The Bike Rides Radio Show is a weekly, one hour, locally produced variety program that airs on KMSU independent public radio in Mankato, Minnesota. Bike Rides is at times whimsical and other times sharp, featuring music and conversation that flows together nicely like a summer bicycle ride through the countryside.
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It's an anniversary ride of sorts that swirls between serious and ridiculous like a psychedelic lava lamp. And, not many people know this but there are several interesting songs about weed eaters out there just dying to be heard. Included: Jimmy Ferras; Zoh Amba; House Plants; That Mexican OT; John Prine; Charlie Parr; Ruthie Foster; Haley Heynderickx & Max Garcia Conover; Xaviar Rudd; Xaviar Rudd (again); Blitzen Trapper; Jeff Suits
Keep your shirts on folks, Hank joins Dan for a 12 song ride and tells a story about how he acquired a brand new nickname on a family vacation. Included: Mark G. Davis; Wren; The Chicks; Jade Bird; Jillian Ray; Warren Zevon; The Killers; Silver Jews; Bill Miller; Billy Bragg; The Linda Lindas x2
Dan tries to bring the BikeRides Show into relevancy by playing 30 minutes of new music, then follows that up with another irrelevant half-hour of music - baby steps, right? Included: The Sugar Cubes; Courtney Barnett x 2; Kevin Morby x 2; Allison Russell x2; Jorma Kaukonen; Bleachers; Glen Hansard; Gary Hansard
Get ready for a long ride with enough people to populate an entire mid-sized city on wheels, it's RAGBRA 2026! Team Strange Brew is the Bike Rides programmer for the day, and did these wild and hearty riders ever pick an amazing soundtrack for the occasion. Included: Waylon Jennings; Waylon Jennings (again); Greg Brown; David Allen Coe; Johnny Jenkins; AC/DC; Luna Chicks; Cream; Kana Jambe; Pogues; Django Reinhardt; Jesus Lizard; Suzuki; George McGill
It's Hank's 92nd birthday show and he doesn't sound a day over 70! Hank decides to spread the "love" this week, playing all love related songs on his new mixer this week. Included: Kerry Lasch; The Flower Kings; Jewels & The Polar Bears; George Michael and Queen; Jason Molina; Ten Years After; The Captain & Tennille (shhhh... don't tell Hank!)
June is PRIDE month so Dan throws down a PRIDE related ride. It's only songs with 'pride' in the title, lyrics and/or as artist, and a surprisingly good mix comes out of it all. Included: The Bicycles; The Black Crows (shhhhhhh.......it); Bamboo; Robert Palmer; Tessa Belifante; George Michael; Etta James; Charley Pride; The Ramones; The Answer; Burton Cummings; The Goo Goo Dolls with Elmo
It's a rando June ride this week as Dan serves up a sweet soundtrack for your listening pleasure. Included: Linda Rondstadt; Doug McCloud; Haley Heynderickx & Max Garcia; Xavier Rudd; Jorma Kaukonen; Low; Courtney Barnett; Cleo Reed; Miriam Mandipira & Soul Family
Dan takes a contemplative turn and it's reflected in the music. Included: Bruce Cockburn; Ren; Dawes; Carsie Blanton; Superorganism; J'EM Improv; Kim Karnes; Natalie Merchant/David Byrne; The Onious Monk Septet
Hank and Dan both leave the state, but only one returns in time for the show, and the other may never return. Listen as Dan recalls his recent biking/graduation trip to Sioux Falls and enjoy an entire playlist inspired by the Queen City. Included: The Bare Naked Ladies; Delbert Black Horse & Brian Stoner; Bob Dylan; Timothy Gurshin; David Wright; The Guy Who Sings Songs About Cities; Bob Dylan (again); Pat Ventura; Tinder Box; Sioux Falls (the band); Midnite Express; Brian Stoner (again) w/Verdell Primeaux
Shine those shoes and manicure your phalanges before sliding into your white silk gloves, it's a ballroom dance like you've never heard, as the guys skid their bikes across the granite floor to a variety of fine dance songs. Included: Tia Carrere; The Carter Family; Hank Snow; Ella Fitzgerald; Lawrence Ipsum; Todd Snider; Mark Knopfler & Emmy Lou Harris; Idles; T-Rex; Devo; Queen; Pau McCarntey; Sweet; AC/DC (barely)
It's Spring Pledge Drive and the guys go live in what turns out to be a bit of a bumpy ride, technically speaking. But (spoiler alert) everything works out in the end when a matching grant from Key City Bikes is met and then surpassed. Included: Prince; Bee Balm Fields; The Belfast Cowboys; Sting Ray; Carrallee; Leo Kottke; Bob Dylan; Ben Scruggs; Mark Olson/Gary Louris.
Random is not a strong enough word to describe this week's ride that uses the whole trail and occasionally leaves it. Included: The Grateful Cat; Joe Byrd and the Field Hippies; Kevin Ayers; Kasey Chambers; Gorillas (featuring The Sparks); Charlie Chaplin Featuring Bob Dylan; White Stripes; Jonathon Richman; The Ruen Borothers; The Sparks (again)
Local independent musician AND fellow KMSU Radio host/volunteer, Ben Scruggs joins Hank and Dan for conversation and songs from his new album 'Heart River.' Also: Geese; X
From murder ballads to hard rock to lesbian bars, this ride is all over the road in more ways than one. Included: Jello Biafra & the Guantanamo School of Medicine; Doug MacLeod; Grant Lee Buffalo; Emmy Lou Harris; Marianne Faithful; Jonathon Richman; Sunny Bill Glover; Crooked Fingers; Sparks; Amanda Shires w/ Rod Picott
Dan rides solo and anyone who wasn't nuts before certainly will be after this ride, especially the leader. Included: Debbie Harry; Bob Dylan; LP & Waddy Wachtel; Dead Man Winter; Brandi Carlile; Penny Pearce; Rusty Cage; Charlie Parr; Blind Melon; Taylor Goyette; Carol Channing; Screaming Queens Entertainment; Apple Sisters
Charlie Parr make his FIFTH in-studio appearance for an exclusive interview and performance like none you've ever heard! Hang on to your handlebars folks, this ride quickly leaves the comfort of the paved trail for the weeds and stays bumpy the rest of the way. Despite Dan making a critical and regrettable audio engineering mistake (Hank had to execute a wellness check on his distraught co-host after he went dark for a few days following the revelation), Charlie still sounds amazing!
It's Dan and Hank navigating through a myriad of interesting genres and eras that make for a flowey ride this week. Included: Bill Callahan; Geese; Clap Your Hands Say Yeah; Magnolia Electric Company/Scout Niblett; Big Thief; Greg Brown; Carol King; Jade Bird; Tracy Chapman with The Muppets
Minneapolis loves bike rides and Bike Rides loves Minneapolis. Hank and Dan serve up a proper salute to the hearty city and shining state following one of the most difficult weeks in their collective histories. Included: Northern Lights; Greg Bikowski; Marc Skjervem; Wren; Chad Elliot; Billy Bragg; Tom MacDonald; Mick Flannery/Anais Mitchell; The Midnight Republic; Ben Grossup; Bruce Springsteen
It's a REALLY different ride this week as A.I. takes over and replaces Hank and Dan with A.I. bots in an extreme cost saving measure. Songs about technology (NOT 'techno', there's a difference) all hour. Included: Tino Drima; Alec Sullivan; Janelle; Troldhaugen; Bright Eyes; Tenacious D; Rush; Gary Numan; Flaming Lips; France Gall; Flight of the Conchords; Pink Floyd
LOL, it's the annual Facebook Friends Ride and hopefully it's worth a share or two. Dan throws out a playlist request to all 780 of his FB friends on a cold and lonely Friday night in January and gets some great songs and a little love in return. Included: John Mellencamp; Santo & Johnny; James McMurtry; Fiona Apple; Prank Williams; Joe Bonamassa; Ferron; Renee Christian; Joe Ely/Jimmy Dale Gilmore/Butch Hancock; Mike Munson; Allison Russell
It's the obligatory New Year's show as the guys parlay a darker playlist that reflects their golden expectations for 2026. Included: Small Hoop; Mary Chapin Carpenter; Joe Purdy; Onety-One; Ricki Lee Jones; Otis Redding; Carla Thomas; Scrawl; Ray Wily Hubbard; Counting Crows; Bad Moves; Dan Fogelberg; George Bailey
If you're looking for a true seasonally inspired radio show featuring all the greatest hits this ain't it, 'Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer' lives to infinity elsewhere on your radio dial. Inspired by all the darkness a double tap from the winter solstice and human injustice can bring; it's the 2025 Christmas Ride from Hank and Dan. Included: Bobo; Diamond Rugs Aimee Man; Louden Wainwright III; Kevin Morby; Mountain of Joy; Dolly Parton; Noah Kahn; Kacey Musgraves; Grace J. Wall/Los Chicos Muertos; Ron Arsenault/Billy Steiner/Dave Pengra; Linus VanPelt. Not Included: Mariah Carey
This annual 4th of July in December ride always confuses the unfamiliar listeners. Tough $-h-*-T. Included; Joni Mitchell; Joe Purdy; Joe Purdy (again); Jeff Tweedy; Boy Genius; Iron and Wine; Elvis Costello; Attila Domos; Joni Mitchell (again)
Put your hood up, sunglasses on and get yourself to the darkest corner of your basement to mount the steep slide toward the colorless abyss of the solstice. It's BikeRides live, 15th annual longest-ride-of-the-year, black Friday special. Lite up, it's going to be an interesting ride. Included: HOUR ONE; Ben Sgruggs; Jack Savoretti; Grab Brothers; Lee Michaels; Chastity Brown; Mal Murphy; Smokin' Popes; The Felice Brothers; Patti Smith; Counting Crows; Lee Hazlewood/Nancy Sinatra; HOUR TWO; Catie Curtis; Elton John; John Batdorf; Allison Russell; Kevin Morby; HOUR THREE: An entire hour of Todd
Hank's got dog problems so Dan had to fill the void, even playing one song twice just to make it happen. I wonder if there are any messages in the music. Included: Paul McCartney; Counting Crows; Margo Clicker; Palmyra; Amanda Shires; Dutch Interior; Charlie Parr; Lucinda Williams; Drew Peterson; Talking Heads; Counting Crows (again).
