Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities
17 Unique Stations from Border to Border
17 Unique Stations from Border to Border
By Doug MacRostie.
Lance Benson and Mark Bauer are two Bemidji musicians who have been musical all their lives. While they were friends and knew each other for a long time, it was within the last 3 years that they consistently started performing together.
Lance writes personal music inspired by experiences in his life in a friendly, acoustic style. From the subject of an email to failing Art class, Lance’s music is a window with a crystal clear view of life, love, friends and emotion. His voice rings true with honest and soulful lyrics and his fingers slide effortlessly and lovingly on his guitar.
When Mark first started joining Lance for sets on stage, it was just as much as a fan than friend. They’re musical relationship has grown and Mark is now definitely the foundation of Lance’s music. Left to his own devices at a construction site, Mark is the kind of percussionist who will start banging on studs searching for notes to turn the entire structure into one huge drum. Cool.
Around our conversation, we’ll hear a recording of Lance and Mark’s opening set for the Danny Schmidt concert at the KAXE Amphitheater earlier this summer – a great performance as the sun set with Lance on vocals and guitar, and Mark on percussion.
We’ll also hear another song from Kazyak’s debut CD “A Beautiful Brontosaurus” – an 11 minute instrumental roller coaster ride, to be exact 😀 This trio, operating out of Minneapolis, will be my guests in-studio next week.
Host, Carl Unbehaun, presents a cavalcade of songs by Minnesota songwriters along with his musical musings! Our New Year’s Day show features delectable ditties by members of the Minnesota Association of Songwriters, all 96 strong! Check them out at www.MNSongwriters.org. And, as a special treat, we play a song that was written and recorded on New Year’s Eve by Doug Millaway!
Ben Kyle of Romantica by Charlie Pulkrabek
Ben Kyle has a lot going on these days. His band Romantica is set to release their highly anticipated third full-length record. And an album of duets with Carrie Rodriguez called We Still Love Our Country just hit the shelves in the states this month.
Why all the fuss over the new record? Well, all Romantica’s 2007 release titled America did was land at fifty-eight in Paste Magazine’s Top 100 Records of 2007. For a band that, at that point, had gained limited national and international exposure, it is a mammoth accomplishment. Hoopla aside, that just doesn’t happen unless the music is more than exceptional.
Who gives a record a gigantic name like America anyway? Someone with the talent, confidence, and humility possessed by Minneapolis musician Ben Kyle, that’s who. Ben Kyle has a giant stance, one that crosses the Atlantic Ocean. He grew up in Belfast, Ireland, and has lived in Minneapolis since his high school days. And such a unique and broad perspective bears out in the music of Romantica and Ben Kyle.
Ben Kyle is a true poet who really knows how to style his poetry to fit into the musical realm. His precise blending of the highly personal with the universal seems to allow him to embody any perspective that he wants to in an immediately convincing fashion.
The expectations for Romantica’s upcoming release, scheduled for April, are sky high. Ben Kyle’s personal expectations seem to be even higher. How do you follow up a great record like America? For Ben Kyle, the answer seems to be simply one step at a time.
Local artist Ness Nite joined us for Off the Record on 4/8/2016 for an amazing set. Check out one of the featured tracks, “Sigh”, above!
Full session: http://www.radiok.org/instudios/ness-…
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 by Erin Stevenson, Will Youel and Max Pergande
Edited by Max Pergande
Audio recorded and mastered by Mike Price.
Local bedroom party-poppers The Controversial New Skinny Pill joined us Studio K on April 15th. Featured above is the song “Backsnapperrrrrr” from their 2016 release “Big Whoop!”.
Check ’em out on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/skinnypillband
Bandcamp: http://thecontroversialnewskinnypill….
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 by Ryan Gilman, Max Pergande, and Will Youel.
Edited by Will Youel.
Audio recorded and mastered by Mike Price.