Between showing support for unionized workers at a rally at the University of Minnesota and playing a gig at The Cedar in Minneapolis, British singer-songwriter-activist Billy Bragg stopped in to The Current's studios for a Theft of the Dial.

He spoke to The Current's Jill Riley about the Americana Music Festival he recently attended in Nashville, Tenn. He also described skiffle (as he's done in The Guardian) and how it shaped the British Invasion of the 1960s.

And while he acknowledged the great music that has come before, he talked about how he continues to be inspired by the great music that's being made by today's younger artists.

As he sings in his song, "I Don't Need This Pressure, Ron", Bragg proves time and again his career and his life are about so much more "than spotlight and applause." This Theft of the Dial session provides even more irrefutable evidence of that.

Playlist

Valerie June - "Working Woman's Blues"
Ry Cooder - "Do Re Mi"
The Animals - "House of the Rising Sun"
The Milk Carton Kids - "The Ash and the Clay"
The Clash - "Jimmy Jazz"

Videos

Valerie June - "Working Woman's Blues"

Ry Cooder - "Do Re Mi"

The Animals - "House of the Rising Sun"

The Milk Carton Kids - "The Ash and the Clay"

The Clash - "Jimmy Jazz"