Sounds of self-quarantine: Minnesota musicians share how they're doing and a songMay 7, 2020 2:30 p.m.By Cathy Wurzer and MPR News StaffThroughout this pandemic, MPR News has been asking Minnesota musicians to send us a song and an update on how they’re doing. Take a scroll and listen to some of the artists we’ve heard from so far.
5min 03secSinger-Songwriter Caitlyn Smith reflects on her sophomore releaseMarch 13, 2020 1:30 p.m.By Cathy WurzerCaitlyn Smith — a native of Cannon Falls, Minn. — is out with her second album, Supernova, today.
1min 30secBrandi Carlile performs three nights in a row in MinneapolisFebruary 12, 2020 6:00 a.m.By Cathy Wurzer and MPR News StaffThe back-to-back-to-back shows will mark the grand opening of a new theater space in downtown Minneapolis.
1min 50secNPR Music's annual Tiny Desk Contest is now openFebruary 11, 2020 5:16 p.m.By Cathy WurzerEvery year, NPR Music invites unsigned artists from all over the country to apply to its Tiny Desk Contest. Thousands submit videos, and the team at NPR picks just one winner.
1min 22secPoliça back in action, releasing new album after singer’s accidentJanuary 29, 2020 3:07 p.m.By Cathy Wurzer and MPR News StaffPoliça’s new album, “When We Stay Alive,” comes out on Friday. It’s the band’s first since singer Channy Leaneagh fell last winter while trying to clear ice dams from the roof of her home in Minneapolis.
1min 48sec"We Are the World" recorded 35 years ago this weekJanuary 28, 2020 2:45 p.m.By Cathy Wurzer“We Are The World” was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie, and it was designed to raise money and awareness around a famine in Ethiopia. The song became an immediate hit. It won a Grammy and raised more than $63 million in humanitarian aid for Africa and the United States.
1min 21sec35 years since Foreigner was No. 1 with ‘I Want to Know What Love Is’January 27, 2020 6:00 p.m.By Cathy WurzerGuitarist Mick Jones later told Songfacts that he wrote the song about the search for love that could last, after going through a series of relationships that eventually ended.
1min 20secDavid Bowie announced his Sound and Vision tour 30 years ago this weekJanuary 24, 2020 2:47 p.m.By Cathy WurzerIt was a bit of a gimmick. He wanted to force himself to write new songs, so he said he'd use the tour to officially retire his old hits. He promised to never play them again on stage.
2min 19secRemembering when ‘American Pie’ topped the album chartJanuary 22, 2020 4:48 p.m.By Cathy WurzerThe title track to that record was an unusual hit.
1min 19secYour Smith plays the Fine Line on Tuesday nightJanuary 21, 2020 5:17 p.m.By Cathy WurzerSmith grew up in Detroit Lakes, and played in the Twin Cities music scene for years. Local fans were upset when she decided to relocate to L.A. several years ago, but Smith has said it was one of the best moves she’s ever made for her career.