This Must Be The Place

For more than five years, Rob Harvilla has been turning songs into stories and music journalism into something closer to stand-up comedy, memoir, cultural history, and therapy.

Rob is the creator and host of 60 Songs That Explain the '90s (and now the 2000s), one of the most beloved music podcasts anywhere. He joined us to talk about the evolution of the show, why some songs refuse to die, Courtney Love, Prince, The Replacements, The Hold Steady, Lizzo, the strange cultural power of the Twin Cities, and why Gregorian chant CDs somehow became a thing in the early 1990s.

We also discuss:

• How Rob chooses songs for the podcast
• Why he rarely approaches music from a place of hate
• The challenge of balancing tragedy and celebration when telling artists' stories
• Courtney Love, Nirvana, and surviving media mythology
• Prince's lasting influence on Minneapolis music culture
• Why the Twin Cities have always felt different from the rest of the music industry
• Live, Bush, Soul Asylum, and the complicated legacy of post-grunge
• The Hold Steady and writing about place
• Kim Deal, The Breeders, and Midwest music legends
• The greatest fried chicken mystery in American history

If you love music, storytelling, pop culture history, or just listening to smart people wander into fascinating conversations, this one is for you.

Subscribe for more episodes of This Must Be The Place.

🎧 Follow Rob Harvilla:

• 60 Songs That Explain the 90s / 2000s
• Author of 60 Songs That Explain the '90s

#MusicPodcast #RobHarvilla #60SongsThatExplainthe90s #Prince #Nirvana #CourtneyLove #TheReplacements #TheHoldSteady #TwinCities #MusicHistory #Podcast

00:00 Intro

00:30 Theme song

01:20 Introducing Rob Harvilla

05:20 Book Plug

06:00 Prolific Rob writes like Hamilton. 

08:30 60 songs that explain the 90’s/2000s

11:00 Rob is NOT a Hater

17:35 Andrew’s Mt Rushmore of storytellers

21:55 Casey’s Musical Past as a rapper 

26:45 Rob and Courtney Love explained

33:30 Gregorian Chants and the 90s

37:30 Live and the Kings of Leon

43:15 Twin Cities Music 

53:30 Chicken in Ohio in Station Wagons facing backwards

54:15 The Breeders 

59:30 Play the song.

WELCOME BACK to This Must Be The Place — the only Twin Cities podcast where one of the hosts quietly pooped his pants inside a Swedish pancake restaurant in the late 1980s and returned to the table like nothing happened.

This week we’re diving into Diamond Lake: airplane noise, bungalow history, weird Minneapolis lore, dead lakes, detached garages, Dutch elm disease, neighborhood identity crises, and the man who may have literally named Minneapolis under an elm tree.

Along the way:
• Casey gets assaulted by pigeons in NYC
• Andrew questions whether Diamond Lake has “nightlife”
• We learn why Minneapolis alleys exist
• The guys debate whether Fat Lorenzo’s is actually good
• A listener proposes giving away a house at the world’s greatest real estate party
• BoomTimes includes free solo climbers, wingsuits, gardening shows, and existential terror

Basically: local history meets public access television meets two exhausted realtors trying to hold civilization together with podcast microphones.

If you love Minneapolis neighborhood lore, weird Twin Cities history, architecture, local culture, airplanes flying directly over your home, or hearing two grown men derail conversations every six minutes… this one’s for you.

00:00 Intro

01:30 Andrew's Welcome (he pooped his pants)

03:30 Pigeons carpet bombed Casey as a child

06:30 Memorial Day Recap

08:37 Neighborhood Watch Diamond Lake

09:15 Niche review

15:45 History of Diamond Lake

20:40 How Minneapolis got it's name

26:50 the 3 restaurants of Diamond Lake

29:40 Airplane Noise for everyone

32:50 Listener MailBag : Leroy P Romage III

36:00 The ultimate party

40:55 BOOMTIMES The Dark Wizard

46:20 This is a Gardening Show

49:30 The End

This week on This Must Be The Place, we somehow go from the Blue Rooster vs. Spoon and Cherry debate to escaped gorillas, stolen clothes, Minnesota history, PFAS, Timberwolves playoff stress, and why Battle Creek might be one of the most underrated corners of Saint Paul.

We dig into Minnesota statehood, the state flag debate, Pig’s Eye, Garden City, Battle Creek Regional Park, and the role 3M played in shaping the area for better and worse. There’s also neighborhood talk, local history, playoff basketball anxiety, questionable opinions about NYC, and a very important discussion about the five stages of grief as a Wolves fan.

Also:

• Chris Finch coaching masterclass

• BooMTiMeS

• Mayday Parade

• Knights of the Seven Kingdoms

• Shout out to our amazing clients

• Casey accidentally learning too much about murderers.

If you like Twin Cities history, neighborhood deep dives, pop culture tangents, and two guys slowly losing their minds on microphones, welcome home.

Questions or comments? Reach us at:

📧 Email: [email protected]

📞 Voicemail: 612.234.1889

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Intro

01:12 Blue Rooster or Cherry on Spoon?

05:30 This Week in MN History

06:00 MN Statehood and the Flag Debate

09:25 Casey The Gorilla Escapes

11:05 John Campbell is a clothes stealing murderer

12:55 Welcome to Garden City

15:30 Neighborhood Watch (Battle Creek)

19:50 What Niche has to say

22:10 The Hills and Nature of Battle Creek Regional Park

27:10 Pig’s Eye

31:10 3M’s role in Battle Creek and PFAS

33:15 Things to do In Battle Creek

35:30 BooMTiMeS 37:10 Timberwolves Playoff Run

40:11 The 5 stages of Grief DABDA

41:10 NYC is a trash heap of a city and people

44:00 Finch is coaching his ass off

46:09 DTF Saint Louis and Knights Tale of the Seven Kingdoms

48:44 Mayday Parade

51:40 Shout out to our Amazing Clients

52:58 END

We sat down with Bryan in MSP and somehow covered Roseville, mall walking as a lifestyle, tracksuits as a personality trait, and why he may or may not be personally responsible for the longest winters on record.

Bryan’s origin story is exactly what you’d hope for. Equal parts internet curiosity, marketing acumen, dry humor, Twin Cities knowledge, and a willingness to just go walk around places most people drive past.

What started as documenting the overlooked corners of the metro turned into one of the most recognizable local voices out there. We get into Roseville in a real way. Why it’s easy to dismiss, why that’s a mistake, and what actually makes it one of the more interesting spots in the metro once you slow down enough to notice it.

There’s also a full breakdown of mall culture and average restaurants. We talk MC Hammer, Slash and MacGyver because you kind of have to if you’re talking Twin Cities identity. Tracksuits come up more than once. No apologies.

If you care about the Twin Cities beyond just real estate, if you like the weird little details that make a place feel like a place, or if you’ve ever found yourself walking a mall for no real reason… this one’s for you.

Questions or comments?

Reach us at:📧 Email: [email protected]

📞 Voicemail: 612.234.1889

00:00 Intro

01:00 MC Hammer, Slash and anonymity

02:53 Andrew’s Hello

04:20 Bryan in MSP

05:40 The origin Story

09:35 Market yourself authentically

13:15 Serving clients and work life balance

16:55 Neighborhood Watch - Roseville

21:21 Bryan ranks the best Mall Walking Malls

23:06 Shout out St. Joel

32:55 Roseville Trivia

41:46 This Week In MN History

51:50 BooMTiMeS Flea and other Parties over albums

57:15 Project Hail Mary

59:50 Dead Loch

01:02:50 Play The Music

This week on This Must Be The Place, we take a deep dive into one of Minneapolis’s most desirable neighborhoods, ranked #3 by Niche. We get into the history, the housing stock, the restaurants, and the overall feel that makes this area such an aspirational place to live in the Twin Cities.

From architecture to everyday livability, we break down what actually makes a neighborhood “worth it” and why people are willing to compete to be there.

We also shift gears into a conversation around quartz countertops and the growing concerns tied to silica exposure. With bans emerging in parts of the world, we unpack what’s happening, why it matters, and what it could mean for homeowners, buyers, and the future of kitchen design.

Plus: This Week in Minnesota History BoomTimes (with some all-time nicknames for Jack Harlow… Earl Dress Shirt, Tyler the Developer, and more) And the usual drift into whatever else feels worth talking about.

Neighborhoods, communities, culture, and a few tangents along the way.

Questions or comments? Reach us at:

📧 Email: [email protected]

📞 Voicemail: 612.234.1889

00:00 Intro

00:54 Roll the music

01:22 When Doves Fry

03:00 MSP airport plays Loon sounds

04:44 Spanish Food has no flavor

08:22 Neighborhood Watch Lynnhurst

09:10 Bounds and Borders

11:15 Niche ranked #3 demographics and make-up

14:20 less white than Stillwater

15:20 Neighborhood Feel

16:30 Lynnhurst History and Architecture

18:20 The War of Richfield

19:45 Arts and Crafts as a reaction to Victorian

22:00 Neighborhoods have always evolved

24:30 TLDR

24:55 Lynnhurst Nature and Restaurants

28:30 Lynnjacent Living

30:35 CALL OR EMAIL US! You will get on the pod

31:30 612.234.1889 or [email protected]

32:15 The rise and fall of Quatrz Counters

35:00 Silica and Lung Damage links

39:40 Mitigation?

41:30 This Week In MN History

47:45 Macalester Professor Pee Pee

49:00 BooMTiMeS

50:56 Jack Harlow new album and amazing internet Nick Names

56:30 Send Help

57:34 Gorillaz

58:59 Roll the music

This week we talk all things Ai in Real Estate and beyond. We double ban the one minute tours guy and unveil a new segment called Pubes, plus Boomtimes and more

00:00 INtro

01:30 Abortion house

04:06 One Minute Floors

04:35 John O’Sullivan Banned, Again.

09:30 Shrimp on the Barby

10:00 The Great Ai debate

18:00 We can tell it was written by Ai

20:25 Does Society Care?

24:00 the people in charge of Ai are scumbags

25:15 Neighborhood watch Ai Style

27:20 The loop 29:15 Ai is Groundhog Day

30:15 The Prompt Gaslighting

35:00 Ai is the manifestation of Tech Bros personality

37:25 Possibly Useful Bulletins Effecting Society

40:00 Boomtimes Questions or comments?

Reach us at:📧

Email: [email protected]

📞 Voicemail: 612.234.1889

This week we dive into Ericsson, including the neighborhood’s strange history of literally exploding houses thanks to the water table (not really).

We break down the best food and drink spots in the hood, give a clear picture of what to expect heading into the spring market, and talk through what actually matters if you’re thinking about buying or selling.

Also: Papa John’s was an okay job to have… but still trash pizza.

Andrew unveils a few client amendments he’d like the entire world to sign, and we wrap things up with BoomTimes, hair bands, and small-town Pennsylvania wrestling stories that somehow make perfect sense in context.

Questions or comments?

Reach us at: Email: [email protected]

📞 Voicemail: 612.234.1889

00:00 Intro

00:50 Casey does the Andrew thing

06:10 Hairbands and Reading

08:25 Neighborhood Watch (Dinky town) and Ericsson

19:40 The Villages of Minneapolis

28:00 Lake Hiawatha is kind of gross?

31:30 The Flying houses of Ericsson

34:30 Stats of Housing in Ericsson

37:30 Spring Market and ICE is still here

40:30 Higher living wages, not lower interest rates

49:40 Andrew’s Amendments

58:00 BoomTimes

01:02:54 End

MN STAND UP On this episode we talk about the state of our state. Minnesota has been through a lot over the past few weeks and as we try and grasp for some sense of normalcy we are confronted with what that now means.

Stay strong, stay connected and stay vigilant.

Questions or comments?

Reach us at:📧 Email: [email protected]

📞 Voicemail: 612.234.1889

On this episode of This Must Be The Place, we dig into the past and present of Cedar-Riverside—a neighborhood shaped by immigrants, resistance, culture, and constant outside pressure.

We talk about how Cedar-Riverside evolved from an immigrant gateway, to a counterculture stronghold, and into the community it is today. We break down the architecture, the people, and the real stories behind the skyline. Stories that are too often misunderstood, misrepresented, or ignored.

We also stop everything to address the horrific murder committed by ICE just miles from where we film and record. A woman, a U.S. citizen, who was clearly trying to leave the scene—not fight—was killed.

This was not an accident. This was not an abstraction. It happened here, in our city, and it demands to be named and confronted.

Silence isn’t neutral. We stand with our neighbors, full stop.

Plus: BoomTimes, history, and the kind of uncomfortable local context that actually matters.

Questions or comments?

Reach us at:📧 Email: [email protected]

📞 Voicemail: 612.234.1889

00:00 Intro Fvck ICE

01:37 Andrew’s Intro

05:31 Neighborhood watch cedar Riverside

11:59 Riverside Plaza

14:25 Brutalist Architecture and Urban Redevelopment

16:00 Cedar Riverside Counterculture Culture

27:00 Inside the Mcknight Building

33:50 Somali’s as our neighbors

35:12 Chef Casey cooks.  Fvck ICE

37:22 Mary Tyler Moore tie in

40:30 history of Somali Refugee to MN

44:54 Still a counter culture and artist mecca

46:15 Tripple Rock RIP

47:23 BooMtImes Stranger Things

52:10 RIP Dick Enrico (2nd wind)

53:20 Adam Palley

Tis the season — and for our money, that means bundling up and heading straight to the historic theater district in Minneapolis. In this episode, we dig into the history, rumors, and mysteries behind one of Minneapolis’ oldest “natural wonders”… which, spoiler alert, is not natural at all — but it is absolutely wonderful.

But that’s not all… We also dive into This Week in MN History, another round of Boomtimes, and the festive (and slightly dangerous?) world of Hanukkah gambling traditions,  from dreidels to chocolate coins to the high-stakes art of family bragging rights.

Still nursing a turkey hangover? Not anymore. Shake it off and jump into the holiday season with us on this episode of This Must Be The Place.

Questions or comments? Reach us at:

📧 Email: [email protected]

📞 Voicemail: 612.234.1889