, I have a ton of great shows for you. Check it out:

MNOriginal launch party in Mears Park tonight

​ TPT's MNOriginal began broadcasting its first season earlier this spring, but the show will celebrate its official launch in Mears Park tonight with a free outdoor show and art gathering. Nachito Herrera and Caroline Smith and the Goodnight Sleeps will open tonight's show, and both acts will the ... More >>

Music in Mears 2010 lineup

​Yet another free summer music staple has announced most of its lineup, this time in St. Paul: Music in Mears Park starts next Thursday, June 10, and runs almost every Thursday night through the entire summer. Music is from 6-9 p.m. each night.

Voltage: Fashion Amplified - The gateway fashion show

Emily Utne for City Pages​ Judging by the wide variety of audience members at Voltage: Fashion Amplified on Friday night at First Avenue, it's clear that this fashion event has hit the mainstream. For people who have yet to uncover the raw talent of the fashion industry in Minnesota, Voltage acts ... More >>

Dessa tops the local top 10 sellers at the Fetus two weeks running

A Badly Broken Code was also praised by Robert Christgau on NPR.

Ten Centuries, Adam Svec featured in this week's City Pages

Articles from this week's print edition.

Dessa tops the list of local best sellers at the Electric Fetus

We're not the only ones digging Dessa's new solo album.

Caroline Smith (CD-Release)

Gay Beast, Pert Near Sandstone featured in this week's City Pages

Articles from this week's City Pages -- you know, the stuff printed on real paper.

Romantica to release a new full-length record this spring

On the heels of their latest EP comes news of a follow-up full-length release.

Replacements tribute unites the local scene at First Ave

Friday night was one for the history books.

Gimme Noise on the radio

Sample audio from our recent appearances on 89.3 the Current, Mischke's "In the Stream," and more.

Gimme News Weekly Wrap-Up: Sept. 28-Oct. 2

Red Pens win 2009 Picked to Click, Radio K goes FM, new Gigamesh & Bill Mike's guitar goes missing.

Picked to Click 2009: Red Pens voted Twin Cities' best new band

Celebrating the 10 winners of this year's best-new-bands poll

Roger McGuinn

Gimme News Weekly Wrap-Up: July 17-23

Beyonce thrills at the Target Center, Mark Mallman releases new music video & next week's best new releases.

Caroline Smith tonight at the Mill City Museum

Another promising show in the Mill City Live series.

Freeloader Friday: June 19-21

Five bucks? Pffft. Whatever. Check out these totally free events.

Stone Arch Festival of the Arts music lineup announced

The two-day festival is a must-see showcase of local music and art.

March 13, 2009: No Bird Sing & Mayda

Tricky and Bob Mould interviewed, Brother Ali profiled & Inwood Radio, Victory Ship and A Night in the Box reviewed

March 3, 2009: Dean & Britta and Estelle

Mastodon, Lady Sovereign and Rancid announce TC dates, new Muja/Slug remix & Gospel Gossip record studio session

Best new bands of 2008 tonight at First Avenue

A Benefit for Chad Weis

Dec. 22, 2008: new Prince, The Gaslight Anthem & Atmosphere