In a world of fast fashion and same-day delivery, it is often cheaper to buy a new coat than to fix a zipper. Or easier to toss out an old blender rather than swap out a blown fuse. But for those who would like to give their items some more life â either for environmental or sentimental reasons âthereâs the Fix-It Clinic.
The Hennepin County Fix-It Clinic is a monthly gathering where volunteer âfixersâ work hand-in-hand with people to revive their broken items. Reporter Matthew Schneeman attended one of Hennepin Countyâs clinics for KFAI to see how they work.
Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.
Parr released his new album, âLittle Sun,â in March 2024. This album was recorded in Portland, OR, and produced by Parr’s close friend and collaborator Tucker Martine (Sufjan Stevens, The Decemberists, My Morning Jacket).
The gifted Gretsch was used in one song on the album, â10 Watt,â recorded in Minneapolis, featuring Mary DuShane on fiddle and Liz Draper on bass. Parr is currently performing an extensive solo US tour through July and a three-month European tour in the Fall. Heâs taking the gifted Gretsch with him for the first time, sharing it with audiences excited to see Koernerâs famed guitar.
In September of last year, Parr organized and hosted a tribute to Spider John Koerner at the Parkway Theater: a screening of Koernerâs 1969 film âThe Secret of Sleep.â The film was introduced by Koerner, and followed by a performance of Koerner songs by Parr on the Gretsch, featuring many musical friends and collaborators: Adam Kiesling, Liz Draper, Baby Grant Johnson, Mary DuShane. Parr is excited to keep the tradition, the guitar, and the music alive.
Born on the Mexican side of the Texas-Mexican border, artist, curator and gallery owner Alondra Garza has made Minnesota her home â ever since moving here without ever visiting to attend the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
The sound of bagpipes can make you cry. The timbre of the music can provoke a deep emotional response in a listener, producing tears of joy, nostalgia, and remembrance. On the other hand, if the pipes arenât your jam, the shrill tones are capable of making one plug their ears and cry tears of pain and disgust.
In Scotland, bagpipes were considered instruments of war, and were banned by the British. The instrument arrived in Minnesota in the 1850âs, brought by Scottish immigrants to what is now Blue Earth county, as settlers moved in, occupying Dakota land. For better or worse, bagpipes have remained a near constant presence in the Minnesota aural landscape since that time.
KFAI’s John Gwinn explores the current state of Pipe and Drum bands in Minnesota.
Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.
Forty-five years ago, flutists from the professional orchestras in the Twin Cities plus students, teachers, freelancers and people who just love the flute got together. Their aim was simple: to create a meeting place for flute-related activities and enrich the community.
Today, UMFA, the Upper Midwest Flute Association, presents an annual festival, commissions new music, holds competitions, passes out scholarships and puts on concerts with local talent often playing one of the cool instruments the organization owns from the flute family â alto, bass, even contrabass flute.
Each year at the Mall of America, hundreds of flutists gather for a marathon concert to help raise money for scholarships and to collect gently-used instruments. For eight hours itâs one flute solo, duo, ensemble and band after another, the only rules that youâre ready to play and you’ll chip in twenty-five bucks for the cause.
In January of 1979 a small group of motivated flutists from the Twin Cities formed an association which would bring flutists of all levels together for concerts, workshops and educational programs. The âUpper Midwest Flute Associationâ â or UMFA â is entirely volunteer-run and is set up so flutists can get to know each other, work together, network, share ideas and build life-long friendships.
They do this through a very active schedule of concerts, flute choir showcases, lectures, competitions, as well as masterclasses given by world renown artists at the annual flute fest. As well, each year at the Mall of America, hundreds of flutists gather for a marathon concert to help raise money for scholarships and to collect gently-used instruments.
Open to all ages and abilities, UMFA is a Minnesota organization that prides itself on supporting each other and sharing knowledge â as well as a well appointed music library and set of instruments from the flute family. KFAI’s Alison Young shares this story.
Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.
The monarch butterflyâs migration is a thing of beauty and mystery. So mysterious, in fact, that the location of where they overwintered in Mexico wasnât even known to American and Canadian scientists until 1975. The butterflies would simply would disappear in the fall and then return the next spring.
The butterflies have been disappearing again lately, but this time for less mysterious reasons: mostly habitat loss and the use of pesticides. In 2017 the Federal Highway Administration decided to see what they could do to help. KFAI’s Matthew Schneeman shares this story.
Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.
Prince only played nine concerts at First Avenue. But the superstar artist and the nightclub are forever intertwined in popular imagination because of Purple Rain. For a time in 1984, Prince had the number one song (âWhen Doves Cryâ), album and film in the nationâand the last two were partially recorded at the Minneapolis club that has since become a destination for Purple fans around the world.
KFAI produer Britt Aamodt spoke to Star Tribune music critic Chris Riemenschneider, author of First Avenue: Minnesotaâs Mainroom, about Prince and his relationship to First Avenue, from his club debut in 1981 to his last concert in 2007.
Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.
In the wake of the police killing of Philando Castile, North Minneapolis native Geoffrey Lamar Wilson turned to music as an act of protest and remembrance. His songs â released under the band name Laamar â have found broad resonance throughout Minnesota.
This is the story of one song â “Say My Name” â written to honor the memory of those killed at the hands of police. KFAI’s James Napoli reports.
CONTENT WARNING: Police Violence, Brutality
This story contains audio of police using excessive force and brutality. There are descriptions of physical violence and assault by law enforcement officers. Listener discretion is advised.
Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.
