A half-dozen cool things in music, from two points of view:
Mumford & Sons on the Current (89.3 FM). Mary Lucia's "Theft of the Dial" interview showed that the band members were not only charming (talking about being music fans themselves and awkwardly meeting Bob Dylan for the first time) but also hilarious as they handled an impromptu scheduled Emergency Alert System test with grace. Live radio at its best!
Iron & Wine, First Avenue. Hearing Sam Beam backed by a 12-piece band was incredible — and made me wish I'd stuck with French horn in high school. However, it was when he took a mid-show solo break that I remembered why I fell in love with Iron & Wine in the first place.
A local musician joins the Envy Corps, opening for Imagine Dragons. There's just something about a Minnesota connection that melts my heart. Ross Vander Werf of Usonia joined his ex-mates, Des Moines' Envy Corps, at Roy Wilkins Auditorium on bass.
JORA BART, Xcel Energy Center publicist, St. Paul
To contribute: E-mail us at popmusic@startribune.com.
North Mississippi Allstars, Cabooze. The Dickinson brothers and their two buddies raised a raw blues ruckus for more than two hours. Highlight: Luther Dickinson's solo electric reading of "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again."
Kiss' Gene Simmons sings "The Star Spangled Banner" at the Vikings-Steelers game. He sounded better than expected. And at the end, he threw devil's horns in the air. In London, no less.
