Mary Lucia has earned a large fan base with her work as a broadcast personality, writer, actor and voice-over talent. Lucia began her media career doing evenings at REV 105, co-hosted mornings on Zone 105, and hosted a talk show, Somethin' Stupid, on 1500 KSTP.
From 1998 to 2001, she hosted the local music show Popular Creeps, a two-time Minnesota Music Award winner for "Best Locally Produced Show." For her work at The Current, Lucia has been voted best FM radio personality by City Pages seven times. In addition to her radio career, she has also appeared in commercials and in live theater productions.
Lucia likes cats and dogs more than people, wearing dead people's clothes and taking long walks off of short piers.
This week on Listen to Looch, Mary Lucia is joined by Andrea Swensson for a conversation about the career and music of J.S. Ondara. Born in Kenya, Ondara moved to Minneapolis to launch his music career. This Saturday, J.S. Ondara plays at night two of The Current's 14th Birthday Party, and in February, his debut full-length album comes out on Verve Records.
Mary Lucia and Bill DeVille ponder what made David Bowie stand out, and whether or not there'll be another like him.
Ahead of a show with his band the Violators in the First Avenue Mainroom, Kurt Vile stopped at The Current for a session hosted by Mary Lucia. Vile played solo acoustic versions of a couple songs from his latest album, 'Bottle It In,' and one from his 2011 release, 'Smoke Ring for My Halo.'
This week, Mary Lucia celebrates Keith Richards' 75th birthday with quotes and stories from the Rolling Stones guitarist.
Although Haley has composed instrumental music before, her 2018 release 'Pleasureland' is her first all-instrumental full-length. 'This was so much more satisfying when I wasn't trying to say something with words,' Haley says. 'It was how I felt and what I connected to.' Haley, along with Jeremy Ylvisaker, visited The Current studio to play music from 'Pleasureland.'
Radio Heartland, The Current's stream stream featuring acoustic, Americana and roots music, will soon celebrate its 10th anniversary. This week on Listen to Looch, Mary Lucia talks to Radio Heartland Program Director Mike Pengra about MPR's longest-running music stream.
Host Mary Lucia shares her favorite songs of 2018.
For this week's Listen to Looch, Mary Lucia wants to know: What is your favorite song intro -- you know, the one where, whenever or wherever you hear it, you feel thankful to be alive and on this planet.
This week, Mary Lucia welcomes back Andrea Swensson, music reporter for The Current and host of The Local Show. Swensson talks about the music she's enjoyed and discovered while she was out, and she talks about what's coming up on The Local Show in the weeks ahead.
This week, Mary Lucia talks about watching the final episode of Anthony Bourdain's 'Parts Unknown' on CNN. 'A lot of people, myself included, found it really difficult to watch the remaining episodes after Bourdain passed away last year,' Mary says, 'and I honestly feel like this is the one episode I would say you can watch. Yes, it's sad. Yes, it's poignant. But he's touring the Lower East Side of New York - it's so fitting and appropriate.'
'I honestly considered making a record of this nature for 20 years,' Elvis Costello says of 'Look Now,' his latest full-length album. 'But the reason I haven't made it is because I've been doing other things.' In a phone interview, Costello tells Mary Lucia why now is the right time for 'Look Now.'
Greta Van Fleet's debut full length record, 'Anthem of the Peaceful Army,' makes a nostalgic nod to rock history, and includes a healthy dose of guitar amps turned to 11.
This week, Mary Lucia recommends a new Netflix documentary that explores the 1970 meeting at the White House between President Richard Nixon and Johnny Cash.
This week, Mary Lucia and Derrick Stevens talk about 'Quincy,' a Netflix original documentary that looks at the life of music icon Quincy Jones. 'I absolutely loved it,' Mary says. 'I can't recommend it enough.'
Maggie Rogers' music career has advanced very quickly, a fact that's not lost on the singer-songwriter. Her forthcoming album, 'Heard It In A Past Life,' is a reflection of that. ' I just think I've been trying to do this for a very long time, and this is the lifetime it all sort of works out,' Rogers says. Before her sold-out show at First Avenue, Maggie Rogers stopped at The Current for a session hosted by Mary Lucia.
Motion City Soundtrack's Justin Courtney Pierre has a debut solo album, 'In The Drink,' releasing Friday, Oct. 12. Just ahead of that release, Pierre and his band stopped at The Current to play songs from the new record and to talk with Mary Lucia.
This week, Mary Lucia talks about the significance of the Hold Steady playing two shows at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis.
Jon Langford is a true renaissance man: a musician, a visual artist, a producer. Founder of the Mekons and a student and propagator of Americana and roots music, the Welsh-born, Chicago-based Langford stopped at The Current for a fun and free-flowing conversation with Mary Lucia.
This week, Mary Lucia explores Eugene Jarecki's documentary 'The King,' a film that looks at the story of Elvis Presley as a metaphor for American history and culture. It's an ambitious premise - but is it trying too hard?
This week, Mary Lucia talks to Bill DeVille about the Americana Music Association's Festival and Conference in Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 11 to 16.