KFAI's MinneCulture Presents

Your Brain on Stories  from Battery Radio ~ From infancy to old age, nursery rhymes to novels, finger puppets to stage and screen, our lives are immersed in stories . Whether it's Hamlet or Han Solo, a story casts an irresistible spell over all of us. Why? Traditionally, scholars of literature find the answer in story structure, characters, and plot lines. But recently, storytelling has come under the gaze of anthropologists , cognitive scientists, and evolutionary psychologists. They seem to believe the answer is found in our evolution . These two installments of Your Brain on Stories examine how both fiction and non-fiction storytelling may have given early humans a very critical evolutionary advantage.

Old School from Hearing Voices ~ A back to school special and reminder of what school USED to sound like. Featuring work from producers Hillary Frank , Richard Paul, Katie Davis, and others about the joys, fears, boredom, and excitement of a regular school day from yesteryear. We'll also hear a from commencement speech Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich . Plus poetry from Taylor Mali, Meryn Cadell , Jelani, alongside some great  music  --  it's educational!

A Living History of the Boundary Waters by Joe Friedrichs ~  In the fall of 2020, a group of Minnesota paddlers set out to retrace the steps of a journey made by wilderness pioneer and conservation champion Arthur Carhart . His path was made a century ago and through what we now call the  Boundary Waters Canoe Area  Wilderness. In this half-hour special, producer Joe Friedrichs takes us along on the trip and examines what the term ‘wilderness’ really means in relation to the BWCA. Bde Maka Ska: It's Name Tells Us A Story by Kiin Aden ~ A year after the name Bde Maka Ska was restored as the official name of a popular lake in Minneapolis, youth producer Kiin Aden set out to know more about the meaning of the lake’s name in the Dakota language. Along her journey, she began to wonder if K-12 students in Minnesota might also benefit from learning Indigenous languages in their classrooms. BYO Boat at Float-In Theater  by  Paul Brohaugh  ~  As...

Celebrating Blue from Paul Ingles ~ A one-hour in-depth examination of one of the most heralded albums of all time. We'll learn from musicians, fans, and music critics about what makes Joni Mitchell's  Blue  so compelling and how it has left a distinctive fingerprint on rock and roll history. The landmark record was rated #30 Rolling Stone 's Top 500 Albums of All-Time; the highest rank by any female musician in the 2003 list. The magazine also called her "one of rock's most daring and uncompromising innovators." Along with her confessional lyrics, innovative open guitar tunings, and jazz-inflected vocals, Mitchell put the experience of being a woman on revolutionary display. In this special, we also hear lots from Mitchell herself in both archival interviews as well as her music. Released on June 22nd, 1971, this month marks the 50th anniversary of the album.

Dylan Part Four: Oh Mercy from Joyride Media ~ Bob Dylan has always been a unique American voice, and some believe that's most evident in the music he's made since the late 1980's. Returning to his roots in folk and blues, Dylan has fine-tuned American music with the mind of a poet and the bravado of a rock and roller . In this hour, we'll hear the maturity and grace of Dylan's artistic ideas covering the years from 1989 to 2007. The special is hosted by Patti Smith and features interviews with David Kemper, John Cohen, David Gans , Carolyn Wonderland, Josh Ritter, Ian MacLagen , John Hiatt, and many more.

Dylan Part Three: Shelter from the Storm  from Joyride Media ~ In the 1970s and 80s, Bob Dylan continued to expand his artistic world. His songs ran the gamut, from very personal stories to Homeric epics and everything in-between. By the late 70s, Dylan became a born-again Christian, and for several years he sang only religious material. By the late 80s, Dylan had supported Live Aid, Farm Aid, and joined the Traveling Wilburys . In this hour, we'll hear highlights from this period of dizzying artistic and personal growth. The special is hosted by  Patti Smith  and features interviews with Bill Flanagan, Roger McGuinn , David Mansfield, Ray Benson, Ian McLagan , and more.

Dylan Part Two: Like a Rolling Stone  from Joyride Media ~ With the mantle of folk protest singer off his shoulders, Bob Dylan launched into a flurry of creativity in the mid-1960's. His sound exploded with electric instruments and a blend of folk, rock, blues, and gospel influences. By the late 60's, Dylan was in Nashville singing country music like that which he had grown up on. His lyrics still commented on the world, but through a wider lens that mixed personal reflection with mystical and surreal images. In this hour, we'll hear how Dylan found his own unique voice , and how that changed rock and roll for a long time to come... if not forever.