Happy 2nd Birthday Minnesota Now! Here are our favorite stories from the past year

CATHY WURZER: Happy birthday to this program. I mentioned that today marks two years since Minnesota Now's very first show. So to celebrate, the Minnesota Now team is sharing some of our favorite stories from the past year.

Back in January, I spoke to Nakisha Armstrong. She's from Hopkins. She's not spent a holiday with her dad in more than 30 years. He's incarcerated. The father of her two teenage sons is also incarcerated for the last 15 years.

Her experience is not unique. Nakisha is 1 of 15,000 Minnesotans who have a parent or close relative incarcerated. Here's our senior producer, Aleesa Kuznetsov, to introduce her pick.

ALEESA KUZNETSOV: On Minnesota Now, we put people first and share stories about the experiences of Minnesotans. Sometimes, those conversations aren't easy, but we're thankful for the people every day willing to be honest with us and Cathy about the sometimes difficult parts of their lives. So here's Cathy's conversation, produced by Ellen Finn, about a woman with multiple imprisoned family members.

CATHY WURZER: First I want to ask you about taking you back to when you were a little girl. Tell me about what happened and what your early life was like with your dad in prison.

NAKISHA ARMSTRONG: It was difficult for me when I was younger because I didn't understand why he wasn't in my life, but I also talked to him each and every day. And even on holidays, he'll send me stuff, but it was difficult because I didn't have him when I needed him. And I didn't understand it when I was younger.

CATHY WURZER: Did you go to visit?

NAKISHA ARMSTRONG: I did. When I was younger, I went all the time. As I got older, no.

CATHY WURZER: What was it like when you were a little girl and you went to visit him?

NAKISHA ARMSTRONG: It was different because sometimes, I couldn't touch him. And I didn't understand that. And just him having to sit across from me, and I'm across from him-- it was difficult when I was younger because I hear you all the time. I'm speaking with you all the time, but then once I actually get to see you, I wasn't able to get that embrace that I was hoping for.

And then especially leaving-- and he can't leave with me. That really did something to me, but I knew it wasn't his fault. My mom used to explain that to me, but I still didn't understand as a kid.

CATHY WURZER: So then as you got, older you decided, no. I just don't want any contact?

NAKISHA ARMSTRONG: No. So me and my dad are really close. He calls all the time-- literally all the time. It's just that when I got older and I started to grow into womanhood, I had so much going on that it was just like, I didn't have enough time to always go.

CATHY WURZER: Do you also struggle, or have you struggled in the past with how you view your dad as a good person or a bad man? Or how is that viewed?

CATHY WURZER: I used to always go back and forth with myself until I actually knew the story, but I did go back and forth with myself. What type of person is he? It just always stayed in my head because it's like, the man I know-- no, never. But I didn't know the full story of his situation.

And actually, I just found out the full story, where my dad just told me. And I don't look at him as a bad man at all. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. And when you're in situations like that as well, then your life can be taken either two ways. So then I understood.

CATHY WURZER: So you found out the real story-- what he says is the real story, right? How are you trying to help him now that you know the real story?

NAKISHA ARMSTRONG: Oh. So actually, my counsel, the Family Justice Conviction Reform Council and Wayfare Council-- we actually just got my dad paroled. So after 31 years, we worked with different organizations in order to get him paroled. So he actually just got paroled last month.

CATHY WURZER: Oh, my goodness. Wow.

NAKISHA ARMSTRONG: Yes.

CATHY WURZER: Has he been released?

NAKISHA ARMSTRONG: So he hasn't been released yet because he's medically challenged. So the nurses and the release planners-- they have to get all that in order before he's released because he has to go to a facility first. Yes. I know.

CATHY WURZER: This is huge.

NAKISHA ARMSTRONG: [LAUGHS] Yes. It's going to be something new for me, though. I speak to him all the time, but I do feel like at that actual physical talking or being around each other-- I'm ready for it, but I think it's just going to be different because I know my dad is actually here.

CATHY WURZER: Yeah. Yeah. I wonder how your relationship will change with him, if it does.

NAKISHA ARMSTRONG: Me, too. I think we'll get closer because I believe my dad's going to call every day. He calls every day now, too. But I know he's going to call every day.

CATHY WURZER: Now, did you ever receive any support over the years as a child of an incarcerated person? Or even now, as the parent of kids with an incarcerated father. Is there any support out there?

NAKISHA ARMSTRONG: There's no support. That was a good question because there's no support. And we need that. The only support I ever had was from my mom and other family members. But other than that, no.

CATHY WURZER: What would you hope to have had as a young child or even as a young woman?

NAKISHA ARMSTRONG: So as a young child, I would have loved to have somebody to talk to, to help me through it. Maybe a therapist because someone outside of the family. I would have loved to have that because that's a different perspective as well, somebody to talk to regarding having a father locked away.

CATHY WURZER: So as I mentioned in the introduction, you have sons, teenage sons. And the father of your sons is also incarcerated.

NAKISHA ARMSTRONG: Yes.

CATHY WURZER: Gosh, can you tell me what happened with their dad?

NAKISHA ARMSTRONG: So their dad was actually wrongfully accused of a crime that he did not do, and he got locked up for aiding and abetting a drive-by shooting. And we've actually been fighting for him for his wrongful incarceration for a while now.

CATHY WURZER: So what do you tell your sons about what's going on?

NAKISHA ARMSTRONG: So I let them know everything that's going on with their father. They actually attend events with me as well, so they're getting knowledge in other different areas as well to things that's going on in the world.

But I let them know everything. I let them know what happened to their dad, when he left, what type of man he was before he left. Yeah, I let them know everything about their dad. Their dad calls all the time, too.

And it's so awkward because it feels like the same situation I went through as a kid because he calls all the time. He sending gifts all the time. Like, he's always there. So it's awkward to me.

CATHY WURZER: How do you think your sons are handling this?

NAKISHA ARMSTRONG: Not too good because in all honesty, I can show them. I can teach them. I can do what I need to do as a woman. But as far as when someone's looking for that man figure, then I know that can do something to them.

My oldest son, he holds a lot of stuff in. We'll speak and stuff, and he states that he's fine. But deep down inside, I know that's missing because I know the feeling. But he's great. He graduated. He's about to go to college. He's about to do billing and coding.

My youngest son, he fights with it a lot. And I can tell. He talks to his dad every day. The other day, he came in. He broke his phone. He said, oh, man. My phone is broke. Now I'm not going to be able to talk to my dad.

So I know that impacts him a lot because I know he's wondering the same thing I was wondering when I was a kid. Like, where are you, especially when I need you.

CATHY WURZER: What do you wish state lawmakers, folks who work in the system, the criminal justice system, what do you wish they knew about your situation and the situation of, as I mentioned in the introduction, nearly 15,000 kids who have parents locked up?

NAKISHA ARMSTRONG: I wish they knew that in certain situations, that when they take someone out the home, especially for a crime that they did not commit, it has an impact on the whole family. And that can change people's life. It can change it for the good or for the bad.

Some people can have people around them that's pushing them and that's positive, and it's changing-- it's changing them, even with the hurt that they feel inside, to be a better person. But some people can have just negative energy around them, and that can change them.

That hurt from them taking them out the home can change them to be negative people because then they start looking up to negative people. And it just trickles down the line, and it just hurts a lot, in so many ways. Like, so many ways.

CATHY WURZER: So when is the father of your kids getting out? Are you anticipating that?

NAKISHA ARMSTRONG: So I am because we've been fighting for him. And we have so many organizations that's behind us and helping, pushing forward. I definitely am anticipating him getting out. If it's not this year, then it's next year because his case-- the CRU actually has his case now, and they're looking over his wrongful conviction.

And there's also another organization-- I forget the name-- that's looking at it as well. So that's a good thing for us. That's a plus. So yeah, we're definitely-- I'm going to put it in God's hands, but we're definitely participating on him coming home this year or next year.

CATHY WURZER: Who'd you say? The CRU is the Conviction Review Unit, as I understand it.

NAKISHA ARMSTRONG: Yep. That's correct.

CATHY WURZER: So your life is going to change. I mean, your dad is on parole, as you say, which is-- that's big. And then your partner might be out. I mean, wow. Does it add more stress to you or more excitement? I don't know.

NAKISHA ARMSTRONG: No, it adds more excitement to my life. And that-- so Deaunteze Bobo, my kids' father, that's actually not my partner. That's just my kids' father. I'm actually engaged. But we still-- that's still my friend. Like, my best friend, regardless of anything. We got a connection.

But I think it's going to change for the better. I'll have my family home, you know? And then I'm in a good space. The family around me is in a good space. So then when they come in, they'll be put in a good space as well. I don't know. I think it'll be exciting, honestly.

CATHY WURZER: Hey, I wish you well. Thank you for telling us your story.

NAKISHA ARMSTRONG: No problem. Thank you for having me.

CATHY WURZER: That was my conversation from January 9 of this year with Nakisha Armstrong. Our team checked court documents, and as of today, the father of Nakisha's children has not been released.

ANNOUNCER: Programming is supported by Champion Solar, offering clean power solar solutions with custom designs, installations, monitoring, service, and more. Minnesota based, locally empowered since 2010. More information at ChampionSolar.com.

CATHY WURZER: I want to thank you if you've been with us for the past couple of years on the ride that's known as Minnesota Now. Thank you so much for trusting us, for taking the time to listen to the program.

We always invite people to pass along story ideas. If you think there's an interesting Minnesotan we should talk to, if you really hate something about the program-- maybe you just can't stand the music. I don't know. Let us know because we do want to hear from you. MinnesotaNow@mpr.org, MinnesotaNow@mpr.org.

Coming up on 12:26, Todd Melby's here with a news update. Todd.

TODD MELBY: Cathy. Hundreds of people were reported killed in an explosion Tuesday at a Gaza Strip hospital. There were conflicting claims of who was responsible for the hospital blast. Officials in Gaza quickly blamed an Israeli airstrike. Israel denied it was involved and released a flurry of video, audio, and other information that it said showed the blast was due to a missile misfire by Islamic Jihad, another militant group operating in Gaza.

The White House says an intelligence assessment shows Israel was, quote, not responsible for the explosion at a Gaza hospital, but information is still being collected. The US assessment is based on analysis of overhead imagery, intercepts, and open source information, according to a spokesperson for the National Security Council.

The announcement followed President Joe Biden's comment to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that, quote, based on what I've seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you. The Associated Press has not independently verified any of the claims or evidence released by the parties.

Ohio Representative Jim Jordan was defeated on Wednesday-- that's today. In his second attempt to be named Speaker of the House, he received fewer votes than in yesterday's balloting. Jordan had the support of former president Donald Trump.

The House gaveled in with angry, frustrated GOP lawmakers looking at other options. And as the roll call was underway, a few new detractors emerged to oppose Jordan, who did not seem to be picking up new votes beyond one lawmaker who was absent the day before. It's not clear what happens next in the effort to choose a new Speaker.

Also today, a judge has warned Donald Trump at his New York civil fraud trial that-- rather, to keep their voices down after the former president threw up his hands in frustration and spoke aloud to his lawyers while a witness was testifying against him.

The judge made his comments after Trump was heard animatedly conferring with his lawyers at the defense table during real estate appraiser [? Donald ?] Larson's second day of testimony. This is MPR.

CATHY WURZER: Thank you. We are celebrating two years today that Minnesota Now went on the air by replaying some of our favorite segments. Producer Alanna Elder selected an interview that outlined an issue that few of us think about. We learned this year that land use, including agriculture and forestry, is one of Minnesota's largest sources of greenhouse gases.

It's second only to transportation. And there's a group of people with some power to help shrink that pollution. They're people who own farmland, but who don't farm it themselves. They own more than a third of the state's farmland.

Back in April, I talked to Meg Nielsen, who is part of a group called Climate Land Leaders. They recruit and train landowners to try to store carbon and reduce emissions. Here's producer Alanna explaining why she chose this interview for our anniversary show today.

ALANNA ELDER: I thought this conversation brings together two things we've been talking about on the show this year, family transitions that everyone goes through in some way or another and people feeling the impact of climate change or trying to adapt to it.

I also remembered it because of something that, when it happens, is one of my favorite parts of working on this show, when we hear back from people directly that a conversation is resonating with them. A couple people inside and outside the newsroom chimed in that they were in a similar position to Meg Nielsen.

And a listener actually wrote in asking where she needed to help Meg plant trees on her land. More on that in a minute. Here's the interview.

CATHY WURZER: Your dad used to have livestock before he switched to corn and soybeans, and then he stopped farming right before he died. So I'm kind of wondering here, what did you learn from your dad, watching those changes that he made?

MEG NIELSEN: Well, I think what I learned from him early on had to do with how he treated the soil. And he rotated the crops. He rotated-- every year, there would be a different crop on the field. He planted hay for the cattle. The cattle were out there. They were putting down natural fertilizer.

And these were all good things. They held the soil in place. And the soil looked much different than-- when I was growing up than it does now. It was much more dense back then, and it's now a lot sandier and more likely to be eroded by the corn and soybeans.

So he began renting the land out when I was probably in high school or college. And from then on, there was a renter who came and did the farm work. And it went more to corn and soybeans, with less rotation. No more cattle. These were probably all moves that weren't so good for the soil.

CATHY WURZER: Ah, OK. And so then enter you, after your dad died and the family still owns the land. You talked yesterday about how you switched part of your land from corn and soybeans to regenerative grazing, which is-- you're really trying to build healthy soil back up, right?

MEG NIELSEN: That's right. Yeah. We actually had the opportunity to walk our land when we were first beginning to get into this process, and what we noticed was there were a lot of gullies, a lot of places where the soil had eroded and water finds its way.

The first thing you want to do is protect and keep water from running off because the water carries nitrogen. And it carries it right into the rivers and the lakes and the streams, and it pollutes that. So the best thing you can do is to plant trees and permanent grasses, like prairie.

It's good for the water. It's good for the air. And it's good for biodiversity, as well. And that's what Climate Land Leaders has really helped us to learn about and to do.

CATHY WURZER: How do you deal with your renter, though, who I'm thinking probably really likes doing what he's doing?

MEG NIELSEN: He does really like what he's doing. And we had to leave part of our land in corn and soybeans, just because we need to pay the taxes and our long-term care insurance. But we really want to get the biodiversity thing going.

So land is such an emotional issue. It's where you come from. It's where we all come from, and it's where we all end up in the end, you know? Everybody has a sense of place, and everybody-- that's important to them. So it makes it a really emotional issue.

Our corn and soybeans renter said, well, it's your land. You can do what you want with it. But he wasn't really happy when we took 50 acres from his purview and gave it to somebody who's going to be raising sheep and cattle on it.

CATHY WURZER: So talk to me about certain farming practices. You mentioned this. Of course, you're grazing-- you're doing grazing right now. You also talked, I believe, about planting cover crops that can help lower a land's carbon footprint, right?

But this all takes time and energy. So I'm wondering here, when it comes to negotiating and banding together, you and other landowners, to have more of climate-minded requirements to your folks who are leasing your land, how do you tackle that?

MEG NIELSEN: Yeah, how do you tackle it? Well, that's why this group has been so important to us because it's a group of people who have so much expertise. Some of them have so much more information, so much more expertise, so much more experience than my husband and I do.

We're coming to this from teaching and church professions, and we don't know much about farming. You really have to be in there, communicate with each other, be not afraid to say, I don't know how to do this. Can you help me?

You have to keep good communication lines going with your local soil and conservation district office. You have to be willing to take advantage of some programs that are out there. And this is a great time, actually, to do that because there is funding and government programs available.

CATHY WURZER: And the group helps you wind your way through those government programs, which can be pretty complicated.

MEG NIELSEN: Right. It can be. Although we have found the people at the Freeborn County offices just really super willing to help. And I think that's pretty much the experience across the board because these are people who want to see farmers succeed.

And oftentimes, the people in Climate Land Leaders have said, well, have you tried the Fish and Wildlife conservation area? Have you called them? Have you talked to them? They might have funding available.

Everybody is really willing to help. It's been really heartening to us because the climate is on the edge. We're on the edge of something that is irreversible. But just to know that there are other people out there who want to preserve the Earth, who want to care for it, that's just so important to us. It gives us hope.

CATHY WURZER: Thank you, and I appreciate that. What do you hope your farmland looks like in 50 years from now?

MEG NIELSEN: [LAUGHS] Well, I won't be here to see it. I don't even know if I'll be here to see the end of the CRP contracts we signed this year for 15 years because my husband and I are both 75. But we hope that it will be a refuge, that it will be a place where there will be pheasants and small game, rabbits and deer.

And we hope that those trees that we're planting will be a home for bees and pollinators and birds, birds that we haven't seen in a long time, like meadowlarks, that have just totally disappeared from the landscape.

We hope it'll be a place with some real biodiversity where maybe some crops like elderberries will be growing, or hazelnuts. And that it'll be some place that people come, and they'll think-- they'll look at it, and they'll think, wow, we thought she was crazy when she started this. But I guess maybe she wasn't.

CATHY WURZER: Do your kids plan to continue the work?

MEG NIELSEN: They do. They do. Yeah, we're lucky. We have three kids, and they're all into it up to their eyebrows, so that's helpful.

CATHY WURZER: And you mentioned the trees yesterday, and I'm trying to get a picture as to where the trees are and how many. Tell me where they are.

MEG NIELSEN: Well, yeah, we're planting 600 trees this weekend. And you know, like I said, we're 75, and so we aren't going to be able to do this on our own. We are renting a tree planter from the soil and water conservation district office. And our grazer is helping us. He's got a tractor.

And we're just having a little trouble finding some people to help us because while our kids are all behind us, one's in New York, and the other two are busy with jobs and can't come to help us. So yeah, we got to find some help. If you want to come down and help us plant trees this weekend, we got a spot for you.

CATHY WURZER: Well, we might have to-- maybe if folks contact Minnesota Now, and they want to know where you are, we can put them in touch with you. How does that sound?

MEG NIELSEN: Oh, that would be great.

CATHY WURZER: There you go. Our public service to you, Meg. I wish you well. Thank you so much.

MEG NIELSEN: All right. Thank you.

CATHY WURZER: Meg Nielsen lives in Wisconsin and owns farmland in Freeborn County, which is in Southern Minnesota. Yes, they actually did plant trees. That conversation originally aired during Earth Week of this year, April the 25th.

[SYNTHESIZER MUSIC]

Now, if you've been listening to the show for a while, you know that every day around this time, we take a music break. DJs around the state pick some songs for us to share with you. And one of the DJs who's been doing this since the very beginning is Isaac Yanta.

Before he was at 101.1 FM The River in Winona, he was program director at KQAL, which is Winona State University's college station. Here's his pick, from our very first show.

ISAAC YANTA: Hey, Cathy. Greetings from Winona. I've been really enjoying the changing of the leaves and all the colors on the beautiful bluffs down here. And it's also gotten me really excited for my trip up to the North Shore in beautiful Minnesota.

So I've been listening to one of my favorite bands from the North Shore, Cloud Cult. They have some really amazing albums and are really just an amazing band, so please enjoy "Days to Remember" from Cloud Cult.

[CLOUD CULT, "DAYS TO REMEMBER"] If I could change a single memory, I'd call in sick and spend time with you. 'Cause these are the days to remember. These are the days to remember.

Turn off the phone and throw away the clock and the endless things you think you have to do. The water is warm and the sun is shining. And I just want to spend some time with you. Ooh.

[HUMMING MELODY]

(SINGING) If I had a life recorder that could save the best things I live through, I would play this over and over. Yes, I would play this over and over.

If I had a magic boat that could take me wherever I want it to, I would sail the whole world over, but only if it brings me back to you. To you.

[HUMMING MELODY]

(SINGING) If I could change a single memory, I'd call in sick and spend time with you 'cause these are the days to remember. These are the days to remember.

ISAAC YANTA: That was Cloud Cult from Duluth. I would absolutely say we've been having some days to remember here in Minnesota, and I hope yours is going wonderfully.

CATHY WURZER: That was a lovely nostalgic pic from former KQAL program director Isaac Yanta for Minnesota Now's very first song of the day. Isaac is still sharing music from Winona these days as the afternoon drive DJ for 101.1 FM The River.

ANNOUNCER: Support comes from SFM. Workers' Comp can be complicated, and it makes sense to work with an expert. SFM is dedicated to keeping employees safe and productive. Ask your independent insurance agent or SFMWorkersComp.com.

CATHY WURZER: OK, so many of you know I love history, specifically Minnesota history. That's why we have the Minnesota Now and Then segment. We shared this unique story on our show on May 31. Folk and blues singer Huddie Ledbetter, known by his stage name Lead Belly, had just finished a tour of Minnesota college towns when he turned up at a friend's Minneapolis home and gave a short concert.

It was a moment that would have been lost to music history except that somebody had the foresight to record it. I love the way the producers wove together the lost to time audio with their distinctive storytelling. Here's the story by MPR news contributors Robbie Mitchum, Jamal Allen, and Britt Aamodt.

[LEAD BELLY, "WHERE DID YOU SLEEP LAST NIGHT?"]

NEWSCASTER: Lead Belly didn't get around like he used to. His legs ached so bad, it hurt for him to get out of bed. But at 60, the folk and blues singer was still on the road, lugging his booming 12 string guitar, peddling his repertoire of songs-- some 500 of them, all tucked away in his memory, which was still good. It was his body that was given up on him.

(SINGING) My girl, my girl, don't lie to me. Tell me, where did you sleep last night? Come on. Tell me, baby. In the pines, in the pines, where the sun don't ever shine. I watched you the whole night through.

NEWSCASTER: It was November 21, 1948. For the past nine days, Lead Belly's road had taken him on a tour of Minnesota college towns. Minneapolis, St. Paul, Collegeville. Tonight, Lead Belly would be in Minneapolis, possibly on one of those mini tours that had brought him to many cities around the country. It would also turn out to be one of his last recorded performances.

[BLUES MUSIC]

Lead Belly's guitar had been his ticket to a different kind of life. It took him off the farm and put him on the road, where he absorbed all types of music. Blues, jazz, work songs, lullabies, children's songs, even cowboy songs. He bought his first 12 string after he heard a Mexican worker strumming one.

In Dallas, he began playing with another future legend, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and wrote a song about him-- "My Friend Blind Lemon."

[LEAD BELLY, "MY FRIEND BLIND LEMON"] Here's a song I composed about my friend Blind Lemon. We had run together for so many years in Dallas. He went away, and he stayed away from his wife. He [INAUDIBLE] to get together, 75 years [? old ?] [? apiece. ?] And his wife lie down and dream about him one night. When she woke up the second night, [INAUDIBLE]

Then, for a period of 15 or more years, Lead Belly was in and out of prisons for carrying a gun, for attempted murder, for murder, for getting in a fight with a white man. The reasons have been confused by time and myth.

In 1933, he was serving a sentence in Louisiana Angola Prison when John and Alan Lomax asked to record him singing and playing his guitar. The father and son were on a marathon song-collecting journey through Great Depression America for the Library of Congress.

[BLUES MUSIC]

Released from prison a year later, Lead Belly returned to his roaming way of life. He had ambitions for his career, but he was a Black man coming against the segregated society. And his country folk songs always seemed to be out of step with the current music bands that would have brought him closer to mainstream success.

Still, he carved out a space for himself in the touring circuit of university venues and clubs. Tonight's performance in a Minneapolis living room was just one of a lifetime of nights spent singing for an audience, but on a smaller, intimate scale.

There's background chatter, the noise of a child. It was the sort of casual performance that never had been recorded for the public, except it was.

[FOLK MUSIC] [INAUDIBLE] come a cow cow [INAUDIBLE].

LEAD BELLY: Oh, good. I was just about to forget about the intermission. But anyhow, we're going to do a number for the children. And the title of it, "Skip to My Lou." Now, Abraham Lincoln used to dance to this tune, and we sang it. And when I was a little boy, I used to play with [INAUDIBLE] children. We'd sing and dance to it. Now we're going to sing it, and a favorite of children.

["SKIP TO MY LOU" PLAYING]

(SINGING) Hey, hey. Skip to my Lou. Hey, hey. Skip to my Lou. Hey, hey. Skip to my Lou. Skip to my Lou, my darling.

Come with me, everybody.

(SINGING) Hey, hey. Skip to my Lou. Hey, hey. Skip to my Lou. Hey, hey. Skip to my Lou. Skip to my Lou, my darling.

They really sing it here too. I see them. Now, the first verse here, little red wagon--

NEWSCASTER: It would also turn out to be one of his last recordings. In the new year, he would take his guitar and his aching body to Paris. That's where he was when he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease that would later take his life that December.

After death, Lead Belly became a legend. As for that 1948 reel-to-reel recording, it enjoyed a second life, too-- as a bootleg shared among fans under the title Lead Belly, The Minneapolis Private Party.

LEAD BELLY: What happened down there?

CATHY WURZER: [INAUDIBLE] MPR news contributors Robbie Mitchum, Jamal Allen, and Britt Aamodt. Tomorrow's Minnesota Now and Then segment focuses on the Jolly Green Giant.

OK, we've played the music of our next guest on this show before for our Minnesota Music Minute segment. He's from the south side of Minneapolis and a citizen of the Red Lake Nation who fuses powwow with experimental electronic music. This was our producer Gretchen Brown's pick. Let's hear from her.

GRETCHEN BROWN: I love that this show gives us opportunities to meet our neighbors, even when they're famous musicians with growing buzz nationally and internationally. Joe Rainey is so talented, but in this interview, he seemed so down to Earth and like someone I'd want to hang out with. Let's listen to the interview.

CATHY WURZER: Joe Rainey's debut album has gotten quite the buzz, both in the Midwest and nationally. Let's listen.

[JOE RAINEY, "BEZHIGO"]

I am so honored that Joe Rainey is on the line right now. Hey, welcome to the program, Joe.

JOE RAINEY: Thank you for having me, Cathy. I'm really excited to talk with you.

CATHY WURZER: And I'm excited to talk to you, too. Hey, tell us about the music we're listening to.

JOE RAINEY: This is one of the songs off the album Niineta. The song is titled "Bezhigo," and it is one of the favorites of many people that we talk to. And it made it on the top 100 of Pitchfork of last year. I'm really, really happy for that.

CATHY WURZER: Oh, you should be because that is amazing. Let me ask you about the music. The New York Times, Pitchfork, other publications have tried to describe your music. I'm quoting now, layers of powwow songs set to industrial strength drums and fused, as Pitchfork says, with techno, industrial, hip hop, dub, and noise.

How do you describe your music, and where does it come from within you?

JOE RAINEY: It definitely comes from where I grew up and the place that I call home, Southside Minneapolis. It is a four hours south from my home community of Red Lake. And not being able to grow up in Red Lake might have had its disadvantages, but I think I stayed connected through my family.

And you know, I really embraced being a city Indian, so making this album, I wanted to keep something as [? public ?] of what powwow music is. I wanted to switch it up a bit, and I wanted to make something that was in its own lane. So when it comes to describing what we created, it becomes difficult because it is in its own lane.

CATHY WURZER: What is the reaction among folks in other communities, other Native communities, those who might be more traditionalist when it comes to powwow music? What kind of feedback have you gotten?

JOE RAINEY: Well, I've gotten a lot of great feedback. And they're just happy to see the representation that comes from being a powwow singer. You know, it's a thankless job, being a singer in a Native community.

CATHY WURZER: Didn't you grow up recording powwows?

JOE RAINEY: Yes, I did. Yes, I still do. I still do.

CATHY WURZER: And what did you learn in those early years?

JOE RAINEY: I learned a lot. I learned about the different styles of powwow singing and the different songs and how many songs there are. How many drum groups there are. And they all come from different places.

Being able to travel and see their home communities, being invited into their homes, traveling to different powwows. You know, my younger years, those are some of the best memories of I've had of singing. But powwow singing is something important in my life, for sure.

CATHY WURZER: Did you initially have any hesitation at all about putting a new twist on a tradition like powwow?

JOE RAINEY: Yes, I did. I wouldn't be true to myself if I didn't say that I didn't. But I thought about it because being a part of a group means a lot more to me than just going out on my own and doing my own thing.

But creatively, I felt like this needed to be said. And I wanted to keep it tasteful. And you know, I didn't use any language, just in the title itself. But I wanted to keep it true to who I am, as a contemporary Indigenous artist. I wanted to make this for my family.

CATHY WURZER: Hey, we need to hear some more music. We're going to play another cut off the album. This is called "Turned Engine."

[JOE RAINEY, "TURNED ENGINE"]

Tell us about the inspirations behind that.

JOE RAINEY: Well, this song had Allie Bearhead from the Bearhead Sisters. Recently, they won a Juno award, which was a huge accomplishment for them. And I envisioned a woman's voice on a few of these songs.

This was the person who was, I thought, fit the best. She's a great vocalist, and I wanted to highlight who she is on this song.

CATHY WURZER: Let me ask you about female voices in powwow because I haven't heard many. Now, I know you posted a video on your Instagram account, and you're singing with your daughter. And she's got such a beautiful voice. Do you think that she might follow in your footsteps?

JOE RAINEY: She already has been singing with me for a while. And women's voices in powwow are normal. They stand behind the drum in some communities. Some communities allow them to sit down.

But there are different teachings for each community. And traveling and respecting them was something that I learned early on. Women singers are really, really powerful singers, and I have a lot of respect for them.

And I thank them constantly for being an inspiration for my own daughter, who has been singing since she was three. And so she's been looking up to them. And you know, she's a YouTube kid, and so she can find powwow music and watch her favorite backup singers daily on YouTube. So she's not far behind my footsteps, but she is well on her way. Yes.

CATHY WURZER: Good. Good. Oh, I'm glad to hear that. I am. Now as you know, on the program, we always ask musicians to send us a song from another musician that's inspiring them. And you sent us "Nothing I Can Do" by the band Indigenous. We're going to take a listen to that right now.

[INDIGENOUS, "NOTHING I CAN DO"]

(SINGING) Walking down this road, [? loneliness. ?]

Oh, I like this a lot. Joe, tell me about this.

JOE RAINEY: Yeah, this is the band Indigenous. This was one of the first concerts I've ever been to, was watching a Native band do their thing in the blues world. And I was mesmerized by the lead singer and lead guitarist, [? Mato, ?] and his guitar playing.

And they were all a family, family band. They opened for Santana. And they're from Yankton Sioux tribe in South Dakota. So I now have extended family there in that territory. So they do know of the band, so I'm very happy. I'm looking forward to eventually crossing paths and to tell them how much of an inspiration they were to me, as a-- little did I know, as seeing Natives on the stage. You know, I appreciated that back then. But I even appreciate it more now.

CATHY WURZER: Joe, I know you're busy. You are so kind to take time to talk with me, and I love your music. I love what you're doing. Thank you so much, and best of luck.

JOE RAINEY: [NON-ENGLISH]. Thank you for having me.

CATHY WURZER: That was musician Joe Rainey in a conversation from last April. If you want to see him live, he is performing at Carleton College in Northfield this coming Friday.