KFAI's MinneCulture Presents

Hey, it's pledge drive time! For volunteers at the hippest little radio station in town, that means chowing on Jimmy John's sandwiches and reminding listeners how cool KFAI is. For you, that means opening your wallet just a little to keep the awesome stuff on the air. Call us between 7-7:30 p.m. and pledge your support to member-supported, independent public radio. Or you can go online too. I'll also be playing some of the best short radio pieces from the last year on tonight's "Listening Lounge." At the moment, I'm thinking of a great youth radio piece on how tough it is to ask someone to prom.

Hip Hop Marching Band by Mary Rose Madden Baltimore's Morgan State University is home to The Magnificent Marching Machine, the college's 100+ member marching band. With a remarkable field presence, the band incorporates the latest hip hop hits as well as r&b classics into its repertoire. There are many challenges re-making modern, electronically mixed sounds into the big band compositions you'd traditionally find at halftime and the MMM tackle each piece differently. Punk Rock Kabuki Play by Eli Halpern "Early Kabuki was like totally transgressive and politically subversive... just like pinning safety pins to your leather jacket." So what would happen if you mixed the ancient Japanese art of Kabuki theater with the in-your-face power of punk? Would it say anything about how rebellious art forms eventually become co-opted by mainstream society? The Two-Headed Calf Theater took their adaptation of Chikamatsu's cl assic "The Drum of the Waves of Hor...

“No Brother of Mine” offers an unflinching look at U.S. sex offender policy that reaches beyond the headlines and into the lives of real people. Reported over four years by award-winning independent producers Todd Melby and Diane Richard, this hour-long documentary combines audio-rich storytelling that puts the listener in the scene with expert interviews that lend perspective and propel the narrative forward. It provides a nuanced examination of issues surrounding federal online registration laws, residency restrictions, Romeo and Juliet laws and the growing use of civil commitment. (Todd Melby is the host of the Listening Lounge.)

Brainhilda and I Salt Institute for Documentary Studies Carole Starr was a dedicated violinist, until a brain injury left her with a rare hearing disorder. Suddenly the music Carole loved dearly became something close to torture. concert, even though her body and mind pay dearly for it. Dyana, Goddess of the Moose Hunt Salt Institute for Documentary Studies It all started out as a simple moose hunt...but a lot can go wrong. Find out how this story was reported by listening to the Saltcast podcast . Women in the Economy World Vision Report 17 years ago, Somaliland declared itself independent from Somalia. But no other country has ever formally recognized Somaliland as a bonafide nation. That means it’s not eligible for international aid or loans. Many blame that lack of recognition for the fact that an estimated 90 percent of the men in the capital of Somaliland are unemployed. But Hargeisa’s marketplace bristles with activity. As Richard Lough reports, it’s w...