Tonight on Torch and Twang, DJ Sparrow and I thought it would be pertinent to discuss the latest news in Country and Americana with the results from the Grammies last Sunday night. Before we could do that however, we had to acknowledge a very important anniversary. Indeed, Feb. 3rd 2026 marked the 66th anniversary of “the Day the Music Died.” To honor the deaths of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper, we played all eight and a half minutes of Don McLean’s classic American Pie before launching into discussions about our favorite Grammy nominees and winners. In the back half of our programing, we explored the twangy-er side of Torch N’ Twang with songs like Dueling Banjos, Gambler’s Blues, and Thank God I’m a Country Boy (all provided by my personal record collection, of course). To end things off, we played another pull from my poor financial decisions with the classic live performance of I Shall Be Released from The Last Waltz by The Band and a whose who of the biggest musicians of the 70s. Our playlist is attached here, can’t wait to catch you ’round our campfire again cowpoke.
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Torch & Twang 2.3.26
February 4, 2026
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About the Contributors
Dante Chinni-Ianzito, Co-Host of The Progressive Torch & Twang
Outside of his show here at Impact, Dante (he/him) stays very busy around campus. He’s a double major in International Relations and Comparative Cultures and Politics with two minors as well. Beyond that, he spends plenty of time doing nerd stuff like model UN and Dungeons and Dragons. With all that going on, he enjoys spending some time relaxing and listening to a bit of old time folk and country when we can. At the moment, his favorite song lyrics are “Down the sand forever/only music is forever” but ask him in a few days again in a few days and he’ll probably have a different answer for you.
Wren Cueter, Co-Host of The Progressive Torch & Twang
Wren (they/them) is a Junior here at MSU studying English and hopes to go into the bigger music industry some day. Ever since they were a little kid they’ve loved music and has now become a major music collector with over 1200 records on cd. Some of their favorite music is folk music and they’ll defend Bob Dylan the day they die. Come listen into the Torch and Twang every Tuesday 8pm-12am to hear them and their co-host ramble on about their favorite folk and country tunes.