Longtime Twin Cities radio personality George Chapple, known affectionately by his friends and fans as Dark Star, was found dead at his Minnetonka home earlier today. He was 66 years old.

Dark Star worked at WCCO-AM for a quarter of a century, echoing the plainspoken, honest voices of the passionate Minnesota sports fans who became his devoted longtime listeners.

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The music of Leslie Feist is expansive. For a woman whose unique alt-pop vocals exploded into the music world with 2007's The Reminder (and, consequently, the worldwide domination of her hit single "1234"), Feist holds no allegiance to a concrete formula of songwriting. After a four-year hiatus, Feist came back with Metals (October 2011)--a brooding album that eludes the fairy-light pop sounds found on her previous work and which lyrically lends itself to more open interpretation.

Not that the Canadian born-and-raised songstress has lost her sense of humor. Between a cameo on The Muppets and collaborating with Mastodon for a truly unique Record Store Day release titled Feistodon, it's safe to say that the last thing to be expected from Feist is dourness. In an interview with Gimme Noise, the singer's smile could be heard in all her responses, as she talked about everything from wanting to work with Wayne Coyne to battling Bon Iver in a last-minute softball game.
 
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Photo By Brigitte Henry

Insightful Canadian singer/songwriter Patrick Watson rolls into the Cedar Cultural Center Saturday night on the strength of his excellent new record, Adventures In Your Own Backyard, an album filled with a studied blend of subtle instrumentation and profound lyrics. Watson has long since captured the attention of music fans with his Polaris Award-winning Close To Paradise, and his riveting new songs only build on that promise.

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Photo By Tony Nelson

On the surface, Marc Maron and Craig Finn literally seem like world's apart. But in the most recent episode of Maron's immensely popular podcast WTF, the two get a chance to explore some familiar personal terrain together.

For those who are unfamiliar with the podcast, Maron tends to facilitates his interviews in a more colloquial manner, and what unravels feels more like a therapy session than a talk-show. And the interviews are typically nothing short of revelatory and engaging.

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Photo By Carrie Reiser

By Nicole Crosbie

Former Poison frontman Bret Michaels has kicked off his solo summer tour, and will perform at the Medina Entertainment Center this Saturday. See what Michaels has to say about reality television, his health, his new album, and reuniting with Poison in his interview with Gimme Noise.

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Brother Ali and Blank Tape BelovedMore >>

Youa Vang

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Flyer By Benjamin Nylen

Saturday is the end of New Labor. While their farewell show marks a bittersweet moment for the band, who formed in 2008 and have self-released two 7" records. The DIY band not only did their own records, but booked their own shows and designed and printed posters, t-shirts, and artwork all with a notable style befitting of their music: a touch of sci-fi, some proletarian designs, and just enough absurdity to skew the tone beyond genre and expectation.

As the spastic punk band preps for their Hell's Kitchen sunset, Gimme Noise reached out to frontman Andy Bauer to inquire about their breakup, their future plans, and what Minneapolitans should be saying as New Labor exits the stage.

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Photo by Nikki Miller

Toby Keith at 2011's MN State Fair

"Load up the RV, mama - we're goin' to WE Fest."

You wish. Working stiffs like us don't get Fridays off, and we ain't got no RV. Maybe you ain't even got no mama. Poor you. But for those with mamas, vacation time, and an RV (or the dogged tenacity to sleep in a hot, muddy tent next to the portable johns), the end of spring means it will soon be country music festival season.It all kicks off on June 8 with Winsted's Winstock Music Festival.

Here's your mini-guide to summer country music festivals, should you find yourself a mama. Just be a good daddy, and pack her some extra toilet paper for that potty.

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