Your weekly playlist
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Guided by cell phone calls, MPR's Euan Kerr takes part in Blast Theory's "A Machine To See With" interactive journey through the streets of Minneapolis, Minn. (MPR Photo/Jeffrey Thompson)
What a week! There's the Minneapolis-St.Paul International Film Festival, the annual American Craft Council show, and three local music acts released new albums (Atmosphere, Low and Haley Bonar). Plus MPR's Euan Kerr got to be the star of his own heist film. Just click and listen to catch up on all the news, and listen to some great in-studio sessions. Enjoy!
New music from three artists that call Minnesota home
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It's a big week for the local music scene. Minneapolis-based hip-hop act Atmosphere, Duluth-based Indie rockers Low, and local songstress Haley Bonar all release new albums this week. MPR's Cathy Wurzer spoke with David Campbell for a preview of their new records. Campbell is the host of the Local Show, Sundays on 89.3 The Current.
The American Craft Council, responsible for craft shows across the country, has relocated from New York to the Twin Cities. Hear what impact this "70-year-old startup company" is having on the crafts world.
Film fest bigger than ever -- and more Minnesotan
One of the signs of spring in Minnesota is the arrival of the annual Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival. The event launches Wednesday with more than 200 movies from all over the world.
British production treats the heist as interactive art
Several hundred people are expected to try to rob a Minneapolis bank this weekend. It's not a crime spree. In fact, it's all in the name of art. MPR's Euan Kerr got a sneak preview, and tells us about his experience.
Irish Poet Leanne O'Sullivan wins award from St. Thomas
Irish Poet Leanne O'Sullivan is this year's winner of the O'Shaughnessy Award for Poetry, given by the University of St. Thomas Center for Irish Studies.
The Cube Critics and David Carr
The Movie Maven Stephanie Curtis sits right across the cube from arts reporter Euan Kerr in the MPR newsroom and it's an understatement to say they like to chat about movies. Today, special guest David Carr, a media reporter for the New York Times, joins Kerr and Curtis.
Midday presents a special program showcasing some of the most exciting literary work coming out of the state. "Writing Minnesota" weaves together poetry and author interviews, and includes an innovative adaptation of a short story set in a mysterious compound north of Duluth.
Mpls. musician takes low-key approach to his work
Minneapolis singer-songwriter Ben Weaver is known for deeply imagistic lyrics and an ability to reduce songs to their bare elements. You can hear strains of Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits and Greg Brown in Weaver's music, and yet he still sounds totally original. The song "East Jefferson" is a perfect example.
The Dinner Party Download featuring Vera Farmiga
On this week's Dinner Party Download, author T.C. Boyle, the history of SPAM and actress Vera Farmiga.
Atmosphere peforms live in The Current studio
After over ten years making music together, local hip hop duo Atmosphere are are focusing their latest effort, "The Family Sign" on the people they care about the most - their family.
Usonia perform in The Current studio
Up-and-coming local band Usonia's jittery, energetic pop feels refreshingly retro. With Beach Boys-like harmonies and new wave beats Usonia creates infectious mix of old and new. Named after Frank Lloyd Wright's utopian architectural vision, the band has been gigging around the Twin Cities for about a year now. They finished up their debut album, Usonia, in the fall of 2010 at a recording studio in Iowa.
Dom performs in The Current studio
The Worchester, Massachusettes quartet Dom signed to Astralwerks last fall. Since then they've released their debut EP "Sun Bronzed Greek Gods" and have been touring relentlessly. They dropped by for an in-studio while in town for a gig at The Entry.
Two Door Cinema Club performs in The Current studio
Two Door Cinema Club are a band from Bangor and Donaghadee, Northern Ireland formed in 2007. They're signed to French record label Glassnote Records, through which they released their debut album "Tourist History" on 1 March 2010. The band then released "Come Back Home" in July 2010, a re-release of "I Can Talk" in October 2010, and "What You Know" in February 2011.
Low performs in the Current Studio
Duluth-based indie-rock mainstays Low have returned with their ninth full-length album, "C'mon."
Music with Minnesotans: Steve Schon
In this week's edition, Alison Young talks with Steve Schon from Ely. He'll help you find just the right paddle, kayak or canoe before you head into the Boundary Waters, but he also has the playlist that will keep nature with you all year long.
Top Score: Dragon Age II Composer Inon Zur
Award-winning composer Inon Zur writes music for video games like Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age II, and the two most recent games in the Fallout series. He talks about his journey and his job on Top Score.
New Classical Tracks: Helene Grimaud - from Mozart to Berg
The four pieces on Helene Grimaud's new disc, by Mozart, Liszt, Berg, and Bartok, might not seem to have a lot in common. But Grimaud says that there are common threads of history and expressivity that connect them--and shed new light on a program that has special significance for her.
Wuthering Heights and Bernard Herrmann's film music legacy
Bernard Herrmann was an Academy Award-winning American composer whose unforgettable collaborations include Psycho with Alfred Hitchcock, Citizen Kane with Orson Welles and Taxi Driver with Martin Scorsese. Minnesota Opera's new production of his only opera celebrates the centennial of the composer's birth and is the first major revival of this forgotten masterpiece since it was written in Minneapolis in 1951.