Thurston Moore is an indie-rock icon who founded and continues to play in the legendary Sonic Youth, and has also dabbled in solo work, racked up an impressive list of collaborations in the experimental classical and noise scenes, founded a record label and still found time to raise a family with Sonic Youth bassist Kim Gordon. His most recent solo album, Demolished Thoughts, was released this spring on Matador Records.

89.3 The Current was thrilled to welcome Thurston Moore to MPR's UBS Forum for a special solo session. Backed by a band featuring such unlikely choices of instrumentation as a harp and a violin, Moore demonstrates the breadth and depth of his solo work, which stands in stark contrast to Sonic Youth's noisy experimentalism and steely New York cool. Spanning from the lovely "Benediction" and "Never Day" (a plaintive and wistful tune from 2007's Trees Outside the Academy) to the dissonant swirl of sound that frames the awesome "Mina Loy," his set showcases his compositional genius and his deft, casual lyricism.

Moore also chats with Mary Lucia about his musical beginnings, Sonic Youth, his current work and much more. If you've ever wanted to know about Thurston's baptismal teenage KISS concert experience, his transition from electric to acoustic guitar or what instruments he would use to score a horror movie, here's your chance.

Songs played: "Benediction," "Never Day" and "Mina Loy."