Midwest Music Exchange: Exploring the Sounds of Manitoba & Minnesota
May 25, 2021

Join The Current, Manitoba Music, and UMFM for the annual Midwest Music Exchange premiering at noon each day on May 25 - 27. Three acts from Manitoba will pair up with three acts from Minnesota for streamed performances, and interviews with Winnipeg's UMFM and The Current to explore their connection and craft. Watch the full performances and interviews each day below.
David Huckfelt When the world's on fire and the seeds of division are sown throughout the land, music and ceremony have always held a sacred space for healing and renewal. Room Enough, Time Enough, only the second full-length solo record from singer-lyricist & folk activist David Huckfelt of The Pines, is a record about restoring balance: space and attention, peace and equality, redeeming the marginalized, and remembering the forgotten. It's a new expression of the ancient ritual and power of songs to weave a web of resilience and protection over our land, our loves, and our resistance, from a songwriter whose new solo endeavor is a present-moment plea for connection and compassion.
Diaphanie Diaphanie means "the art of recreating stained glass on translucent paper". The name suits, as the grounding feature of this collaborative project is songwriter Heather Thomas's voice- a rich, fluid, ethereal tone that floats effortlessly from intimate to effusive. Thomas' voice is a perfect complement to the straightforward storytelling and intricate folk guitar that round out Diaphanie's sound. There is a delicacy to the interplay between voice and guitar that both hearkens back to earlier times, and at the same moment feels modern and fresh. Despite being conceived at the height of the pandemic, Diaphane reaches beyond its origins to brighter days and open hearts, always seeking Something Better.
Warming Warming began in 2014 with the release of Allard's self-titled EP Days Leave. After a drastic life change causing Allard to leave his job and house, he wrote and recorded the first full-length album under the moniker Warming. A lush, driving mix of pop, twisted synth noises and haunting arrangements. Described as "...songs that are immediate and catchy, fresh and revealing, distinct in sound and tone." By Stylus Magazine and "One of the best new bands in Canada right now" by Gigwise Magazine. Following the release in 2019 Warming has toured Canada, The UK/Europe and Asia in support of the debut album.
Keep For Cheap Keep for Cheap is a folk/indie/prairie-rock band based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, characterized by harmonious vocals and twangy, flower-powery instrumentals. The group is comprised of five spirited and ambitious musicians: Autumn Vagle (she/her), Kate Malanaphy (she/they), Robert Northrup (he/him), Lydia Williams (she/they), and Ted Tiedemann (they/he). Although they are most passionate about making meaningful music that audiences can connect with, they also value authenticity, expression, acceptance, and most importantly having fun! Expect exciting new releases from this group soon.
King Brown There's nothing subtle about Sweet Action, the newest release from Twin Cities and New Orleans-based guitar/drum duo King Brown. Though their instrumentation and Midwestern roots immediately invite the comparison to similar rock duos, King Brown makes as much noise as five people with only two by turning their amps up louder, hitting their drums harder, and making the most kick-ass moments of any White Stripes or Black Keys King Brown is here to wake you up.
Super Duty Tough Work Golden-era taste, current-era based. Inspired by the dirty jazz loop sound of 90s east coast hip hop, Super Duty Tough Work are the live incarnation of hip hop culture's quintessential era. Revered for their methodically curated sets, SDTW mixes laid-back with high-energy, for a satisfaction-guaranteed journey through past, present and future of rap culture. SDTW excels on stage and on record, as they bring a fresh take on tradition in a movement where loops are slayed and jewels are the tools of the trade.
