Prince: The Story of 1999 bonus feature: Dez Dickerson: 'Put an explosion over it' December 5, 2019 Prince's first guitarist, Dez Dickerson, talks with The Current's Andrea Swensson, taking us back to the early days, into the recording studio, and from the smallest clubs to the biggest stages. 'From the very beginning,' Dickerson says, 'Prince had a clear idea of what he wanted, how he wanted it, how he wanted us to coalesce as a band, what he wanted to say, and what message that would send.'
Prince: The Story of 1999 bonus feature: The sound of Prince and Peggy McCreary November 27, 2019 Author Duane Tudahl has said, 'The sound of '1999' is the sound of Prince and Peggy McCreary.' An audio engineer at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, McCreary worked extensively with Prince not only on '1999,' but also on 'Purple Rain' and 'Parade,' plus some of Prince's other projects with the Time and Vanity 6. Andrea Swensson connected with McCreary for a fascinating conversation.
Interview: FKA twigs describes the making of 'Magdalene,' her musical decision-making, and when she met Prince in 2015 November 23, 2019 In St. Paul for a show at the Palace Theatre, FKA twigs stopped by The Current studio to talk with Sean McPherson about some of her artistic decision-making on Magdalene, and the magic surrounding the time she performed at Paisley Park.
(Sandy) Alex G: 'I don't feel like a brand yet, I still feel like a person' November 8, 2019 On 'House of Sugar,' the lo-fi pop musician's third full-length release on Domino, his often warped voice swarms and lingers over warm walls of stringed instruments and looped synths. The album's themes are murky: memory runs backwards, sugar is spooned, and answers are buried with sand.
'Sound the Bells': where Dessa and the Minnesota Orchestra meet November 7, 2019 The live hip-hop album features a selection of Dessa's hip hop work with a group of vocalists and the full Minnesota Orchestra behind her. This years-long collaboration and cross-genre learning results in 'Sound the Bells' and some interesting marketing challenges.
Rex Orange County doesn't care what you call him (anymore) November 6, 2019 Alexander O'Connor, aka Rex Orange County, shares insights into his career thus far. 'You are something and you make a choice in your life, like, 'This is going to be great' -- and then it happens, and you're kind of like, 'This is more stressful than I imagined.'
Angel Olsen and John Congleton on how they made 'All Mirrors' November 6, 2019 Angel Olsen has reimagined her sound. On this edition of All Songs Considered, she and her co-producer, John Congleton reveal how they did it, with the help of a 14-piece string section.
Years after her parents' murder-suicide, musician Allison Moorer finds healing November 4, 2019 More than three decades after the death of her parents, Moorer has a new memoir and companion album, both called 'Blood,' about her abusive father and the emotional scars of being orphaned at 14.
Marika Hackman on finding 'Any Human Friend' (plus the piglet on the album cover) November 4, 2019 Marika Hackman is the type of musician fueled by contradictions. On her third studio album, August's 'Any Human Friend,' she embraces them as they exist within herself, her relationships, and culturally with shimmering indie-pop songs that depart from her folksier, atmospheric roots.
Max Weinberg talks with Jill Riley ahead of Red Wing show October 31, 2019 Drummer and TV personality Max Weinberg will be at Red Wing's Sheldon Theatre for an eclectic show appropriately titled 'Max Weinberg's Jukebox,' as it is centered on the concept of the old-fashioned music-playing coin machine.