Coffee BreakCoffee Break: Temp checkAnna Weggel • Jun 12, 2020Temp check! For today's 9:30 Coffee Break, is there a song that represents the way you feel today?
Local Current BlogFriday Five: Lewiee Blaze, Muja Messiah and more new Minnesota music videosMaddie Schwappach • Jun 12, 2020If you have a music video you would like to be featured, send it my way at fridayfive [at] thecurrent.org! Lewiee Blaze – “Freedom Fighter” “Freedom Fighter” is rapper Lewiee Blaze’s ode to black activists, from protest footage from Minneapolis this past week to historical figures like Fred Hampton. The artist’s candid recording of events…
Local Current BlogUrban Lights owner Tim Wilson on the rebuilding of the Midway neighborhood: ‘Gentrification is not on the table’Sylvia Jennings • Jun 11, 2020Yesterday, Morning Show host Jill Riley spoke with Tim Wilson, the owner and operator of Urban Lights, the only black-owned record store in the Twin Cities, which has been around for nearly three decades now. The two discussed the history of Urban Lights, the rebuilding of the Midway neighborhood following the events of the last…
Coffee BreakCoffee Break: Can I get a witnessAnna Weggel • Jun 11, 2020For today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what "witness" songs do you want to hear?
Coffee BreakCoffee Break: Making historyAnna Weggel • Jun 10, 2020History is being made in Minnesota, across the country, and all of the world in the wake of the killing of George Floyd. What songs do you want to hear for today's 9:30 Coffee Break that pay tribute to history being made?
Rock and Roll Book ClubRock and Roll Book Club: 'Cult Musicians'Jay Gabler • Jun 10, 2020From Laurie Anderson to Frank Zappa, Robert Dimery writes about 50 challenging artists who've made singular music entirely on their own terms.
Local Current BlogOngoing community aid efforts in the Twin CitiesDarby Ottoson • Jun 10, 2020The Twin Cities community has been impacted deeply by the killing of George Floyd. In the wake of tragedy, many forms of neighborly support have surfaced. We’ve compiled a list of ongoing efforts that are seeking and offering aid locally. Donation and Distribution Sites Interactive map of sites in the Twin Cities taking donations and…
News and InterviewsJeffrey Bissoy interview with Jill RileyJill Riley and Sylvia Jennings • Jun 10, 2020Jeffrey Bissoy is a former MPR News producer, a contributor at The Current, freelance reporter at the Sahan Journal, and founder of an app called Plugged. Bissoy spoke to Jill Riley about his experiences growing up as a black man in the Twin Cities, as well as the impact his app, Plugged, could potentially have on black communities nationwide.
Coffee BreakCoffee Break: GrowthAnna Weggel • Jun 9, 2020For today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs about "growth" do you want to hear? Ranging from backyard gardens to personal growth to systemic change, let's put together a set of music this morning for all of the growth happening (or that needs to happen) around us.
News and InterviewsToki Wright speaks on this 'pick-a-side moment'Jill Riley and Cecilia Johnson • Jun 8, 2020Toki Wright has worn a lot of hats: artist, activist, The Current host, and most recently, educator. This week, he called up The Current's Jill Riley to educate about injustice, white silence, and the hard truths of "being Minnesotan."