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 19, 2004 - MPR’s Chris Julin reports on Grand Marais rap group Crew Jones. Julin interviews members Burly Burlesque (Ben Larson), Mic Trout (Sean Elmquist), and Ray Wolf (Rain Elfvin). Julin details the style and local subjects the trio develop and reflect.
November 19, 2004 - Rolling Stone Magazine has come up with a list of the 500 Greatest Songs of all time and Hibbing's own Bob Dylan is at the top of the list with his song "Like A Rolling Stone." That song was Dylan's first top ten hit in 1965. He followed it with another big seller called "Positively 4th Street."
January 5, 2005 - All Things Considered’s Tom Crann interviews one of Minnesota's most celebrated composers, Dominick Argento. In a new memoir, Argento says he has as little insight as anyone into what happens when he sits down to compose. So instead, he offers a series of reflections on his lifetime of work, the individual pieces, and teaching and learning in Minnesota. Those memories include his first impression of the state, when he was called to teach at the University of Minnesota on the first weekend of the school year in 1958.
January 14, 2005 - It is the stuff of legend among Bob Dylan devotees - an early recording of Dylan singing folk songs with friends in a Dinkytown apartment. But apparently only a few diehards have ever heard the so-called "Minnesota Party Tape." Until now. The tape has surfaced and is available for public listening. The Minnesota Historical Society has acquired the tape from Minnesotan Cleve Pettersen, who in 1960, thought it would be a good idea to record some local music acts in the Dinkytown area of Minneapolis on his new tape recorder.
January 17, 2005 - MPR’s Dan Olson interviews Minneapolis gospel singers Tonia and Cameron Hughes. After the death of husband/father David Hughes, Tonia and Cameron use singing together as a way to rebuild and provide renewed hope in life.
January 24, 2005 - Minnesota Public Radio's new radio service KCMP launched this morning January 24, 2005. Nicknamed "The Current," the station's format features an eclectic array of music, including local bands that may have received limited airplay on commercial and other Twin Cities public radio stations.
February 3, 2005 - MPR's Marianne Combs reports on "Mozart in Manhattan," a new opera premiering in St. Paul. So what if Mozart had travelled to America? Combs interviews performers and composer on their thoughts.
February 10, 2005 - Mainstreet Radio's Erin Galbally talks with Martin Zellar, one of the state's most respected rock musicians. Galbally intrviews Zeller about music, small town life, and politics.
March 15, 2005 - MPR’s Chris Roberts profiles Minnesota music veteran Barry Thomas Goldberg. Roberts interviews Goldberg about his album “American Grotesque” and his anti-war stance on the Iraq conflict.
March 25, 2005 - MPR’s Julie Siple interviews members of Minneapolis band Savage Aural Hotbed. The group discusses their “home’made” instruments, performance, and “The Rate of Mass Displacement is Momentum” show.