April 11, 2026

The Current

KCMP (89.3 FM, 89.3 the Current) is a radio station owned by Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) that broadcasts an adult album alternative (AAA) music format including a significant rotation of songs by local artists. Licensed to Northfield, Minnesota, and covering the Minneapolis-St. Paul market, the station’s studios are located at the MPR Broadcast Center on Cedar Street in downtown St. Paul, while its transmitter is located atop the Vermillion Highlands near Coates. The Current is also broadcast on stations in Rochester, Duluth-Superior, Pasadena-Los Angeles, translators around Minnesota, and online.

Atmosphere at the Grandstand, Minnesota State Fair (August 23, 2025)

The Current’s Music On-A-Stick Show at the Grandstand, Minnesota State Fair (August 23, 2025)

Thaddeus-WHM August 25, 2025

The Minnesota State Fair is one the largest in the United States, and as mentioned in the preview, there’s a lot of music there, including nightly events at the Grandstand Stage. Local independent radio station The Current hosted Music on a Stick with a long evening of hip hop music, headlined by local Atmosphere.

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Deep Sea Diver at xBk Live, Des Moines (July 27, 2025)

Matt July 29, 2025

Back in May, I had the pleasure of discovering Deep Sea Diver for myself (think how we view Columbus today vs. how Columbus viewed himself in 1492, you know, after sailing the ocean blue) when they kicked off The Current’s Happy Hour series for 2025 at Nine Mile Brewing Company in Bloomington (review here).

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Deep Sea Diver at the Current Happy Hours (May 29, 2025)

Matt May 31, 2025

The Current kicked off its Happy Hour series for 2025 at Nine Mile Brewing Company in Bloomington. Jill Riley, morning DJ on the Current, played host and laid down some sweet tunes to an appreciative crowd from 4:00 to 6:00. The rain may have scattered folks for a bit, but it cleared in plenty of time for the crowd to reassemble in anticipation of Deep Sea Diver’s performance. How lucky are those of us that live in the Twin Cities that we get to see an artist of the caliber of Jessica Dobson in a small setting like this?

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Transmission 24 at First Avenue (March 22, 2025)

Thaddeus-WHM March 23, 2025

In addition to live music, First Avenue hosts a number of DJ dance parties. King among these is the annual Transmission show hosted by DJ Jake Rudh. Rudh is well known for his weekly show of the same name on The Current radio station, as well as throughout the Twin Cities night club scene.

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Frank Black

The Current’s 20th Anniversary Celebration, feat. Frank Black performing Teenager of the Year

Thaddeus-WHM January 25, 2025

Frank Black Setlist Czar Ten Percenter Whatever Happened to Pong? Thalassocracy (I Want to Live...

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Brigitte Calls Me Baby at Surly Brewing, Minneapolis (13 July 2023)

Brigitte Calls Me Baby at Surly Brewing, Minneapolis (13 July 2023)

britrockatthetop7 July 14, 2023

Brody checked out Chicago’s Brigitte Calls Me Baby at Surly Brewing Co. in Minneapolis, as part of the special Summer of Sound set for The Current: Happy Hour. The free event was hosted by Jill Riley, who provided the soundtrack, and Brigitte Calls Me Baby provided the live set.

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The Black Angels

Cancellations and Postponements

vusleeper January 23, 2022

CNN wrote that concerts cancellations and postponements will be commonplace due to COVID-19 as Adele fights back tears when she announced her Las Vegas residency shows had been postponed.

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