Kristoff Krane

Art-A-Whirl 2013 music lineups at 612Brew and Indeed Brewing announced

The stellar music lineup at the 331 Club this weekend certainly isn't the only thing worth seeking out at this year's Art-A-Whirl. In addition to the fine locally created original artwork on offer as well as art studios opened up for tours, there are plenty of other terrific lineups that should keep ... More >>

Mixed Blood Majority at the Triple Rock, 1/26/13

Mixed Blood Majority with Guante & Big Cats and LaLiberte Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis Saturday, January 26, 2013 It's easy to be cynical about new local supergroups when our music community seems to interbreed at such an alarming rate, but Mixed Blood Majority's set on Saturday made an ... More >>

Guante calls for activism

You Better Weaponize mixes personal and political

Joe Horton on Coloring Time's Icehouse residency and new projects

Joe Horton is one of those guys you meet and immediately want to know better. He's calmly energetic, and considering he's one of the busiest guys in the city, that's no small feat. Between fronting his experimental hip-hop group No Bird Sing, digging into a new project called Mixed Blood Majority wi ... More >>

Lazerbeak on Mixed Blood Majority's Icehouse debut and entering fatherhood

Since his teenage years, Aaron "Lazerbeak" Mader has had a running fascination with Alexei "Crescent Moon" Casselle. "He's like one of the godfathers of Minneapolis hip-hop," he says during a conversation with Gimme Noise. "He and I Self Devine are like the dons of the city." In the Minneapolis sce ... More >>

Local Frames: New videos from Dark Dark Dark, Night Moves, Guante & Big Cats!, 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 impo ... More >>

Premiere: Sadistik releases Eyedea tribute, "Micheal"

Sadistik is a Seattle rapper who was among the many profoundly moved by Micheal "Eyedea" Larsen, a beloved rapper and figure in the hip-hop community. Gimme Noise is proud to premiere a tribute he created called "Micheal" and an accompanying video featuring old photos, and many of Larsen's family an ... More >>

Weekend Checklist: "Are You Local?" Showcase, Punch Brothers, Galactic, Buddy Guy

​SXSW is right around the corner. And though the yearly music trade festival in Texas is definitely not happening here, there are several events that serve as our local equivalent. The first is the Vita.mn Are You Local? showcase tonight at First Avenue. A couple CD release shows to note this week ... More >>

Ecid on Eyedea, replacing booze with yoga, & Werewolf Hologram

​There's an unnerving darkness permeating local emcee Ecid's newly-released album Werewolf Hologram. He wrote, produced and mixed a record that's twisted and chock-full alliterative wordplay. With something so gritty and realized, it's hard to believe it's coming from an artist who's received such ... More >>

Ecid "Back From Japan" video premiere

​Ecid's forthcoming Werewolf Hologram, due February 28, is a dark delight of an album. The prolific Twin Cities hip-hop experimenter's "Back From Japan" is a certified high point from the collection, and its ominous beat -- splintering, busting drums and an swelling keyboard score -- serves as a b ... More >>

Coloring Time at the Aster Cafe, 12/31/11

Coloring Time December 31, 2011 Aster Cafe, Minneapolis The members of Coloring Time read like a who's who of hip hop and jazz in Minneapolis: founded by Joe Horton with core members including Graham O'Brien, Casey O'Brien, Peter Pisano, and Bobby Mulrennen, the lineup is more like a dream crew.

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.

TC Hip Hop Awards post 2011 nominees

​The process for the annual TC Hip Hop Awards has always seemed a little mysterious, and this year's poll is no exception -- with little warning or ceremony, the awards show's hosts have published a comprehensive list of 2011 nominees to their sparse website and opened up the poll to the public fo ... More >>

Mr. Dibbs benefit at Honey tonight

​Last month, we learned that onetime Rhymesayers recording artist and Atmosphere tour partner Mr. Dibbs has been battling liver disease. Unable to work and behind on his medical bills, Dibbs (born Brad Forste) put out a call to the community for help -- and tonight, at Honey in Northeast Minneapol ... More >>

Face Candy return to stage, release more video tributes to Eyedea

​As we reported earlier this week, there was an outpouring of emotion and support for the remaining members of Face Candy who performed for the first time since Mikey's passing last October at last weekend's Soundset 2011 festival.

Face Candy 'Waste Age Teen Land' being released this month

​Seven months after the passing of musician Michael "Eyedea" Larsen, Rhymesayers will be releasing the final studio recordings of the freestyle/improv band Face Candy, which he had founded and been a part of since 2005.

Soundset Series: Rhymesayers staples Brother Ali, Blueprint, Grieves & Budo, more

Brother Ali​Back before Soundset became the annual festival it is today, there was a Rhymesayers-hosted event by the same name that took over, and consistently sold out, the First Ave Mainroom every Wednesday, housing some of the big names on the company roster as well as visiting acts. The festi ... More >>

No Bird Sing remember Eyedea on Theft of the Commons

Three members were close friends of the fallen rapper

No Bird Sing, 'Afterlife Insurance'

​No Bird Sing are getting ready to release their sophomore full-length, Theft of the Commons, at the end of this month with a show at the Cedar Cultural Center. The band says that the new record finds them "on more organic ground... literally," mostly due to the fact that it was recorded in a barn ... More >>

Weekend Checklist: 501 Club farewell and more

​The big news this weekend is tomorrow night's show at the 501 Club, which marks the last concert inside the venue before it closes down as well as the last gig for hip-hop duo MC/VL. But that's not the only thing going down this weekend -- here's a rundown of our top recommended shows happening F ... More >>

New Year's Eve concert guide

​With New Year's Eve falling on a Friday this year, the concert calendar is looking downright epic. From freebie shows to high-profile benefits, the selection for this year's Big Night Out has a little something for every kind of showgoer. Here's a rundown of your options for Friday night, broken ... More >>

501 Club closing on January 8

​Less than two years after opening its doors on Washington Ave. in downtown Minneapolis, the 501 Club will close on January 8.

Best Concerts of 2010

​From beginning to end, 2010 has kept us busy running from venue to venue in pursuit of some phenomenal live music. Gimme Noise's team of writers and photographers fanned out across the Twin Cities to catch as many shows as we could, and each of us ended up with our own diverse and distinctive lis ... More >>

Twin Cities Year in Music 2010: The highlights

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

Weekend Checklist: The conundrum of Mavis and Tame Impala Replacements and Eyedea Tributes

It's turkey week and the usual travel snafus are starting. As I type this, it is 8AM and I am on a Delta flight out of Minneapolis bound for Georgia. I have been up since 4:30 and my flight has already been changed four times. Alas, if you are sticking around the Twin Cities the next few days, don ... More >>

Micheal 'Eyedea' Larsen's memorial show tonight

​Today would have been Micheal Larsen's 29th birthday. Appropriately, his fans and friends will converge in the Mainroom of First Avenue tonight for a celebration of his life and his overwhelmingly positive contributions to the music community.

Eyedea, aka Micheal Larsen, remembered by friends and fans (UPDATED)

Eyedea's favorite sneakersPhoto by B Fresh ​ Rapper, writer, poet. Eyedea was all of these things, and on Saturday when he left the world he so fearlessly captured in his lyrics, it seemed there were no words to do him justice.In his 28 years, Micheal Larsen carved his initials indelibly in Twin ... More >>

U of M cuts Northrop's free summer concerts for 2011

​The free outdoor concert series that takes place during the lunch hour outside of the Northrop Auditorium may not continue into next year, the Minnesota Daily is reporting. According to the Daily, the budget that supports the concert series will take a 25 percent cut for next year's season, and t ... More >>

Urban Cowboy, Minne-Motor Fest: Freeloader Friday

​ (Pictured: Past entrants hope to achieve flight for Red Bull's Flugtag)This week we have multiple CD-release shows, an art fest on the north side, and some DIY flying machines that will (most likely) crash into the Mississippi.

Ecid (CD-Release)

Glamboree, Community Cabaret: A-List Extra

​This week we have a farmers' market worth the drive, an LGBTQ benefit party at Bedlam Theatre, and a performance evening celebrating Wing Young Huie's "University Avenue Project." Come and take a look. 

Face Candy make rare appearance at the Acadia (video)

The group played their first show in over a year this past weekend.

Guante & Big Cats

Eyedea & Abilities

Clapperclaw 2009 in photos

Shots from last weekend's art, music, film, theater, and fashion festival.

Clapperclaw Music & Arts Festival

Eyedea & Abilities: By the Throat

Weekend Checklist: The Hopefuls, The Alarmists, and Dane Cook

June 12-14.

The Popstream's Soundet '09 A/V Supplement Super-Spectacular

A brief selection of just a few of the underground rap superstars who'll rock Canterbury Park this Sunday.

Franz Ferdinand, Voltage: Fashion Amplified, and more

Soundset line up announced

Pharcyde and MF Doom? Looks like the 500 pound gorilla of hip hop festivals put on some weight over the winter.

SXSW: Rhymesayers showcase, the Hold Steady, and two churches

A recap of Day Two at South by Southwest.

Ecid (CD-Release)

Jan. 30, 2009: Olson and Louris, Muja Messiah & the Hootenanny

New Muja Messiah, a new Hootenanny podcast & updates on Tapes 'n Tapes & Mark Olson and Gary Louris

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

Top 10 Local Albums of the Year

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

Eyedea & Abilities on new record: 'People are gonna hate'

Eyedea & Abilities first show in their home city of St. Paul in a number of years ... More >>

Weekend Checklist

Eyedea and Abilities, Lookbook, and The Hold Steady make this weekend worth living.

CultureBully.com kicks off a 60-hour blogathon

Under Pressure

Abzorbr break their anxieties into beats