Listen to five Minnesota artists with Local Show host Diane Miller
Hosts Diane Miller (left) and Krista Wax at Best New Bands of 2022 at First Avenue in Minneapolis on Jan. 20.
Darin Kamnetz for MPR News
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You already know we love listening to new music on Minnesota Now — especially local music! And who better to talk about Minnesota musicians than Diane Miller.
She joins us a few times a month to talk local music because she is host of a show called The Local Show on The Current.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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Audio transcript
[MOISE, "RASPBERRY TEA"] You spilled coffee on your waist this morning. Night out on the field performing. You like raspberry in your tea. Iced how you like it when it's free. Forgot I gave you the other key. How you do me like that without a squeeze?
INTERVIEWER: You already know we love listening to new music here on Minnesota Now, especially local music. And who better to talk about Minnesota musicians than Diane Miller? She joins us a few times each month to talk about local music because she is the host of The Local Show on our sister station, the current. Hey, Diane. Welcome back.
DIANE MILLER: Hey, thanks for having me.
INTERVIEWER: That was Moise with the song "Raspberry Tea". I love that title. I understand he's been called an artist to watch.
DIANE MILLER: Yes. In fact, by Sophia Eris, who is Lizzo's DJ, who was, in fact, in our NPR building not too long ago being interviewed by Ayisha Jaffer and giving us a special performance. And she specifically dropped Moise as one of these artists that she would have her on her own, quote unquote, scouting report", which is a monthly feature we do over at thecurrent.org, featuring about 10 different artists with new and noteworthy projects.
And Moise is releasing a new record. And he, in fact, will have an album release at Icehouse on June 29. He's, as you can tell by maybe what you heard, it's like it's new modern pop music meets soul R&B. It's fusion. And he's just got a very delightful voice. And if you listen to Moise, he's also had an excellent falsetto. But yeah, I love his-- also, his visual artistry, too. If you check out his Instagram page, he's got great style, great attention to detail, aesthetics. I'm a fan.
INTERVIEWER: All right. He sounds great. We have another artist who also has an album release show coming up. This one's by J.E. Sunde. It's called "You Don't Want to Leave it Alone".
[J.E. SUNDE, "YOU DON'T WANT TO LEAVE IT ALONE"] A certain sense that we're arriving. A certain sense that we're arriving. A certain sense that we're arriving. A certain sense that we're arriving. A certain sense--
Who is J.E. Sunde?
DIANE MILLER: J.E. Sunde is a Eau Claire, Wisconsin, native, lives here now. Last I saw him, he was actually at Big Turn Music Festival, and he was playing his uncle's handmade classical guitar, made in Red Wing, Minnesota, if don't know. There's actually a luthier or kind of a factory, I think, in Red Wing that makes their own guitars. And yeah, J.E. Sunde is a massively talented artist. He's a classically trained musician, but plays really sophisticated folk music is kind of how I describe it.
If you're a fan of Jeremy Messersmith, I definitely compare him to that, even maybe even Mason Jennings. But he's got one of those very unique singing voices, almost in the way that like, Bjork or Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees has a really unique voice, where they don't quite sound like anyone else. And oh, my gosh, he's very fun to watch live. And he's very charming, very charming, like, songwriter and lyricist. And yes, that is true. He is also playing an album release show coming up for his record "Alice, Gloria and John". And it will be with Duluth singer songwriter Nat Harvey. And that, again, also is going to be at Icehouse on June 30.
INTERVIEWER: All right, a lot going on here, obviously. Say, I'm going to fan girl out for the next couple of minutes here because I love Lucy Michelle. And she's got the song "The Living" that we're going to talk about.
[LUCY MICHELLE, "THE LIVING"] It's hard I know. This new role. I don't want to feel alone It's cold out there and I need you here.
See, I just love her. What do you think?
DIANE MILLER: Isn't she great?
INTERVIEWER: Yeah.
DIANE MILLER: Well, yea. At least Lucy Michelle's a veteran in the Minnesota music scene. She was really prominent in the 2010s, known for her work with the Velvet Lapelles, and also another group. Little Fever is one group was more of this acoustic, one was a little bit electric. Her new solo work is kind of combines both of that folk music and that electric sound.
But another distinctive singer, kind of similar to like a Regina Spektor, and then she's got a new record as well coming out. It's called Womanly. And it will release July 16. Her release show is going to be at Parkway Theater, and it includes a supergroup of musicians as her backing band, which includes-- yeah. John Munson of Semisonic, Chris Koza of Rogue Valley, Dylan Hicks and Richard Medich.
INTERVIEWER: Wow. Well, you know, Lucy Michelle, she can get anybody to play with her.
DIANE MILLER: Right?
INTERVIEWER: She's so good, right? Yeah.
DIANE MILLER: Agreed.
INTERVIEWER: Wow, it's amazing. All right, one more song, maybe a couple, actually. This, I want you to tell me a little bit more about Jerrika. I'm going to play "Be Brave".
[JERRIKA MIGHELLE, "BE BRAVE"] One day we will fade away. And the Earth, the Earth, the Earth could go gray.
Who is Jerrika?
DIANE MILLER: I had never heard of Jerrika Mighelle until like, a week ago. And I got an email from a publicist and was like, hey, check out this artist. And I was like, OK. For one, it's Pride month and Jerrika also is an LGBT artist for Pride month. So shout out to that. Pride is-- Twin Cities Pride is happening this weekend. So it's exciting. And she's also originally from Wisconsin, like J.E. Sunde. But she just moved here because she's going to obtain her master's in human rights studies at the University of Minnesota.
And not only that, she's co-emceeing the sold out Blue Ox Music Festival, happening in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. It's headlined by Avett Brothers among many others. So yeah, she also-- she's got that rootsy folk sound, just acoustic guitar, and then also this-- I mean, if you could hear that vibrato happening in her voice, that was really cool. So sings from the heart and the gut and the soul, and I couldn't ignore this singer songwriter, and just played her on the local show for the first time last week.
INTERVIEWER: Good for you
DIANE MILLER: Thank you.
INTERVIEWER: Hey, I got a news release from the Belfast Cowboys. It landed in my inbox. And I was so surprised because I'm a news person, I don't really get news releases from bands. They wanted to be played actually on this program. You're playing them. This happens to be by the Belfast Cowboys. And this is a big band. What, nine musicians?
DIANE MILLER: Correct.
INTERVIEWER: So tell us about the Belfast Cowboys.
DIANE MILLER: The Belfast Cowboys, a nine piece horn driven band, mainly known for their covers of Van Morrison and this new single "Look at the Moon, Betty", definitely has a similar sensibility, where it's very touching instrumentals. And then the way that he sings is very much in the style of Van Morrison.
But even if you're a fan of someone like-- or bands like Three Dog Night or Blood, Sweat, and Tears, "Look at the Moon" or the Belfast Cowboys are a wonderful band. And they play all over Minnesota. In fact, they played at the Lake Harriet Bandshell to a packed audience not long ago. And their next show you can catch is at the Dakota on July 25, and it's almost sold out. So if you want to check out this band, they're wonderful. Again, a nine piece horn driven band, and especially will appeal to you if you're a fan of Van Morrison.
INTERVIEWER: We're going to go out on this one, I think. Why not. It's called "Look at the Moon, Betty". Diane, always a pleasure.
DIANE MILLER: Oh, my gosh. Always a pleasure to be in here.
[THE BELFAST COWBOYS, "LOOK AT THE MOON, BETTY"] Sometimes I think I know it all. Like the red leaf, I'm aware of the fall. And the world will leave me slack jawed. I remember that all humans are flawed. Look at the moon, Betty. Look at the moon.
INTERVIEWER: Diane Miller's host of The Local Show on our sister station The Current.
(SINGING) We will never understand. Look at the moon, Betty. Look at the moon, Betty.
INTERVIEWER: How about one more story about music? Taylor Swift. Are you lucky enough to get tickets, who have gotten tickets? If you are ready to go-- I bet you probably are for Friday and Saturday, very much looking forward to it-- know that there will be massive traffic jams and delays after the concert.
You might probably expect that because she plays for almost, well, 3 hours, 3 plus hours. So they figure the concert will probably end around 11:20 Friday and Saturday nights. So it's going to be a late night. Star Tribune has a list of what to remember when it comes to parking and light rail and rideshare. You can check that out when you have an opportunity. If you're going to go to the concert, have a great time. And thank you for listening to Minnesota Now today right here on MPR News.
INTERVIEWER: You already know we love listening to new music here on Minnesota Now, especially local music. And who better to talk about Minnesota musicians than Diane Miller? She joins us a few times each month to talk about local music because she is the host of The Local Show on our sister station, the current. Hey, Diane. Welcome back.
DIANE MILLER: Hey, thanks for having me.
INTERVIEWER: That was Moise with the song "Raspberry Tea". I love that title. I understand he's been called an artist to watch.
DIANE MILLER: Yes. In fact, by Sophia Eris, who is Lizzo's DJ, who was, in fact, in our NPR building not too long ago being interviewed by Ayisha Jaffer and giving us a special performance. And she specifically dropped Moise as one of these artists that she would have her on her own, quote unquote, scouting report", which is a monthly feature we do over at thecurrent.org, featuring about 10 different artists with new and noteworthy projects.
And Moise is releasing a new record. And he, in fact, will have an album release at Icehouse on June 29. He's, as you can tell by maybe what you heard, it's like it's new modern pop music meets soul R&B. It's fusion. And he's just got a very delightful voice. And if you listen to Moise, he's also had an excellent falsetto. But yeah, I love his-- also, his visual artistry, too. If you check out his Instagram page, he's got great style, great attention to detail, aesthetics. I'm a fan.
INTERVIEWER: All right. He sounds great. We have another artist who also has an album release show coming up. This one's by J.E. Sunde. It's called "You Don't Want to Leave it Alone".
[J.E. SUNDE, "YOU DON'T WANT TO LEAVE IT ALONE"] A certain sense that we're arriving. A certain sense that we're arriving. A certain sense that we're arriving. A certain sense that we're arriving. A certain sense--
Who is J.E. Sunde?
DIANE MILLER: J.E. Sunde is a Eau Claire, Wisconsin, native, lives here now. Last I saw him, he was actually at Big Turn Music Festival, and he was playing his uncle's handmade classical guitar, made in Red Wing, Minnesota, if don't know. There's actually a luthier or kind of a factory, I think, in Red Wing that makes their own guitars. And yeah, J.E. Sunde is a massively talented artist. He's a classically trained musician, but plays really sophisticated folk music is kind of how I describe it.
If you're a fan of Jeremy Messersmith, I definitely compare him to that, even maybe even Mason Jennings. But he's got one of those very unique singing voices, almost in the way that like, Bjork or Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees has a really unique voice, where they don't quite sound like anyone else. And oh, my gosh, he's very fun to watch live. And he's very charming, very charming, like, songwriter and lyricist. And yes, that is true. He is also playing an album release show coming up for his record "Alice, Gloria and John". And it will be with Duluth singer songwriter Nat Harvey. And that, again, also is going to be at Icehouse on June 30.
INTERVIEWER: All right, a lot going on here, obviously. Say, I'm going to fan girl out for the next couple of minutes here because I love Lucy Michelle. And she's got the song "The Living" that we're going to talk about.
[LUCY MICHELLE, "THE LIVING"] It's hard I know. This new role. I don't want to feel alone It's cold out there and I need you here.
See, I just love her. What do you think?
DIANE MILLER: Isn't she great?
INTERVIEWER: Yeah.
DIANE MILLER: Well, yea. At least Lucy Michelle's a veteran in the Minnesota music scene. She was really prominent in the 2010s, known for her work with the Velvet Lapelles, and also another group. Little Fever is one group was more of this acoustic, one was a little bit electric. Her new solo work is kind of combines both of that folk music and that electric sound.
But another distinctive singer, kind of similar to like a Regina Spektor, and then she's got a new record as well coming out. It's called Womanly. And it will release July 16. Her release show is going to be at Parkway Theater, and it includes a supergroup of musicians as her backing band, which includes-- yeah. John Munson of Semisonic, Chris Koza of Rogue Valley, Dylan Hicks and Richard Medich.
INTERVIEWER: Wow. Well, you know, Lucy Michelle, she can get anybody to play with her.
DIANE MILLER: Right?
INTERVIEWER: She's so good, right? Yeah.
DIANE MILLER: Agreed.
INTERVIEWER: Wow, it's amazing. All right, one more song, maybe a couple, actually. This, I want you to tell me a little bit more about Jerrika. I'm going to play "Be Brave".
[JERRIKA MIGHELLE, "BE BRAVE"] One day we will fade away. And the Earth, the Earth, the Earth could go gray.
Who is Jerrika?
DIANE MILLER: I had never heard of Jerrika Mighelle until like, a week ago. And I got an email from a publicist and was like, hey, check out this artist. And I was like, OK. For one, it's Pride month and Jerrika also is an LGBT artist for Pride month. So shout out to that. Pride is-- Twin Cities Pride is happening this weekend. So it's exciting. And she's also originally from Wisconsin, like J.E. Sunde. But she just moved here because she's going to obtain her master's in human rights studies at the University of Minnesota.
And not only that, she's co-emceeing the sold out Blue Ox Music Festival, happening in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. It's headlined by Avett Brothers among many others. So yeah, she also-- she's got that rootsy folk sound, just acoustic guitar, and then also this-- I mean, if you could hear that vibrato happening in her voice, that was really cool. So sings from the heart and the gut and the soul, and I couldn't ignore this singer songwriter, and just played her on the local show for the first time last week.
INTERVIEWER: Good for you
DIANE MILLER: Thank you.
INTERVIEWER: Hey, I got a news release from the Belfast Cowboys. It landed in my inbox. And I was so surprised because I'm a news person, I don't really get news releases from bands. They wanted to be played actually on this program. You're playing them. This happens to be by the Belfast Cowboys. And this is a big band. What, nine musicians?
DIANE MILLER: Correct.
INTERVIEWER: So tell us about the Belfast Cowboys.
DIANE MILLER: The Belfast Cowboys, a nine piece horn driven band, mainly known for their covers of Van Morrison and this new single "Look at the Moon, Betty", definitely has a similar sensibility, where it's very touching instrumentals. And then the way that he sings is very much in the style of Van Morrison.
But even if you're a fan of someone like-- or bands like Three Dog Night or Blood, Sweat, and Tears, "Look at the Moon" or the Belfast Cowboys are a wonderful band. And they play all over Minnesota. In fact, they played at the Lake Harriet Bandshell to a packed audience not long ago. And their next show you can catch is at the Dakota on July 25, and it's almost sold out. So if you want to check out this band, they're wonderful. Again, a nine piece horn driven band, and especially will appeal to you if you're a fan of Van Morrison.
INTERVIEWER: We're going to go out on this one, I think. Why not. It's called "Look at the Moon, Betty". Diane, always a pleasure.
DIANE MILLER: Oh, my gosh. Always a pleasure to be in here.
[THE BELFAST COWBOYS, "LOOK AT THE MOON, BETTY"] Sometimes I think I know it all. Like the red leaf, I'm aware of the fall. And the world will leave me slack jawed. I remember that all humans are flawed. Look at the moon, Betty. Look at the moon.
INTERVIEWER: Diane Miller's host of The Local Show on our sister station The Current.
(SINGING) We will never understand. Look at the moon, Betty. Look at the moon, Betty.
INTERVIEWER: How about one more story about music? Taylor Swift. Are you lucky enough to get tickets, who have gotten tickets? If you are ready to go-- I bet you probably are for Friday and Saturday, very much looking forward to it-- know that there will be massive traffic jams and delays after the concert.
You might probably expect that because she plays for almost, well, 3 hours, 3 plus hours. So they figure the concert will probably end around 11:20 Friday and Saturday nights. So it's going to be a late night. Star Tribune has a list of what to remember when it comes to parking and light rail and rideshare. You can check that out when you have an opportunity. If you're going to go to the concert, have a great time. And thank you for listening to Minnesota Now today right here on MPR News.
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