Originally from rural Ohio, near Cincinnati, Barb Abney says radio is all she ever wanted to do. She grew up listening to the radio as often as she could, pretending she was an announcer when she was only four years old. Soon, she was making mixtapes from live radio broadcasts and using her own voice instead. Barb eventually enrolled in a local broadcasting trade school because of their radio commercial, which promised, “Be a DJ, or just sound like one.” Weeks after graduation, she found herself at 97X in the Cincinnati area, before eventually landing at The Current.
Some highlights at The Current include interviews and live performances with the Afghan Whigs, Patti Smith, and M83, and recording Theft of the Dial segments with Michael Franti, Dave Wakeling of English Beat, author Chuck Klosterman, and comedienne Sandra Bernhard. But her biggest highlight may just be DJing at First Avenue for The Current’s 5th Anniversary Party in 2010, when she met Prince. Barb still has as soft spot for ’90s college radio hits, ’70s classic rock, and ’80s funk, and also loves Minnesota’s rich local music scene.
She hosts 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday nights, and from 9 p.m. to midnight on Sunday nights.
