Minnesota Public Radio has a mission statement. I don't know it word for word, but there's "nourishing," there's "expanding," there's "enriching" — how does all this pertain to what The Current does in the music that we play?

I was thinking about this last week because sometimes I'll think, "What could I play that maybe for me has more substance and maybe is more enriching and just cooler?"

Now, I don't only like music and bands with substance; I like plenty of dumb stuff as well. But if you almost equate certain things in music to food, like what's healthy for you? What's junk food? Sure, we all like the fluff and the junk and the empty calories, but I started thinking about some of those substantial bands to me that maybe are worth digging into if you haven't.

One would be Terry Reid. Do you know who Terry Reid is? He was almost Robert Plant. He was the guy that was tapped to be the singer of Jimmy Page's new project, Led Zeppelin. And he said, "Erm, no, I think I'm just gonna pursue a solo career." And that's what happened to Terry Reid. He's an amazing singer, and you can actually hear him being the singer of Led Zeppelin, but he's a great singer in his own right. You should check him out.

Then I was thinking about Rufus Wainwright. He obviously comes from a hugely musical family, and there's almost a camaraderie with his mom, Kate McGarrigle, and his sister, Martha Wainwright, and his father, Loudon Wainwright.

Another one would be Eels. I know that's a band that not everyone loves, but Mark Oliver Everett's book — he's known as E from Eels — is called Things The Grandchildren Should Know, and I have purchased this book for at least five of my friends. It is so worth the read to know a little bit about this guy's backstory, and I think it would make you like the music even more.

There's a whole bunch more: Neko Case, the Libertines, Faces, Dave Edmunds, Lissie, on and on and on. I just find sometimes when you dig a little deeper into an artist, it makes their music a little more substantial.

External Links

Terry Reid - official site

Rufus Wainwright - official site

Eels - official site

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