Scenic Route

Alexander Craig is a Twin Cities-based guitarist currently recording a new album full of new songs with a new direction in mind. Craig says this upcoming album will get away from his past of writing "songs about cars" and focus on more uplifting themes and understanding how people interact with one another. He performed many of the new songs on Scenic Route with Will Moore and Annie Possis. 

This is a re-edited version of a performance originally aired live on 10/22/21.

Ian Tamblyn is an award-winning and long heralded folk musician from Canada who has recorded over 45 albums and fills his music with a love of adventure, travel, and the natural world. His latest record is called A Longing For Innocence, featuring sixteen new tracks. He chats with Will Moore about the difficulties and sometimes literal roadblocks that came with recording the album during the pandemic, inspiration for songs from animals, and other projects he's working on.

Twin Ports band One Less Guest made their way out West to Anaheim, CA last year to continue their musical journey, but not before recording a number of their favorite songs in Duluth to be made into an EP. The Perch Sessions feature five of the bands most beloved cover tracks and paves the way for an upcoming second full length album. Guitarist Nick Muska and vocalist/fiddler Ren Cooper join Will Moore to talk about the new release and playing music in Orange County.

Local guitarist John Gruber joined us live on the air from Studio A once again on the Scenic Route, playing both jazzy original songs and beloved favorites. His next local performance is at the Gunflint Tavern on November 27th.

Brian Wicklund is a longtime fiddler and mandolinist who now calls the Twin Cities home and plays with his band The Barley Jacks, who have their first album in a decade, Coming Down the Mountain, out now. Wicklund talks about songwriting, the identity of the namesake of their band, and more.

Coming to you from WTIP's music library, Twin Cities spacey bluegrass pickers Buffalo Galaxy join Will Moore on the Scenic Route to play energetic new songs with a feel both new and old. They talk about their recent EP New Escape, as well as their return to touring.

Buffalo Galaxy is:

Johnny Kovarik - guitar, vocals
Pete Whiteman - bass, vocals
Jake Rohde - mandolin, vocals
Zach Tauer - banjo

Christopher Hanke is a jazz drummer, guitarist, and keyboardist residing in Park Rapids who has spent much of his life as a jazz musician playing in all corners of the country. He recently released an album called "Blue Minnesota" and chats with Will Moore on the Scenic Route about his musical background and gathering a team of talented players to make the project a reality.

Ben Miller is a New York based songwriter originally hailing from Minnesota, and the lead singer of The Federales, a folky country-rock group from the Twin Cities. He's joined by frequent collaborator and Northwest Minnesota native Chris Holm for some live tunes on the Scenic Route, ahead of their show at the Gunflint Tavern in Grand Marais.

Alexander Craig is a Minnesota guitarist who's been playing blues-influenced rock and roll for the better part of 20 years in the Twin Cities. Now releasing music under his true name, he has a new single out "Atmosphere You're Under". He talks with Will Moore about how a trade with his uncle sparked his music career, upcoming music videos, and more.

Cyr and the Cosmonauts, led by songwriter Eric Cyr of Duluth, have their second full length album out, called Songs to Sing Before We're Dead. Eric joins Will Moore on the Scenic Route to talk about the myriad types of songs and sounds found on the record, and dives deep into his own creative process.