Twin Cities
Articles, blog posts, and videos relating to Twin Cities artists, figures, or events.
- Minnesota Travel Photos ()
Photos taken January 11, 2022 from the descent to Minneapolis. Photos taken January 12 at the Woodlands Trails Regional Park in Elk River, Minnesota. Photos taken January 13 at the Minneapolis Institute of Art and January 14 at the 5-8 Club in Champlin, Minnesota (of a Roadhouse Juicy Lucy).
- Minneapolis Institute of Art (Minneapolis, MN) ()
Photos taken December 28, 2013 at the Minneapolis Institute of Art in Minneapolis, MN.
- A Big Sky State of Mind ()
“Imaginary flirtations with the second amazing waitress of the day float through my mind as we drive home for the night, a bleak country-sized horizon lit up by the high-beams. I feel lucky.” Today a friend told me that it seemed like I “had just totally thrown [my] hands in the air” when we met […]
- Dear Struggling Rapper, Here Are 5 Easy Steps To Success ()
“I don’t think there’s any magic key to promotion — you send emails, you manage your web presence, you cultivate your email list or Facebook page or whatever, you hand out flyers, you do the same stuff people have been doing for years now; the real key happens before all of that,” explained Minneapolis-based MC […]
- Atmosphere at Marathon Music Works (Nashville, TN) ()
“If you’re gonna rap all of my words back at me, what the fuck do you need me for?” Denying that Slug is an elite MC seems a silly proposition. His ability to make an audience feel appreciated appears effortless. (During last night’s show he inserted various calculated local references throughout without appearing to pander.) […]
- Minnesota Photo Dump (2012) ()
Photos taken around Minneapolis, MN in the spring and summer of 2012.
- T.Q.D. “Desert Sky (Remix)” (Influenza) ()
Following the release of Status Reign’s Brutally Honest LP (which includes such standouts as “Dedicated” and “The Chorus“) comes a new release from another member of Minneapolis’ Background Noise Crew, T.Q.D.Serving as an aptly titled lead-up to more new material which should drop later this year, The Appetizer 3 is an “odds-and-ends collection” which does […]
- Wugazi Interview ()
It has been less than three weeks since Wugazi first reared its head on the Internet, the Fugazi/Wu-Tang Clan mashup project debuting in the form of the “I’m So Tired”/”C.R.E.A.M.” bootleg “Sleep Rules Everything Around Me” (which has since seen 135k Soundcloud plays). Though its creators were initially silent, the project was eventually pinned to Twin Cities artists Cecil Otter (Doomtree) and Swiss Andy (the Millionth Word, […]
- Five Albums You Should Be Listening To Right Now ()
Doomtree, Affiliyated A remix EP that is anything but routine, Affiliyated finds various members of Minneapolis’ Doomtree crew reworking bits from Gayngs’ 2010 debut album Relayted. The resulting mixes are entirely fresh, each sounding nothing like the source tracks they came from. No Surrender, Medicine Babies An album bursting with New York City afro-punk, Medicine […]
- I.B.E. feat. MaLLy & K.Raydio “The Pad” ()
That Tape by I.B.E Releasing a condensed mixtape utilizing a selection of J Dilla beats last year, simply titled I-Dill Picture, young Minneapolis MC I.B.E. (Intelligent Black Enterprise) is on the verge of dropping yet another release in the form of an introductory mixtape by the name of That Tape. An introduction to what? An […]
- Status Reign “The Chorus” ()
Brutally Honest by Status Reign Having been slowly releasing new material since early last year—February’s “Dedicated” and last summer’s “Tonight” being just two examples—Minneapolis MC and Background Noise Crew member Status Reign has now released his full-length debut album Brutally Honest. While the record retains certain likenesses to similarly focused artists from the Twin Cities […]
- Chaz Kangas feat. Mac Lethal “Scrambled Eggs” ()
A Personal Reference by Chaz Kangas While being far from confrontational, the tone of New York MC Chaz Kangas’ new album A Personal Reference has the potential to be very divisive. He’s funny without being snarky and remains true to his voice and interests without satirizing, but in sounding musically similar to Atom and His […]
- Guante “The Hero” (Influenza) ()
Conscious is Not Enough 2011 by Guante CB’s Influenza series looks to help dissect the influences that breathe life into music, and in the case of the latest release from Twin Cities-based MC Guante, he not only wears his influences on his sleeve, but has firmly affixed them to a flag which he proudly waves […]
- Josh Grier (of Tapes ‘n Tapes) Interview ()
Nearly three years after releasing the band’s last album, 2008′s Walk it Off (XL Recordings), Tapes ‘n Tapes have returned with Outside. Dropping the 12 track album on their own Ibid Records imprint, Outside retains a distinctive Tapes ‘n Tapes flavor while also exhibiting a bit of musical maturity along the way. Speaking to lead […]
- Love in October “Love in October II” EP ()
The last real musical memory of Love in October that comes to mind was a coffee shop number they put to video for CB in 2008; just harmless, fun, acoustic rock. Shortly after that, brothers Erik and Kent Widman announced that they would be shifting the band’s base of operations, swapping the icy tundra of […]
- Culture Bully’s Best of 2010 Guest Posts ()
To close the year out, Culture Bully solicited contributions from artists sharing their year-end lists, reflecting on their favorite things of 2010. Clubfeet A blend of South African and Austrailian musicians, Clubfeet released their debut album, Gold on Gold, this past summer. Comparing the trio to such acts as Hot Chip and the Junior Boys, […]
- Minnesota and Iowa (2010) ()
Photos taken throughout Minnesota and Iowa in the fall of 2010.
- MaLLy “Heir Time” (Influenza) ()
“I am sick and tired of doing shows at these grimey no show bars!” While still a young name on the scene, Mally has been rapping since 2002 and released his first album, The Letter, in 2007. The 26-track collection drew a bit of nation-wide praise for the Twin-Cities-based MC, but none higher than that […]
- Dark Dark Dark “Wild Go” (Influenza) ()
Having released the band’s full-length debut, The Snow Magic, in 2008, Minneapolis’ Dark Dark Dark quickly built a reputation for standing outside any single genre, or single city, actually, as the group roamed between the Twin Cities, New York, and New Orleans. In his review of the album The Line of Best Fit‘s Adam Nelson […]
- Prince “20Ten” Review ()
What followed the unexpected announcement of Prince’s new album in June was something that had to surprise even his most die-hard fans. (Then again, it is pretty much par for the course in terms of Prince’s career… the last decade even more so.) With less than a month’s notice, it was not only announced that […]
- Culture Bully’s Best of the Decade Guest Posts ()
To close out the decade, Culture Bully solicited contributions from artists sharing their favorite albums of the 2000s. 14KT: Favorite Albums of the Decade Gnarls Barkley St. Elsewhere2. Kanye West The College Dropout3. Slum Village Fantastic Vol. 24. Erykah Badu Mama’s Gun5. Radiohead In Rainbows / Jill Scott Words & Sounds Vol. 1 (tie) [Reigning from […]
- Best Concerts of 2009 ()
#1) Mayhem @ Station 4By the time of the St. Paul date, Cephalic Carnage, Cattle Decapitation and Withered had all pulled out of the tour due to backstage (thought to be financial) issues, and a delay in the visa process had prevented Marduk from performing at any of the Blackened Fest dates. Mayhem & Station […]
- Guante and Big Cats! live at Bedlam Theatre (Minneapolis, MN) ()
Video of Guante and Big Cats!‘s December 13, 2009 show at the Bedlam Theatre in Minneapolis, MN features performances of “Stockholm Syndrome” (featuring Big Quarters & Truthbetold) and “Yes, God is a DJ; No, Not a Good One” (featuring Eric Blair of No Bird Sing and Truthbetold). [This post was first published by Culture Bully.]
- Best Twin Cities Albums of 2009 ()
#1) P.O.S Never BetterInnovative, challenging, and oh-so-fresh. Not only a prime candidate for TC album of the year, but a definite contender for hip hop album of the year. Period. #2) Red Pens ReasonsThe best rock duo to arise from the Twin Cities since Gay Witch Abortion, Red Pens’ songs offer a combination of ample […]
- Estate Interview ()
Recently landing a pair of spots on national television, Minneapolis’ Estate is continuing to expand its audience outside of the Midwest. Recently speaking to [City Pages] about the new found exposure, the duo of Dan Kramer also Josh Johnson also spoke candidly about their unique approach to performing live and their affinity for creating remixes. […]
- Avenpitch Interview ()
This weekend the TC electropunk scene is celebrating the release of its fifth compilation with a show at Club Underground. In preparation for the event I had a few words with Todd Millenacker of Avenpitch, the band which will be headlining the show. In addition to giving away free copies of the new album to […]
- Felt release new track: “Felt Chewed Up” ()
While much has been said about the upcoming collaboration between Slug, Murs, and Aesop Rock, the trio has left a lot to the imagination in terms of what the album will actually sound like, having only given a taste of what may be to come through a series of promotional videos. That is until yesterday when Felt dropped […]
- Felt 3: more behind the scenes footage ()
As the countdown nears for the release of Felt 3: A Tribute To Rosie Perez, Slug, Murs and Aesop Rock have released another video documenting some of the production that went into the making of the record. Though it offers little to any evidence of how Felt 3 will actually sound, it showcases some of DJ Big Wiz’ scratching–which […]
- Mayda goes acoustic on new EP ()
Following the release of The Interrogation this past March, Mayda is returning with a digital-only EP showcasing a different side of the local pop songstress. The acoustic songs on Eyes On the Water extend back to when Mayda was five and first picked up a guitar; music that comes as a stark contrast to the blazing pop songs that landed […]
- Cloud Cult to offer expanded re-issues next month ()
While Cloud Cult has long since played its last show of the year, the band will be giving its fans some new material before the decade ends. Sort of. Craig Minowa and crew will be re-releasing 2003’s They Live on the Sun and 2004’s Aurora Borealis as an expanded, remastered double-disc album next month. Long since out of print, the […]