Category Archive: The Current Presents

Sunday Night: The Current Presents "Words and Music"

Posted at 12:36 PM on May 3, 2012 by Jacquie Fuller (0 Comments)
Filed under: The Current Presents

Ever wonder what kind of tunes some of your favorite writers listen to? I wondered the same thing, and knew I couldn't possibly be the only writer who relied on music for inspiration. I decided to create an occasional show to delve into this very question. The first iteration of "Words and Music" featured Steve Almond, Charles Baxter, Dessa, Joe Pernice, and Jennifer Egan, with music from Joe Henry, The Rolling Stones, Iggy Pop, Let's Go Sailing, and others.

This time on "Words and Music," I chat with Dylan Hicks, Ethan Rutherford & Jake Mohan of local band Pennyroyal, and poet Rebecca Lindenberg. We'll hear tracks from Smokey Robinson, Smog, Tortoise, Magnetic Fields, and more.

Dylan Hicks is a songwriter, musician, and writer. His work has appeared in the Village Voice, New York Times, StarTribune, City Pages, and Rain Taxi, and has released three albums under his own name. A fourth, Sings Bolling Greene, is a companion album to his first novel, Boarded Windows, released this month from Coffee House Press. (The book launch for Boarded Windows is next Thursday, May 10, at The Loft Literary Center.) Dylan lives in Minneapolis with his wife, Nina Hale, and his son, Jackson.

Ethan Rutherford is a fiction writer who lives with his wife and son in Minneapolis, and teaches writing and literature at Macalester College. His short story, "Peripatetic Coffin," was included in the 2009 Best American Short Stories collection. He holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Minnesota, and is also the guitarist for the band Pennyroyal.

Jake Mohan is a writer living in Minneapolis, and drummer for Pennyroyal and other bands. He's written about music and other subjects for City Pages, StarTribune, Utne Reader, and Reveille. He holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Minnesota, and is an instructor in New Music Journalism at McNally Smith College of Music.

You can catch Pennyroyal live, tomorrow night at Cause Spirits & Soundbar. It's a release party for their latest EP, Places.

Rebecca Lindenberg's poems appear in the Believer, POETRY, Colorado Review, Denver Quarterly, and elsewhere. She's the recipient of a literature grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and residencies from the MacDowell Colony and the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center, and she holds a PhD in Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Utah. She lives in northern Utah. Her first collection of poetry, Love: An Index was just released in March from McSweeney's Poetry Series. The poems in Love: An Index tell the story of Lindenberg's relationship with poet Craig Arnold.

Craig Arnold was a poet and professor at the University of Wyoming. He was the recipient of several awards and fellowships, including The Amy Lowell Poetry Traveling Fellowship, a Fulbright Fellowship, and an NEA fellowship, among others. His first book of poems, Shells, was selected by W. S. Merwin for the Yale Series of Younger Poets prize. His second book, Made Flesh, received a 2008 Utah Book Award. In April of 2009, Arnold went missing on the small volcanic island of Kuchinoerabujima, Japan. He went for a solo hike to explore an active volcano on the island and never returned to the inn where he was staying. A search team tracked Arnold's trail to the edge of a high cliff, and he was presumed to have died from a fatal fall.

I pulled some of these writers' favorite songs together for a special Current Presents called "Words and Music," and it'll feature some snippets from conversations with them, as well.

It airs this Sunday night at 9PM. Hope you can tune in!

Jacquie Fuller, Host

L-R: Dylan Hicks (photo by Sean Smuda), Ethan Rutherford (photo courtesy Pennyroyal), Jake Mohan (photo courtesy Pennyroyal), Rebecca Lindenberg (photo courtesy McSweeney's), Craig Arnold.

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Current Presents: Top Score - an hour of video game music

Posted at 10:58 AM on March 16, 2012 by The Current
Filed under: The Current Presents

It's tough to choose only one hour of video game music to share, but I did pick some pretty great stuff, IMO.

Back in the day, video game composers had a maximum of three notes that could play simultaneously, but those days are long gone. Anything is game — quite literally.

It seems most people are familiar with the sound of 8- and 16-bit era game music, but few know how far music has gone for gaming. Many games record with full symphonic orchestras in famous studios like Skywalker Sound and Abbey Road. Others simply use a bunch of licensed music; electronic, acoustic, singer/songwriter... you name it.

So I picked out some favs from the old days (especially Metroid, which just plain rules), and some great stuff that's happening these days (like Portal or Bastion).

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Oh, and if you dig the tunes, check out Top Score from Classical MPR — a podcast full of music and interviews of game composers. Find it on iTunes or at www.ClassicalMPR.org/TopScore.

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Current Presents: Music from the Kitchen

Posted at 12:32 PM on March 8, 2012 by The Current
Filed under: The Current Presents

Tim Boyle/Getty Images

This week on The Current Presents Jennifer Larson talks with some of Minnesota's most respected chefs about the music that have influenced their kitchens. You'll hear from Chef Doug Flicker, recently announced as a semi finalist for the James Beard Award for Best Chef Midwest, Chef Steven Brown, another contender for Best Chef Midwest, and the celebrated Chef Jamie Malone of Sea Change.

The Current Presents can be heard Sunday nights at 9 p.m. Check out an archive of previous episodes here.

Oh Canada!

Posted at 5:43 AM on March 6, 2012 by Alex Wright
Filed under: The Current Presents

Hey there, my name is Alex Wright and I'm an intern here at 89.3 the Current. Join me for the Current presents on March 4th, 2012. The show is called Oh Canada! and you can expect to hear music from artists like the New Pornographers, Stars, Hot Hot Heat and many more Canadian artists. Also to shed light on his first-hand experience in the Canadian music industry I spoke with Vancouver musician Dan Mangan about the community, touring, and the Canadian roots we share. It's here on 89.3 the Current.

Current Presents: World Of Sound

Posted at 9:48 AM on February 13, 2012 by The Current
Filed under: The Current Presents

Dengue Fever

This week on the Current Presents, cultures and genres collide once again in Volume 3 of World of Sound. Tony Lopez is the guest host for this week's episode. Borders between nations may be tightening up but music doesn't follow the rules of geopolitics. In fact, it's quite the opposite. From Puerto Rican garage rock to Saharan blues; from Cambodian psychedelia to Nigerian fuzz-funk — music transcends and shatters borders. On this edition it's Bjork versus Omar Souleyman, Howe Gelb goes all flamenco, and Sly and Robbie hook up with Amp Fiddler. We'll make pit stops for new music in the DRC, San Juan, Brooklyn, and more. Along the way we'll dip into the vault for some vintage Ethiopians, the guitar virtuoso Gary Lucas and... The Cure? Yes, The Cure. Think of World of Sound as a music travelogue, no passport required.

The Current Presents airs at 9 p.m. on Sunday nights.

Playlist

Current Presents: Making Music

Posted at 12:24 PM on February 8, 2012 by The Current
Filed under: The Current Presents

This week's Current Presents is a special one with major ties to the local music community. Mark Wheat is joined by James Everest who hosts the long-running Making Music series at the Whole Music Club of Coffman Union on the University of Minnesota campus, and they'll be talking about favorite moments of the show and teasers of the upcoming season.

The music and conversation series is also celebrating its 15th anniversary, and the creators are bringing some new tricks to its format including past participants dropping by or phoning in to join the conversation with their own questions for the artists being profiled. This idea is especially exciting considering the roster of musicians who have been featured on Making Music in previous years including Andrew Bird, Dessa, Slug, Jeremy Messersmith, and David Longsreth of Dirty Projectors.

Some details have emerged on the line-up in the next few months including Alpha Consumer on February 16 (which includes members of Bon Iver, The Pines, and The Cloak Ox), Peter Pisano of Peter Wolf Crier on March 1, and Dylan Hicks (of Halloween, Alaska) on April 26.

You can find more information on the Making Music website and, to reiterate the community impact of these events, all shows are conveniently free to the public.

Listen to this week's Current Presents Sunday night at 9 p.m. to hear more about the Making Music series featuring James Everest and hosted by Mark Wheat.

Current Presents: LatinoAltROCK

Posted at 1:13 PM on February 3, 2012 by The Current (6 Comments)
Filed under: The Current Presents

This week on The Current Presents the Latino Alternative crew - Raul Escobar, Nicole DeRung and Pablo Miranda - returns with LatinoAltROCK.

The hosts will feature brand new music from artists like Ritmo Machine and Ana Tijoux, as well as an interview with Ximena Sariñana. We'll also play a song to celebrate The Current's 7th birthday (Mexican style), and a song in honor of Super Bowl Sunday. This Sunday join Raul, Nicole and Pablo and their return to The Current Presents with LatinoAltROCK for a show full of real international music from Brazil, Chile and Uruguay to name a few.

You can visit The Current Presents page to hear a previous LatinoAltROCK segment.

Playlist

You can also check out the show's promo on Soundcloud.

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The Current Presents - Born Here Chicano Rock

Posted at 3:10 PM on September 26, 2010 by The Current
Filed under: The Current Presents

Jacquie Fuller

This week on The Current Presents, Teenage Kicks host Jacquie Fuller chats with Miguel Vargas, musichead and host of KFAI's Radio Pocho. From Richie Valens to Los Lobos and beyond, we'll listen to some really cool tunes, get a mini-history lesson from Miguel, and explore the Mexican-American experience through the lens of popular music.

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The Current Presents - The life and times of Mickey Murray

Posted at 8:35 PM on January 13, 2012 by Bill DeVille (1 Comments)
Filed under: The Current Presents

Mickey Murray was a soul singer from the music hotbed of Augusta, Georgia, the same neck of the woods that brought us James Brown, Otis Redding, Sharon Jones and Little Richard. Murray is perhaps best know for his million selling single, "Shout Bamalama," which was first recorded by Otis Redding.

Join us Sunday night at 9 for The Current Presents. I had a little chat with Mickey Murray. He still lives in Augusta & drove to Athens, Georgia to record our session at WUGA Radio. His story is way too familiar. He made hit records, and wasn't paid. The music business wasn't very good to him, but he isn't bitter.

The local label, Secret Stash Records, is about to release his long out of print album People Are Together album. Murray will be in the Twin Cities to perform next Saturday, January 21st at the Cedar Cultural Center. Jim McGuinn & I & Hipshaker DJs Brian Engel & Greg Waletski will be spinning tunes before the show.

There is also plenty of music on this week's show, including several tracks from his upcoming reissue. It's The Current Presents: Mickey Murray this Sunday at 9.

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The Current Presents Pairings: Beer and Music - Winter Beers - Your Beer Guide

Posted at 1:44 PM on January 5, 2012 by Lindsay Kimball (2 Comments)
Filed under: The Current Presents

This week on the Current Presents, it's another episode of Pairings: Beer and music, where we pair beer with just the right song. My name is Lindsay Kimball, and I'll be your host. This time around we're going to talk about Winter beers! Winter is a time when drinking darker, bigger beers can be a helpful coping mechanism for surviving the dark, cold season. This is your suggested beer list, so you can prepare for Sunday night at 9 when Pairings brings you your beer soundtrack.

Rush River - Chocolate Oatmeal Stout
Bell's - Special Double Cream Stout
Dave's Brew Farm - Matacabras
Sierra Nevada - Celebration Fresh Hop Ale
Dark Horse Brewing - Perkulator Coffee Dopplebock
Central Waters - Bourbon Barrel Stout
Brooklyn Brewery - Monster Ale
Surly - Abrasive
Fulton - Worthy Adversary

Pairings is supported by The Beer Dabbler Winter Carnival and Northern Brewer homebrew supply.

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The Current Presents: The Current Staff Review 2011

Posted at 12:28 PM on December 30, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: The Current Presents

Mark Wheat hosts this week's Current Presents. He writes:

After broadcasting your Top 89 albums of the year twice over the weekend, at 9 p.m. Sunday, January 1 we'll wrap up our review of the year in music. I'll host a chat with DJs 'Super' Mac Wilson, Looch, and Jill, and the music department who helped The Current have a great year of discovering new music: Program Director Jim McGuinn, Lindsay Kimball, our Assistant Program Director, and David Safar, the new Music Director.

A few writers have recently been suggesting that it was a boring year for music. We'll give our opinions on that, remember some of our fave live shows, and look forward to another year. It's like a big old Musicheads edition!

Join us on Sunday, January 1 at 9 p.m. for another edition of The Current Presents, and Happy New Year!

The Current Presents: Blues Highway

Posted at 10:00 AM on December 16, 2011 by Luke Taylor
Filed under: Programs, The Current Presents

Two blues icons originate right here in Minnesota: the Mississippi River and Highway 61, aka the "Blues Highway". This week's episode of The Current Presents is called "Blues Highway", and we're taking an hour-long exploration of the blues.

Joining me is local musician and English professor, Dr Andy Scheiber. Andy will talk about his personal connections to the blues and what the blues means to those who play it and listen to it.

We'll hear music from such artists as Buddy Guy, Robert Johnson, Bob Dylan, Koerner Ray & Glover, Gary Clark Jr and others.

L to R: Buddy Guy, Robert Johnson, Bob Dylan, Koerner Ray & Glover, Gary Clark Jr

We'll also talk to three local musicians who participate in the area's blues scene: guitarists Andy Harwood and Mike O'Malley, and drummer Vic Velour.

In the second half-hour, we'll talk to the Dodge Brothers, a band out of Southampton, England, whose original blues and skiffle tunes are inspired by a toe-tapping concoction of transatlantic influences.

The Dodge Brothers (L to R): Mike Hammond, Mark Kermode, Alex Hammond, Aly Hirji

Tune in to The Current Presents: Blues Highway, this Sunday, Dec. 18, at 9 p.m.

The Current Presents - Pairings: Beer and Music - Sour and Wild Beers

Posted at 9:10 PM on October 30, 2011 by Lindsay Kimball
Filed under: The Current Presents

Beers and their pairings:
Rodenbach Grand Cru - paired with Cherry Blossom Girl by Air
New Belgium La Folie - paired with Sour Times by Portishead
New Belgium Clutch - paired with Electric Worry by Clutch and Butterflies and Hurricanes by Muse.
Surly 5 - paired with Take 5 from the Dave Brubeck Quartet
Avery Eremita - paired with Emma, Get Me A Lemon by The Walkmen
Flat Earth Brewing Extra Medium - paired with A Happy Medium by Malcolm Middleton

Hear the entire show here:

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A couple of notes about the beers: Avery's Eremita is/was available only in the Tap Room at the brewery in Boulder, Colorado. And after brewing Extra Medium, Flat Earth experienced a wild yeast take-over, and it sounds like they aren't planning on brewing Extra Medium again.

And thanks to Northern Brewer home brew supplies for supporting this show!

The Current Presents: Commercial Appeal (Pt. 3 of 3)

Posted at 11:52 AM on October 20, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: The Current Presents

The second half of this Current Presents features three advertisements by Volkswagen and the music that employed for them. They were released as a trifecta in 2000, 2001, and 2002.

Tim Brunelle, formerly of Arnold Worldwide who helped create the "Drivers Wanted" campaign for Volkswagen, lends some insight to how the music was chosen:

Two guys were key in choosing the tunes for these commercials: Lance Jensen and Alan Pafenbach. Lance specifically said, "We're going to use music, so why not use bands we love — bands that could use the money?" And that's how Stereolab, Trio, Velocity Girl, Psychic TV and Nick Drake wound up in those advertisements.

That plethora of considered tracks was what lead us to build RadioVW.com, an Internet radio station that was in operation from 2002-2004. We would play all the tracks that had been in contention or were just cool. We used RadioVW to spawn the subsequent Street Mix Vol. 1 and 2 compilations.

Electric Light Orchestra — "Mr. Blue Sky"

Let's face it: by the 2000s, many people had forgotten about ELO. But when Volkswagen repurposed this song for their 2002 ad featuring multiple frames of a guy going to work with the same daily routine, looking and feeling trapped as the seasons go by. The commercial had three things that many people adored: 1) They don't even show the car. 2) The ad is ironic — ELO is singing about seeing blue skies and a shining sun against the backdrop of a drab corporation. 3) It's an old song that drifted out of consciousness to be exposed again to a younger generation. Slate Magazine gives some great analysis of the commercial here.

Nick Drake — "Pink Moon"

Without a doubt one of the most acclaimed modern commercials, this Volkswagen Cabriolet ad from 2000 exposed millions to the long-forgotten Nick Drake. While some saw it as a disgrace to use such an influential deceased artist's music for such blatant consumerist purposes, it was impossible to deny the artistic value and message portrayed on the screen. Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris before they created Little Miss Sunshine, the commercial won too many awards to count in the following years.

J. Ralph — "One Million Miles Away"

Nobody really knows who J. Ralph is even still, but this song was utilized for the "Big Day" commercial for Volkswagen and sparked a one-hit wonder for the guy. Since then, he has contributed tunes to Nike, Volvo, and Chrysler, but he is mostly known for this gem. The ad alone is a lesson in story-telling and complex production, speeding through over a hundred frames in the span of one minute.

Claude Debussy — "Clair de Lune"

As the last track for tonight's Current Presents, I focus on Debussy's "Clair de Lune" featured prominently in Ocean's 11 and utilized again in this Chanel commercial directed by Baz Lurhmann (Moulin Rouge). The ad cost over $18 million and features Nicole Kidman running around in dramatic fare, fleeing her life as "the world's most famous celebrity."

The Current Presents: Commercial Appeal (Pt. 2 of 3)

Posted at 12:10 PM on October 19, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: The Current Presents

The Concretes — "Say Something New"

While this ad from Target isn't the most popular one they've ever done, and many probably do not remember this track, it is a highly personal advertisement for me to include. This song, a reworking specifically for the company by the Swedish band The Concretes, was the most memorable piece of music I remember from any of the Target campaigns in the early 2000s and was released a year before lead singer Victoria Bergsman contributed vocals to Peter Bjorn and John's "Young Folks" in 2006. Bergsman gave us a triple whammy by starting her own solo project Taken By Trees in 2007.

Cranes — "Astronauts"

Cranes has never been a particularly well known group, formed in 1986 in the UK, however when this critically acclaimed American Express commercial featuring Kate Winslet came out in 2005, a frenzy ensued trying to figure out what the music was. The little known band became part of the indie spotlight as a result, if only for a small amount of time.

Donovan — "Catch the Wind"

This commercial by GE was beloved by many when it was released and subsequently nominated for an Emmy in 2007 for Most Outstanding Commercial. The Donovan track, a shorter version of "Catch the Wind" than many were used to, received mild critical success in the United States when released in 1965, however, perhaps due to the success of this advertisement, The Very Best of Donovan was released the following year.

The Chemical Brothers — "Galvanize"

One of the most popular tracks off of the 2005 album Push the Button, "Galvanize," featuring Q-Tip formerly of A Tribe Called Quest, won the 2006 Grammy for Best Dance Recording and was prominently featured the same month in this Budweiser commercial, cementing the band's reputation. In 2008, NBC started using the track for their Sunday Night Football coverage.

The New Seekers — "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing"

This Coca-Cola commercial from 1971 named "Hilltop" cost an exorbitant amount of money to produce, uniting over a hundred young adults from countries all around the world to sing this track by The New Seekers. It became so popular, that the band re-recorded it and dropped all references to "Coke" and became a break-out folk group in the early 70s.

The Current Presents: Commercial Appeal (Pt. 1 of 3)

Posted at 2:05 PM on October 17, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: The Current Presents

Can television commercials be an artform? We find the adverts pesky as they break up our favorite programs. However, commercials have recently become cool not for the product they advertise, but the music playing in the background. In this Sunday's episode of Current Presents, we'll delve into how some of the decade's biggest songs were booked for companies like American Express, Volkswagen, Apple, and more, transforming the artist's career and the product simultaneously.

Feist - "1 2 3 4"

Originally recorded by Sally Seltmann of New Buffalo, "1 2 3 4" was given as a gift to Feist who later popularized it in this 30-second advertisement for the iPod Nano. The song and album instantly gained success, peaking in the top 10 on many music charts across the world. Largely attributed to the single, Feist then went on to be nominated at the Grammy's for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Short Form Music Video, eventually winning the Canadian Juno award for Single of the Year.

The Kinks — "Picture Book"

This 2004 commercial was a huge success for Hewlett-Packard and their creative agency which was part of a series of adverts for the company. The campaign ended up winning Campaign of the Year in 2005 for Adweek Magazine. "Picture Book" was long considered one of The Kinks most obscure songs off The Village Green Preservation Society until these commercials came out and shot the song to fame.

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss — "Killing the Blues"

Raising Sand had already won the 2009 Grammy Award for Album of the Year when this JC Penny's campaign for their American Living clothing line came out. However, the music went from mostly known in adult alternative circles to mainstream success, especially after a subsequent performance during the Oscars. The commercial depicts images of heartland Americana and was part of a growing artistic trend to create long-form commercials with no words, an unidentifiable product, and emotional music as the soundtrack.

Brigitte Bardot — "Moi Je Joue"

Sofia Coppola directed this commercial for Dior after the release of her film Marie-Antoinette. And while that movie garnered divisive reviews for content, it was unanimously praised for its visuals which Copolla appropriately transitioned into this advertisement. Coppola directed model Maryna Linchuk for the commercial, using music from one of France's most fabulously notorious actresses, and even took a nod from The Red Balloon at the very end.

José González — "Heartbeats"

This Swedish songwriter covered The Knife's "Heartbeats" and made it one of the most popular tracks of 2006. The commercial alone, a two and a half minute epic, involved launching 250,000 colored bouncy balls down one of the seven hills of San Francisco and took four days to film. The music was so popular that it helped Veneer, José's debut album, reach number 7 on the UK albums chart.

Current Presents: The Secret Stash Records Story

Posted at 5:40 PM on October 6, 2011 by Jim McGuinn
Filed under: Local, The Current Presents

Over the past decade the music industry has shrunk from a high of about $14.5 billion in sales in 2000 to $6.9 billion in 2010 - less than half. But one area that has seen growth in the decade has been the boutique re-issue label. One breakthrough was the re-issue of '70s R&B singer Shuggie Otis' Inspiration Information on David Byrne's Luaka Bop label, selling 110,000 copies, or about 5x what it did initially in 1974. Since that tmie Seattle label Light in the Attic has been reissuing records by the likes of Serge Gainsbourg, Karen Daulton, Bettye Davis, and a compilation of Seattle's '60s funk scene called Wheedle's Groove that later turned into a documentary film. Chicago's Numero Group has put out compilations documenting soul and funk scene from cities like Columbus and Cleveland, and their 6-album vinyl boxset of Syl Johnson sold out all 1,000 copies in advance. Clearly, something is going on - as music fans tired of the same old classic rock and soul albums have fallen for the well done re-issues that shine a light on previously unknown gems. African funk, freak folk, krautrock - the labels that have a passion and an ear for these records are finding a growing audience that wants to discover these nearly forgotten artists and sounds.

Locally, Secret Stash Records has been building a catalog of releases since just 2009 and will celebrate their newest album from Ghana's Vis-a-Vis with a club night at Club Jager on October 14. This Sunday (10/9) on The Current Presents we'll hear from the label's Eric Foss and Will Gilbert, and hear Secret Stash releases from Africa, South America, Persia, and Haiti.

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Songlist:

Bossa 70 - Think
K Frimpong - Hwe Hwe Mu Na Yi Wo Mpena
Vis-à-vis - Obi Agye Mi Dofu
Pena - El Mayoral
Eva Ayllon - Ruperta
Black Sugar - Too Late
Los Destellos - Constelacion
Googoosh - Respect
Mehrpouya - Soul Raga
Tabu Combo - Ti Gran Mou'n
Vis-à-vis - Abusuafo

The Current Presents 10/2/11: Latino Alternative, Vol. 3

Posted at 4:59 PM on September 30, 2011 by Brett Baldwin (16 Comments)
Filed under: The Current Presents

This week on The Current Presents, we bring you Latino Alternative, Vol. 3. Raúl Escobar and Pablo Miranda are returning with Nicole DeRung, a new addition to the Latino Alternative super-crew.

Looking back to February of this year, Raúl hosted the first Latino Alternative segment for The Current Presents. - Where has the time gone? - In June, Pablo Miranda, who was promoted from producer to co-host, returned to join Raúl for Latino Alternative, Vol. 2.

This Sunday, Raul, Pablo and Nicole are coming together to dish out the third serving of the hottest Latino Alternative they could get their hands on. They were also able to snatch up an interview with Kansas City, Missouri's up-and-coming band, Making Movies, who will be in town October 12, at Honey.

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DJ Raff/Latino & Proud - Chile
Sour Soul/Feeling - Mexico
B Negão/(Funk) Até O Caroço - Brazil
She's a Tease/Why? - Mexico
Ceci Bastida/Have You Heard? - Mexico
Surprise guest DJ - Local Celebrity
Jorge Santana/Suavecito - Mexico
Señor Flavio/El Regalo - Argentina
Vincentico/Solo un Momento - Argentina
Mariachi el Bronx/48 Roses - Los Angeles, USA
Novalima/Diablo - Peru
Making Movies Interview
Making Movies/La Marcha - Kansas City, USA
Si*Se/More Shine - New York, USA

Check out the show's promo on Soundcloud!

Follow @LatinoAltROCK

Segui @LatinoAltROCK

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The Current Presents: Clocked In

Posted at 2:41 PM on September 23, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: The Current Presents

This week on The Current Presents we'll be featuring Clocked In.

Short-song enthusiasts Joe Nelson and Daley Konchar Farr bring you an expertly curated block of tunes that clock in at, around, or under two minutes long.

It's an hour of punk, post-punk, pop, soul, and more, from groups you'd expect (like the Minutemen) and groups you wouldn't (like De La Soul), old and new, celebrities and obscurities, locals and internationals.

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Playlist:
1. James Brown--"I'll Go Crazy" (Live at the Apollo, King 1963/Polydor 2004)
2. the Adverts--"Bored Teenagers" (Crossing the Red Sea with the Adverts, Bright 1978)
3. Command Module--"Missy Jo" (Maps, New Units, and Scenarios, self-released 2009)
4. Wire--"Another the Letter" (Chairs Missing, Harvest 1978/Pinkflag 2004)
5. Masshysteri--"Velkommen Till Verkligheten" (Masshysteri, Feral Ward 2010)
6. One Last Wish--"My Better Half" (1986, Dischord 2000 [recorded 1986])
7. Dum Dum Girls--"Oh Mein M" (I Will Be, Sub Pop 2010)
8. Young Marble Giants--"Include Me Out" (Colossal Youth, Rough Trade 1980)
9. the Minutemen--"Search" (The Punch Line, SST 1981)
10. James Carr feat. Betty Harris--"I'm a Fool For You" (single, Goldwax 1967)
11. the Chambermaids--"Hotel Islington" (Down in the Berries, Modern Radio 2009)
12. Barbara George--"I'm In a Strain" (I Know (You Don't Love Me No More), A.F.O. 1962)
13. TVBC--"Snakefinger" (Gone, self-released 2002 [recorded 1994])
14. PJ Harvey--"Snake" (Rid of Me, Island 1993)
15. De La Soul--"Can U Keep a Secret" (3 Feet High and Rising, Tommy Boy 1989)
16. Bad Brains--"Joshua's Song" (Rock For Light, PVC 1983/Caroline 1991)
17. the Fall--"Prole Art Threat" (Slates, Rough Trade 1981)
18. Mission of Burma--"That's How I Escaped My Certain Fate" (Vs., Ace of Hearts 1982/Matador 2008)
19. the Wipers--"Telepathic Love" (Alien Boy EP, Park Avenue 1980/Zeno 2001)
20. the Gateway District--"Waves and Cars" (Perfect's Gonna Fail, It's Alive 2011)
21. Elvis Costello & the Attractions--"Possession" (Get Happy!!, Columbia 1980)
22. Saccharine Trust--"Lot's Seed" (Surviving You Always, SST 1984)
23. J Dilla--"Two Can Win" (Donuts, Stones Throw 2006)
24. Dillinger Four--"Music Is None of My Business" (Versus God, Hopeless 2000)
25. the Shangri-Las--"Wishing Well" (single, Spokane 1964)
26. the Blind Shake--"Wise Mr. Owl" (Cold Town/Soft Zodiac split LP w/ Michael Yonkers, Learning Curve 2009)
27. the Velvet Underground--"I'll Be Your Mirror" (The Velvet Underground & Nico, Verve 1967)
28. Ike & Tina Turner--"I'm Jealous" (The Soul of Ike & Tina Turner, Sue 1961)
29. Guided by Voices--"Non-Absorbing" (Vampire on Titus, Scat 1993)

The Current Presents: 90's College Rock

Posted at 5:00 PM on September 6, 2011 by Barb Abney
Filed under: The Current Presents

This week on The Current Presents we'll be featuring 90's College Rock.

Join me Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. as we take a musical journey through the 90's. We'll play an under-appreciated gem, a few bands that made their debut on college radio and later broke into the mainstream, a set of definitive indie tracks, then pepper in a pair of emo-pop tracks , a couple of one hit wonders (or blunders), a pair of musical departures and a live cover thrown in for good measure.

Who knows, maybe you'll be reminded of Dolly the cloned sheep, or tempted to add Friends to your streaming que. Lace up your Doc Martens, grab your Tamagotchi pet and tune in!

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Rugburns - "Me and Eddie Vedder"

Sublime - "Badfish"

Nirvana - "Lake Of Fire"

Rage Against The Machine - "Bulls on Parade"

Pavement's - "Summer Babe (Winter Version)"

Guided By Voices - "I am A Scientist"

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - "Bellbottoms"

Sleater-Kinney - "Dig Me Out"

The Caulfield's - "Devils's Diary"

Better Than Ezra - "Good"

Sheila Divine - "Im a Believer"

Dismemberment Plan - "What Do You Want Me To Say"

Archers Of Loaf - "White Trash Heroes"

Primal Scream - "Exterminator"

Stabbing Westward - "What Do I Have To Do?"

Neil Gaiman steals the show!

Posted at 4:03 PM on August 17, 2011 by Mark Wheat
Filed under: The Current Presents

Neil was the guest on the final show of the Wits season and was nice enough to stop by that day to do a Theft of the Dial with us too. We enjoyed chatting about music and his life, he's a Brit like me and now lives just across the border in Wisconsin, and he is the most award bedecked DJ we've ever had in the studio so we gave him a whole hour, this week on The Current Presents at 9pm.

You might know him as the creator of The Sandman comic books, or Coraline, his biggest hit movie or 'American Gods' his magnum opus novel that just got re-issued in expanded form for its 10th Annversary. But did you know he's married to Amanda Palmer of Dresden Dolls, has a telepathic creative connection to Tori Amos and wrote his first book about Duran Duran?!? As he proved on the Fitzgerald stage he can also sing and we played one of the tracks he recorded with Ben Folds and tons of others that he likes, join us, it'll be fun.

Sunday Night: The Current Presents "Words and Music"

Posted at 1:28 PM on August 5, 2011 by Jacquie Fuller
Filed under: The Current Presents

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Every wonder what kind of tunes some of your favorite writers listen to? I wondered the same thing - I knew I couldn't possibly be the only writer who relied on music for inspiration. I hunted down a few of my favorite writers, and their answers surprised me. Some cited music as a huge influence, and some turned to it for reasons outside of their writing. Here are the folks I talked to:

- Steve Almond, author of Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life. I first heard him talk at a writer's conference about 5 years ago, on the topic of writing good sex scenes (seriously.) My sides hurt from laughing after his presentation. His book is a series of essays about his life as a "drooling fanatic" of rock music. He recently also wrote a really moving piece on the death of Gil Scott Heron, whom he admired greatly.

- Charles Baxter teaches creative writing at the U of M and has written a lot of great books. When I was in grad school in New Mexico back in 2003, I read his book First Light, and was so moved by it, that I sent him an e-mail thanking him for writing it. (He responded, graciously.) Two years later, my husband joined the writing program at the U of M, and I had the opportunity to have a beer with Charlie on a number of occasions. (I never reminded him about my creepy, middle-of-the-night email.) I highly recommend reading his book, Feast of Love (and skipping the movie version.) Saul and Patsy's a great read, too, and The Soul Thief is marvelously creepy. He just released a collection of stories, Gryphon.

Dessa. Well, you know who she is. But you might not know she writes, too. Doomtree Press released her first collection, Spiral Bound, this year, and she's at work on her second book. I have stars in my eyes for Dessa, and was nervous to the point of nausea about interviewing her. But I found her to be completely down-to-earth and easy to talk to. She even gave me some really good advice about teaching (which I do on the side.) I kinda wanna be her BFF.

When I interviewed Steve Almond, he asked who else I was hoping to interview. I told him I was a big fan of Joe Pernice of The Pernice Brothers - for his music and his writing - and Steve practically sent him my way! Joe's written two books - a delightful and quick little read called Meat is Murder (yes, inspired by The Smiths' album) and the "slacker" novel, It Feels So Good When I Stop. His voice is edgy, humorous, sometimes shocking, and just plain fun to read. He also likes to give his Ashmont Records co-founder, Joyce, a hard time - you can watch their NSFW exchanges performed by puppets. (While interviewing Joe, it was really hard not to imagine a puppet on the other end of the line, talking to me through a toy phone.)

Jennifer Egan was my long shot. After reading her novel, A Visit from the Good Squad, I really wanted her on the show. But then she went and won the Pulitzer, and I thought, "Well, there goes my shot at an interview." But she jumped at the chance, telling me that she doesn't often get asked about the music behind the book. (The moral of the story: ask for what you want. The worst you'll get is "no.")

I pulled their favorite songs together for a special Current Presents called "Words and Music," and it'll feature some snippets from my conversations with them, as well. It airs this Sunday night at 9PM. Tune in as you're making lunch for the work week.

Fake it Till you Make It

Posted at 11:12 PM on July 22, 2011 by The Current (1 Comments)
Filed under: The Current Presents

A note from Bethany Barberg, local music assistant, events producer, and host of this week's The Current Presents.

Tune in this Sunday at 9pm for The Current Presents "Fake It Till You Make it", an hour of music from bands that were created for television and movies. We will explore music from fabricated bands that crossed over and had real success on the charts, from The Monkees, The Archies, and The Chipmunks, to those that never left the screen. We will take a look at the mastermind behind the Monkees, Don Kirshner and the real pop singing family that inspired the creation of The Partridge Family.

My mom, Doris Barberg was the inspiration for this particular topic. A few years ago she gave me a copy of the book "Rocklopedia Fakebandica" by T. Mike Childs. The book is an encyclopedic reference of a few hundred fake bands, many well known and those more obscurely buried in episodes of TV show long off the air. I had the chance to chat with T. Mike Childs about his fascination with Fake Bands and how the book and website www.fakebands.com came to be. T. Mike Childs will be launching a wiki version of his website so individuals can participate and add the fake bands that are popping up in television and movies today.

I also had the chance to the man behind the fake rapping cat, MC Skat Kat. The Current's own Derrick 'Delight' Stevens chats about how MC Skat Kat came to be and how Paula Abdul got involved. Its all on The Current Presents: "Fake It Till You Make It." Sunday, July 24th at 9 p.m.

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Current Presents: The Current Road Trip to Rochester

Posted at 3:16 PM on July 15, 2011 by Jade
Filed under: The Current Presents, The Current Road Trip

Back in April we packed up the Current van with cameras, Current Swag and Mark Wheat and traveled south until we hit Rochester.

Once there we met up with Dessa and her full band and put on a show. Wheat and Dessa had a bit of chit-chat and Dessa played a ton of tunes off her latest album, one of her first shows with a full backing band.

If you were at the show you can relive it, and if you missed it the first time you're in luck, we're replaying the entire show for you this Sunday at 9pm.

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And if you still need more Mark and Dessa head to the Road Trip page and look at videos and photos from the show!

The Current Presents PAIRINGS: Beer and Music - Summer Beers!

Posted at 10:00 PM on July 3, 2011 by Lindsay Kimball
Filed under: The Current Presents

Thanks for listening to this week's episode of The Current Presents - Pairings: Beer and Music - Summer Beers! The playlist is available below as is the audio if you want to hear it again.

Beer Pairings

Summer Concert Beers and Music:
Summit - Extra Pale Ale - My Morning Jacket "Circuital"
Sierra Nevada - Bonnaroo Brew Farmhouse Ale - Grace Potter and the Nocturnals "Paris (Ooh La La)
Brooklyn Brewery - Summer Ale - Matt and Kim "Cameras"
Dave's Brew Farm - Golden Lager - Flaming Lips "Do You Realize"

Post-Lawn Mowing Beer:
Pabst - Pabst Blue Ribbon - Gaslight Anthem "American Slang"

BBQ/Grilling Out Beers:
Lift Bridge - Minnesota Tan - Caroline Smith and the Goodnight Sleeps "Tank Top"
Surly - Hell - Beck "Hell Yes"
Kyle Sisco Home Brewer - Classic American Pilsner - The Hold Steady "Constructive Summer"

Patio Happy Hour Beer:
Grain Belt - Premium - The Replacements "Can't Hardly Wait"

Audio:

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Also, let me know some suggestions for a theme for the next show! I'm totally open to exploring all kinds of beer topics.

The Current Presents PAIRINGS: Beer and Music - Summer Beers!

Posted at 2:28 PM on June 30, 2011 by Lindsay Kimball
Filed under: The Current Presents

Just in time for the 4th of July, it's another episode of Pairings: Beer and Music. This time we focus on the summer beer.

Chances are you're familiar with pairings. It's the prix fixe menu you might see out to dinner where the restaurant staff pre-selects each course and pairs it with wine or in more recent trends, beer. At The Current our appetite leans more towards music, but we definitely like our beer too. Voilà! This week on The Current Presents, we explore the pairings of beer and music in the second episode of Pairings - Beer and Music. More specifically, we take a look at summer beers and sit down with some local brewers from Summit, Surly, and Lift Bridge to discuss all the delicious beers you'll be drinking at concerts, patio happy hours, and when you're grilling out as well as the music you'll hear. We also chat with the winner of the Minnesota Craft Beer Week Best in Show home brew winner.

Listen THIS SUNDAY at 9pm and sit back, crack open a cold one and let us take you on a beer and musical journey.

Since this is a Sunday show, here's a list of suggested beers, so you can do your shopping trip early (or across the border):

Summit - Extra Pale Ale
Summit - Pilsner
Brooklyn Brewery - Summer Ale
Dave's Brew Farm - Golden Ale
Lift Bridge Brewery - Minnesota Tan
Lift Bridge Brewery - Farm Girl
Surly - Hell
Surly - Bitter Brewer

If you missed it first episode about the IPA, you can check it out here.

PAIRINGS: Beer and Music Playlist and Audio

Posted at 9:00 PM on April 3, 2011 by Lindsay Kimball (2 Comments)
Filed under: The Current Presents

Thanks for listening to this week's episode of The Current Presents - Pairings: Beer and Music. The playlist is available below as is the audio if you want to hear it again.

Songs we played, in order:
Asylum Street Spankers - Beer
Reel Big Fish - Beer
Willie Nelson - Bubbles in my Beer
Tom T. Hall - I Like Beer
Motorhead - Ace of Spades
Rural Alberta Advantage - Edmonton
Woodie Guthrie - Hard Traveling
LL Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out
4ontheFloor - Lionhearted
Pert Near Sandstone - Lonesome Train Blues
Guns 'n Roses - Sweet Child Of Mine
The Bad Plus - And Here We Test The Powers of Observation
The Soviettes - Multiply and Divide
Trampled by Turtles - Wait So Long

Our pairings:

American Style IPA
Flat Earth Brewing Company - Northwest Passage IPA - 6.5% ABV paired with Rural Alberta Advantage - Edmonton
Summit Brewing Company - Summit IPA 6.4% ABV paired with Woodie Guthrie - Hard Traveling
Town Hall Brew Pub - Masala Mama IPA - 5.9% ABV paired with LL Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out
Fulton Brewing Company - Sweet Child of Vine - 6.4% ABV paired with Guns 'n Roses - Sweet Child of Mine

Belgian Style IPA
Harriet Brewing Company - West Side IPA - 6.5% ABV paired with The Bad Plus - And Here We Test The Powers of Observation

Double IPA
Surly Brewing Company - Abrasive - 8.8% ABV paired with The Soviettes - Multiply and Divide
Lake Superior Brewing Company - St. Louis Bay IPA paired with Trampled by Turtles - Wait So Long

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The Current Presents PAIRINGS: Beer and Music

Posted at 9:54 AM on March 31, 2011 by Lindsay Kimball
Filed under: The Current Presents

Chances are you're familiar with pairings. It's the prix fixe menu you might see out to dinner where the restaurant staff pre-selects each course and pairs it with wine or in more recent trends, beer. At The Current our appetite leans more towards music, but we definitely like our beer too. Voilà! This week we explore the pairings of beer and music. More specifically, we take a look at the hoppy India Pale Ale and sit down with some local brewers from Fulton and Flat Earth to discuss what makes this beer so wildly popular and what music motivates them while they brew. Andy Thompson - a respected musician in his own right, also writes a blog for City Pages called What's The Hops? and helps school us in the history of the IPA. Listen THIS SUNDAY at 9pm and sit back, crack open a cold one and let us take you on a beer and musical journey.

Suggested drinking:
American Style IPA
Flat Earth Brewing Company - Northwest Passage IPA - 6.5% ABV
Summit Brewing Company - Summit IPA 6.4% ABV
Town Hall Brew Pub - Masala Mama IPA - 5.9% ABV
Fulton Brewing Company - Sweet Child of Vine - 6.4% ABV

Belgian Style IPA
Harriet Brewing Company - West Side IPA - 6.5% ABV

Double IPA
Surly Brewing Company - Abrasive - 8.8% ABV
Lake Superior Brewing Company - St. Louis Bay IPA

The Current Presents: Under The Covers

Posted at 4:39 PM on March 7, 2011 by Barb Abney
Filed under: The Current Presents

This week on The Current Presents we'll go back Under The Covers.

I'll be playing and hour of tunes that you probably know all the words to, but you may not be familiar with the particular cover or artist. You'll hear covers of tunes originally recorded by The Replacements, Journey, Soundgarden, Nirvana, Pulp, Black Sabbath, Michael Jackson ... and more, including a Doobie Brothers cover recorded entirely on toy instruments.

Join me 9:00 p.m. this Sunday evening!

Here's what we played...
Self - What A Fool Believes
Four Tet - Iron Man
Kid Loco - If It's Monday Morning
Shivaree - Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
Elbow - Teardrop
Matt The Electrician - Faithfully
Placebo - Running Up That Hill
Bright Little Field - I Will Dare
Tori Amos - Smells Like Teen Spirit
Steve and Eydie - Black Hole Sun
Tom Jones And The Cardigans - Burning Down The House
William Shatner - Common People
Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Rudie Can't Fail
KMFDM - These Boots Were Made For Walkin'

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The Current Presents 2/6/11: Latino Alternative

Posted at 4:58 PM on January 13, 2011 by Brett Baldwin (6 Comments)
Filed under: The Current Presents

On the Feb. 6 2011 edition of The Current Presents, Latino Alternative; we will explore how culturally diverse Latin Alternative music can be. Latinos are not just creating Salsa, Ranchera, and Cumbia music anymore. Latinos continue to make all of these but now combined with everything you can imagine, including Hip Hop, Rock, Electronic, and Funk, to name a few...Raul Escobar returns to bring us the modern Latino Alternative Sound!


Latino Alternative Play List
Hour One
Bersuit / La Soledad -Argentina
Superlitio / Circus - Colombia
Azul Violeta / A Mi Lado - Mexico
El Guincho / Bombay - Spain
Dapuntobeat / 0 (Dospuntocero) -Mexico
Culcha Candela / Mi Bicicleta - Germany
Bajofondo / Miles De Pasajeros (Omar Remix) - Argentina & Uruguay
Jaguares / La Martiniana - Mexico
Babasonicos / Microdancing - Argentina
La Santa Cecilia / Jack - USA
Bomba Estereo / Cosita Rica - Colombia
Go Lem System / Calle Go Lem - Spain
Chicas Japonesas / Trayectoria - Uruguay

Hour Two (online only)
Soda Stereo / En Le Ciudad De La Furia - Argentina
Sidestepper / Déjà - Colombia & UK
Locos Por Juana / Plata o Plomo (S.H.I.E.L Remix) - Colombia & USA
Yokozuna / Ya No Queda Nada De Mi Amor - Mexico
Catupecu Machu / Preludio Al Filo En El Umbral - Argentina
Los Piojos / Bicho De Ciudad - Argentina
Los Enanitos Verdes / Amores Lejanos - Argentina
Onechot / Tips (Feat. Choc Quib Town) -Venezuela
Bad Man / Tego Calderon - Puerto Rico
B-Side Players / Unplugged this Armageddon - USA
Los Amigos Invisibles / Mentiras - Venezuela
Café Tacuba / Cero Y Uno - Mexico

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Eh, I liked 'em better when...

Posted at 11:48 AM on December 23, 2010 by Barb Abney (5 Comments)
Filed under: The Current Presents

This week on The Current Presents, we're taking a tongue-and-cheek approach to criticizing artists you know by comparing their early work with their newer material. In short, we're getting in touch with our inner music snob by saying "Eh, I liked 'em better when..."

Tune-in Sunday, December 26 @ 9 p.m.

Here's the playlist:

Vitamin C - "Smile"
R.E.M. - "Discoverer"
R.E.M. - "Radio Free Europe"
Snow Patrol - "Take Back The City"
Snow Patrol - "Starfighter Pilot"
Nada Surf - "Enjoy The Silence"
Nada Surf - "Popular"
Polyphonic Spree - "Running Away"
Tripping Daisy - "I Got A Girl"
U2 - "Get On Your Boots"
U2 - "I Will Follow"
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes "Home"
Ima Robot - "Dynomite"
Prince - "Laydown"
Prince - "Wanna Be Your Lover"
Eve's Plum - "I Want It All"

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The Current Presents: Wrapped Up in Books

Posted at 3:21 PM on November 18, 2010 by The Current
Filed under: The Current Presents

This week's installment of The Current Presents is called "Wrapped Up in Books." Local musician and English professor Dr Andy Scheiber joins MPR's Luke Taylor for a look at a number of tunes that show the back-and-forth influences between music and literature.

We'll listen to a bunch of songs, from Belle & Sebastian to Bob Dylan to the Strokes, while mentioning writers as varied as William Shakespeare, Allen Ginsberg and F. Scott Fitzgerald. The conversation is laid back and the music is surprising.

Tune in to "Wrapped Up in Books" on The Current Presents, this Sunday, Nov. 21, at 9 p.m., right after Sound Opinions.

The Current Presents on All Things Must Pass and your chance to win it on vinyl!

Posted at 3:46 PM on November 22, 2010 by Jim McGuinn (5 Comments)
Filed under: The Current Presents

This week marks the 40th anniversary of the release of George Harrison's All Things Must Pass, considered by many to be the the best solo album by any of the ex-Beatles. After all those years in the shadow of Lennon and McCartney, it turns out George was hoarding some gems - and they came to the fore on this Phil Spector production that also included Ringo, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Badfinger, and Billy Preston among the 40-odd who played on it. To celebrate the anniversary, the Current will be digging deep into two 1970 epics released almost simultaneously, and recorded with overlapping musicians, with All Things Must Pass / Layla and other Assorted Love Songs, a 40th Anniversary Retrospective, hosted by Mac Wilson, this Sunday 11/28 at 9pm.

Also - Apple/EMI is releasing a limited edition VINYL version of All Things Must Pass for the first time in years, just in time for Record Store Black Friday this week - and The Current has a copy to give away! Four winners will score the George Harrison Best of collection Let It Roll, and one will also get the All Things Must Pass vinyl set.

Click here for the rules and enter to win here!

George playing My Sweet Lord during the Concert for Bangladesh

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The Current Presents: The Trashmen

Posted at 2:52 PM on October 21, 2010 by Peter Valelly (1 Comments)
Filed under: The Current Presents

This week on The Current Presents, host Marc Sanchez takes a look at the beginnings of the local rock music scene in Minnesota. We're lucky enough to have as our guides: The Trashmen.

Dal Winslow, Bob Andreason, and Bob Reed stopped by the Current studios a few weeks back to reminisce about the scene and walk through the history of their band. Most people know the Trashmen from their hit, "Surfin' Bird," with its driving rhythm and gurgly-voiced singing, "well everybody's heard about the bird... bird, bird, bird... bird is the word." Love it or hate it, the song is a definite earworm.

Tune in this Sunday at 9 to hear tales of "Surfin' Bird" and beyond with special guests: The Trashmen.

Check out these videos:

Surfin' Bird on American Bandstand, 1964

Surfin' Bird made it to #4 on the Billboard charts in December of 1963. The band was invited to play American Bandstand in January of 1964. The show was in the process of moving it's studios from Philadelphia to Los Angeles at the time, and they didn't have the budget to fly the whole band out. So here you get one of the strangest versions of Surfin' Bird. It's just drummer Steve Wahrer lip syncing and doing the bird dance.

Surfin' Bird on Family Guy

Surfin' Bird has been featured in movies and on TV, but this Family Guy episode took it to a whole new level. The entire episode revolves around the song.

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The Current Presents: Garage Rocks

Posted at 3:10 PM on October 14, 2010 by Peter Valelly
Filed under: The Current Presents

This week on the Current Presents, hosted by Current Local Music Assistant Jon Schober, we're listening to the best and most buzzworthy bands putting out material in the garage rock and post-punk genre today, a style of music becoming increasingly high-profile in recent years. Its reemergence harkens back to the time of Gang of Four, Joy Division, The Monks, and many others, allowing listeners to reconnect with their nostalgia in modern times. We'll be exploring tunes together from the likes of Dum Dum Girls, Crystal Stilts, Women, The Fresh & Onlys, Male Bonding and more—and we're gonna keep it fast-paced, because that's what hazy rock-and-roll does best.

The Current Presents: Under the Influence - John Prine!

Posted at 3:31 PM on October 8, 2010 by Bill DeVille (2 Comments)
Filed under: The Current Presents

This time it's Under the Influence...we'll show John Prine some love on his 64th birthday on Sunday. Even neck cancer couldn't stop this folk-rock legend. The man who can make you laugh and cry in the same song. I'll spin some of the music that influenced him, artists like The Carter Family, Hank Williams and The Louvin Brothers. Prine has also influenced a whole new generation of singers and songwriters like My Morning Jacket and Justin Vernon, both featured on the recent tribute album, Broken Hearts and dirty windows. Of course we'll also celebrate the nearly 40 years of Prine's music as well.

Join me on Sunday at 9pm for Under the Influence - John Prine. It'll be tastier than a big piece of chocolate birthday cake, without the calories!

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The Current Presents: Under The Covers

Posted at 10:21 AM on October 4, 2010 by Barb Abney
Filed under: The Current Presents

This week on The Current Presents, we went Under the Covers of the 80's. We played an hours worth of cover tunes released in the 80's, minus one tune which was actually released in 1979. Throughout the hour we heard well known tunes covered by both well known artists as well as a couple of newer, more obscure bands.

The Current Presents: Facemelter

Posted at 1:38 PM on August 25, 2010 by Brett Baldwin
Filed under: The Current Presents

A little over 2 and a half years ago, Jill Riley and Brett Baldwin posted the first episode of a podcast called Facemelter. It was a little experiment for an online-only program that focused on guitarists, gear and amazing solos.

And the crowds went wild. Well, OK, there were no crowds, but a respectable amount of positive feedback rolled in. Poring over the fan mail — and their record collections — Brett and Jill chose some solos and kicked out (the jams on) 12 more episodes.

They had every intention of picking back up where we left off... but things just weren't the same. Our schedules were tough to manage. Jill became a big-time morning show DJ. Brett started listening to jazz and soft-rock... and that's when Facemelter hit rock bottom.

This spring, The Current's Assistant Music Director David Safar proposed these gems be dusted off and played on the radio, and who can argue with logic like that? "The Current Presents" is the perfect venue for it. So this Sunday August 29th at 9 p.m. all 13 original episodes will grace the airwaves for the first time. Tune-in and feel the burn.

The Current Presents: An Hour with Booker T. Jones

Posted at 12:20 AM on August 12, 2010 by Bill DeVille (3 Comments)
Filed under: The Current Presents

Booker T. Jones has been making music for over 50 years. He founded Booker T and the MG's in the 60's. They were also the houseband for legendary recordings by Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, and Albert King.

The Current Presents: An Hour with Booker T. Jones this Sunday at 9pm. Booker T. dropped by The Current's studio's when he and the MG's were in the Twin Cities earlier this summer for shows at the Dakota. Join me as Mr. Jones tells us all about his career including working with Willie Nelson, his upcoming album with The Roots and his Grammy winning Potato Hole album with Drive By Truckers and Neil Young.

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The Current Presents: The Purple Daze

Posted at 2:58 PM on July 16, 2010 by Derrick Stevens (1 Comments)
Filed under: The Current Presents

Prince has been called a musical genius and I feel, rightfully so. In the last 30 years, he's produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles, writing, producing and playing most, if not all of the instruments on his recordings.

He's also written songs for The Time, The Family, Maserati, Sheena Easton, Sheila E. and The Bangles, just to name a few. Artists like Chaka Kahn and Sinead O'Connor have remade his songs and turned them into career changing hit records.

Since his 1978 debut album, "For You", Prince has been making music nonstop and with the recent exclusive release, 20TEN to subscribers of European newspapers last Saturday, he shows no sign of slowing down any time soon.

Listen to The Current Presents this Sunday at 9pm for an hour of songs written and or produced by Prince.

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The Current Presents: Pitch Perfect

Posted at 10:38 AM on June 3, 2010 by Michael Wells
Filed under: The Current Presents

This week's installment of The Current Presents is called "Pitch Perfect." Join host Mark Wheat for a lively and fun exploration of the connections between music and soccer, right as the World Cup prepares to kick off in South Africa on June 11.

We'll listen to fan songs, we'll share some stories, and we'll get inspired for one whole month of the world's greatest players and the world's favorite game. Make The Current part of your World-Cup celebrations. Start the fun early by tuning in to "Pitch Perfect" on The Current Presents, this Sunday, June 6, at 9 p.m., right after Sound Opinions.

The Current Presents: Dubwise Soundsystem

Posted at 5:24 PM on May 19, 2010 by Jim McGuinn (1 Comments)
Filed under: The Current Presents

Summer is here and the time is right... for Dubwise Soundsystem.

Jamaica is a poor island nation slightly smaller than Connecticut in size, with a population similar to the Twin Cities. Yet in the past 50 years it has musically influenced the world, producing some of the best music ever made thru genres like Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, Reggae, Dancehall, and Dub.

This week on the Current Presents we'll delve deep into the the echoey world of dub - deep and dark mostly instrumental versions - remixes of reggae songs from which the entire concept of the remix was born. We'll hear dubs from Lee Scratch Perry, King Tubby, Augustus Pablo, and more, and explore the roots of this powerful style of music.

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The Current Presents: 90's @ 9

Posted at 4:01 PM on May 14, 2010 by Barb Abney
Filed under: The Current Presents

This week on The Current Presents, we're taking a trip back in time, to the 90's. I will be your host as we revisit electronic, swing, and rockabilly trends. We'll enjoy a couple of one-hit-wonders and discuss a few of the hits of that decade. Tune in this Sunday at 9 p.m. to hear "The Current Presents: 90's @ 9."

The Current Presents: Sampletown

Posted at 3:38 PM on May 5, 2010 by Michael Wells (1 Comments)
Filed under: The Current Presents

This week on The Current Presents, we're taking a trip to Sampletown. Host Marc Sanchez, will be your guide through the roots, history, and future of sample based music.

Listen to the show:

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You'll hear from, DJ/Producer, Hank Shocklee about the early days of rap and using samples without worry of retribution (a.k.a. getting sued). With years of production and entertainment experience, Shocklee has become well-versed in the kinds of copyright controversies that have surrounded sampling since the late 80's.

Check out Hank Shocklee in conversation with George Clinton, arguably one of the most sampled artists in hip hop. The two were asked to speak on the topic of sampling for the 2005 Future of Music Policy Summit.

U of M Professor John Logie will also make an appearance to talk about how hip hop, and all sample-based music, could have been drastically different if everybody would have learned how to play nice. Just as landmark sampling cases were being decided and making artists think twice about using somebody else's material, the internet was filling up with hundreds of thousands of sounds and songs for DJ's to mine and use as creative foundations of who knows what.

Logie sites Dickie Goodman and his "break in" style comedy routines in the 1950's as one of the first controversial uses of sampling. Here's one of Goodman's bits, called, "Flying Saucer."

Thanks to hip hop, sampling has gained notoriety and developed as an art form. Producers and beat programmers are no longer nameless and unsung... they're as big, if not bigger than the artists themselves. Sampling's tentacles are so far reaching now, that they are part of pretty much every genre's lexicon.

The Books is a duo who has been putting out their version of sample-based music since 2000. Along with stringed, acoustic instruments, their music is based around the constantly growing, life-long sample collection of one of its members: Paul de Jong. De Jong had an early appreciation for musique concrete artists like Pierre Schaeffer and Pierre Henry. He found his musical kindred spirit in Nick Zammuto, who had a knack for composing and arranging disparate samples and music into songs that seem like they have lived together in harmony forever.

Here's a clip from the Books' 2003 album "The Lemon of Pink." It's called "Take Time."

When it comes to sampling and the future, one thing people seem to agree on is that technology is the key. If you have access to a computer, there's a never ending world of possibilities. Combine that with creative vision, determination, and a little luck, and you might be the next resident of Sampletown.

To find out more about the controversy in copyright issues, check out Copyright Criminals. This 2009 documentary explores the possibilities and consequences of sampling and showcases some of the biggest names in hip hop and beyond.

Interested in learning copyrighting your own material? Check out Creative Commons for options.

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The Current Presents The Great Girl Gross Out, Part 2

Posted at 3:13 PM on April 28, 2010 by Christina Schmitt (1 Comments)
Filed under: The Current Presents

This week, on The Current Presents it's The Great Girl Grossout, an hour with music by women heard on The Current, told from a feminine perspective.

We'll listen to woman hip-hop DJs and women drummers, checking in with Laura Bennett, who plays drums for the local duo Red Pens.

We'll also take a look at transformative female experiences, like weathering the teenage wasteland as The Runaways did. And also what it means to become a mom and then continues to rock--like musician and mom Channy Moon Casselle from the local group Roma Di Luna.

So listen this Sunday at 9 p.m. as I present The Great Girl Gross Out (Part 2)

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Tonight on The Current Presents

Posted at 1:53 PM on April 25, 2010 by David Safar
Filed under: New Hot, The Current Presents

Tune in at 9pm tonight for The Current Presents: New Hot. It's one hour of new music discovery. Hear new music from The Fall, Stars, Murs and the Ponys. Discover new music by Swedish sister duo First Aid Kit, the new side project of J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.), and find out why Milwaukee is the new home of the soul and funk revival.

The Classical Current Crossover!

Posted at 8:42 PM on April 14, 2010 by Mark Wheat
Filed under: The Current Presents

Even though we all have desks on the same floor of our building here in St.Paul, the staff of The Current and KSJN our classical music sister station don't get to work together very often. But this week there's a few cool crossovers happening. They have been hosting a talented set of young musicians The Parker Quartet as their artists in residences, doing a tour of venues all around the state. The final one is Thursday night at The Varsity, which usually hosts OUR artists!

You could also crossover if you have an old musical instrument that you'd like to donate to one of our public schools as part of ; Play It Forward

Then one of the most talked about young composers in is town Thursday at The Southern Theater, Nico Mulhy. He just helped Jonsi from Sigur Ros record his new album. So that got me thinking about all the musicians that we play who also play or sample classical music. So I asked my buddy (he likes soccer too!) Fred Child of Performance Today to join me for an edition of The Current Presents this Sunday, 9pm...
The Classical Current Crossover!

The Current Presents: Under the Influence - The Clash!

Posted at 10:40 PM on March 26, 2010 by Bill DeVille (3 Comments)
Filed under: The Current Presents

This week on The Current Presents its Under the Influence, where we explore what may have influenced some of our favorite musicians & the artists they may have inspired or influenced. This installment it's, "the only band that matters," The Clash, a band that wore their influences on their sleeve. The Clash were influenced by everything from reggae, to rockabilly to New Orleans funk and inspired a whole generation to start their own band...I'm Bill Deville join me at 9 on Sunday for Under the Influence: The Clash!

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The Current Presents - Under the Covers

Posted at 3:35 PM on March 11, 2010 by Barb Abney
Filed under: The Current Presents

This week on The Current Presents we'll go Under The Covers... I'll be spinning some of my favorites, poking a little fun at myself and spotlighting a band that may be known better for the covers of their songs that other artists have done, than the originals themselves.

The Current Presents - Low End Theory

Posted at 11:13 AM on March 4, 2010 by Michael Wells (2 Comments)
Filed under: The Current Presents

"You're following a bass player, just like the rest of the band."

This is a quote from a bumper sticker I saw many years ago, and - as a bass player - I've always remembered it. Singers and guitarists usually get the spotlight (and people at least tell drummer jokes), while the bassist in a band is usually forgotten.

My original pitch was to present the evolution of the bass through popular music, but I realized that there was no way to do the subject any justice in only an hour. There's really just too much good stuff out there to cover. Also, I wanted to create a show that would be interesting to people other than bass players.

While I hope to someday do that project, I decided to focus on songs where the bass drives the melody, plus highlight the players. So listen this Sunday at 9 p.m. for "Low End Theory," an hour of music that puts the bass where it should be: right up front. It won't be earth-shattering, but it will be ground shaking.

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The Current Presents: Crate Diggers!

Posted at 5:18 PM on February 24, 2010 by Jim McGuinn (9 Comments)
Filed under: The Current Presents

Everyone probably has their own version of this week's guest: that music geek, a vinyl junkie and a collector who on a relative scale of music knowledge knows more than you do, AND has the record collection to prove it!

This week I am joined by John Kass, online record dealer at GoJohnnyGo.com. With a collection of 500,000 records, he's a certifiable vinyl fanatic. We'll dig into some of our favorite records and tell the tales from our personal collections. From obscure 45s to $1 bargain bin finds, with a heavy dose of the Minnesota scene and treats from the '60s thru the '80s.

Some of the artists we'll play include Radio Birdman, Jesus and Mary Chain, The Vertebrats, Dream Syndicate, Teenage Fanclub, Emitt Rhodes, MC5, The CA Quintet, The Paisleys, Green, Husker Du, The Ventures, and much more!

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The Current Presents...Radio Happy Hour

Posted at 3:21 PM on February 17, 2010 by Lindsay Kimball
Filed under: The Current Presents

For the last several weeks, we've been trying something new called The Current Presents, where we air new shows on Sunday nights at 9pm. So far we've had an extended interview with Brian Eno, a review of the Grammy Awards, a review of women in rock music, a heads up on new hot music, and "Something, Anything - A show about nothing."

This week we're going flip it another 180 degrees and head into the realm of the radio drama. (It's The Current Presents! Who knows what you'll hear it week!) Back in January of 2008 we aired four episodes of the Twin Cities' own Electric Arc Radio Show. Since then, one of the main characters, Sam Osterhout, has moved to New York and created Radio Happy Hour, a mix of murder mystery/comedy done in a late-night talk show style with interviews and liver performances from the guests.

This episode features three guests - author Chuck Klosterman as well as musicians Craig Finn and Tad Kubler of The Hold Steady. With the cast of Radio Happy Hour, they become a family stranded in small town Manhattan, Minnesota during a snow storm for a hilarious murder mystery. (Chuck is the dad, and Tad and Craig are the kids. Go figure.) The show also features an interview with the three guests as well as acoustic performances by Tad and Craig.

Check it out this Sunday night at 9pm on 89.3 The Current.

Grammy recap

Posted at 10:23 AM on February 1, 2010 by Mac Wilson
Filed under: The Current Presents

The Grammys are irrelevant, out of touch, a showcase for terrible music, etc. These are all sentiments I encountered while reading about last night's 52nd Grammy Awards, the music industry's biggest night of the year. Last week, as an installment of the Current Presents, we took what turned out to be a surprisingly straight-faced look at some of the categories & nominees this year, choosing our personal favorites while also casting our predictions. Better late than never, I thought I'd briefly recap the Grammy show (which is still archived at The Current Presents page) and examine how close we came to picking the winners.

Best New Artist:
Jade & I whiffed on this one. We each predicted that Keri Hilson would be the next to follow in the tradition of female chanteuses winning this award, but the winners wound up being the Zac Brown Band, a merry band of jingoistic hippie hillbillies from Atlanta, Georgia.

Best Americana Album:
Bill & I each predicted that Bob Dylan would win the inaugural edition of this award, but we wound up being pleasantly surprised by the victory of Levon Helm for his record Electric Dirt. It's remarkable that Helm was able to record this album at all, after his bouts with throat cancer. This marks Helm's second Grammy in three years, after winning an award for Dirt Farmer two years ago. During the show, we alluded to the Best Contemporary Folk Album, which was won this year by Steve Earle's Townes. I think Bill would rather have seen a different Townes nominated. Wilco & Neko Case each came up empty-handed in their respective categories.

Best Alternative Music Album:
It seems obvious in retrospect that Phoenix would win for Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, but Mark Wheat & I were up in the air over who would wind up winning the award. Wheat wound up being correct, saying that Phoenix' airplay & iTunes sales would lift them to victory, while Karen O's contributions to Where the Wild Things Are wouldn't quite be enough for victory. Each of us would have voted for David Byrne & Brian Eno, but we can at least take a small consolation in that the album won a Grammy for best artwork.

Best Rap Album:
Melanie & I predicted the Grammy voters' every move in this category, correctly predicting that Eminem would win for the dreadful Relapse. Melanie & I had a nice conversation about what it would take for some of the prominent Minneapolis hip-hop, such as Atmosphere, Brother Ali, or P.O.S., to gain recognition in this category. Artistically, their work is top-notch, but as we've seen, the Grammys could often care less about artistry and more often reward sales figures. P.O.S. doesn't have the sales of Flo Rida, which is both unfortunate & depressing. Brother Ali himself noted on his Twitter feed this morning that "Atmosphere deserves a Grammy." There you have it.

Record of the Year:
Jim McGuinn & I thought this would come down to Lady Gaga & Taylor Swift, with the Black Eyed Peas a possible dark horse. We also mentioned Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody" as being the only rock nominee in the field -- a development Jim chalked up to the rise of music-related video games such as Rock Band. Lo and behold, Kings of Leon won the award, the latest in a trend of rock acts winning Record of the Year, even when surrounded by R&B or rap-related tracks (i.e. Coldplay beating OutKast, Beyonce, & Eminem in 2004; Green Day beating Kanye West in 2006).

Album of the Year:
Neither Jim nor I felt that any of these were truly the album of the year. We held our noses & cast our respective ballots for Lady Gaga & Taylor Swift (again). I wound up being on the right side of history, as Swift's Fearless won Album of the Year. I'd rather have been in Jim's shoes, though, as he struck up quite the nice conversation with Prince at the Current's fifth birthday party on Friday night. I can only hope Jim asked Prince what it was like to lose Album of the Year (for Purple Rain!) to Lionel Richie.

This brings the 2010 Grammy season to a merciful close. See you next year(?)

The New Hot: January 21, 2010

Posted at 2:15 PM on January 19, 2010 by David Safar
Filed under: New Hot, The Current Presents

This week on The Current Presents we debuted 17 brand new tracks. On this list you'll find some of the more anticipated releases of the new year, like Massive Attack and The Magnetic Fields. Plus, a handful of new bands and artists to watch for in 2010.

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New, Hot tracks on The Current Presents:

Malakai / Snowflake / Ugly Side Of Love
The Soft Pack / C'Mon / The Soft Pack
Owen Pallett / Keep The Dog Quiet / Heartland
Dan Black / Symphonies / Un
JJ / Ecstacy / N° 2
Ruby Suns / Cranberry / Fight Softly
Best Coast / When I'm With You / When I'm With You 7"
V.V. Brown / Shark In The Water / Traveling Like The Light
Reverend and The Makers / Heavyweight Champion Of The World Heavyweight Champion Of The World
Olof Arnalds / Klara / Vid og Vid
Washed Out / Hold Out / Life of Leisure EP
Rogue Wave / Good Morning / Permalight
Four Tet / Love Cry / There Is Love In You
Small Black / Despicable Dogs / Small Black
Massive Attack / Saturday Come Slow / Heligoland
The Magnetic Fields / We Are Having A Hootenanny / Realism

The Current Presents: Brian Eno

Posted at 7:01 PM on January 10, 2010 by Steve Seel (8 Comments)
Filed under: The Current Presents

As promised, here's the complete playlist and audio for this Sunday evening's presentation of Brian Eno: Theory and Practice, on The Current Presents.

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(the album name is listed in parentheses; Eno's role in the record is also listed if the cut comes from something other than one of his solo albums)

Brian Eno, "Needles In the Camel's Eye" (Here Come the Warm Jets)
Brian Eno, "Wire Shock" (Nerve Net)
Brian Eno, Dieter Moebius, Hans-Joachim Roedelius, and Conny Plank, "Two Old Timers" (Begegnungen)
Talking Heads, "Once In A Lifetime" (Remain In Light - producer)
Roxy Music, "Do the Strand" (For Your Pleasure - band member)
U2, "Pride (In the Name of Love)" (The Unforgettable Fire - co-producer)
Devo, "Uncontrollable Urge" (Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! - producer)
David Bowie, "Heroes" ("Heroes" - studio collaborator)
U2, "Mysterious Ways" (Achtung Baby - co-producer)
David Byrne and Brian Eno, "America is Waiting," (My Life In the Bush of Ghosts)
Brian Eno, "No One Receiving" (Before and After Science)
Brian Eno, "The Big Ship" (Another Green World)
Brian Eno, "Kurt's Rejoinder" (Before and After Science)
Terry Riley, "In C"
Brian Eno, "Discreet Music" (Discreet Music)
Brian Eno, "Fullness of Wind" from "Three Variations on the Canon by Johann Pachelbel" (Discreet Music)
Brian Eno, "2/2" (Ambient #1: Music for Airports)
Brian Eno, "1/1" (Ambient #1: Music for Airports)
Jon Hassel and Brian Eno, "Chemistry" (Possible Musics: Fourth World Volume One)
Jon Hassel and Brian Eno, "Delta Rain Dream" (Possible Musics: Fourth World Volume One)
Talking Heads, "I Zimbra" (Fear Of Music)
Talking Heads, "Once In A Lifetime" (Remain In Light)
Talking Heads, "The Great Curve" (Remain In Light)
U2, "In God's Country" (The Joshua Tree)
U2, "A Sort of Homecoming" (The Unforgettable Fire)
Brian Eno, "Lantern Marsh" (Ambient #4: On Land)
David Byrne and Brian Eno, "Help Me Somebody" (My Life In the Bush of Ghosts)
David Byrne and Brian Eno, "The Jezebel Spirit" (My Life In the Bush of Ghosts)
David Byrne and Brian Eno, "Strange Overtones" (Everything That Happens Will Happen Today)
David Byrne and Brian Eno, "Home" (Everything That Happens Will Happen Today)
Brian Eno, "Julie With ..." (Before and After Science)
Brian Eno, "Saint Tom" (Music For Films III)

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