Music

​Back to musical roots at Red River Roots

August 19th, 2025

By John Showalter

john.d.showalter@gmail.com

Bluegrass is a genre of music that is often associated with the American South. Many people would express incredulity at being told there is a thriving bluegrass and folk music community in the Upper Midwest. That is one misconception that Aaron Niehaus, among others, seeks to dispel with Red River Roots, a music festival occurring in September at Crooked Lane Farm. Niehaus plays in a Fargo bluegrass band called Kohlrabi Soup that performs…

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Moorhead Public Library to host monthly outdoor concerts

June 9th, 2025

By Alicia Underlee Nelson

alicia@hpr1.com

The Moorhead Public Library will offer three free, all-ages outdoor concerts featuring regional bands this summer. The series begins on June 12 with the Meat Rabbits, a group that blends traditional polka sounds with modern rock and pop music. The concert will be held outside the Moorhead Public Library (118 Fifth Street S. in Moorhead) from 6 to 8 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. Food will be available for purchase.

The series…

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​The MoonCats have landed:

February 18th, 2025

Mooncats and Pert Near Sandstone play Empire Theatre

By Sabrina Hornung

sabrina@hpr1.com

The MoonCats describe themselves as “Americonscious Campfire Folk.” They have a clear acoustic folk sound with a sense of whimsy — think Roger Miller meets John Prine meets Old Crow Medicine show —with more toe tapping, sing-along, North Dakota charm than you can shake a stick at. They’re a three piece Americana band hailing from Bismarck to Pick City, but their origin story reaches back to…

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​Zero Place: One Band, Two Albums

November 13th, 2024

By John Showalter

john.d.showalter@gmail.com

Local band Zero Place has been making quite a name for itself locally and regionally in the last few years. Despite getting its start during a time it seemed the whole world was coming to a stop with the COVID pandemic, the band shows no sign of slowing down with the release of their second album, “Darko,” on the horizon. That should be no surprise, though. Lead vocalist and guitarist Zander Ness is no stranger to making music.

“I’ve…

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​Never gonna let him go:

October 17th, 2024

North Dakota’s All Star Tribute to John Prine at the Fargo Theatre

By Sabrina Hornung

sabrina@hpr1.com

On November 3, The Radio Stars are rounding up a number of North Dakota’s finest musicians from Watford City to the Red River Valley to pay tribute to the late great John Prine at the Fargo Theatre. They will share the stage with Jessie Veeder, Gina PowersChuck SuchyPat Lenertz, Darrin Wentz, Tom Brousseau, Emily Walter, Tuckered Out and Dan Brekke.

This isn’t the first North…

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​Radio Free Fargo: Flying Free on Fargo’s Airwaves for 20 Years

September 19th, 2024

By John Showalter

john.d.showalter@gmail.com

Like any metropolitan area, Fargo-Moorhead has a plethora of radio stations representing a variety of musical genres and other content. And like any other playing field in the world of media, there are going to be both the bigger fish (the corporate stations) and the hidden gems. One of those gems in the case of Fargo-Moorhead is Radio Free Fargo KRFF 95.9, which has been providing an outlet for independent radio in some incarnation or another…

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​Rising from the ‘Ashes’

August 3rd, 2024

Lamb of God celebrates 20th anniversary of a seminal album

by John Showalter

john.d.showalter@gmail.com

Photo by Travis Shinn

When the band Burn the Priest formed in 1994, they likely did not realize the impact that they would have on the metal genre. Thirty years later, the band is still going strong, albeit with a few changes in lineup and their adoption of the much better-known moniker Lamb of God. In that time, they have released eleven studio albums (two of which were under their…

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​Documenting Atmosphere

July 18th, 2024

HPR chats with Slug of the hip-hop duo Atmosphere

By Sabrina Hornung

sabrina@hpr1.com

When Sean Daley, also known as Slug, the voice of Twin Cities-based hip hop duo Atmosphere and co-founder of rap label Rhymesayers was growing up, he said hip-hop was the “large tool in my toolbox of socializing.” Whether it was breakdancing, graffiti or being a fan of the sound, he knew it was not his parents’ music and it was a movement that he felt belonged solely to those kids. High Plains…

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​Pour one out for Harold’s fifth anniversary

July 18th, 2024

By John Showalter

In the several years since its owners purchased what was once Main Avenue Auto in Moorhead, Minnesota in 2019, Harold’s on Main has quickly transformed from the new kid on the block to a Moorhead fixture. Not even a pandemic that seemed to put the world on pause was able to drive them off the rails. What started as just a bar now regularly hosts outside concerts, vinyl nights, and karaoke, among other events. On July 27, Harold’s will be celebrating its fifth…

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Getting down to the real Nitty Gritty

June 20th, 2024

HPR chats with Bob Carpenter of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

By Sabrina Hornung

sabrina@hpr1.com

When asked if it was fair to consider the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band as “the godfathers of contemporary Americana” during our interview, longstanding band member Bob Carpenter chuckled and said, “I think that's for someone else to decide.” Fans can do exactly that during the band’s Farewell Tour, which swings through North Dakota and Minnesota in June.

“I don't know,” Carpenter…

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