Pick Six is a half-dozen cool things in music, from two points of view.
Melissa Gerads Jones of Minneapolis:
1 The Suburbs, 7th Street Entry. At the first show at First Avenue since COVID, First Ave icon Conrad Sverkerson welcomed the crowd back, and then the feel-good soul of Radiochurch was the perfect opener for hometown heroes the Suburbs. It did indeed feel very, very good.
2 Brain Health Rock Stars on YouTube. One's a neuroscience rock star, the other a rock star who's into science. Dr. Rudy Tanzi, who's also a keyboardist, talks with his studio mate, Joe Perry of Aerosmith, about the intersection of science and music and much more in an inspiring interview.
3 "In the Heights." Based on the musical by "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, this film was the perfect choice for my first time back in a movie theater. It was funny and sweet, with great music and dancing. My teenage kids even loved it!
Jon Bream, Star Tribune critic:
1 The Beautiful Collection, Paisley Park. About 300 pairs of Prince's shoes are cleverly displayed in a transparent piano and a massive cabinet that resembles a stack of guitar amplifiers. It's a magnificent kaleidoscope of color, creativity and overkill, befitting the Purple One. This is easily the best thing the museum has done (other than letting visitors play Ping-Pong), but people need more than 15-20 minutes with these royal soles and a video interview with his shoemakers.
2 89.3 The Current's A to Z Weekend. Over the July 4th weekend, our public radio station demonstrated the depth and diversity of its library, providing a must-listen soundtrack on trips to a cabin and a concert. I loved the song titles beginning with the letter P, especially those starting with "People." Wish the station's playlist was this exciting consistently.
