We've had investigative reporters, sportswriters, food critics, and music writers on RacketCast, but never anyone working the beat every Minnesotan actually cares about: the weather.

Remedying that is this week's guest Sven Sundgaard, a 23-year veteran of Minnesota's meteorology scene. We get into a little Sven lore, remember some storms, dive deep into climate change, address the state of local meteorology, gab about his real estate side hustle, and even fact check MSP Mag's 2022 claim that Sundgaard is our state's "most physically ripped" weatherman. And, as a cherry on top for those who make it 60+ minutes in: a pleasant reading of the weekend forecast—no quicker way to get that information!

Before any of that, however, your hosts go 'round the horn in a thrilling installment of our regular intro feature, What I Learned In Racket...

• I Tried the Minneapolis-Made Camera So You Don’t Have To
• How Did Black Music Take Over the World? Ask Melvin Gibbs.
• ‘Minnesota Hardcore’ Producer David Roth Is the Ken Burns of Twin Cities Punk
• Cover Me Impressed: Are We Living Through a Twin Cities Cover-Band Boom?

This episode of RacketCast is sponsored by The Wild West Bank Sound: A Funky Flashback of Musical Memories.

The latest documentary from Twin Cities PBS takes viewers on a sensory trip to a corner of Minneapolis that shaped Minnesota music. From the early 1960s, Minneapolis’ West Bank neighborhood was an epicenter of the music world and proved an irresistible draw for artists from far and wide, an ever-evolving cauldron of creativity and cultures. This film bursts at the seams with memories, all visualized with rare and rich archival photography, footage, and ephemera. Stream on the free PBS App starting April 21.

Subscribe to RacketCast wherever you get your podcasts—Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts, etc. • Wanna advertise on RacketCast? Email us at [email protected]. • Have a food/drink, event, or show recommendation? How about a civic hot take? General or specific question? Call 619-RACKTIP (619-722-5847) with your first name + city + 3-min.-maximum voicemail, and we might play it on a future episode. • Special thanks to local band Van Stee for supplying our podcast music!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.