Listen: Gov. Walz and more celebrate The Current's 20th anniversary
January 24, 2025
On Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, several Minnesota leaders spoke with The Current to celebrate the station’s 20th anniversary. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar, and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter shared their thoughts about the station and its role in the community.
The day began with a visit from Gov. Tim Walz, who joined The Current’s Morning Show to talk about his connections to The Current and local music. Gov. Walz also made a proclamation declaring January 24, 2025, 89.3 The Current Day in Minnesota.
Interview Transcript
Jill Riley: January 24 of the year 2005 is when The Current hit the airwaves, when a new radio station was born, and it doesn't happen every day, and it doesn't happen every day that a milestone is reached with listener support: The Current's 20th anniversary today, and we've got some more celebrating to do. We're celebrating you and your support throughout the day. We've got special guests and surprises throughout the day, and a guest in the studio right now, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is here. Welcome to The Current Morning Show.
Tim Walz: Well, thank you for having me. It's exciting to be in studio to put faces to voices. And congratulations.
Jill Riley: Yeah, thank you very much. Thank you very much. You know, The Current launched 20 years ago. And I wonder, Governor Walz, if you could talk about, from your perspective as a Minnesotan, The Current and the impact of the arts and culture and local music scene in Minnesota?
Tim Walz: Yeah, and it goes back to that Minnesota humbleness — we don't like to brag, but we'll figure out a way to humble brag it — and you're part of that. Look, it's legendary. You know, we of course have the Ordway and folks maybe know the visual arts, but the music scene here is legendary. But the deeper dive that you've done of introducing the world to independent artists, folks who might not get played [on radio], and having it very — it's interesting to me now, of course, with streaming, friends of mine across the country listen to The Current like it's their local station, you know? And then on that one I get a little puffed up: "Well, it's our station. We're glad you can listen to it." I find it interesting for me, at my age, it was more my daughter that introduced it to me. She's a 24-year-old now, and she's like, "Dad, I love your classic rock stuff, but, you know, we can only listen to Bob Seeger's 'Roll Me Away' so many times."
Jill Riley: “Let's freshen things up!” Right!
Tim Walz: They started that, and, her being little, I remember this. You know, the kids pick up on music and stuff like that. It was MPR News or whatever, back and forth to daycare, all that. But then it was music, and they quickly moved out of the jingle music, and they wanted to hear [The Current]. So over those years of our kids growing up wanting to hear it.
Jill Riley: Yeah, and I think that's a really relatable story with a lot of folks in Minnesota who grew up with public radio: a new generation growing up with The Current, and a generation of musicians and bands that have had a place to call home for their music. Governor Walz, I wonder if you could talk maybe specifically about a Minnesota music memory, or even a music memory as related to The Current?
Tim Walz: Yeah, well, and again, I said it's so interesting with your kids to have them listen through these things, listen to what they want. And I said that the connection that when I meet people elsewhere — and this happened in Congress — I was seated next to, in one of our committees, a gentleman from Texas, Beto O'Rourke, who, he wasn't really interested in me. He wanted to know if I'd met anybody from the Replacements or Hüsker Dü, because he's a punker, and a big one! Younger than me, or whatever, and asked about this and the ties. And even then, him knowing about where they got started, understood First Avenue, the connection to The Current. And I think for me, that was so interesting. And I'm mentioning on my 60th birthday, he sent me the remastered edition of [the Replacements’ album] Tim for me, and so it's connected together. And not just the Replacements, but others. The connection that runs through here makes a big difference.
Jill Riley: You are listening to The Current. Today is the 20th anniversary of this radio station powered by listener support, and we're throwing a party on the air today. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is here, and I want to talk some more music, because I remember during the VP run, the New York Times had run an article about your music taste, and I read names like we talked about, the Replacements, but also Hüsker Dü, which, you know, Bob Mould was like, "Oh! I didn't know he was a fan of Hüsker Dü!" But I know that you enjoy going to the local record store as well, that you probably stop in the [Minneapolis record store Electric] Fetus every now and then.
Tim Walz: We do, and I think they would say that they know me over there. Yeah. That VP run I referred to as my Eras Tour, by the way, those 90 days that we were out there. And I think for me, you know, I grew up in that, I think it's probably some of that heartland rock. You know, I make no bones about it, I was a big Springsteen fan and things. But what was really cool in that time is I got to meet some of these people. And I was mentioning, we did a little event where, in someone's living room, Mumford and Sons played a short concert. And I was just saying, sometimes you don't want to — they tell you not to meet your heroes, whatever. What decent people!
Jill Riley: They are, they are, and we have a long history with them on The Current.
Tim Walz: They were fantastic. And then I think probably the most magical night, my daughter was with me, we were up in Michigan, at the University of Michigan, and it was night, and it was beautiful, and there was about 20,000 people outside, and the trees were lit up. It was just a fall night, and Maggie Rogers played.
Nilufer Arsala: Oh, wow.
Tim Walz: And I had heard her before, but for my daughter, she was crying because she got to meet her. And again, just that connection, and in the event she talked about Minnesota, talked about the Minnesota music scene, talked about getting started and everything. So that was really neat.
Jill Riley: That's great. That's great. Governor Tim Walz with The Current's Morning Show this morning. Now I understand that you have a proclamation to share with The Current audience.
Tim Walz: I do. It's the best part of my job. Rather than catching a wrath of hell, which is most of my job, I get to issue proclamations.
Jill Riley: Yeah, you're on the music station this morning.
Tim Walz: Can I do a little bit of it on here?
Jill Riley: Please do. I would love that.
Tim Walz: This is an official state proclamation. Goes into the record. “State of Minnesota proclamation. Whereas: The Current began broadcasting in 2005 as a member-supported radio station based in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. Since 2005 The Current has grown into a far-reaching community with members and listeners around the world. From new to nostalgic, local to legendary, indie to influential, The Current amplifies independent local artists while promoting music discovery and building community. The Current has welcomed hundreds of memorable guests into [its] studios, from Adele, Mumford and Sons, Maggie Rogers, Brandi Carlile, others. On January 24, 2025, The Current is now celebrating 20 years of lifting up independent local artists, discovering emerging talent, using the power of music to bring people together. On this momentous occasion, Minnesota applauds The Current for 20 years of music, joins in celebrating the far-reaching impact that continues to bring listeners together while shaping our state's great, diverse music scene. Now therefore, I, Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota, do hereby proclaim Friday, January 24, 2025, 89.3 The Current Day across the state of Minnesota.” Congratulations.
Jill Riley: Thank you very much.
Nilufer Arsala: I got chills. That was so amazing.
Jill Riley: Governor Tim Walz. Minnesota. Governor Tim Walz on The Current's Morning Show, joining the celebration, the 20th anniversary of The Current on this Friday morning. I like to start a Friday with a good party, and we're going to continue that party throughout the day. And coming up at nine o'clock, we are going to dive in to a throwback. We're going to re-create the first two hours of The Current when The Current launched on January 24, 2005, and there will be some moments of perhaps some songs that will bring back some memories, and we're sharing listener memories throughout the day as well. So we're really looking forward to just a great day of celebration. Governor Tim Walz, thank you so much for joining in on that celebration and coming by this morning.
Tim Walz: Thank you for making Minnesota even better every day. Appreciate it.
Jill Riley: Yes! So we talked a little bit about the Replacements, and then you had mentioned the album, Tim. And there are a lot of great songs from that one, and in fact, we're going to be playing one of the songs from Tim during our first day of The Current playlist re-creation this morning. But it's almost hard to pick one to go out with here.
Tim Walz: Yeah, and we we can play "Bastards ... " yeah?
Jill Riley: Well, do you want to?
Tim Walz: Yeah, let's do that. Can I say that on radio? Did they just ... ?
Jill Riley: You can! You absolutely can.
Nilufer Arsala: The boss over there gave a thumbs up. So I think that's a yes.
Jill Riley: Well, I don't know if I can say no. No, there are a lot of great ones. I mean, there's "Left of the Dial," which is a great song for a station like this: 89.3, we are left of the dial. You know, there are great songs like "Waitress in the Sky" and "Kiss Me on the Bus. But "Bastards of Young," as chosen by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz this morning. Thank you again, Governor.
Tim Walz: Yeah, thank you.
Jill Riley: You're listening to The Current.
The morning continued with a replay of the station’s music from its first two broadcast hours in 2005.
Later on, U.S. Senator Tina Smith joined The Current’s Zach McCormick by phone to talk about when she first started listening to The Current, and to the many artists she discovered through the station.
Interview Transcript
Zach McCormick: I am joined today on The Current's 20th anniversary where we are celebrating 20 years being on air, online, and in the community. We've had a bunch of honored guests today on the air, including our current guest, U.S. Senator Tina Smith, thank you so much for your time. Thanks for joining us.
Senator Tina Smith: Thanks, Zach. I'm really excited to help The Current to celebrate this big birthday,
Zach McCormick: Senator, I was wondering, are there any memories of the impact of The Current that you've been able to see in your positions over the years that you've held in local government, or just as a, you know, fan of the Minnesota arts and music scene, what kind of impact has The Current had that you've been able to see?
Senator Tina Smith: Yeah, well, so I remember very vividly when The Current first started broadcasting back in what was it? 2005. I was just starting to work for the mayor of Minneapolis at the time, R.T. Rybak, and R.T. was an immediate big, huge fan of The Current. So we paid a lot of attention to what you all were doing. And I mean, I always listened to MPR, the news station, and I listened to the classical station, and then The Current comes on. We were like, "What? This doesn't sound like Public Radio. This sounds like something really new and fresh and different and fun." And what I love about The Current is that it was a way of getting introduced to artists, either local artists or national acts that you wouldn't have known, I wouldn't have known of before. I mean, I'm positive that the first time I ever heard of Lizzo was The Current. I know I became a huge Dessa fan, and I know it was The Current. I know it was The Current that introduced me to Bon Iver initially. I'm like, you can tell I'm old. I'm 66 so I'm not, I'm not as up to date as as I as I once was, but that's what I that's what I love about it.
Zach McCormick: Thank you so much. You did a great job sharing your favorite artists there already. I was wondering, did you ever make it to any of the Current's events? Are there any other you know shows that you made it to from an artist that you first listened to here on The Current and then you were able to go maybe catch that artist live at First Avenue, or somewhere around the music community. Are there any other big memories of The Current that you'd love to share on our 20th anniversary here?
Senator Tina Smith: I can't remember anything specifically, but I know that what I loved about it was The Current telling people, like where things were happening, what was going on, and not just sort of being a radio station, but also being a community hub. Being a place to really connect people into what was happening in the community, you know, whether it was Rock the Garden or whatever the event might be. So you could be introduced to new things, not just in the music scene, but in the art scene more broadly. If there was a gallery opening or something going on at one of the museums, you could learn about it at at The Current too. And of course, I used to listen to The Current during drive time all the time when I was driving back and forth between Minneapolis and St Paul. So it was sort of my daily companion when I was going over to work at the Capitol.
Zach McCormick: Well, thank you so much for making us part of your commute. Thank you so much for being part of our 20th anniversary. U.S. Senator Tina Smith, thank you for your time today, and thank you for helping us celebrate The Current's 20th anniversary.
Senator Tina Smith: Well, thanks so much. And happy birthday to you all.
In the afternoon, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter visited The Current studio to chat live on air with host Jessica Paxton. Mayor Carter talked about the local music scene, and the way the City of St. Paul has worked to cultivate its and music scene. He also declared January 24, 2025 as The Current Day in St. Paul.
Interview Transcript
Jessica Paxton: Here on The Current Jessica Paxton with you. Joined now by a very, very special guest, the mayor of St Paul, Mr. Melvin Carter, thank you so much for being here.
Mayor Melvin Carter: Are you kidding? Thanks for having me here. This is exciting.
Jessica Paxton: Well, how about you talk a little bit about the role and the impact that The Current has on the Minnesota music community, the Minnesota music scene. What does it mean to you?
Mayor Melvin Carter: Well, you know, one of the things I think a lot of people don't realize is just how large the Minnesota music scene is, and how much we sort of out punch our weight here in Minnesota, we've been contributing to the national and global music scene for a very long time, whether that's jazz, whether that's blues, whether that's rap, hip-hop, like we've been in that space. For 20 years, The Current has been sort of an organizing principle for all of those artists to be heard, for all those artists to get out there, and for all those artists to sort of come home and be able to be celebrated, you know. So I think the impact of The Current could not be overstated.
Jessica Paxton: That is beautiful, and certainly we appreciate those words as well any special Minnesota music memories yourself?
Mayor Melvin Carter: Oh my gosh.
Jessica Paxton: Oh my gosh. Where do you start?
Mayor Melvin Carter: Well, so many musical memories. My parents actually met in a band together. So music has always been sort of an organizing principle of our family as well. So whether that's getting out there for like the Selby Avenue Jazz Fest, or getting out there for the Lowertown Jazz Fest, or just kind of all the different kind of ways music comes together. I think one of the biggest, kind of freshest memories for me has been the Yacht Club musical festival that we had downtown St Paul this past summer. 60,000 people, Harriet Island, well, I should say 60,000 people, plus about 100 boats on the river checking out music and it was such a good time. I never realized what a Gwen Stefani fan I am until I'm on Harriet Island out there. "It's bananas." I mean, it was just insane. It was fantastic. We all had a good time, and we're excited that what was a two day concert last year is going to be a three day concert this year.
Jessica Paxton: Absolutely amazing. And seriously, what a significant cultural and social impact here in the city of St Paul and throughout the state of Minnesota. And you know, not only are we so excited to have you here as a special guest as we celebrate our 20th anniversary, but I understand you also brought a big surprise with you.
Mayor Melvin Carter: I did, I really did.
Jessica Paxton: Drum roll, please.
Mayor Melvin Carter: Because we're really excited. I'm doing the drum roll if you can't hear it on the radio. I'm really excited about this because, like I said, cannot be overstated, the impact of The Current on our ability to continue to produce good quality music, not just for the Twin Cities, but for the whole country. And you know, as you say, the Yacht Club music festival did so much more. It brought people to St Paul who may not have visited St Paul, then it created economic ripple effect, because we didn't have a single empty hotel room. And, you know, the restaurants were packed, and everybody had a great time. And just having the vibrancy created public safety in our city. And so all of it together.
So The Current has been doing this for 20 years. That's a big deal for us. I know the studio has been full of folks today, and one of the fun parts of my job that I get to do is just issue proclamations every now and then. So we were up in the office and issuedthis proclamation. I won't read the whole thing. You can tune into my live blog if you want to hear the whole proclamation. I just made that up. I don't have a live blog, butit says, "Whereas The Current is a beloved and essential soundtrack to the lives of Minnesotans, amplifying independent and local artists while providing a platform for their voices to be recognized far and wide." And whereas, there's a bunch of whereas is because The Current has been doing so much for the last 20 years. But I'll bump to the bottom. It says, "Now, therefore I Melvin Carter, Mayor of the City of St Paul, do hereby proclaim Friday January 24, 2025, to be the 20th anniversary of The Current Day in the city of Saint Paul." So I just stopped by to tell you happy Current day.
Jessica Paxton: Absolutely amazing. I kind of get a little teary eyed there.
Mayor Melvin Carter: That's right.
Jessica Paxton: So very beautiful. And to outline the impact that The Current has had, and to have the recognition from the mayor of St Paul, Melvin Carter, an honor, a privilege. Thank you so much for stopping by. We most certainly appreciate it.
Mayor Melvin Carter: Thanks for having me on.
Finally, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar called in to speak with Jessica Paxton. She talked about playing Dessa on the campaign trail, going to shows at the old Met Stadium, and her colleague Tim Kaine’s obsession with Minnesota music.
Interview Transcript
Jessica Paxton: Joining us now by phone, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar. Thank you so much for calling in.
Senator Amy Klobuchar: Thank you, Jessica. It's just great to be on. Happy 20th birthday to The Current
Jessica Paxton: Thank you so very much. We know you're super busy, but we also know that you have a personal passion for music and for the importance of public media, and it just means the world to us that you are calling in on this afternoon, as we do celebrate literally 20 years to the day here, on air, online and in the community, and a community that extends beyond Minnesota. Could you talk a little bit about why you think music in general, and especially the local music scene in Minnesota is so important.
Senator Amy Klobuchar: Well, I think, you know, cold weather does breed creativity, especially right now. And you know, I don't know why it is, but we have just had this incredible, incredible history of artists and everything from Bob Dylan to Prince to Cornbread Harris and Jimmy Jam and Dessa, and you just name it. It just keeps going. The Suburbs. Weirdly, Senator Tim Kaine is a big fan of some of our, like, '70s and '80s Minnesota bands. Fantastic. Should have him on. He, like, has, he literally has all kinds of playlists of Minnesota bands. So it is, it is really an incredible thing. And I think First Avenue has been a big part of that, such an iconic venue. And, of course, all of our other music places, I just think it's been a part of our life, and we like to gather, and I think we have a sense of civic pride in our state that actually helps, because people want to go to concerts together. They want to see each other. They're not just back up looking at their phone by themselves. And I think that's part of it as well.
Jessica Paxton: Absolutely. And I know you've been a big advocate for independent venues throughout Minnesota and around the nation. And so thank you for your support, because, by extension, that supports the music scene by supporting those independent venues as well. Now I know you. You mentioned a lot of different iconic Minnesota artists, and it's so cool to hear that Tim Kaine as well as a big Minnesota music fan. Do you have a personal favorite, or maybe even a musical memory related to The Current?
Senator Amy Klobuchar: Well, I love Dessa, and that's why I made "The Bullpen" song my walk-in song for the presidential campaign. So I always played that. And it was that, you know, "the bull in the china shop" and all of that. I just, I love that, and I love the reference to her being the only woman in with a bunch of rappers. And she said, and I can't remember, "Why am I the only one acting like a gentleman?" I love that song. OK, so that's because of some of the people I work with. But when I go back in just my experiences with music. You know, I remember the old days when we go in high school in Johnny Warrior's red van to Led Zeppelin and the Cars at old Met Stadium. That was pretty fun. And then fast forward, getting to stand in Prince's dressing room at First Avenue. All those were just incredible musical moments for me, and I just hope you know we'll see who the next big artist is to come out of Minnesota.
Jessica Paxton: Well, we shared my very first concert experience was at the old Met Center as well. I saw Journey. So there you go.
Senator Amy Klobuchar: That was a little bit later. But yeah.
Jessica Paxton: We remember when Met Center existed, absolutely, before we had the Mall of America. Well, you know, it's been a big, big day for us here at The Current we had Governor Tim Walz swing by. We had the mayor of St Paul, Melvin Carter swing by, and now being able to chat with you. You know U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar. Do you have anything? I know you're super busy, and I want to apologize to I know we had some technical difficulties getting you on air, but we did it. We did it. Well, do you have any final words you want to say to The Current regarding our 20th anniversary here on air, online and in the community?
Senator Amy Klobuchar: I have just always loved The Current and you've been such an important part of the Minnesota music scene, with everyone coming to not just hear the past hits that they love, but to get a taste of what's up and coming, which I think is so important. And you know, from Rock the Garden at the Walker to Rock the Cradle for families, and, of course, the State Fair, you're everywhere. And I just think it's part of our music tradition now that you're there at a time again, as I noted, where people are just kind of in their own world, sometimes you're bringing people together. And I want to thank you for doing that.
Jessica Paxton: Beautiful words, and thank you so very much as well. It's an honor to speak with you, and it's an honor to be here celebrating 20 years of The Current again, we've been joined by phone by U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, another listener, a supporter of Minnesota Public Radio and The Current.
