​Three decades of F-M DIY/punk scene on screen

Twin Cities-based filmmaker Micah Dahl is working on an ambitious, feature-length documentary covering three decades of the Fargo-Moorhead DIY/punk scene called “The Red River Runs Through It.”

Currently shooting and in the process of raising production money through crowdfunding (visit Indiegogo and search for “The Red River Runs Through It” to donate), Dahl has already collected interviews, concert footage, gig posters and other key archival material to help tell the story.

You can also stay up to date on the project at theredriverrunsthroughit.tumblr.com.

HPR film editor Greg Carlson talked to Dahl about the movie.

HPR: There have been a few other Fargo music scene documentaries over the years. What is the origin of “The Red River Runs Through It”?

Micah Dahl: The concept for the documentary came from being a part of the scene. Being inspired by the local bands and bands coming through, which moved into starting a band, playing and then becoming more a part of the scene by being a creative person within it.

The collaborative nature and creative community within Fargo-Moorhead is amazing, especially because of its size. The feeling and connection you get from being part of it, witnessing and hearing about how amazing an experience Fargo-Moorhead is through touring bands just made sense in terms of creating a documentary out of all those things, people, connections.

I originally thought about creating a documentary when Ralph's was torn down. A huge piece of the scene had been taken away and it seemed to be the closure of a certain generational span of time. Most everyone involved in the three decades previous that built it had left and the torch was now ready to be passed on.

It seems though, there was no one to pick it up -- and then Moorhead decides to tear down Ralph’s, at that time the center of art, music and subculture -- only to be replaced with a new building that as far as I know sat vacant for years. Now though, the Aquarium is up and running strong and you can see and feel the scene becoming something new, something borrowed and something blue. It is different than it was in those previous decades, but it is still distinctly Fargo.

HPR: Can you describe the scope and scale of “TRRRTI”? It sounds like you plan to focus on a particular time.

MD: The film spans three decades from the late ‘80s until present day, beginning with the early bands that formed the scene and paved the way, like December's Children, Buttchuck, Floored, Hammerhead and godheadSilo. And then when those bands left, the early ‘90s flourished with all-ages shows.

Into the late ‘90s and early 2000s, the scene changed, music and style-wise, and third and fourth generations took over as people moved. At that time, Ralph's was the center. After the death of Ralph’s, the story resolves with the Aquarium and a renewed music presence.

HPR: Do you think Fargo was unique or was it just part of a nationwide culture?

MD: The film is about the bands and people that make this place so special but also about the bands that flowed through the area and got to experience the scene here and warmth of the people. The rise of DIY and independent music in the early to mid-1990s was impressive.

Fargo wasn't alone in all of that. Cities like Austin, Omaha, Lawrence, Bloomington, Olympia and many more went through similar experiences and we all became connected through music, which is pretty amazing. Art and music can connect on a level that's hard to put into words.

HPR: Besides Ralph’s Corner, the ‘90s Fargo scene hosted shows at a variety of venues – many of them gone even before Ralph’s. What does location mean to you as a moviemaker and musician?

MD: So much. All the venues in the past, any show, wherever it is … music is a shared live experience, like theatre. You and others are in this semi-dark room watching people perform something for you and there is an intimacy that you cannot replicate.

Part of that feeling is the venue, whether it is a sweaty basement, Ralph's, the Bowler, the Elks, you name it. Good or bad, the venues are a huge part of all of those memories that were made. It comes down to the intimacy created with live performances.

And there were so many places that hosted shows: Exit 99, Broadway Junction, the Elks Lodge, the Moose Lodge, Kirby's, All-Star Bowl, the Bowler, Borna's Bagels, the Coffee Club, even the Frisky Goat. Not to mention countless house shows, those were the best, and First Avenue, MSU’s Underground, the Knights of Columbus, the American Legion.

HPR: Will Phil Leitch appear in the movie and share his knowledge and memorabilia? Along with people like J Earl Miller and Chris Hennen, Phil has got to be one of the preeminent historians of FM punk history. From the Vampire Lezbos show of 1984 to Yahtzeen to madonnaRama to the Fargo Band Family Tree and beyond, Phil is a local Herodotus.

MD: Yes, I've talked to him and we will get together for an interview to review his collection and talk about the many things that he inspired and created. I've already interviewed J Earl. I think over the years there have been a lot of great promoters, Bjorn and Amy -- Team Fargo, Joe Vesel, Mike Novak, then you've got people like Tom Kemmer who built the Hawk's Nest skate park. I'd like to interview Jade as well. Jade, I’ll be calling you soon.

Phil has done so much for the scene, setting up shows, making zines, Milk Records, just helping so many bands, having bands stay with him. One of the pillars of the scene along with the others above and so many more. Right now Chris Hennen is doing so much and bringing in amazing bands and keeping it going.

HPR: There are so many people I know you want to interview and include. How are you going to decide when to stop?

MD: Good question. I’m not entirely sure! I am working with a very limited budget and am in the process of raising money, so I do have limitations. I have outlined who I need to interview for sure, but if I can get more, then great.

Most interviews involve travel, so with the proposed Indiegogo budget I can make those goals become reality. I have completed 12 interviews already, and all of those conversations have opened up the possibility of interviewing other bands and creative people from the scene, so I don't have a set number, but a goal of getting as many as I can is at the forefront and doable.

HPR: A lot of the content you need for a movie like “TRRRTI” was originated before the days of YouTube. Have you been able to get your hands on key archival content, from recordings of shows to gig posters? What is still missing that you hope to find?

MD: I have hours of shows recorded. When I lived in town I was fortunate to use my parents’ Sharp VHS camcorder, so I have tons of shows recorded, and not just of the band I was in.

I received a bunch of tapes from Hammerhead’s Paul Erickson that I digitized for him, and I've gotten footage here and there from lots of people. I'll take anything that I can get, as any and all is needed to help tell and show the story.

As for posters, I saved every poster of every show I ever went to, as well as every poster of a show I've been part of, and I received countless flyers that have been sent to me.

I have poster art, a lot of audio recordings, and I have created digital copies of vinyl that I own and of stuff people have shared with me. I'd love to get as much as I can if people are willing to submit.

I have a healthy archive and want to accurately tell the story with what I have, but am always on the lookout for more. If nothing else, just to preserve it and have a place for all of it to live.

HPR: As a member of Floid Matrix, you were directly involved in making music during the years you lived in the area. What has been the most surprising thing you have learned while working on the documentary?

MD: The most surprising thing is maybe the generational differences in how the scene felt to people. First generation interviews like Hammerhead describe a more negative atmosphere, which makes sense since they paved the way for everyone and created the scene out of nothing. The second and third generations are more positive about the collaborative nature and nurturing atmosphere of the scene.

As a member in a band and playing at the time we did, it was amazing. Great shows, great people, plenty of places to play. After Floid Matrix, I moved away in 2000. When I would come back, each time it seemed like the scene got smaller and smaller and the generations underneath were more tied to the Internet or other things to do as Fargo-Moorhead got bigger.

I was not living here at the time and that's an outsider point of view, but that's how it felt, a little darker each time we came back (as the Malmbergs). And then in 2005, Ralph's is torn down. It was a little piece of many hearts that went down with that place.

HPR: I loved the breadth of band names in Fargo. What are some of your favorites?

MD: Bossk, Submarine, Los Micros (I am biased as I was in that band), Shoemaker Levy 9, Men of Wo, the Deaths, Tokyo Raygun. I could go on and on. Los Micros were horrible but we had a great name.

HPR: Can you name a few of your all-time top shows?

MD: Orange 17/Free Jesse/Bombshell at the Elks; Orange 17/Karp/Hammerhead at the Grape Garage; Karp/Trucker/Longjinous at the Coffee Club; Malmbergs/Seawhores/Big Business at the VFW. Any Bossk show. 90 Day Men at Ralph’s. They were unreal, so good. Bikini Kill/Fitz of Depression/Bombshell at the Elks. Any Joe Vesel Christmas show. Hammerhead at the Aquarium.

HPR: How important is the Ralph’s Corner 10 Year Anniversary show to the movie?

MD: It is huge. I've basically captured the end of the film: a giant family reunion of sorts with so many creative, open and collaborative people. Everyone all smiles and ending the show with two bands that really paved the way for music in this town: Hammerhead and godheadSilo. I mean, you cannot beat that.

It’s impossible to put into words how important it is, the amazing connection between everyone in the scene, all the bands no matter how big or small or their style … It was a creative and collaborative experience, and I hope the film showcases the people, the warmth, the community and the strength of this little, intimate place we call Fargo.