Downtown Minneapolis was packed Friday July 15th with a swarm of people hanging out and headed to the Twins game. All this commotion didn’t slow down the energy at the 2011 Minnesota Black Music Awards (MBMA) held at the Pantages Theater. After a hiatus and returning last year, MBMA celebrated it’s 31st Anniversary and 20th award ceremony honoring national and local artists who are illustrating the Minneapolis sound. MBMA...

Music is truly life. Finding good music has become something of a passion. Finding these sounds though local bands is something that fills my time and provides for a lot of enjoyment for me and those around me. Big name bands are great fun, but when it comes down to every weekend blasts, it is amazing what local bands can do. A hot cover band that is making its way around the nation is New Wave Nation. This band does a wide range of...

By my very nature I am a heavy metal guy, but I find myself at Epic for Jeezy and the Thug Invasion tour 2011. For those of you not in the Mpls area, it was hotter than Hell today; heat, humidity and a clear sky, the sweat inducing trifecta. Upon walking into the wonderfully air conditioned Epic, the ladies are all decked out; skin tight leopard print, cleavage revealing satin, jewelry covered fingers and hair done up to dye for. I barely...

The first thing I always hear when Against Me! comes up in conversation is how whoever I am talking with “only listens to older albums,” and this isn’t in the “I’m an annoying hipster and am better than you for only listening to older material” kind of way.  Against Me! is one of those bands that has an unbelievably dedicated fan base, and their show with Screaming Females and Lemuria at First Avenue June 21st really...

The Varisty Theater in Minneapolis is definitely up there on my top 5 favorite venues in the Twin Cities. It’s dark, chill atmosphere is not only perfect for higher energy performances, but is absolutely ideal for chill acoustic sets as well. Also, the couches are phenomenally comfortable. On May 24th I was able to see two out of three bands play at The Varisty that covered the full mellow to not so mellow spectrum: Christie DuPree,...

Rusko with Doorly, Woody McBride and Jay “Strangelove” Tappe by: Dave Gerhard   With 3 stops left of the North America tour, Christopher Mercer, aka Rusko found him self preparing for one Minneapolis’s most memorable nights. Tonight Rusko leads the way for another 4/20 evening. Once a year crowds flock together for one night to join in on an evening of liquid highs and herbal camaraderie. Who better to control this...