Courtesy of Sara Fish Photography
Diane Miller
A new host is about to take the reins of 89.3 The Current's Local Show, one of the Twin Cities’ hottest radio music talk shows. Stepping into music journalist Andrea Swensson’s shoes after her five-year run behind the mic, Diane Miller will steer the Local Show in a new direction.
Raised in Fargo, where she edited the city's alt weekly the High Plains Reader, and a graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead where she studied music, Miller is steeped in the local scene. Among her many projects that span genres, she's a co-founder of the hip-hop band D Mills & The Thrills.
Ahead of her first broadcast September 19, Miller spoke with us about Minnesota music icons, the Minnesota Nice-ness endemic to the Twin Cities hip-hop scene, and what she’s looking forward to in her new position.
What type of music did you listen to as a kid?
My dad took us on a lot of road trips when we were young, and both of my parents are big music fans. We’d listen to Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, George Jones, Patsy Cline. I've loved to sing since I was a little kid so I remember going on long car rides with my dad, and I'd be singing all the words to Bob Dylan and George Jones.
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been a big hip-hop and R&B fan. I loved Notorious B.I.G., I loved Puff Daddy, Aaliyah, TLC—and of course good pop music, like No Doubt, Alanis Morrissette, just across the board Top 40s radio. I started absorbing all of it, but I think my first powerful love was R&B and hip-hop.
So how did you get your start in music journalism?
I started writing on this music blog, and I just became so obsessed with music—I was always looking up new music and new songs that I could find. And then after college, I started a hip-hop band and became the editor of the alt-weekly in Fargo-Moorhead, The High Plains Reader.
Though Fargo-Moorhead is three-and-a-half hours west of the Twin Cities, it’s heavily influenced by what is happening in the Twin Cities, just because the Twin Cities is a mecca for arts and its influence expands to the smaller areas. Lots of Minneapolis bands would travel to Fargo-Moorhead, so as the editor I would usually cover the bands that would come through and I would go see them, or I’d open for them in one of my different projects. Not only was I in the hip-hop band, I was also in a reggae band, and I also had my own folk project—I just did all sorts of random projects.
So even before you were living in the Twin Cities you had all these connections to local bands and music.
I definitely developed a close bond with the Twin Cities music scene through either just writing about them, or attending shows, or opening for them. Even traveling to Minneapolis to go see shows was something that I did regularly. Having played so many different styles of music I've developed so many relationships with artists in the Twin Cities, from Trampled by Turtles, to Chastity Brown, to Todd Clouser who’s in Mexico City now.
So with your experience at this not-so-mainstream alt-weekly, how is your work at the somewhat-mainstream Local Show going to be different?
Well, what I love about MPR is it's a platform that celebrates diversity and celebrates progressiveness and community, and The Current as a subset of MPR is very much a station that plays progressive, new, and cutting edge music—not to say there isn't mainstream elements of it, and not to say that I'm completely anti-mainstream. I feel like a really good fit because the Twin Cities music scene is so all-encompassing and there's so much different stuff happening, and I find appreciation in all of it.
And as a performer—a performer who just played the Basilica Block Party this weekend, mind you—how does it feel to return to live music after a year and a half of virtual performances?
I definitely am a massive fan of live music. Like, yeah, recorded music for sure all day, but seeing music live is its own experience. As someone who's both a performer and an avid concert-goer, I've missed it. So it's, like, so good to be back. The Basilica Block Party is one of those music festivals that has been going on for so long and so many people attend. It feels really thrilling to have this opportunity to showcase my talents to a bigger, broader audience.
Would you say performing live and being live on the radio are similar?
You still get a certain type of buzz, because it is like being recorded, and when you’re live all your mistakes are laid out. The Local Show is a pre-recorded show, so at least I have time to really practice rewrites, and kind of hash it out. It's almost like going into a studio like a musician, it's not that far from that.
As an avid hip-hop listener and performer, what are some things Minnesotans don’t know about the local hip-hop scene?
Twin Cities hip-hop has its own Minnesota Nice-ness to it, but at the same time, there are some kids out there doing some really cutting edge stuff. I just think it's an incredible art form for self expression and especially for communities who feel marginalized, it's empowering, and almost like an F-you to society.
Yeah, like a Minnesota Nice F-you.
Yeah, I would characterize myself as a Minnesota Nice rapper. I'm not here to brag about myself. A lot of subject lines in hip-hop are about how rappers are the greatest, they're a genius, they’re marginalizing women, and that kind of thing. My subject matter of hip-hop is holding myself accountable, and building myself up, thinking deeply, and also coming face-to-face with my anxieties.
So would you say you’re going to focus on bringing more hip-hop onto The Current?
That’s not necessarily my focus. My focus is to play the best music that comes through.
I know this is a hard question to answer, but who is your favorite Minnesota music icon?
I want to say Bob Dylan. He’s got one of those authentic voices that when I hear it I basically fall into this meditative state. This just feels so hard to narrow down. There's so many. I’m also a big Haley fan—I was a fan of her since I was a teenager. She's an incredible songwriter and incredible artist. What she does texturally with her music, it's insane. I want to say Charlie Parr, too, who was just another genius. Chastity Brown is another one. I also want to lift up women's voices more, too. And this isn't to say he doesn't deserve all the attention, but you hear a lot of people say Prince and most people say The Replacements or Hüsker Dü, and they’re three incredible artists, but it's like, I definitely want to represent more women in Minnesota music.
What’s your vision for the show, and do you feel like you’re stepping into some big shoes to fill?
Undoubtedly, the program is going to have a new voice. So it's going to take on its own different character, and I’m a fan of Andrea, as someone who has listened to her show and has mad respect for her. It’s definitely big shoes to fill, but I’m coming into this role with a ton of confidence. I’m looking forward to working with the team and getting all of the feedback that I can. I expect that people will appreciate my takes on music, because I’m definitely an opinionated person. But yeah, I’m excited to just instill even more excitement into our music scene and uplift it.
