The Suburbs perform in the MPR studios

Beej
Beej with The Suburbs in the MPR studios.
MPR / Nate Ryan

If you were within a mile of the State Capitol on May 14, when Gov. Mark Dayton signed the bill to legalize same-sex marriage in Minnesota, chances are pretty good you heard the song "Love is the Law" carried on the wind. The song got its start 29 years ago on an album of the same name, when it was a hit for a Minneapolis band called The Suburbs. It got a reboot as the de facto theme in the run-up to passage of the same-sex marriage bill.

Singer/keyboardist Chan Poling has been a mainstay in the local music scene, most recently as part of The New Standards, but the members of his original band had gone their separate ways. What brought the band back together was the death in 2009 of founding guitarist Bruce Allen. The band played a tribute show for Allen in 2010, which turned into some other one-off gigs and talk of new music.

Thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign, the band is back with its first album in 27 years, "Si Sauvage." The band stopped by the Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser studio to chat about what its members have been up to all these years and play some tunes.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SUBURBS:

The Suburbs announce first new album in 27 years, Si Sauvage
Through it all, the Suburbs have continued to return to their old stomping grounds, reuniting to play at least a show or two every year and gaining new and younger fans along the way. Between the big "Love is the Law" show in downtown St. Paul last month, their sold-out show at the Cabooze a few weeks later and their gig at the State Fair Grandstand on August 30, it's gearing up to be an all-out Suburbs revival in the Twin Cities this summer. (Andrea Swensson, The Current)

The Suburbs: Tribute to Bruce Allen ("Minnesota Original," tpt)