Listening Lyrics

This week's Listening Lyrics is a musical journey through scandal and excess — inspired by the cultural undercurrents reflected in the Epstein files.

Not about the documents themselves, but about the atmosphere they reveal — wealth, temptation, secrecy, exploitation — and how artists have long warned us about these very forces.

This week's Listening Lyrics is a musical journey through scandal and excess — inspired by the cultural undercurrents reflected in the Epstein files. The show is not about the documents themselves but about the atmosphere they reveal — wealth, temptation, secrecy, exploitation — and how artists have long warned us about these very forces.

Mercedes Yarbrough joined us to share her firsthand experience of the horrific events in Minneapolis. Listening to her, you immediately sense her clarity, compassion, and strength as a community leader. She’s the kind of person you connect with in moments — deeply passionate about her neighborhood, and especially committed to inspiring the next generation to believe in something better.

Mizz Mercedez (Mercedes Yarbrough) is a community leader, educator, and creative force rooted in the historic Rondo neighborhood of St. Paul, Minn. With more than a decade in public education, specializing in special education and behavior, she is known as #YoKidzFavoriteTeacher for making learning fun, culturally affirming, and engaging through comic books, media, movement, and the arts.

Mizz Mercedez co-hosts the fun and uplifting FunGirlz FriYay Radio Show on WFNU, where laughter, real talk, and joy set the tone every week. She is also the community engagement director at 825 Arts, founder of RONDO Double Dutch, and a passionate advocate for Black history, youth empowerment, and community healing. Above all, Mercedes believes positivity is her superpower and that community is built through love, creativity, and connection.

Luke Hatton of the Davis Repertory Theater was  Pieter's co-host this week on Listening Lyrics.

Recently, KDRT lost two truly wonderful and creative super-volunteers—friends who helped shape the heart and soul of this station. Diane Crumley and Bill Wagman were long-time members of the KDRT family, deeply committed to community radio and to showing up, week after week, with generosity, curiosity, and care.

Today, I’m sharing an hour of upbeat, sing-along music—not to mark a loss, but to celebrate a life well shared. This hour is about the joy, the laughter, and the connection Diane and Bill brought into our lives.

So stay with me, turn it up, sing along—and let’s celebrate them together.

Minneapolis keeps producing artists who are technically sharp, stylistically open, and community-rooted. That mix explains why musicians from the city move easily between funk, jazz, indie, and pop—and why the music feels both local and universal.

Listen in to an hour of music from the Twin Cities.