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Hear the Minnesota All-Stars play 'This Land Is Your Land'

November 08, 2016

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Left to Right: Jeremy Messersmith, Chastity Brown, PaviElle, Cameron Kinghorn and Chris Koza provide vocals in the Minnesota All-Stars' cover of Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" in the Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser studio at Minnesota Public Radio.Nate Ryan | MPR

On Friday, Oct. 28, we gathered together a bunch of great local musicians for a special project (which we'll talk about in a few weeks), and — in what is a remarkable rarity for a studio session — we ended up with some time to spare.

Earlier in the session, The Current's Program Director Jim McGuinn had heard one of the players riffing on the Woody Guthrie song, "This Land Is Your Land." The idea soon spread among the group to record a cover of the song, and we dubbed the band "The Minnesota All-Stars."

The cover aired on Oake & Riley in the Morning on Tuesday, Nov. 8, Election Day. "It's very appropriate," Brian Oake says. "The thing I like to remember on Election Day is we're not going there to hire leaders, we're going there to hire representatives. This is our country."

Personnel

Erik Berry (Trampled by Turtles), mandolin
Chastity Brown, vocals
PaviElle, vocals
DeVon Gray (Heiruspecs), piano
John Hermanson (Storyhill, Alva Star, Hopefuls), acoustic guitar
Grady Keneven (Jeremy Messersmith), percussion
Cameron Kinghorn (Black Market Brass, Nooky Jones), vocals
Chris Koza, vocals
Eamonn McLain (Trampled by Turtles), cello
Jim McGuinn, electric guitar
Jeremy Messersmith, vocals
John Munson, bass
Zach Scanlan, violin
Davu Seru, drums
Andy Thompson (Jeremy Messersmith), arranger

Resources

The Woody Guthrie Center

Gallery

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John Munson, Minnesota All-Stars — John Munson plays bass with the Minnesota All-Stars in a cover of Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" in the Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser studio at Minnesota Public Radio.
Nate Ryan | MPR

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Minnesota All-Stars, 'This Land Is Your Land' — Left to right: John Hermanson, Erik Berry, Zach Scanlan and Eamonn McLain of the Minnesota All-Stars perform a cover of Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" in the Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser studio at Minnesota Public Radio.
Nate Ryan | MPR

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DeVon Gray of the Minnesota All-Stars performing a cover of Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" in the Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser studio at Minnesota Public Radio.
Nate Ryan | MPR