Despite a record setting blizzard this April, when most shops closed and the city of Mankato gave up on plowing, My Friend Stu were determined to play. And the 150 fans who would be catching the band for the first time in 25 years were determined to show up. The group was part of the…Read More
If you don’t “festival,” are you even Minnesotan? It’s a question that has plagued mankind for centuries. Festivals bring all things great: great grub, great music, great people/people watching, great beer, and likely, great memories. So even if you did have one too many soft pretzels or the rain threatened to wash you out of…Read More
On her third album, singer Janelle Monáe delivers an innovatively inspired release that is honest and funky. Album Grade: A Released shortly after the second anniversary of Prince’s death, Janelle Monáe takes up the purple one’s mantle to deliver a daring, tuneful collection of songs that is both commercial and challenging. Lyrically direct, Monáe drops…Read More
College students do not generally shy away from societal norms. Whether it’s food, fashion or their radio, they recognize the acceptable and try to flip it on its head. It only makes sense that college radio stations would reflect a similar attitude as they defy the norms of commercial radio stations and craft content that…Read More
For a period of time in the early 1990’s, the most reliable place in Minnesota to see touring punk bands — some on the brink of arena stardom — wasn’t the Twin Cities, but Mankato. How and why did our 22nd largest city become ground zero for underground music? I sought out some of the…Read More
Judas Priest delivers a spotty, uneven release that generates sparks but fails to truly ignite. Album Grade: C On the verge of their 50th anniversary, venerable British Metallers Judas Priest defiantly attempt to throw off notions of age on their 18th studio release. While their performance is muscular, the songs show a tendency to fall…Read More
People like to talk about the weather, and perhaps this is due to ‘weather’ being the one thing we are all experiencing at the same degree … Fahrenheit. Bad puns aside, I’ll admit that I share in the opinion that this winter, in its entirety, has sucked a metric **** ton. One could simply dwell…Read More
From his early days in Calvin Krime and Sean Na Na, to his solo career as an indie pop/R&B artist and involvement in soft rock inspired musical band Gayngs, Sean Tillman, better known by his stage name, Har Mar Superstar, has carved out nothing short of an amazing career. And wouldn’t you know it –…Read More
The members of Bad Bad Hats may not hail from the mean streets of Minnesota, but make no mistake; the band’s story starts and continues here. Formed at Macalester College in 2012, the group has made this state its home, frequenting the 7th St Entry and sometimes even posting up at First Avenue, in…Read More
When Red Wing resident and frontman for the Double Down Daredevils, Tom Peschges, heard that there was going to be a music festival downtown in February, he was skeptical. “They do know we are in Minnesota, right?” he thought. But now Tom is a believer in Big Turn Music Fest. And who wouldn’t be after…Read More