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Twin Cities music fans are howling over comments made overseas by one of their own.

19 year old Jordan Gatesmith of the Minneapolis band "Howler" was interviewed by the  

, and thanks to the internet, within a day or two his complaints about the Minnesota music scene made their way home.

Howler band members, from left, Brent Mayes, Jordan Gatesmith, France Camp, Ian Nygaard and Max Petrek

So what was Gatesmith's big complaint? Mainly, that Twin Cities "tastemakers" are picking the wrong talent to support (in some cases, over and over again), while more compelling acts are left to fend for themselves. Here's a quote:

Well, "Howler" certainly not the only band that's found fame elsewhere first; the band Tapes 'n' Tapes was popular outside of the state for several years before Minnesotans embraced it as a local success story.

, Gatesmith's comments have sparked a conversation about the state of music in the Twin Cities, with some commenters stepping up to support Gatesmith's claims.

Still others took issue with the fact that the 19 year old musician actually cited 4onthefloor, rather than keeping his criticism more general.

While Gatesmith's comments were to a UK reporter, he's made similar remarks here at home. Just a few weeks ago, my colleague 

. During the interview Gatesmith joked about Minneapolis being "the city where dreams go to die."

Arts and Culture

State of the Arts Blog

Marianne Combs

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Twin Cities music fans are howling over comments made overseas by one of their own.


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