Minnesota Public Radio at the 2009 State Fair

The 2009 State Fair Playlist

We asked Mark Wheat of The Current, Bill Morelock of Classical MPR, and Dale Connelly of Radio Heartland to create a playlist which conveyed a snapshot of the Minnesota State Fair.

Mark Wheat, The Current

My colleagues and I at MPR decided to celebrate the state in music! During the State Fair you can listen to a magical musical tour through tunes from some of our fave artists that invoke the State or the unique atmosphere of the Fair; Prince, Bob Dylan, and Semisonic get site specific in song and The Replacements encapsulate the craziness of the Midway!

At The Current we try to provide a soundtrack for your life wherever you are and we love to help you discover a new fave artist for yourself, and there's a few giant stuffed animals hidden in this mix! Enjoy this celebration of the State in music and seeya at The Fair!

The Pines - Heart And Bones
Haley Bonar - Big Star
Brother Ali - The Believers feat. Slug
The Orange Mighty Trio - Walz of the Traffic Patterns
Low - Just Stand Back
The Replacements - Merry Go Round
Caroline Smith and the Good Night Sleeps - Closing the Doors
Prince - Uptown
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
Semisonic - Sculpture Garden
The 757's - Mary Lucia

Dale Connelly, Radio Heartland

Hi, this is Dale Connelly from Radio Heartland, a new music service from MPR. We're online 24 hours a day at http://radioheartland.org. You can also listen on digital radio in the Twin Cities at 91.1 HD2, and Radio Heartland is available on a number of smartphones, including the iPhone.

My playlist of State Fair related songs is a very literal one. We have a wealth of tunes written specifically about the Minnesota State Fair by local musician Ann Reed. I'll start with the classic one, her first effort, written with help from MPR listeners, a tune called "The Fair."

From there the list touches on a few important aspects of the fair experience ... the grandstand sales pitch from Tom Waits, a carnival barker's spiel delivered by the Cranberry Lake Jug Band, Peter Ostroushko's jaunty ramble with a corndog. Also, Bill Crofut with a musical setting of Robert Louis Stevenson's poem "The Cow," Molly and the Heymakers with a milk bucket groove, a song from Gary Rue about how good it is to be a goat, The Bobs will nod to the chickens, Peter Mayer's "Skyblaster Man," and to finish up, a crazy spin on a Carousel from the soundtrack of "Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris."

Ann Reed - The Fair
Tom Waits - Step Right Up
The Cranberry Lake Jug Band - What the Barker Said
Peter Ostroushko - Corny Dog Ramble
Bill Crofut - The Cow
Molly and the Heymakers - Milkhouse
Gary Rue - Good to Be a Goat
The Bobs - There Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens
Peter Mayer - Skyblaster Man
Elly Stone - Carousel

Bill Morelock, Classical

To paraphrase that great lion of the Congress, Tip O'Neill, "All classical music is local."

Of course, its language is universal and majestic. But at the same time, as a music format, it's the greatest, giddiest playground there is. It connects, depending on what game you decide to play, with literature and theatre, history and cartography, food and films. It's mind-altering, a legal (so far) controlled substance. In other words, it's part of our lives whether we pay it any mind or not.

And so a list of concert music with Minnesota connections is as natural as the sunrise. Paul Schoenfield plays piano at Murray's in the late 80's. There's music for that. Philip Brunelle gives Aaron Copland a welcome bit of news. There's music for that. A Finn we all call Friend gets a local band to play Beethoven's wittiest symphony with jaw-dropping clarity and joy. Oh, yeah, there's music for that. Right here. Enjoy. It's a bare sample of what bubbles forth from Classical Minnesota Public Radio, 24/7.

Scott Jopin - The Cascades
Paul Schoenfield, piano
Pro Arte 2019

Paul Schoenfield - Café Music
Paul Schoenfield, piano; Young Nam Kim, violin; Peter Howard, cello
Innova 108

Aaron Copland - The Promise of Living from The Tender Land
The Plymouth Music Series of Minnesota (Now Vocalessence)/Philip Brunelle
Virgin 91113

Stephen Paulus - Courtship Songs: Courtship
Jane Garvin, flute; Merilee Klemp, oboe;
Mina Fisher, cello; Jill Dawe, piano
Innova 539

Domenico Scarlatti - Sonata in E, K. 531
Lydia Artymiw, piano
MPR 202

Libby Larsen: Evening in the Palace of Reason: V
Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra/Nicholas McGegan
MPR Concert Recording

Leonard Bernstein - Make Our Garden Grow from Candide
Original Cast Recording
Sony 44760

Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 8 in F: IV
Minnesota Orchestra/Osmo Vanska
Bis 1516

Trad., arr. Carol Barnett - McKay
Dale Warland Singers/Dale Warland
Gothic 49243

Aaron Copland - El Salon Mexico
London Symphony Orchestra/Aaron Copland
Sony 42429

Pretty Good
Goods

Plan to buy some MPR gear at the Lake Wobegon Store when you visit the MPR booth. Or buy your MPR gear now and wear it to the booth!