St. Paul Live!, a radio program featuring musicians recorded live in venues in and around downtown Saint Paul, returns to KBEM in 2013

Minneapolis (Dec. 14, 2012) -- KBEM Radio is proud to announce St. Paul Live!, a radio program featuring musicians recorded live in venues in and around downtown Saint Paul, returns to the KBEM broadcast schedule in January. The series will air each Monday from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. beginning Monday, January 7, 2013, on KBEM, 88.5FM. It will then be repeated for a total of 26 weeks, and made available to out-state radio stations in the AMPERS network. Each episode will feature two different artists.

Thanks to major support from the Saint Paul Cultural STAR Program, KBEM was able to record a total of over 50 musicians in 15 musical groups performing in six different venues plus a neighborhood music festival.

Larry Englund, producer of the series, noted “There’s a lot more music, especially jazz, being presented in Saint Paul, than is generally recognized. We’re pleased that the Cultural STAR program recognized this unique opportunity.”

Ten of the featured groups play jazz of one sort or another and include vocalists, a spoken word ensemble, free improvisers, and modern jazz groups, while the rest encompass Latin, roots, and blues. Some of the featured artists include Eric Kamau Gravatt, Butch Thompson and Pat Donahue, the Cory Wong Quartet, Chris Lomheim, Mary Louise Knutson, Nikki & the Rue-Mates, and from Miami, Araya Orta. Each of the thirteen episodes will feature at least two different artists, though many of the artists will appear on more than one episode. 

The live recordings took place at the Artists’ Quarter, The Black Dog Coffee and Wine Bar, Studio Z, the Amsterdam Bar & Hall, and the Twin Cities Jazz Festival.

Students from the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Arts and Minneapolis’ North High School will serve as hosts for the series. 

Michele Jansen, KBEM Station Manager, said “We’re excited once again for this opportunity to showcase artists and venues in Saint Paul by partnering with the city, its venues, and organizations like the Conservatory. We’re happy to produce a second year of shows, to allow even more artists to be part of St. Paul Live!”