Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities

This week on Centerstage MN we’ll hear an intimate conversation that KAXE volunteer producer Charlie Pulkrabek had with Alicia Corbett at her home in Minneapolis. “Alicia Corbett” by Charlie Pulkrabek: When I first saw Alicia Corbett play, it was about 1993, soon after she’d arrived in Minnesota from northern Michigan. She was the lead performer, along with Jay Basso, in Tea and Sympathy, a band that she still fronts today. The show was at The 24 Bar – 24 Hennepin Avenue – in the bowels of the now razed Berman Buckskin Building on the south end of the Hennepin Avenue Bridge next to the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. It was one of the first of what would be many, many live music events I eventually attended. I quickly began to pay attention to this band.

Through much seasoning of my sonic sensibilities, the impact of Tea and Sympathy’s songwriting and live performances have never paled. Alicia Corbett writes songs that paint partial pictures into mosaic-like stories with the depth of both detail and mystery. In listening to Tea and Sympathy, one is first taken by Alicia Corbett’s exceptional voice. Her range is stunning, from a sweetness that makes the spine tingle, to depth and power that might have made another singer by the name of Janis Joplin a little envious had she been able to bear witness.

It is my pleasure to present this interview with Alicia Corbett to KAXE listeners. It is a pleasure to introduce the music lovers amongst our listeners to a musician who would be in the top five of my list of the most underappreciated musicians in Minnesota. In terms of talent, depth, and professional presentation, there is no reason that Alicia Corbett shouldn’t be on the roster of a great music label like Red House Records. Tune in Thursday at 6 pm to Centerstage Minnesota to discover whether you find Alicia Corbett’s music as striking as I do.

The second hour of Monday’s Sidetracks with Will Moore was crashed by three great Minnesota songwriters: David Huckfelt of The Pines, Dave Simonett of Trampled by Turtles, and Frankie Lee. Huckfelt was recently an artist in residence on Isle Royale, where he wrote his upcoming album Stranger Angels . He and Dave Simonett perform a few songs from the record live on-air. The three guests also guest DJed in the second half of the hour.

Listen to the live interview and music with Dave and David below. A link to the full show including the guest DJ picks can be found at http://www.radiofreeamerica.com/station/wtip under Sidetracks for April 2.

By Centerstage MN host Doug MacRostie. It’s not too often that the debut release from a band is a double CD, but Matt Ray and Those Damn Horses aren’t typical. Complete with washtub bass, harmonica, washboard, spoons, guitar, fiddle and banjo, these guys are a high energy string band from the Iron Range playing roots, Americana, and old time music with a modern twist. Matt Ray will be joining me this week on Centerstage MN to talk about the new album “Then and Now”. The first CD, “Then”, is a collection of traditional tunes they reworked for modern times. Songs that defined their time and built the foundation of the music we hear today. The second CD, “Now”, is all original tunes with that same throw-back style under contemporary currents. And the new Sara Softich CD “Highway to the Sun” arrived this week – it’s haunting and beautiful, so we’ll check out a song from that – Sara and I have been working out details to have her on Centerstage MN sometime soon. Sara is originally from Virginia and operates out of Duluth. She and Jason Wussow have a duo called Yeltzi, and we’ll hear from them as well.

And we’ll hear a demo-fragment of Dylan playing Man in the Street in the early 60’s from the new Bootleg Series Vol. 9: the Witmark Years 1962-1964. And have you Dylan lovers heard of Little Diamonds? At the age of 13, this kid was writing (and sounding) just like folkie-Dylan of old. But this isn’t just a cheap imitation, the music and lyrics are way more mature and intelligent than what I was expecting, and I hope to have him on sometime soon to talk about what he’s doing with music.