Here at the Minnesota Public Radio headquarters in downtown St. Paul we have the UBS Forum, an intimate performance setting with just over 100 seats. When some of our favorite artists roll through town, we're fortunate enough to invite listeners of The Current to join us for an exclusive live show. We've put together our favorite performances from the six UBS Forum sessions we hosted in 2013.

Gary Clark Jr. — "Numb"

When Gary Clark Jr. was 14 years old, like a lot of kids that age, his universe consisted of his backyard, the baseball field, the park, the creek. But when he got to see Buddy Guy play at fabled Austin club Antone's, his universe expanded significantly and he dedicated himself to music.

The dedication paid off. In town to play a sold-out show at First Avenue, Gary Clark Jr. — together with bandmates King Zapata (guitar), Johnny Bradley (bass) and Johnny Radelat (drums) — paid a visit to the UBS Forum at Minnesota Public Radio to play an intimate show for a live audience and to chat with The Current's Jill Riley.

It's been a meteoric rise for the Texas-tinged blues-rock guitar ace. Between songs, Gary Clark Jr. tells Jill about his experiences playing in Eric Clapton's Crossroads Festival, buying guitars in London, sharing a microphone with Mick Jagger and talking about the Chicago blues scene with one of his biggest fans: U.S. President Barack Obama.

Listen to the rest of Gary Clark Jr.'s session here.

Dawes — "From a Window Seat"

Despite only being a band for four years, Dawes have found themselves one of the Current audience's most celebrated bands. We've welcomed them to the studio, to our State Fair stage, and to the UBS Forum for a special performance, and in 2013 we welcomed them back to the UBS Forum for a special intimate performance.

Warmly received by the crowd, the quartet broke to talk to Mark Wheat a couple times during their five-song set, which drew heavily from their new record, Stories Don't End. Dawes frontman Taylor Goldsmith's chat with Mark covered topics ranging Goldsmith's hesitance to try the Minnesota State Fair's trademark junk food and the mystery of how Dawes were chosen to open for Bob Dylan this summer to the common misapprehension that the band hails from the south and their work for the charity, Nothing but Nets.

Listen to the rest of the Dawes' session here.

Father John Misty — "Bored in the USA"

Josh Tillman (Father John Misty) started his UBS Forum performance at Minnesota Public Radio by complimenting the Twin Cities: "I like the gene pool... it's all the Viking blood."

The Seattle turned LA-based musician (a "morbid move" in the eyes of the "Indie Rock Chamber of Commerce," he says) has had a successful career. In addition to touring with Fleet Foxes, he's performed under J. Tillman, but after a philosophical shift in his artistic endeavors, he chose the moniker Father John Misty, which he says is more representative of his true persona — it's given him more freedom in his writing and stage presence.

Besides performing tracks off his latest Fear Fun, Tillman played two new singles, which will presumably appear on the forthcoming I Love You, Honeybear, and a Dory Previn cover, whom he describes as "devastatingly intelligent."

Listen to the rest of Father John Misty's session here.

Polica — "Chain My Name"

Just a few days before heading over to the United Kingdom to make their second appearance on music television show Later... with Jools Holland, Polica stopped by to play songs off their forthcoming sophomore record Shulamith.

Between songs, host Steve Seel and Jill Riley of The Current's Morning Show chatted with Polica about the new album, the story behind the title and its album art. When asked about the title and what it references, vocalist and electronics connoisseur Channy Leaneagh explains that artists like herself often name their art in a creative fever and, "Then you get out and do interviews about it and you're like, 'Oh yeah, I forgot about that. I forgot I have to explain myself.'"

Rather than the album title simply referencing feminist Shulamith Firestone, Leaneagh says it represents the collective feeling she had after reading The Dialectic of Sex, a book by Firestone that was given to her by her brother. "That's exactly what I was trying to say in 12 songs," she says.

Listen to the rest of Polica's session here.

Laura Marling — "Where Can I Go?"

Ahead of her first US tour date in support of Once I Was an Eagle at the Women's Club in Minneapolis, Laura Marling stopped by to play songs off her latest album Once I Was an Eagle.

The Brit songstress talked with host Steve Seel of The Current's Morning Show about the music of her childhood, the album's Greek mythology reference, and what it was like performing with an orchestra at the BBC Proms.

Listen to the rest of Laura Marling's session here.

The National — "Don't Swallow the Cap"

Ahead of their generous 23-song set at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul, The National stopped by to play songs off their latest record Trouble Will Find Me.

Between songs, host Mary Lucia asked about how the band's collaborative approach to Trouble Will Find Me differed from their past efforts. After five albums, frontmant Matt Berninger says recording Trouble was more casual because they've made peace with their dynamic and are more understanding of the necessary tension that their creative process requires while songwriting.

Though creative tension may have been the demise of The Replacements, Berninger is happy to hear the legendary Minneapolis band got back together this past summer for three Riot Fest dates.

And so Lucia posed the inevitable Let It Be question. In "Don't Swallow the Cap," lyrics read "Play 'Let It Be' (pat yourself on the back) / or 'Nevermind' (dead seriously)." Which band is being referenced, The Replacements or The Beatles? Matt pleases The Replacements' hometown crowd maintaining he was a bigger fan of the Minneapolis band than The Beatles growing up as a kid. Good answer, Matt.

Listen to the rest of The National's session here.