Minnesota has claim to a wealth of creativity; music is no exception. Almost every genre can be heard within our state’s borders. The results range from a simple act of joy, to an influence that reverberates far beyond (the “Minneapolis Sound” is a prime example). The collection below is an introduction to the diverse and talented artists who have called Minnesota home, and the art they share with all of us.
November 21, 2003 - An interview Jim Walsh, music critic for City Pages, about Prince’s career and selection as one of the 2004 inductees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
November 27, 2003 - MPR’s Chris Roberts reports on Twin Cities band Halloween, Alaska. The band consists of members of three prominent Twin Cities musical groups - Happy Apple, 12 Rods, and Love Cars. The musicians are taking a break from their noisier roles as rock and jazz musicians to create quiet, mood pop, with a heavy nod to one of its favorite musical eras - the 1980s.
December 10, 2003 - MPR’s Chris Julin presents a Mainstreet Radio report on the Greenberg family, who bring holiday music to the Duluth area.
December 11, 2003 - For the most part folk music is happy wholesome stuff. But there is a dark edge to some of it, and that's where a new local band Folk Underground comes in. MPR’s Euan Kerr talks with the trio about their first album release "Buried Things." It features a mixture of traditional music and the band's own material which displays members describe as 'happily morbid.'
December 23, 2003 - MPR’s Chris Roberts interviews musician Odell Brown, who has also struggled all his life with depression. The Richfield resident has created a Christmas CD as a way to work through that depression.
February 6, 2004 - MPR Classical Music host Tom Crann talks with Dale Warland about the song "Walden Revisited" from the CD "Walden Pond" by the Dale Warland Singers being nominated for a Grammy in the Best Choral Performance category.
February 10, 2004 - Mainstreet Radio's Stephanie Hemphill profiles Ryan Rapsys, a young composer who has turned Duluth-Superior harbor sounds into music. While most people who visit Duluth spend some time sight-seeing on the waterfront, for Rapsys, sounds of the harbor can be just as inspiring as the sights.
February 24, 2004 - MPR’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Kevin Odegard, a Minneapolis musician involved in the South Minneapolis re-recording session of Bob Dylan’s “Blood on the Tracks” album. Odegard discusses the experience and book on the subject, titled “A Simple Twist of Fate.” Segment includes music clips.
March 15, 2004 - MPR’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Bill Banfield, St. Thomas music professor, about the induction of Prince Rogers Nelson into the Rock Hall of Fame. Banfield breaks down many of the elements that make Prince a musical genius in the composition and performance.
March 24, 2004 - MPR’s Chris Roberts interviews Honeydogs founder and songwriter Adam Levy about bands’ CD “10,000 Years," a concept album which tells a futuristic story while examining society's ills. Levy says the main inspiration came from his day job. He's a social worker in St. Paul.