MPR People


Mark Wheat

Mark Wheat

Host, The Current
Minnesota Public Radio
mwheat@mpr.org

Mark Wheat is heard weekdays 6-10 p.m. on The Current and a DJ with the station since it launched in 2005. He tries to emulate his hero, the late, great BBC DJ John Peel, introducing new music to the audience by mixing it with songs they know and love. Wheat was raised near Cambridge, England, permanently relocating to the United States in 1983. In 1991, he created "Local Sound Department" on KFAI, which was awarded "Best Local Radio Show" by the Minnesota Music Academy in 1996-1998. He spent 18 months at Zone 105, hosting an overnight shift, and "Across The Pond," a weekly specialty show playing music from all over the world. In 1998 he was hired as director of student programming at the University of Minnesota's Radio K and created a weekly magazine show, "The Music Lovers Club." He won the City Pages' "Best AM Radio Personality" in 2004; and "Best FM Radio Personality" in 2009. Between 1999 and 2003, he was a resident DJ at First Avenue and The Lounge for which he was awarded the honor of "Best Club DJ" in 2000-2001 by the Minnesota Music Academy.

Mark Wheat Feature Archive

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Lissie

Lissie performs live in The Current studios

Illinois-born Lissie offers some of the best Americana music to come out of the Midwest in recent decades. Now living in California, the musician -- Lissie Maurus by birth -- examines life in small-town America and growing up in a rural area. (11/13/2009)
Har Mar Superstar

Har Mar Superstar performs in The Current studios

Owatonna, Minn. isn't nationally recognized for a lot of things, but it can be proud of its most famous native son - Sean Tillman, a.k.a. Har Mar Superstar. After stints in the noise band Calvin Krime and his own Sean Na Na project, Har Mar's exploration of R&B and raw sexuality has found him international fame. (11/05/2009)
Kyp Malone of Rain Machine

Rain Machine performs live in The Current studios

Kyp Malone is a famously prolific musician, and for good reason. In addition to his side project, Iran, and his main band, TV on the Radio, the singer-guitarist has been making solo music since 2000. His current incarnation, Rain Machine, released its self-titled debut this summer on Anti-Records. (10/16/2009)

Moby performs live in The Current studios

Beginning his career in music in the early '80s in a punk band, Moby eventually moved into electronic music in the early '90s and achieved wide-spread success in 1999 with the release of "Play," an album that eventually sold over ten million albums and won many awards. (10/02/2009)

Arctic Monkeys perform live in The Current studios

The Arctic Monkeys won the Mercury Prize in 2006 for their album, "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" and have continued to rise in popularity ever since. (09/25/2009)

BLK JKS perform live in The Current studios

Johannesburg, South Africa's BLK JKS (pronounced Black Jacks) began five years ago as a group of friends jamming. Influenced by jazz and rock, they also pull from Zulu, Xhosa, and other traditional South African cultures. (09/24/2009)

Brandi Carlile performs in The Current studio

Brandi Carlile made her stage debut at the age of performing Rosanne Cash's "Tennessee Flat-Top Box" at the Northwest's version of the Grand Ole Opry. (09/24/2009)

Zee Avi performs live in The Current studios

Zee Avi's music career began after she posted a video of her first song on YouTube for a friend, who had missed her first performance in Kuala Lumpur. After recognizing her online popularity, Brushfire Records signed Zee in 2008. (08/12/2009)

Cage The Elephant performs live in The Current studios

From Bowling Green, Kentucky and by way of the rough neighborhood of Leyton, England, Cage The Elephant have emerged onto the musical horizon with their grunge-tinged Southern punk. (08/10/2009)

Noisettes perform live in The Current studios

A bluesy diva teams up with raucous, garage rock ruffians to form The Noisettes. (08/03/2009)

White Rabbits perform in The Current studio

Since finding their beginnings in Columbia, Missouri, the White Rabbits now call Brooklyn home and have exploded musically with their quirky sextet setup and power-pop hooks. (06/29/2009)

Amazing Baby performs in The Current studios

Influenced by musical friends MGMT, Amazing Baby released its debut EP as a free Internet download in July, 2008. Their latest offering, "Rewild" was released this year. (06/23/2009)

St. Vincent performs in The Current studios

Annie Clark, better known as St. Vincent, paid her dues as a back-up musician throughout the indie world before emerging as a unique voice in 2007. (06/04/2009)

Jenny Lewis performs live in The Current studios

Jenny Lewis has been charming her audiences with her slight twang and progressive musicianship since beginning her music career with Rilo Kiley as their lead singer in 1998. (06/03/2009)

The Kills perform in The current studios

Since their first demo in 2001, The Kills have explored new territory in four ablums. Their latest, Midnight Boom was released in 2008 and explores their electro-funk side while maintaining their bluesey vocals. (05/12/2009)