Guitar Wizard

Posted at 7:00 PM on January 31, 2009 by Dale Connelly (5 Comments)

In this season of award-giving, Dean Magraw gets my vote for MIRG:
Most Inventively Restless Guitarist.

If there's a style of music that doesn't interest him or a sonic adventure he won't try, I haven't heard of it. Among Dean's group affiliations are local ensembles Boiled in Lead, Eight Head and Red Planet. He also works with Next, a group that regularly tours France, a place where you don't have to import guitarists, but Dean brings something special to the mix that can be found only in Minnesota.

Dean Magraw will reveal some of his exotic musical fascinations and influences in the first hour of this Saturday's Radio Heartland on MPR News.

The second hour includes songs inspired by groundhogs and presidents, two iconic mammals for the month of February.
And we'll sample tunes that acknowledge the power of luck, chance, co-incidence and whimsy in shaping our lives, especially John Hartford's two-minute outline of a hopelessly twisted plot with the fitting title "I Would Not Be Here."

Ever had a cascading series of unlikely events totally re-shuffle your deck?
There you go. That's what we're talking about.

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Comments (5)

Hello Dale and RH...
Thanks for another Saturday show...especially looking forward to the theme during the second hour of chance, luck, etc.

I will be listening....

Posted by Michelle in Winona | January 31, 2009 9:32 PM

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Hi Michelle,

I'm glad you're listening! Thanks for the support.

Posted by Dale Connelly | January 31, 2009 9:47 PM

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Hi Dale and Mike,

Nice show tonight. I was only able to catch the second half. I'm sorry I missed all Dean's music, he's truly one of our area's great musical resources.

I happened to notice that both you and Jasper were playing Raliroad Earth's "You Never Know" at almost the same time. Synchronicity or truly precision planning?

Posted by Paul | January 31, 2009 11:02 PM

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I don't supposed this show is archived anywhere? I would have liked to hear it, but I was out Saturday night.

Posted by Linda in St. Paul (West Side) | February 1, 2009 7:06 PM

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Hi Linda,

The archived audio from last Saturday's "Radio Heartland" show on MPR News should be posted later today (Monday).

Thanks for listening!

Posted by Mike Pengra | February 2, 2009 6:06 AM

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