Music

“Sometimes nostalgic, sometimes sad, sometimes happy and excited about the future.”

March 28th, 2018

Moody River - photograph by Haney's Photography I was a bit taken back by drummer Corey Krueger’s heartfelt and honest response when I asked him how he feels when he listens to Big Bad World, the latest release from The Moody River Band which has been over six years in the making. Then again, perhaps I shouldn’t have been because even the press release for the show makes mention of exactly why this album has been not only emotionally trying for the band to release, but also why it has been hidden away from the public for so…

A little bit country, a little bit rock ‘n’ roll

March 28th, 2018

Holler Jake - photograph provided by Evie Andrus Knoxville, Tennessee-based violinist Evie Andrus has played the violin for most of her life, in fact she and her brother Wild Hands bassist Joe Andrus grew up playing in the family bluegrass band. She’s currently part of a five-show midwest tour with classic rock legends Foreigner as part of the backing orchestra.

Fortunately, her band Holler Jake had a break in their touring schedule to meet up with Wild Hands for a wild night at Sidestreet this coming Saturday. Rumor has it that the…

Get away from the cold with FM Symphony Orchestra

March 14th, 2018

Photograph by Scott Thuen In Fargo, we are certainly used to long, cold winters, but that doesn’t make us any less anxious for them to end with each coming spring. The arrival of warmer weather means longer days and finally being able to see green again after several months.

It is with that in mind that the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra decided on the theme for the fourth concert in the 2017-2018 Sanford Health Masterworks series, “Sunny Getaway.”

“We thought ‘Sunny Getaway’ would simply be a fun…

Holler House and Technician: new split 10-inch

February 28th, 2018

By Ben Rheault
hpr@hpr1.com

Holler House are back with a new split 10” on Jetsam-Flotsam Records, with fellow Minneapolis band Technician.

The band is gearing up for their Minneapolis release party by playing The Aquarium this Friday. I emailed Holler House’s drummer and graphic designer Mike Novak a few quick questions before they rip up the stage on Friday.

High Plains Reader: Last time I reviewed your self-released “Lodge” (2016). There was a quote in there stating, "We're…

Cultivating songs and stories with Josh Ritter

February 28th, 2018

By Howard Hardee
hhardee21@gmail.com

Josh Ritter says songs are like hiccups. He'll be doing something mundane and a tune will pop into his head involuntarily, as if due to some reflexive bodily function. But he doesn't question where the melody came from or how it appeared: he just makes sure to capture it in the moment.

"Over time, I've grown less and less concerned about not being able to sit down and write a song," he says. "I just have to be ready to write when it hits me. I don't…

New Direction Fest 7

February 21st, 2018

TND - photograph by Kaytlin Dargin The New Direction had no shows booked in January 2012 so one of our co-founders, Charley Wang, decided to put together the First New Direction Fest out of complete necessity. He reached out to 18 local bands to play our little basement over three nights. It went well enough for us to be able to pay our bills that month.

By the next year, Charley was a new dad, so he didn’t have the time to put together the next fest. I took it over and moved it to the end of February, to coincide with…

Wild Hands: ‘Growing Like a Weed’: a feast for the ears, eyes and soul

February 21st, 2018

“There is one all-around theme to the record, but each record has its own individual idea, mostly that going back and forth of finding out where home is.” said Max Patzner, guitarist, artist and lead vocals of the Minot-based indie folk band Wild Hands. He went on to say, “We wrote these songs over the span of two years while we were traveling, so there's a lot of highway references.”

Wild Hands bassist Joe Andrus added, “We recorded it together as a three piece--then added…

HPR speaks with rock n’ roll royalty

January 31st, 2018

Publicity photograph of Wanda Jackson age 17 Whoever said rock n’roll ain’t pretty must have never had the opportunity to speak with Wanda Jackson, often referred to as “the queen of rockabilly” and even the “first lady of rock n’ roll.” The Oklahoma native just turned 80 this year and has just released her autobiography, “Every Night Is Saturday Night: A Country Girl's Journey to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame” co-authored by Scott B. Bomer.

The High Plains Reader had the opportunity to speak with her in 2015,…

An Anomic explosion at the Aquarium

January 26th, 2018

Anomic, a two-person band, Jay Stevenson, guitarist and vocals, and drummer Rick Tullar, I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Anomic at Atomic Coffee (they insisted I put that wordplay in the article). Anomic are a two-person band comprised of two pretty swell guys named Jay Stevenson, who provides vocals and guitar, and Rick Tullar, who plays the drums.

Even though there are only two of them, Jay and Rick make Anomic’s sound big enough that you would think there were at least three or four people onstage. They were more than happy to tell me about their…

Warming up to the symphony at ‘Frostival Finale’

January 17th, 2018

No one who has lived in Fargo for any length of time has to be told how bitterly cold it can get here during the winter. As much as we might complain about the cold temperatures, the biting winds, or the copious amounts of snow, we can’t really bring ourselves to hate the winter season.

Perhaps that’s why the City of Fargo began its Frostival, encouraging people to get out and enjoy themselves despite the cold. And of course, the coldest season of the year has had no small influence…

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