South by Southwest Festival

April Podcast: Rock the Garden lineup prediction secrets, "Accidental Racist," and more

Today marks the last day of April, and that's good news for all you audiophiles out there. Why is that, you ask? Because we just thawed out round two of the Gimme Noise music podcast, that's why. This new experiment of ours is still new enough that we don't even have a decent set of press photos, b ... More >>

Top 10 must-see Minnesota music videos this week

Local Frames is a weekly column spotlighting the best new music videos featuring musicians and directors with Minnesota ties. This week we lead off with another uplifting video from inspirational signer/songwriter Zach Sobiech. "Sandcastles" is a collaborative duet with Sammy Brown that only adds t ... More >>

Introducing the Gimme Noise Music Podcast

Here's a surprise to ease you out of this warm and sunny Friday. The very first Gimme Noise Podcast is live! Recorded in our satellite "studio" in Seward, this represents a collection of recent topics, both locally and at large, that we -- myself and music editor Reed Fischer -- wanted to discuss fu ... More >>

SXSW: The lows and highs of putting on a showcase

By Conrad Schoenleber During SXSW, Austin has a specific kind of gravity. Each year, huge masses of people are drawn to the Texas capital to seek out the best of what new music has to offer. I was pulled down south once again in 2013 as an event planner. With my production team at Hydrive Shows, I ... More >>

Frightened Rabbit's Scott Hutchison: I write out of a need to understand events

The spirited, lovelorn music of Scotland's Frightened Rabbit found a dedicated audience straight away in the Twin Cities, leading to a memorable string of packed-to-capacity shows here over the years that continues with Thursday's long sold-out show at the Varsity Theater. The talented quintet from ... More >>

The 50 Commandments of SXSW

You're going to South by Southwest, right? Or you're already there? One of those things is bound to be true. Well, our sibling paper pals at Dallas Observer have got some advice for you, and managed to format it all into the style of commandments, because one of their favorite things to do is preten ... More >>

The Real Numbers' Eli Hansen: We didn't get any forms to play at SXSW

Shortly before the Real Numbers were heading in to record Only Two Can Play, original drummer Matt Allen moved to Memphis. Lesser acts would have called it a day or rescheduled, but the Real Numbers were ready to put their new songs down on wax anyway. They recruited Tony Milek to the band, but he w ... More >>

Are You Local? 2013 finalists announced

The fortunes of one of three burgeoning Twin Cities bands are about to change dramatically, as Vita.mn just announced the trio of groups that won this year's Are You Local? contest. Bad Bad Hats, Carroll, and one of our Picked to Click standouts, Audio Perm, have been selected out of hundreds of app ... More >>

Polica make TV debut on Jimmy Fallon Wednesday, unveil U.S. tour

Related:SXSW: Polica as the road teamPolica at First Avenue (with cover shoot outtakes) River's Edge Music Festival 2012 at Harriet Island lineupAlthough MInneapolis electro-percussive soul collective Polica aren't quite at the level of an Ellen DeGeneres shout-out yet, they're about to get a huge a ... More >>

Night Moves on hotel living, song facelifts, and the new 7-inch

The guys in local funky indie rock act Night Moves aren't the types to get excited too easily. Whether it's a matter of getting signed to a Big Deal record label or simply getting confused with Skrillex over and over again (we're looking at you, Mark Ritsema), most any occasion seems to be met with ... 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 >>

The Best of SXSW Music: Saturday 3/17/2012

So, we come to it: the end of all things. Four days of madness, Doritos, Skrillex and finally, St. Patrick's Day. Before we bid SXSW 2012 farewell, allow us to share our favorite moments from SXSW day four. Later, we'll let you know which shows weren't so hot. Find our favorites below, and if there ... More >>

The Best of SXSW Music: Friday 3/16/2012

If you're familiar with chaos theory, which in its basic form is the attempt to find patterns in the random acts of shit on Earth, then you may understand the difficulty that comes with describing a full day at SXSW. To break down the chaos, Village Voice Media's roving music editors have selected t ... More >>

SXSW: Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band at ACL Live

​By Craig HlavatyBruce Springsteen's Thursday started with a keynote speech in one of the big ballrooms at the Austin Convention Center, and ended with a mythic three-hour set at ACL Live across town, in front of a few thousand people cooing "Bruce."The keynote and the show went hand in hand. If y ... More >>

Gimme Noise's SXSW day party is today: Trampled by Turtles, Doomtree, & more

​This is a friendly reminder delivered with a teeny bit of Minnesota Nice. Get thee to the Gimme Noise/First Avenue/89.3 The Current/Etix SXSW day party today, or risk losing your commenter privileges forever.Okay, so maybe we can't really do that -- nor would we want to -- but it's simply a no-br ... More >>

The Best of SXSW Music: Wednesday 3/14/2012

​If you're familiar with chaos theory, which in its basic form is the attempt to find patterns in the random acts of shit on Earth, then you may understand the difficulty that comes with describing a full day at SXSW. To break down the bright, scintillating chaos, Village Voice Media's roving musi ... More >>

Astronautalis hits SXSW hard, unveils "This Is Our Science" video

​Now that hip-hop metallurgist Astronautalis is among our local Minnesota ammo, there's going to be a huge footprint of local talent in Austin this week. Between Wednesday and Saturday, South by Southwest attendees will have seven chances to catch Mr. Andrew Bothwell and his electric-blond locks s ... More >>

Howler's cranky America Give Up viral marketing guy debuts

​Our Year In Music cover stars Howler are back with a hilariously subversive marketing campaign for their raucous debut full-length, America Give Up, which was created by the Minneapolis-based ad agency Mono. Over at the fittingly titled site americagiveup.com, there is a curmudgeonly old man musi ... More >>

The Sudden Lovelys release three albums in one year

​When a band says that it took them a year to release their album, it is no doubt the culmination of a year's worth of sweat and tears that went into the effort. Now multiply that by output by three and throw in non-stop touring and you get the Sudden Lovelys. The band consists of Daniel Ferraro a ... More >>

Duran Duran coming to Epic on April 22

​Fresh off a performance at this year's SXSW festival, Duran Duran are launching a worldwide tour that will bring them to Minneapolis to play Epic on April 22.

SXSW video recap: The Strokes, Wu-Tang Clan, Yelawolf, Gayngs

​Our video team fanned out on Thursday night, easily the busiest and biggest night of the festival so far, to cover the free Strokes show mob at Auditorium Shores, the Gayngs Affiliyated showcase at the Mohawk, and Wu-Tang Clan and Yelawolf at the Village Voice party at Austin Music Hall, plus ... ... More >>

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 >>

Gayngs return to First Avenue for 'Affiliyated' showcase

Photo by Stacy Schwartz​Much ado has been made about the "supergroup" star power of Minneapolis-based collaboration Gayngs. It's no big secret that the band is a side project for scores of musicians who are involved in other projects -- and next month, Gayngs will return to the Twin Cities for the ... More >>

Local Natives' Taylor Rice reflects on his band's newfound success

Photo by Kyle Johnson​Local Natives are like a fine German automobile; their musical success has gone from 0 to 60 without so much as blinking an eye.

Solid Gold's gear stolen, playing last-minute Minneapolis show

Photo by Ben ClarkSolid Gold at SXSW 2010​While in the midst of one of their first multi-city US tours, Minneapolis dance-pop quintet Solid Gold received a hard blow. Their van was broken into and half of their gear was stolen, including a few very essential pieces from their live show, which reli ... More >>

Mark Mallman is starving, hysterical, naked

But he can still tell you the best burger in town, whatever your price range.

SXSW 2010: Twin Cities bands head to Austin for a week of music and mayhem

Lookbook, Grant Hart, Gay Witch Abortion, Off With Their Heads, and many more blaze their own trails at the festival

SXSW Aftermath: Peelander-Z, Off With Their Heads top our list craziest moments

Check out these lo-fi videos from two of our favorite sets this past week.

Metric, the Constellations kick off a week of SXSW mayhem

And so it begins.

Radio K broadcasting from SXSW this week

The local station is planning to interview a whopping 22 bands, with 6 in-studio performances scheduled.

China's Maybe Mars label and Carsick Cars head overseas for SXSW

Local radio DJ Danny Sigelman catches us up on a few great bands he's discovered while living abroad in China.

Gay Witch Abortion, Romantica, Solid Gold added to SXSW roster

So far, five local bands have been selected to play official showcases.

First Communion Afterparty tonight at the 7th Street Entry

Fresh from a two week tour to SXSW and back with Gospel Gossip, FCAP tunes up, plugs in and drops out tonight at the Entry.

Salon Saloon

Dillinger Four

Modern Radio launches Twitter feed

The local label behind Vampire Hands, His Mischief and Daughters of the Sun keeps you abreast of their daily minutia.

Q&A: Vampire Hands' Colin Johnson

Monotonix

The Sunshine Solution

At SXSW, fresh air and stale beer come to an industry's rescue

Breakfast of Champions 3/17: special SXSW pic edition

Yo! Majesty

North By Northeast Music Festival

SXSW Friday: Swan Island

The Pitchfork Effect

How an upstart record-review site won the animosity—and allegiance—of indie music scenesters and changed the rules for breakout bands. (Ask Tapes 'N Tapes.)

"PHC" to open SXSW Film Festival

Oh my gawd: 400 hrs of the Lips?

Don't Mess With Excess

Wrecking Balls, Meet the press, The rites of summer and Low-power readings.

Austin City Unlimited

Southern Exposure