Artist The Magnolias

Venerable Twin Cities punks The Magnolias have been around since the days when The Replacements and Hüsker Dü walked the earth, and their Buzzcocksian pop-punk made them locally prominent, even though they never found fame. John Freeman has fronted them since the Mags’ 1984 founding, and he’s currently backed by guitarist Mike Leonard, bassist Kyle Killorin, and drummer Pat McKenna. Nearly a decade of inactivity was broken in 2006 with a visit to SXSW, and since then the Mags have been back at it, clearing out the vaults with 2007’s aptly titled hits-and-rarities compilation Better Late Than Never. 

Updated 01/19/2011