>> CATHY: HERE AT TWIN CITIES PBS WE LOVE PRESERVING THE STORIES OF OUR STATE AND ITS PEOPLE, AND THE NEWEST HISTORY DOCUMENTARY FROM MINNESOTA EXPERIENCE SERVES UP A SLICE OF A HISTORIC MUSIC SCENE.

'THE WILD WEST BANK SOUND,' PREMIERING THIS WEEKEND AT THE MSP INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL AND ON OUR OWN AIRWAVES NEXT TUESDAY, DIVES INTO THE MUSIC THAT CAME OUT OF MINNEAPOLIS' STORIED CEDAR-RIVERSIDE NEIGHBORHOOD.

HERE'S A SNEAK PEEK.

>> IT WAS A VERY EXCITING TIME.

SO MUCH MUSIC EVERY NIGHT.

THERE WAS A HUGE FOLK SCENE GOING ON.

>> THERE WAS A SORT F SECOND ITERATION OF THE SCHOLAR ON THE WEST BANK, TOO.

>> I LOVE LEO COTKEY, HE WAS ONE OF MY FAVORITE GUITAR PLAYERS.

KOTTKE PLAYED AT THE SECOND SCHOLAR.

>> UP NEAR SEVEN CORNERS.

♪ ♪ >> BILL AND JUDY WERE PRETTY AMAZING O ME.

THEY WERE OUTRAGEOUSLY INTELLIGENT, CREATIVE, HUMOROUS, HAD SO MUCH HISTORY IN MUSIC.

>> OH, R JUDY IS THE CONSUMMATE STORYTELLER AND BILL WAS QUIET, EXTREMELY INTELLIGENT.

THEY WERE AROUND THE WEST BANK FOREVER.

>> HE JOINED THE STORY MOTHERS BAND THAT I WAS IN.

AND THEN, OF COURSE, HIJINX ENSUED AFTER THAT.

>> SHE HAD A VOICE LIKE OLD BLUES.

♪ I THROUGH THE BOTTOM AND I NEVER COME UP ♪ ♪ TELL ME HOW LONG ♪ ♪ HOW LONG ♪ ♪ OH, CAN I GET YOU NOW ♪ ♪ YOU CERTAINLY CAN ♪ >> JUDY LARSON WAS THE ROOM AND THE ROOM WAS JUDY LARSON.

FUNNY, GRITTY, IT SHOWED ME A LOT THAT WE AS FEMALE PERFORMERS GET TO BE ALL OF THESE THINGS TOO.

>> JUST A CLASSIC COUPLE IN THE FOLK WORLD.

♪ ♪ >> Cathy: TERRIFIC.

HERE WITH MORE ON THE "WILD WEST BANK SOUND," TWIN CITIES PBS EXTRAORDINAIRE KEVIN DRAGSETH.

JOINING HIM TONIGHT, MARY DUSHANE, ONE OF THE MANY INCREDIBLE WOMEN FEATURED IN THE FILM EXCERPT YOU JUST SAW I'M SO EXCITED TO TALK WITH YOU BOTH ABOUT THIS.

MARY, I WAS TALKING TO ERIC ABOUT THIS OFF AIR, IT WAS MORE THAN FOLK ON THE WEST BANK, THERE WAS BLUES AND REGGAE, LIKE THIS MELTING POT OF MUSIC.

WHAT DID THE WEST BANK MEAN TO YOU MUSICIANS?

>> WELL, IT WAS A GREAT MOMENT IN THE HISTORY OF OUR GENERATION.

AND IT WAS A PRIVILEGE TO BE THERE AND BE PART OF THE SCENE.

YOU KNOW, THERE WAS THE RIVERSIDE CAFÉ WHERE WE PLAYED MOST OF THE FOLKY STUFF WAS, AND RIGHT ACROSS FROM THE 400 BAR, THEN THERE WAS THE VIKING BAR, AND THE TRIANGLE, AND THAT'S WHERE MOST OF THE BLUES GUYS WERE.

BUT WE ALL INTERMINGLED AND WENT TO THOSE AFTER-HOURS PARTIES AND PLAYED TOGETHER.

AND WE NEVER HOUGHT, AS DAVE USED TO SAY, HE JUST WANTED TO PLAY HIS GUITAR.

WE DIDN'T THINK IT WAS SPECIAL AT THE TIME.

IT WAS JUST THE WAY LIFE WAS.

SATURATED IN MUSIC AND FUN.

>> Eric: HOW DID THE SCENE DEVELOP?

>> IT SEEMED TO DEVELOP KIND OF ACCIDENTALLY.

SOME STUDENTS WHO WERE USED TO DRINKING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER HAD TROUBLE WITH ONE OF THEIR BLACK FRIENDS NOT BEING WELCOMED INTO A BAR.

AND, SO, THEY CAME ACROSS THE RIVER AND JUST WERE LIKE, HEY, LOOK AT THIS AMAZING PLACE FULL OF SCANDINAVIANS, LARGELY, AND FOUND ALL THESE BARS AND JUST KIND OF TOOK IT OVER OVER THE COURSE OF A FEW YEARS IN THE EARLY '60s.

>> Eric: WOMEN, YOU KNOW, BACK THEN I THINK YOU WOULD SAY THAT MUSIC MAY HAVE BEEN MORE OF A MALE-DOMINATED THING.

>> OH, YES.

>> Eric: WERE WOMEN TREATED EQUALLY OR WELL?

>> WELL, I NEVER HAD TROUBLE MYSELF BECAUSE I HAD THE TALENT.

TO KEEP UP WITH THE GUYS.

BUT I WAS THE ONLY FIDDLE PLAYER, FEMALE FIDDLE PLAYER AROUND, YOU KNOW.

NOW THERE ARE MANY OF THEM.

>> Eric: SURE.

>> IT'S A WONDERFUL NEW -- THIS NEW GENERATION IS CARRYING ON FOR US.

IN A WONDERFUL WAY.

>> Cathy: THERE'S ALWAYS A SPARK BEHIND EVERY DOCUMENTARY THAT PUSHES THE PRODUCER TO KEEP GOING.

SO, WHAT WAS THE SPARK HERE, MY FRIEND?

>> I MEAN, I AM A MUSICIAN OF SORTS, AND, SO, I WENT TO A LOT OF THOSE BARS AND SAW SOME OF MY STILL FAVORITE LOCAL BANDS IN THOSE PLACES.

A LITTLE BIT AFTER THIS ERA.

BUT, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THOSE PEOPLE TURNED INTO THE NEXT BAND THAT I WOULD SEE.

SO IT KIND OF JUST -- I MEAN, FOR ME IT WAS A NATURAL FIT, BUT IT WAS SO MUCH OF IT I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND.

AND SO THANKS TO MARY AND ALL THESE OTHER AMAZING PEOPLE WE TALKED TO, 25 PEOPLE, I THINK WE SPOKE TO, WHO WERE EITHER MUSICIANS ON THE SCENE OR SCENE SUSPECT STERES WHO WERE ALIVE AND ENJOYING THE SEEN, PARTICIPATING IN IT, PHOTOGRAPHS, ARTIST, ALL KINDS OF STUFF, SO REALLY RICH.

>> AND SO MANY OF OUR COMPATRIOTS AND PEERS ARE GONE, YOU KNOW.

I WAS BORN THE SAME YEAR S DAVE RAY AND WILLIE MURPHY.

BUT, AS THEY SAY, THEY'RE THOUGHT REALLY GONE, THEY WALK BESIDE US.

THEY SHOW UP IN DREAMS.

YEAH.

>> Eric: WAS THERE A HIPPIE FLAVOR TO IT, PEACE, LOVE, ALL THAT STUFF?

>> OH, YEAH.

[ Laughter ] YOU BET.

>> Eric: WAS THERE A POLITICAL ANGLE TO IT.

>> OH, -- >> Eric: PROTEST SONGS.

>> WELL, YEAH, THERE WAS QUITE A BIT OF THAT, ESPECIALLY THOSE LATE-NIGHT PARTIES, WE'D GO THE SINGER SONGWRITERS, WE'D ALL SIT AROUND AND PLAY.

I DIDN'T RITE SONGS, I JUST WOULD PLAY ALONG, YOU KNOW.

BUT, YEAH, JUST WHAT YOU'D EXPECT, LIBERAL POLITICS.

>> I THINK IF I CAN JUMP IN, THE THREAT OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF WHAT CEDAR WEST -- CEDAR SQUARE WEST, THEY BUILT ONE, IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE TEN, THAT GALVANIZED THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO SAY, WE ARE WORKING-CLASS NEIGHBORHOODS, WE DON'T WANT THE GIANT APARTMENT COMPLEX, THAT CREATED THE HYPERACTIVEIVISM, NOT JUST ANTI-VIETNAM WAR TYPE STUFF BUT DON'T TEAR APART OUR NEIGHBORHOODS.

>> Cathy: I DIDN'T KNOW THAT WAS ON THE DOCKET.

>> IT CAME OUT OF THE NEW RIVERSIDE CAFÉ WAS KIND OF THE PLACE WHERE A LOT OF THAT HAPPENED.

HAND IN HAND WITH THE MUSIC.

IT WAS VERY ORGANIC.

>> THAT WAS PRETTY RADICAL IN THOSE DAYS, YEAH.

>> Cathy: SO, I MEAN, THIS WAS VIBRANT MUSIC SCENE, OBVIOUSLY.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU UNCOVERED AS A PRODUCER THAT MARY HELPED SHED LIGHT ON FOR YOU?

>> YEAH.

WELL, I MEAN, ONE OF THE SURPRISES FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE, I GREW UP HEARING THEM, SHAN GUY I CAN'T, THESE CARIBBEAN BANDS HO MOST PEOPLE KIND OF GO, WAIT, WHAT, WHY DID MINNEAPOLIS BECOME THE HUB OF CARIBBEAN MUSIC, AND IT JUST, YOU KNOW, IT'S ONE OF THESE -- IT'S AN IMMIGRANT NEIGHBORHOOD, IT WAS JUST THE NEXT GROUP OF FOLKS WHO ARRIVED AND BROUGHT THIS KIND OF AFRICAN DIASPORA MUSIC THAT MINNESOTANS LOVED AND IT BECAME FOR SEVERAL DECADES OF KIND OF HOT BED OF CARIBBEAN MUSIC.

>> GOOD POINT, KEVIN, YEAH.

>> IT FIT WITH THE FOLK, THEY DIDN'T COMPETE, THEY JUST FILLED DIFFERENT POCKETS.

>> Eric: DID YOU HAVE A FAVORITE GIG OR A FAVORITE GROUP OF MUSICIANS TO PLAY WITH?

>> WELL, I'M GOING TO GO ALL THE WAY BACK TO 1972, I'M LD, YES, I KNOW.

BUT I PLAYED WITH EVERYBODY IN THOSE DAYS.

THE JUG BAND SCENE, I WAS PART OF THE ORIGINAL JUG BAND SCENE FROM 1970 ON.

AND THE FOLKY STUFF AND, YEAH, ALL KINDS OF -- THE SINGER SONGWRITERS, THE STRING BAND MUSIC, IT WAS ALL.

>> Eric: DID THE PUNK ROCKERS KIND OF INVADE THE SCENE?

>> THEY CAME LATER.

SO WE DON'T REALLY INCLUDE THEM.

BUT THERE'S KIND OF INDIE BAND IN THE '80s, JAYHAWKS, THE GOLD SMOG, SOME KIND OF STUFF THAT PEOPLE WERE STILL PLAYING AND ACTIVE.

MARY HAD A GREAT INE IN THE FILM WHERE SHE SAID, IN 1972, SHE PLAYED MORE THAN ANYBODY AT THE NEW RIVERSIDE CAFÉ BECAUSE SHE PLAYED WITH EVERYBODY, JUST A TOTAL COLLABORATOR.

SO HER NAME IS IN ALL THE CONCERT POSTERS THAT WE HAVE.

>> Eric: WHEN AND WHERE CAN WE SEE THIS THING?

>> IT'S PREMIERING AT MINNESOTA -- MINNEAPOLIS St.

PAUL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ON SUNDAY.

>> Cathy: THAT'S A BIG DEAL.

>> Eric: A SELLOUT.

>> IT WILL AIR ON TWIN CITIES PBS ON THURSDAY.

>> Cathy: AND STREAM ONLINE.

>> Eric: LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING IT.

>> YOU ARE A LEGEND.

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

>> OH, MY GOODNESS, NOT SO MUCH FOR YOU.

I HEAR YOUR VOICE FIRST THING EVERY MORNING.

>> Eric: ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT.

THANKS.

>> Cathy: APPRECIATE YOU BOTH.