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City Pages’ Oral History of 89.3 The Current

A few weeks ago I was out watching football with some buddies. I was talking about my new car and how I was disappointed it didn’t have Radio Data System built in, which shows you the song name and title when listening to the radio. “Who still listens to the radio?!” he said. I replied, “I listen to The Current! We have one of the best public radio stations in the country!” A week or so later, he forwarded me the Arbitron ratings locally to debunk my statement.

As The Current celebrates its ninth birthday, City Pages has published an Oral History of The Current. Featuring former and current employees of Minnesota Public Radio and the station, they talk about the founding of the station; the highs of getting it off the ground; the lows of the rating crash a few years later and bringing in a consultant; and the success they’ve had with both the station, supporting new artists and especially their support of the local music scene. It’s a fantastic read and gives you a rare behind the scenes look at running a radio station.

And to my friend who wanted to argue with me about having one of the best radio stations in the country, the opening paragraphs back me up:

This week, 89.3 the Current celebrates the start of its 10th year, having become the model for cutting-edge radio throughout the country. Not bad for a station built from the ground up in six weeks.

Before the Current hit the airwaves in January 2005, local FM radio was a dead zone, and 89.3 was home to string orchestras. Flash forward to today, and the Current has revitalized the local music scene and been named the country’s best non-commercial radio station by industry peers for four years running.

Happy 9th birthday, 89.3!

  • in music
  • 4 min read

Favorite Albums of 2013

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With 2013 now in the books, I’d like to share some of my favorite albums of 2013. After Polica dropped their debut album digitally on December 20th, 2011, I’ve learned to wait until the year is over to share my favorite albums – don’t want to miss one!

These might not be the critic’s choices, but these are albums I like, and almost all of them I’ve bought on vinyl this year. In no particular order:

Frank Turner – Tape Deck Heart – 89.3 The Current started spinning the second track from this album, The Way I Tend to Be, just a few months ago, and I fell in love. Giving the album a listen on Rdio, and then his back catalog, I realized how many of his songs I knew, without even knowing who the artist was. This is a fantastic album with catchy hooks and amazing lyrics. The only downside is the vinyl album didn’t come with an MP3 download card.

Free Energy – Love Signs – As a child and fan of everything 80s (well, maybe except the fashion), I love the 80s style power pop of this album. It started the year out with a bang and this albums knows exactly what it is – unapologetic pure fun.

The National – Trouble Will Find Me – I’ve always liked The National – and this album, along with their previous effort, really solidified for me how good they really are.

Chvrches – The Bones of What You Believe In – This is arguably my favorite album of the year. I’m just kicking myself for not going to see them at First Avenue earlier this year. Chvrches brings back that 80s power synth sound and merges it with today’s indie movement. Fantastic debut album.

Dessa – Parts of Speech – Local singer / songwriter / poet and member of the Doomtree collective. Good songwriting combined with her and Aby Wolf’s vocals made this a great album. The lead single, Warsaw, was nothing like she’s done as a solo artist and hit me like a hammer the first time I heard it. The Current did a special with her live at the Fitzgerald Theater, Dessa Deconstructed, which combined a live interview with Dessa mixed with a live performance. It’s available on YouTube and my favorite part was where she broke down the making of Warsaw.

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Mikal Cronin – MCII – I took a gamble on this album as I’m a fan of most artists on the Merge label, and it quickly became a favorite of mine. I was quite happy to see this make a bunch of “Best of 2013” lists as it didn’t seem to have much buzz or airplay.

Superchunk – I Hate Music – When I started running again early this summer, this was my go to album. If you’re a Superchunk fan, there’s not a lot new here, but it’s a short album at 40 minutes, and fast paced with a good beat. I’ve always liked Superchunk and this album doesn’t disappoint.

Neko Case – The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You – Neko Case’s last album, Middle Cyclone, was the first vinyl album I bought when I got back into vinyl a few years ago, on clear vinyl on the second Record Store Day, no less. I’m a huge fan of the New Pornographers, of whom she is a member, and I’ve always enjoyed her solo work. It’s much more personal and raw, and this album is especially so as Ms. Case has talked about her struggles leading up to this album as she was depressed and grieving the loss of her grandmother.

Volcano Choir – Repave – Is there anything Justin Vernon of Bon Iver does that doesn’t turn into gold? The second album he was a part of in 2013 (the first being the blues rock Shouting Matches), Repave is the second release by Volcano Choir and one in which he didn’t write any of the songs, but still retains a very Bon Iver feel. There’s not a lot I can say about this that Barb Abney of 89.3 The Current hasn’t already said.

Har Mar Superstar – Bye Bye 17 – Six or seven years ago I was volunteering at MPR and they handed me a few CDs for helping out for an afternoon. One of them was of Har Mar Superstar, whom I hadn’t heard of at the time, but quickly learned to love. With the lead single, Lady, You Shot Me, Sean Tillman aka Har Mar Superstar takes us back to the old soul sound and it works.

Caroline Smith – Half About Being a Woman – Another local Minnesota artist, Ms. Smith ran a successful Kickstarter campaign for her latest album of which I participated in. When the vinyl reward ran late ran late, she sent all of her vinyl backers a copy of the CD, which was a great touch as we had already received access to the MP3 download. Like Har Mar Superstar above, her album is a tribute to the classic Motown soul sound and after a few listens, you will forget that it came out in 2013.

Janelle Monae – The Electric Lady – this soulful, funky concept album has received rave reviews and not enough airplay. This is unlike most music out there and if you haven’t listened to it yet, go do it now.  It will make you dance.

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  • 1 min read

Best of Bootie 2013 Released!

Best of Bootie 2013 is out! And just in time for Christmas, too!

Featuring 22 of the year’s best mashups from some of the best DJs currently in the business, Best of Bootie 2013 is available as one big MP3 file or 22 tracks in one convenient zip file. Curated by A Plus D, aka DJs Adrian & Mysterious D, founders of Bootie, they didn’t just stop with their 22 favorite mashups – there are also 10 bonus mashups available for download, too.

I’ve been listening to the Best of Bootie albums since 2005 – it’s my go to music for running and working out and pretty much the only introduction I get to pop music these days. Give it a spin at the Soundcloud link above or download it now – you’ll love it. (Don’t wait either – songs have disappeared due to takedown notices. Get it while it’s hot!)

Amazon’s Frustration Free Packaging

Amazon's Frustration Free Packaging

“Certified” to be frustration free. Especially when they tape over the easy open pull tab when you’re trying to get to your new shiny vinyl record.

(It’s Volcano Choir’s first album, Unmap, if you were curious.)

August Vinyl

Summer is the slow time for new music releases and August saw a number of great new releases, with even more coming later this fall.

Here’s some of the new releases I picked up on vinyl in August:

  • Superchunk – I Hate Music:  The alt rockers have been around since 1989(!) and I Hate Music is their tenth album.  The album is short and sweet, clocking in at just over 37 minutes.  If you’re a fan of Superchunk there isn’t anything new here, and that’s a good thing.  (I also picked up the Divine Fits 12″ at the same time featured in the picture below).
  • Volcano Choir – Repave: Justin Vernon of Bon Iver joins up with Wisconsin’s Collection of a Colony of Bees for their second album.  Mr. Vernon says he didn’t write any of the music – the one chord he wrote the band didn’t use.  But to me, this could easily be a 3rd Bon Iver album.  Barb Abney of The Current wrote a fantastic review a couple weeks back when it was The Current’s Album of the Week.  Highly recommended.
  • Neko Case – The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, The More I Love You:  Neko Case released her 6th solo album and it’s fantastic.  The alt-country darling follows up 2009’s Middle Cyclone with an album that works through her recent depression after recently losing her grandmother and both parents – and it works.  The pacing of the album is fantastic and she clearly opens her soul and bares it all.  The vinyl release is stunning – both the artwork and Side D of the vinyl release, which doesn’t have any music, features a stunning etching that covers the album.  Middle Cyclone was the first new vinyl album I bought on Record Store Day 2010 in clear vinyl and holds a special place in my heart.

August Vinyl

  1. Superchunk – I Hate Music, 2. Volcano Choir – Repave, 3. Volcano Choir – Repave, 4. Now Now – Threads, 5. Superchunk – I Hate Music, 6. Superchunk – I Hate Music, 7. Superchunk – I Hate Music, 8. Neko Case – The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, The More I Love You, 9. Neko Case – The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, The More I Love You

Chvrches – The Bones of What You Believe In

One of the albums I’ve been looking forward to the most this year is finally out today.  The Bones of What You Believe In by the Glasgow band Chvrches has had singles released all summer long and the wait has been killing me.  I’m only half way through my first listen on Rdio and it’s everything I wanted and more.

UPS will be delivering my vinyl copy later today and I can’t wait to give it a spin.

Chvrches recently played First Avenue here in Minneapolis.  City Pages’ Gimme Noise blog did an interview and recapped the concert (complete with a Prince cover!)- those who were there swear it will be the last time you’ll be able to see the band in such in intimate setting as they are going to break big.

 

[https://rd.io/i/QAAKPnfubg/]

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  • 1 min read

Pearl Jam – Mind Your Manners

Pearl Jam is back with a new single from their upcoming 10th release, Lightning Bolt.

Check out “Mind Your Manners” – a punk inspired, hard rocker. Can’t wait!

 

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Kicking off a week about Kickstarter (and how I became a loyal Polyvinyl Records customer)

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You can’t turn around these days without hearing about Kickstarter. From movies, music, books or technology products, it seems everyone is using Kickstarter to raise funds to start a project. Over the course of the next week, I’ll be blogging about some of the projects I’ve backed, reviews, and thoughts about how Kickstarter may be used in the future.

What is Kickstarter? From their frequently asked questions:

_Kickstarter is a funding platform for creative projects. Everything from films, games, and music to art, design, and technology. Kickstarter is full of ambitious, innovative, and imaginative projects that are brought to life through the direct support of others.

Since our launch on April 28, 2009, over $500 million has been pledged by more than 3 million people, funding more than 35,000 creative projects.

I first heard about Kickstarter in 2009 when Polyvinyl, a small music label out of Champaign, Illinois, started a Kickstarter to save some records:

Polyvinyl needs your help! Some of our distributor’s warehouses around the world are being downsized or consolidated and we either need to destroy over 10,000 records or face some high storage costs.

Destroying the records is not an option (it’s too wasteful and besides, these are great records, they’re just overstocked)! Storing the records at our warehouse is not an option (we cannot afford the storage costs). So to keep them from destruction, we’re hoping to have all the records shipped back to our office.

I had heard of a few Polyvinyl artists from listening to The Current, most notably of Montreal, and supporting their Kickstarter seemed like a great way to support them and to be introduced to some new artists.

The Kickstarter worked great. I received my CDs after the Kickstarter closed, but more importantly, I became a loyal Polyvinyl customer.

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I would go on to buy vinyl from Polyvinyl fairly frequently, buying artists I had heard on the radio (of Montreal, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin) to taking chances on new artists or artists I hadn’t heard of (Deerhoof, Stagnant Pools, Japandroids) because I knew Polyvinyl was a quality label and did a good job of curating artists. The best part? Polyvinyl always throws something extra in to each order. They’re famous for including a piece of Airheads candy with each order and always throw in an extra CD to introduce you to another artist on their label. Their vinyl records are high quality 180g releases, the album art and posters are printed on high quality stock, and they also usually have extras you can order, from buttons to t-shirts and more.

This is just one way using Kickstarter can introduce you to a new brand or company and hopefully I’m not the only person who became a loyal customer because of their Kickstarter.

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  • 1 min read

Record Store Day 2013 is fast approaching

We are only 49 days away from Record Store Day 2013, to be held on April 19th.

Support your local record store and get some cool, limited edition releases. The official records to be released isn’t out yet, but some sites are up with the leaked lists. Other than the Mad Season re-release, I haven’t seen a lot that I’m personally interested, but there are enough records coming out to make everyone happy.

Want to learn more? Watch Jack White, this year’s Record Store Day Ambassador, to learn more.

JACK WHITE: RECORD STORE DAY 2013 AMBASSADOR from Record Store Day on Vimeo.