Keeping With The Current

To paraphrase a rock legend, Who guitarist Pete Townshend once said that it must be really hard for a bright person in the Midwest, because you don't have a London or a New York City that can provide you with fresh input, that can rub against you and rub off any illusions.

Though I'm hesitant to rebuke Townshend, one of my musical idols, I want to draw upon some evidence to demonstrate that his claims might not be entirely accurate, or at the very least, not applicable within the modern music scene.

Allow me to draw from the history of my home state of Minnesota. When I tell my east coast acquaintances that the Minneapolis/St. Paul area is—and has been for quite some time—a notable music hub, I promptly receive a conceited eye roll, and, from the more smug critics, a hackneyed impression of Fargo-inspired Minnesotan drawl.

Yet, by the end of this column, I hope that those detractors will at least be able to acknowledge that the Twin Cities, only the 14th largest metropolitan area in the U.S., is somewhat of an anomaly in this country's music scene.

One can say that Minnesota's love affair with modern music began in 1941, when a third generation Lithuanian immigrant named Robert Zimmerman was born in Duluth, Minn. Looking to escape the rough life of the state's northern Iron Range, Zimmerman moved to Minneapolis and enrolled in the local university. The young guitarist lived in the University of Minnesota's Dinkytown neighborhood and was quickly immersed in the local folk rock circuit. It was here that Zimmerman, looking to becoming more recognizable, began introducing himself by a shorter, simpler name: Bob Dylan.

Though Dylan's stint in Dinkytown was short-lived—he dropped out of school after two years to move to New York—it showed that a strong reverence for pop music was brewing in the sleepy state. The music world took note. In 1965, The Beatles made Bloomington, Minn. their sixth stop on their infamous U.S. tour, and the Rolling Stones' fourth concert during their stateside tour in 1964 was in front of 300 Minnesotans in Excelsior.

Now, I'm not imprudent—I know Minnesota cannot be considered an artistic epicenter simply because Lennon and McCartney once ate at the local Denny's. But by the late '70s, a large movement that transformed music lovers into music makers was beginning to occur within the state. It started when the lead singer of the band 94 East decided to embark on a solo career. The world would soon know this flamboyant guitarist as Prince.

Unlike Dylan, Prince embraced his Minneapolis roots for his entire career. He wrote songs about aspects specific to the city and eventually starred in the film Purple Rain, which brought notoriety to the city's now infamous First Avenue Entry concert venue.

While Prince brought an R&B funk movement to Minneapolis, bands such as The Replacements, Husker Du, and Soul Asylum were beginning to plant the seeds to an alt-rock movement that would take the city by storm in the early '90s.

This movement, which momentarily made Minneapolis the center of pop music, created a slew of alternative bands such as The Jayhawks, Low, and Semisonic, with the latter band giving the movement and the city a definitive trademark song with the bar ballad "Closing Time."

So where does the Twin Cities' music scene stand nowadays? Its position in the music world is still strong. A main contributor to this high standing is the metro's public radio station The Current, which for almost nine years has been feeding Minneapolis/St. Paul with a vast spectrum of music. I readily admit that majority of my current favorite bands I first heard on The Current.

One of the biggest factors that makes The Current so unique is its emphasis on local music. Mark Wheat, the station's primetime English-accented DJ, has called this a "golden era" of Twin Cities music. From the now nationally-known groups such as rap duo Atmosphere and folk guitarist Mason Jennings, to local favorites including the bluesy slam poet Dessa and the electro pop band Policia, it looks as though the Twin Cities' music scene, with or without a large metropolis to rub against, is here to stay.

Despite almost always showcasing bands before they are propelled into the mainstream, The Current does not emit a speck of an elitist hipster attitude. Instead, they embrace the moment their favorite bands go mainstream. For example, to celebrate Adele's plethora of Grammys, the station played their in-studio version of "Someone Like You," which just so happens to be co-written by Minnesota native Dan Wilson.