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Words from the thankful folks at The Current

November 25, 2015

The Current staff share what they're thankful for
The Current's staff share what they're thankful for in 2015 (staff Thanksgiving meal scene simulated)
iStock via NPR

It's Thanksgiving week, and as we look back on 2015, staff members at The Current share what they're thankful for this year. Check out our list, and feel free to add your own musings in the Comments section about what tops your gratitude list.

Bill DeVille


I'm just thankful to be alive and healthy and happy and to have a family and friends that I love. I'm grateful to be living the dream with my job at The Current!

Jay Gabler


Musically, this year I'm thankful for the convergence of indie and pop: the new albums by Grimes and Carly Rae Jepsen, for example, are two of my favorites of the year. It's exciting to see how artists who've grown quirky followings on Tumblr can suddenly leap to the pop charts, and how mainstream stars can stay interesting by working with adventurous producers who are more interested in finding the right sound than in fitting any given mold.

Personally, I'm thankful to have a job that turns every day into a little party. When you work at a radio station, every day you come in to work and ask, "What are we getting excited about today?" As we settle in for a long winter, I'm glad to know that there will be something new to celebrate — whether an amazing new single, The Current's birthday shows, or just a really great video about Patti LaBelle's pies — every time I come in to work.

Mark Wheat


I'm grateful that I get to work at a station supported by members who not only like to explore new music but join us in celebrating some of my musical heroes, like Ian McLagan when he passed last December; and those of others, like the session I just did with Maryan Mursal, "The Mother of Somalia." I'm also proud that this year we continued to generate new programming with shows from Dave King and Shannon Blowtorch and podcasts like the excellent OK Show from Local Show host and producer Andrea Swensson.

Sean McPherson


It has been a banner year to be thankful. Every year comes with its own stresses, both personal and community-wide. I am thankful for the people in my life and my community who have kept the greater good and progress in mind. I am thankful to have a roof over my head, and for that roof to be located in St. Paul, my favorite place on earth. I am so thankful to have an amazing partner in my wife to share that home with. I am also thankful for great writers, thinkers and leaders who are pushing ahead in the face of insurmountable odds to make this world better. I am convinced that the Ta-Nehisi Coates book, Between the World and Me, will be essential reading for generations to come, and I'm glad to have something so meaningful to share with my gift list this holiday season. Thanks for writing that book Mr. Coates. I am also thankful to my colleague, Jill Riley, and her family. She has been my closest working partner in my career at The Current, and I am so thankful that she has a new baby to celebrate this holiday season.

Mary Lucia


This year I'm especially thankful for kindness in all forms.

Throw books, documentaries, Gigi's Café, the unwavering companionship of my four-legged best pals, rock and roll, and smart, funny, compassionate friends on the pile for which I am thankful.

Andrea Swensson


I'm feeling mighty thankful for the healing power of music. This year has been a trying one for me in many ways, but I keep thinking about these incredible moments — like getting punched in the gut by Babes in Toyland for the first time, high up in the desert mountains of California, or listening to José González sing "Let the light lead you out" to a hushed Cedar Cultural Center audience with a knot in my throat — that helped to cut through the darkness and din and keep my heart full and on fire. It's a big reason why I wanted to launch my new interview podcast, The O.K. Show, and start talking to artists about the struggles they face, and I am so grateful to everyone who has come forward to share a story and connect to other humans through music. It's been a beautiful thing to watch unfold.

Jake Rudh


Whether it's world news, local news, politics, etc … 2015 has been a trying year for many. I'm thankful for the people who — despite the darkness, destruction and confusion that mounts daily — continue to see the good in people.

I also wouldn't be a good pops if I didn't say how fortunate and thankful I am to be a new father to a happy, healthy, Cure and Cocteau Twins-lovin' baby girl.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Anna Weggel


I am thankful for a new job, helping put together a daily show at my favorite radio station. Throughout my whole adult career, The Current has been the soundtrack to my workday, and now it officially is my workday. Does a human person get more lucky than that?

Jim McGuinn


Over the past year, I've found it helpful to stop now and then and take a minute to think about all I have to be grateful for in my life — my health, wife, son, cats, house, parents, friends, bandmates, hockey buddies — and the team at The Current. We've had more than our usual share of arrivals and departures, journeys and detours this year at The Current, and through it all we've grown closer — and in our 10th anniversary year, we've worked to maintain the level of awesome our community has come to expect from us. Part of me can't wait for 2016 to arrive, but I also know that the sweetness I think we're going to have next year has only been possible because of what's happened this year. I want to thank everyone that's a part of The Current — the staff, the musicians, and everyone that clicks or listens — we are all stronger together, and together we are a family of music lovers making a difference in each other's lives, and for that I am forever grateful.

Leah Garaas


When it comes to music in 2015, I'm thankful for:

• Debuting Upstream, my new Web feature on rad, up-and-coming acts that I'm excited about.

• Filming Laura Marling, a quiet but commanding and wise soul, when she performed in The Current studio.

• Seeing Babes in Toyland perform for the first time at the Roxy in Los Angeles, the first scheduled gig after announcing their Fontanelle-era reunion in 2015.

• Hearing an ultra-slowed down version of "Dimed Out" when Titus Andronicus performed in studio and bared all in a compelling and relatable interview.

• Reading Jessica Hopper's heart-wrenching feature on Björk, The Invisible Woman, and all the work she did on Twitter to expose sexism in the music industry.

• Starting summer by singing along to Modest Mouse (my all-time favorite band forever and ever) at Rock the Garden while I swayed side to side with Woody Harrelson.

WOO!

Luke Taylor


I'm grateful for being alive and healthy, and for family members and friends old and new. I'm thankful to work at a place that touches people's lives in a positive way. And I think we're all thankful for music: it inspires us, echoes our emotions, lifts us up and says things words can't. Happy Thanksgiving!