Chris Koza

Live Letters celebrates one-year anniversary tonight

One year ago, Sara Montour and Steve Korf launched Live Letters, a brand that documents local music around town and also hosts small, intimate house shows at Montour's loft. Since Live Letters started, it has gained notoriety in small groups of fans and amongst musicians around Minneapolis as one of ... More >>

Rufus Wainwright: It's hard with radio 'cause I can't sit and look pretty

By Chris KozaRufus Wainwright once wrote "Along the bending path away, I smiled in knowing I'd be back one day." Perhaps he was talking about his return to Minnesota. The singer will be back in the Twin Cities for two shows this weekend to share his talents and charm at the Fitzgerald Theater. On th ... More >>

Martha Wainwright

The best Twin Cities concerts this week: 2/20-2/26

Plenty of shows going on in this last full week in February. Friday and Saturday prove to be the most busy. Friday, indie rock band Eels takes the First Avenue stage while psych poppers Ruby Suns play at the 7th Street Entry. ZZ Ward will be playing to a sold-out crowd at the Varsity and California ... More >>

"Nickelback? That's a terrible name for a restaurant," and 25 more quotes from 2012

Sometimes an individual passage can sum up an entire interview -- or can take on a life of its own that fits absolutely nowhere. In 2012, plenty of artists took the time to speak to Gimme Noise, and one of them was notably incensed that a place serving food that a person would ideally like to keep i ... More >>

Minnesota covers the Magnetic Fields' 69 Love Songs (Download)

There's a certain bond between music and a listener. We can all relate to it, but everyone has a different way of expressing it. For Matt Latterell and Chuck Terhark, that way of expression is through a massive cover album. Absolutely Cuckoo is a statewide ode to the quick-witted, New York band ... More >>

Weekend Checklist: MN Beatle Project, Dweezil Zappa, Solid Gold

The holiday season is underway this weekend! Minneapolis native, Lorie Line visits for a three day performance at the State Theatre. Local modern rockers Maudlin will be hosting the Fourth Annual Worst Christmas Pageant Ever at The Amsterdam Bar & Hall. On the not holiday special front, Prissy C ... More >>

Rogue Valley vinyl release show

Local Frames: New videos from Mike Mictlan, Lucy Michelle & the Velvet Lapelles, Brother Ali, 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 >>

Kevin Steinman's farewell show at Bryant Lake Bowl, 7/23/12

See Also:Kevin Steinman says farewell and thanks to the Twin CitiesU.S. healthcare is too costly for Kevin Steinman, so he's moving to NorwayKevin Steinman with his band, Andy Thompson, Justin Hartke, Matt Novachis and special guests Chris Koza, Jeremy Messersmith, Brianna Lane, Luke Anderson, Linne ... More >>

Kevin Bowe on writing with Paul Westerberg, the current "scene," and his record release at Varsity tonight

Kevin Bowe has seen it all in the Twin Cities. After cutting his musical teeth opening for the Replacements and Hüsker Dü in the '80s, Bowe later directed his talents towards songwriting for artists as diverse as Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Etta James, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and 3 Dog Night. He ... More >>

Tapes 'n Tapes, Kimya Dawson, Greg Brown top Winona's Mid West Music Fest lineup

Part of the appeal of out-of-town music festivals (like SXSW and Soundtown) is seeing local acts in front of crowds who aren't nearly as familiar with them as we are in the Twin Cities. Having to win over new fans will only make those bands better when they return back home, and bearing witness ... 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 >>

SXSW 2012: A conversation with Peter Pisano and Chris Koza

​The appreciation for SXSW usually doesn't happen until the festival is over and done with, but Peter Pisano of Peter Wolf Crier and Chris Koza of Rogue Valley were able to find some time to reflect and acknowledge on the poignancy of an event that happens once a year connecting so many people. ... More >>

Rogue Valley tour diary, vol. 7: From saguaros to snowfall

​Rogue Valley's tour diaries are written by frontman Chris Koza and edited by bandmate Peter Sieve. You can read their first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth installments. Atalesca: 72 degrees.  Pismo Beach: 62 degrees. Ventura: 65 degrees. It was as perfect a day as one could expect ... More >>

Rogue Valley tour diary, vol. 6: Comfort zone

​Rogue Valley's tour diaries are written by frontman Chris Koza and edited by bandmate Peter Sieve. You can read their first, second, third, fourth, and fifth installments.Everyone slept in late the next morning, Portland was its grey, soaking wet, bone-chilling wintery self, but despite the unin ... More >>

The 802 Tour's luxurious experience hits the Walker in March

​On March 22 and 23, a collective of young, folk-rooted composers who were drinking buddies back in Vermont will perform at the Walker's William and Nadine McGuire Theater. If you read that sentence and a certain level of pretentious cultural superiority didn't come to mind, go back and read it ag ... More >>

Rogue Valley tour diary, vol. 5: Heed all warnings

​Rogue Valley's tour diaries are written by frontman Chris Koza and edited by bandmate Peter Sieve. You can read their first, second, third, and fourth installments.1/20/2012 Butte: 37 degrees. Bearmouth: 38 degrees. Missoula: 40 degrees. Since the beginning of the week, before leaving Minneapolis ... More >>

Rogue Valley tour diary, vol. 4: The benefits of local press

​Rogue Valley's tour diaries are written by frontman Chris Koza and edited by bandmate Peter Sieve. You can read their first installment here and second here, and third here. 1/18-1/19 Rogue Valley Tour Journal: "New Year Resolution" Minneapolis: 21 degrees. St. Cloud: 17 degrees. Fergus Falls: 15 ... More >>

Weekend Checklist: Wu Tang, Buffalo Moon, Keri Noble, Kevin Bowe

​ Start the year off right with a weekend of local music.

Weekend Checklist: Alison Scott, The Cloak Ox, White Light Riot, MN Music Bazaar

​The days are getting shorter and the nights are getting cold. Settle down with some local music this weekend.

Weekend Checklist: Andrew Bird, Doomtree Blowout, Foster the People, Jingle Ball

​ So much good music happening this weekend; here's an overview of the best bets.

Weekend Checklist: tUnE-yArDs, Deer Tick, Lykke Li, Guns N' Roses

​ This weekend is brought to you by the number 1.

With the Current's ratings reportedly 'soaring,' what does that mean for Minnesota music?

Photo by Jayme Halbritter for City PagesThe Current's program manager Jim McGuinn​Though this won't come as a surprise to anyone who's seen a Current-sponsored show sell out in a heartflutter or watched them dominate the "indie" music scene in the Twin Cities, a recent report has shown that the st ... More >>

Grand Old Day 2011 music lineup and set times

​It's hard to believe that Grand Old Day is already just around the corner, but "St. Paul's first rite of summer" is happening next Sunday, June 5. For the first time this year, Gimme Noise is sponsoring one of the stages at the festival, which will be located in the parking lot outside of Walgree ... More >>

Bill Mike discusses new projects, working with Micheal Larsen, and Rock Camp for Dads

A conversation with a local guitar hero

Weekend Checklist: Canon Chorus, Caroline Smith, Usonia, Wide Eyes, Picked to Click

"Rock stars...is there anything they don't know?" ​ -Homer Simpson

String Theory Festival is coming to rearrange your brains

​Across five venues, seven partners, and four days, the String Theory Music Festival will be set upon the Twin Cities (both of them!) this April 14-17 in a grand gesture towards reframing the modern and historical position of - but of course - stringed instruments. The festival will feature perfor ... More >>

Eric Lovold, Kicks and Spurs, Brian DeRemer piecing lives back together following robbery

Photo by Eric LovoldBrian DeRemer lost his entire solo debut album during the recent robbery at Lovold's studio​It has been a little over a week since the fateful Christmas Eve break-in at the Alarmists' frontman Eric Lovold's apartment and home recording studio, and Lovold is slowly piecing his ... More >>

Twin Cities Year in Music 2010: The highlights

Prince, Gayngs, Gigamesh, and many others dot the calendar

MPLS.TV offers up free local mixtape

​In addition to taking over the world with their mad video-making skills, the folks at MPLS.TV are starting a local arts blog. One of their first endeavors is the first volume of an MPLS.TV Mixtape, which you can stream below and download for free over on their Bandcamp page. Artists featured incl ... More >>

Rogue Valley CD-release at First Avenue, 8/13/10

Photo by Steve Cohen​Rogue Valley are now officially halfway through their ambitious journey of releasing four albums in the span of 12 months, and what a journey it has been. Back in April they brought a grandiose and theatrical album release show to the Fitzgerald that even included a high schoo ... More >>

Explore Minnesota Radio streaming all-local playlist

​Explore Minnesota, a site dedicated to attracting tourism to our fair state, has teamed up with 89.3 the Current to create an all-local playlist of streaming music that spans from the Castaways and the Trashmen to Dessa, Peter Wolf Crier, and Owl City. The mix, naturally, is bent toward radio-fri ... More >>

Art-A-Whirl: Music lineups and set times

​Art-A-Whirl weekend is upon us. Here's your guide to all the live music highlights this weekend, many of which are free. See anything we missed? Add your own Art-A-Whirl music events in the comments.FRIDAY, MAY 14Hoolie FestShuga RecordsFree; all agesIndoor stage:12:00 p.m. Acting Normal1:00 p.m ... More >>

Art-A-Whirl, Henry Rollins, and more: Critics' Picks

JoAnna James says hello, Wars of 1812 say goodbye at the Cedar

It was a bittersweet evening in many respects.

The Wars of 1812 to part ways

The former Picked to Click finalists are calling it quits.

September 3, 2009: No Bird Sing & Lil Wayne

New music from M.anifest and Brother Ali, No Bird Sing interviewed & audio from Chris Koza State Fair performance.

Weekend Checklist: Godsmack (ugh), France Has The Bomb, and, well, Godsmack (ugh)

Not all weekends are created equal. July 24-26.

April 13, 2009: The Nina the Pinta & Banner Pilot

Prince releases a limited edition iPod, Banner Pilot sign to Fat Wreck Chords & Halloween, Alaska play the Current.

Halloween, Alaska's Champagne Downtown explores luxury

James Diers and David King's new album tickles as it goes down

Valentine's Day round up

Check out these Valentine's Day activities for lovers, haters, and the desperately horny.

Flyer of the Week: V-Day edition

In honor of the impending love fest, we showcase three flyers in this week's edition.

JoAnna James and Chris Koza share the love

4/24 Morning Communiqué

4/12 Morning Communiqué

3/19 Morning Communiqué

3/16 Morning Communiqué

11/17 Morning Communiqué

Speaking in Strums

A home-schooled innocent joins the local folk-pop fraternity