“Is old music killing new music?” a recent article in The Atlantic asked. That article was written by music historian Ted Gioia. He believes that the market is shifting away from new music and to older songs instead, and his research found that the majority of new downloads are songs that are more than two years old. Is everything old new again?  MPR News host Angela Davis discusses the popularity of old music and what that means for the music industry with music journalist David Menconi.  And she also talks with The Current’s program director Jim McGuinn about what local artists he’s listening to and what concerts and events are coming up in the Twin Cities. Guests:  Jim McGuinn is the program director at The Current David Menconi is a music journalist and author in Raleigh, N.C. Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation. Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.

MPR News with Angela Davis

New music, upcoming concerts and the popularity of old songs

The University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs was founded in 1977, named after the Minnesota native, former United States Sen. and Vice President Hubert Humphrey. He was a legislator and statesman known all over the world for his contributions to improving the well-being of humanity.  In 2022 the school chose Nisha Botchwey as its new dean. She is the first Black woman and immigrant to serve as the school’s dean and comes to the Twin Cities from Georgia Tech in Atlanta.  In her message to her new academic community, Botchwey described her new job as having, “the opportunity to change people’s lives, shape public policy, and even bring about necessary justice — to be in service of one another and our fellow global citizens.” MPR News host Angela Davis sat down with Botchwey recently to talk about her journey to the U.S., the Humphrey School’s future and what it means to be a global citizen.  Guest: Nisha Botchwey is the new dean of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. She holds master’s degrees in public health and urban planning and a Ph.D. in urban planning. 

Meet the new dean of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, Nisha Botchwey

Love it or loathe it, Valentine’s Day is coming up. MPR News host Angela Davis talks with two guests with two different takes on romance and Valentine’s Day.  First, we hear from romance writer Karen Booth who grew up in Minnesota and writes contemporary romance novels with a focus on heroines over age 35. We hear about what makes a romance swoon-worthy and about Booth’s own love story.  And we also hear from Twin Cities comedian Hannah Wydeven, who is performing a Valentine’s Day improv show called “Love Hurts: A Valentine’s Experience” at Huge Improv Theater in Minneapolis. Guests: Karen Booth is a contemporary romance writer  Hannah Wydeven is a comedian based in the Twin Cities Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation. Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.

Love, romance and comedy on Valentine’s Day

Host Angela Davis checks in with an ICU nurse from St. Cloud who has been caring for COVID patients since the beginning of the pandemic. And, she talks with a Latina activist who hopes her father’s long battle with COVID-19 raises awareness about the sacrifices made by essential workers. 

COVID’s long shadow

Senior editor Mike Mulcahy has been at MPR News on and off — mostly on — since 1985. He’s covered everything from a strike at the Hormel factory to the crash of Paul Wellstone’s plane to the Twins winning the World Series. He has thoughts on radio journalism before and after the digital age and what it means to cover state politics in a post 9/11 world. Mike joined MPR News host Angela Davis for a look back at his storied career (don’t worry, he’s not going anywhere) and a look ahead to the coming election and baseball seasons.

Throwback Thursday with Mike Mulcahy

Evictions have increased in Minnesota since the moratorium began to phase out in 2021. That can have yearslong repercussions on people’s mental and physical health, educational outcomes and more. Host Angela Davis talks with two researchers about the lasting impacts of evictions.

How evictions can have lasting impacts on health, housing and poverty

Many people working from home during the pandemic love the flexibility but miss the camaraderie of the office. On Monday, host Angela Davis talks about the pros and cons of hybrid work. 

Is hybrid work the solution? 

Minnesotans react to the latest Minneapolis police shooting that is getting national attention and sparking outrage in communities across the state after the release of police bodycam video. The shooting that left 22-year-old Amir Locke dead after a group of Minneapolis police SWAT officers entered the apartment he was sleeping in, early Wednesday morning, has rattled Minnesotans. Interim Minneapolis police Chief Amelia Huffman said officers were executing a search warrant at the request of St. Paul police who are investigating a homicide case. But Locke, who was shot and killed by officers nine seconds after they entered the apartment, was not named in the search warrant and it’s not clear if he figures into the St Paul case. In the one minute video Locke can be seen on a couch, wrapped in a blanket and then holding a gun as he starts to move. Bodycam video shows Man under blanket, holding gun before Minneapolis cop shoots The fatal shooting is renewing the debate about the dangers of so-called “no-knock warrants” and upsetting people who already feel traumatized by the events of the last few years. Guests: Jon Collins is a senior reporter for MPR News.   Justin Terrell is executive director of the Minnesota Justice Research Center, a nonprofit organization that works for racial equity and criminal justice reform through research, education and advocacy. Prior to that he was the executive director of the Council for Minnesotans of African Heritage. Dr. Joi Lewis is a coach, consultant, community healer and the author of the book “Healing: The Act of Radical Self-Care.” Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.

Minnesotans react to the fatal shooting of Amir Locke by Minneapolis police

Last year, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers caused a stir by saying, “Yeah, I’ve been immunized,” when asked about being vaccinated against COVID-19 during a summer press conference. He then tested positive for the virus later in the fall.  So, what does immunity mean in the context of COVID-19? How does immunity develop after we get an infection and how does it compare to immunity following vaccination? Why do variants pose a challenge and will we all need fourth boosters soon? MPR host Angela Davis talks with two doctors about what immunity is, how it works and what shape we’ll be in as individuals and a community after the omicron surge. Guests:  Dr. Greg Poland is the founder and director of the Mayo Vaccine Research Group and the editor-in-chief of the medical journal “Vaccine.” Dr. Marc Jenkins is director of the Center for Immunology at the University of Minnesota Medical School and an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences. Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation. Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.

What is COVID immunity, and how do you know if you have it?

Grandparents have always stepped up to support grandchildren, but during the pandemic that love looks a bit different. Tuesday, host Angela Davis talks with two grandmothers — a journalist and an early childhood education leader  — about how elders are providing childcare and trying to bridge the distance on Zoom. 

Grandparenting during the pandemic 

For millennials, the list of anxieties is long: climate change, pandemic and a major immediate financial worry is retirement. Gone are the days of working hard for one company for 30 years, getting your gold watch and sailing your boat into the proverbial sunset. Baby boomers and Gen Xers are looking forward to retirement, but millennials and Gen Z are terrified of it. Or, more accurately, they&#39;re terrified it might not ever happen for them. Why? What are the economic circumstances that allow for a healthy retirement for individuals and generations?  MPR News Host Angela Davis speaks with Senior Economics Contributor Chris Farrell and millennial money manager Jerry Brown about earning and saving for retirement — how young people can take care of their future and how the rest of us can help them in that effort. And we heard from you, too. Our listeners answered our questions: Are you worried about retirement? What are your plans for retirement? Do you have questions about how to work and save enough to eventually retire? Are you a boomer or Gen Xer with tips or tricks for younger people? Guests: Chris Farrell is MPR’s Senior Economics Contributor Jerry Brown is a financial adviser and blogger specializing in millennials’ money and securing the financial future of people of color Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation. Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.

Will millennials ever retire?

How about those Vikings? Not the football team. We’re talking about the ancient voyagers and raiders from the North. MPR News host Angela Davis talked with a Minnesota historian and an archeologist in the U.K. about Vikings in popular imagination and new research that challenges old ideas about who they were and where they went. 

Who were the Vikings, really? 

When COVID-19 forced stay-at-home orders and the beginning of remote work in early 2020, pundits and journalists predicted that the pandemic could dramatically change city life. They worried about an exodus to the suburbs and exurbs, the end of public transit and downtowns becoming obsolete.  City life has certainly not ended, as some had feared. But the pandemic is changing the way our cities look and operate. Remote work has changed commute patterns and raised questions about how we use downtown spaces. Cities around the world have expanded pedestrian spaces and outdoor dining.  MPR News host Angela Davis explores how the pandemic has redesigned our cities and whether those changes are here to stay.  Guests:  Bill Lindeke is an urban geographer and columnist at MinnPost Fernando Burga is an assistant professor in Urban Planning at the University of Minnesota Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation. Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.

How the pandemic has changed our cities

For people in recovery, the pandemic presented some familiar and some new problems. And while the opioid epidemic continues to grow, access and affordability of rehab and counseling continues to be a challenge for many people. Host Angela Davis speaks with experts on entering or staying in recovery during the ongoing pandemic. 

How the recovery community is surviving the pandemic

The birth rate in the United States declined for the sixth straight year in 2020, and according to the Pew Research Center, more people say they don’t plan on having children.  People are making that choice for a variety of reasons. Some are concerned about having children because of instability caused by climate change, political division and the COVID-19 pandemic. Others are concerned about the cost of child care, health care and education. And others are content being child-free and have no desire to have kids.  MPR News host Angela Davis talks with a sociology professor and an author about why more people are choosing not to have children.  Guests:  Donna Freitas is a novelist and professor. Her most recent book is “The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano.” Amy Blackstone is a professor of sociology at the University of Maine and the author of the book “Childfree by Choice: The Movement Redefining Family and Creating a New Age of Independence.” Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation. Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.

Child-free by choice: Why more people are deciding not to have children

Conversations about life in Minnesota and how the state is changing, weekdays from MPR News.

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MPR News with Angela Davis

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