Sean McPherson is an in-demand bassist, bandleader and songwriter from St. Paul, Minnesota. He plays bass with Heiruspecs, Dessa and his solo project, the Twinkie Jiggles Broken Orchestra. McPherson graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007 with an Individualized Degree in Music, African-American Studies and Cultural Studies. Sean is an instructor at McNally Smith College of Music, teaching courses in Composition, Liberal Arts and Hip-Hop Studies. In addition to his performance and teaching career, McPherson is an active entrepreneur in the Twin Cities media community. He is the co-owner of Trivia Mafia, the largest trivia company in Minnesota. McPherson is also a freelance food writer for City Pages.
As the first show announcements rolled out, it seemed unclear what the very first public performance at the reopened Palace Theatre would be. It wasn’t a certainty that the first performer would be local, particularly with the room’s 2,800 capacity. Atmosphere, though, were a perfect choice for the first act to headline the stage: their local pedigree can’t…
In town to perform at the First Avenue Mainroom, California rockers The Growlers stopped at The Current for a session hosted by Sean McPherson. Although they originally described their music as 'beach goth,' the Growlers have distanced themselves from that categorization. 'We make this music for ourselves and decide to share it with people,' frontman Brooks Nielsen explains.
Ahead of their recent Valentine's Day show at the Myth in Maplewood, Minn., Run the Jewels stopped by The Current to take over our airwaves with a special love-themed playlist for Theft of the Dial.
Run The Jewels' strength has been in taking El-P's nihilistic views and coupling them with Killer Mike's focus on self-reliance, courage and the increased importance of local networks in the face of big national crises. On their third outing, Run the Jewels expand their sonic palette and create another album that speaks truth to power from beginning to end.
Sean McPherson writes about Darryl 'DMC' McDaniels's powerful memoir 'Ten Ways Not to Commit Suicide.'
The Current's Sean McPherson shares his top 10 songs of 2016.
Arkells' frontman Max Kerman is in it for the long game; he's already thinking about how he will age as an artist. 'I've observed the way a lot of bands have aged; there are some bands that can do it really well and some bands can't do it as well,' Kerman says. 'But there's one person who's been really inspiring to me lately ... Leonard Cohen.' Hear more from Arkells in their in-studio session, hosted by Sean McPherson.
When Phife Dawg passed away due to complications from diabetes, behind the scenes, A Tribe Called Quest had almost completed a record that would completely change their position in the history books. Weeks upon weeks of sessions spent face to face, in Q-Tip's home studio, were pushing towards a record that would celebrate all the progress that the crew and the hip-hop genre had made in the past two decades.
We've been 'raising spirits' as Halloween approaches with eerie Coffee Break themes. Today, we rustle up a rogues' gallery of creepy critters: For today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear that mention monsters, goblins, ghouls or vampires? Send us your requests.
Whether writing, producing or performing, Jack Garratt brings a serious work ethic to everything he does. 'I have a job and I have a duty, professionally and creatively, to give the best performance I physically can every single time I play,' Garratt says. In town for a recent show at First Avenue, Jack Garratt joined host Sean McPherson for a session recorded in The Current studio.
'American Band', the new album from Drive-By Truckers, comes out Sept. 30, and is being hailed as the band's most explicitly political record to date. 'Every time I turn on the news or look at my phone, some other just horrendous thing has happened, and often it's so senseless,' says the band's Patterson Hood. Listen to new songs from Drive-By Truckers and to their interview with Sean McPherson.
After opening Rock the Garden earlier this summer, California rockers Plague Vendor returned to the Twin Cities for a show at the Turf Club. Ahead of their St. Paul appearance, the band stopped by The Current studio to talk with Sean McPherson.
Frank Ocean's new record, Blonde, exists in our world's grays; it's courageous for a black R&B album to live in the gray. And it follows in the footsteps of Prince's boundary-breaking career.
Local hip-hop artist Prof has a reputation for putting on a great live show. 'To craft a set, I like to go on a roller coaster,' he says. 'I like go super down low, I like to go high, and it means more when you come to a complete stop, and now you're sprinting, so you feel that more.' For Minnesota Music Day, Prof stopped in to The Current studio for a session hosted by Sean McPherson.
Musician and rapper Flavor Flav of the legendary hip-hop group Public Enemy gave Radio Free Current host Sean McPherson and his listeners a wonderful surprise on Saturday, April 30: Flavor Flav arrived in the studio for a live conversation in which he talked about his music and about his memories of Prince. 'Being onstage with Prince is so electrifying,' Flav says. Listen to Sean McPherson and Flavor Flav's complete conversation.
The Current's Sean McPherson reflects on the life and music of Phife Dawg; the rapper from A Tribe Called Quest who died earlier this week due to complications from diabetes. 'Phife Dawg wasn't the man, he was the everyman. He wasn't the coolest. He was the realest,' Sean writes.
For today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear by artists who use diacritical marks or graphic symbols in their names? Send us your requests.
Today's Coffee Break theme is inspired by actual events: Because it's Super Tuesday, what songs do you want to hear that include the word 'super' in the lyrics? Send us your requests.
Bruce Springsteen -- aka 'the Boss' -- makes a stop in St. Paul Monday night as part of his The River Tour. Our Coffee Break topic is inspired by Springsteen's nickname: What songs do you want to hear that mention a 'boss' figure or are set in the workplace? Send us your requests.
On Wednesday, Feb. 17, Sean McPherson sat down with one of the most revered hip-hop groups of all time, Naughty by Nature. Known for infectious hits as well as contemplative tunes, Naughty by Nature shared stories and insights that speak volumes to their longevity in the music business. Listen to Sean's complete interview with Naughty by Nature.