Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities
17 Unique Stations from Border to Border
17 Unique Stations from Border to Border
The Mississippi River was dubbed “messippi” by the Ojibwe Indians. The fourth largest river in the world, its headwaters begin at Itasca State Park in Northern Minnesota, and flow into the Gulf of Mexico from Louisiana. Covering more than 2,000 miles in 31 states, the Mississippi has been the creative inspiration for American legends, folklore, and literature, including Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” In this documentary, producers Flor Trevino and Peter Frey explore how young people are rediscovering this majestic landmark through organizations like the Urban Wilderness Canoe Adventures Program (urbanwildernesscanoeadventures.org). With original music by the Okee Dokee Brothers (www.okeedokee.org).
Located at the corner of Plymouth and Russell Avenues in North Minneapolis, Homewood Studios is a hotbed of creative invention and exposition. Founded by George and Beverly Roberts in 1998 as an arts and community-building center, Homewood boasts five studio spaces available for rent, a gallery with rotating shows every three weeks, workshops and a writer’s group. It also features musical performances, traveling shows, workshops, a writer’s group, and even morning Tai Chi. Produced by Britt Aamodt. For more information, go to www.homewoodstudios.com.
Combining the sounds of cozy old tapes and new musical ideas, local group, Iceblink, settled down Studio K (http://www.radiok.org/instudios/) to play some great new songs for us! Recorded 4.26.19 at Radio K. http://radiok.org Be sure to check out their in-studio performance! https://youtu.be/d-7E0r07JtI Radio K is the award-winning student-run radio station of the University of Minnesota, playing an eclectic variety of independent music both old and new. Listen to Radio K at 770 AM, 100.7 FM and 104.5 FM, as well as online at radiok.org. Video shot and edited by Grace Baldwin. Interview conducted by Sam Walsh.
“BlackMaled by Toki Wright” by Doug MacRostie. Toki Wright is a hip-hop artist out of Minneapolis. Raised in a Buddhist household, and immersing himself in Black history, world culture, and community work, Toki’s awareness of the diverse world we live in is translated through his content driven music. Toki is not only a well established emcee but one of the hardest working community activists in the Twin Cities area. With numerous accolades and a tour history that has taken him from New York to Uganda, he is a powerful voice prepared to educate and challenge as well as entertain. Toki Wright joins me this week on Centerstage MN.
Toki told me, “I’m driven to create music by trying to get the craziness out of my head. I think we all have these thoughts and ideas and we express ourselves in different ways… I chose to write and I feel like there’s a voice that isn’t always represented every time that you hear a hip-hop song or a rap song… But yet, we can still be eloquent in our speaking and we still can be creative… I’m driven to represent people from my era, from my neighborhood, people that think similarly and who question things we think to be true.”
Toki also runs the first fully accredited Hip-Hop diploma studies program in the U.S. at McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul. His last full-length album was 2009’s “A Different Mirror.” His latest release is an EP supported by the MN State Arts Board called “BlackMale” which is based on the experience of African Americans in Minnesota. It’s all powerful stuff, don’t miss this interview!
On today’s show, we talk with Madonna Yawakie (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians) who is the President of Turtle Island Communications, Inc. (TICOM). Together with her husband, Madonna founded this company which provides broadband engineering and consulting services to Tribal Nations. Madonna Peltier Yawakie holds a B.S. in Business Administration, and a Masters in Community & Regional Planning from NDSU.