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…
February 21st, 2018
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…
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…
January 31st, 2018
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,…
January 26th, 2018
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…
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…
January 17th, 2018
From bass grumblings in the Pickled Parrot, Sub:Culture was birthed. The weekly EDM showcase originated by Eric Johanson(EJ) and Chris Patano(Butter), entitled Thirsty Thursday, gave way to something new and refreshing for the F-M area and the whole state. Now on episode 84, Sub:Culture has been bringing the beats to the Aquarium for over a year.
It wasn’t an easy transition, though. For a bit, Brian Noce (DJ Econ) tried it on his own, producing a show called Hump Day. It just didn’t…
January 8th, 2018
I missed much of the 90’s, especially the late part. It’s a cultural blank space for me thanks to my undue sense of superiority. I dismissed all things popular. Nothing had cultural merit unless I knew about if before you did and I would’ve loved to have discussed it with you in exhausting detail.
The “swing revival” was one of those things. I’d see scores of weekend-only high school kids at punk shows wearing hats incorrectly thought to be fedoras, atop ill-fitting suits…
December 27th, 2017
The San Haven Chuckle have been a long-time fixture in the Fargo music scene. I remember seeing them shortly after I first moved to Fargo, a little over seven years ago. As a matter of fact, the band has been around for twelve years. Despite the fact that I’ve had the honor of calling them friends for some time, surprisingly it is only now that I find myself writing an article about them. Recently I had the opportunity to sit down for an interview with a couple of members of the…
December 13th, 2017
“The DIY scene welcomed me in at the age of 15 and I never left. The DIY scene has allowed me to travel to 49 of the 50 US states. I have made friends all over this country that I will have for the rest of my life. People involved in DIY music care.” says Mike Hansen, the man behind the See You Never label.
He continued, “We really care about the music. It’s not about money, it’s a community that helps each other out and supports each others projects. Everything my bands have…
__293px-wide.jpg)
__293px-wide.jpg)
__293px-wide.jpg)
By Alicia Underlee NelsonLocal groups will speak out against current and projected federal budget cuts in downtown Fargo this Saturday, April 26. The Red River Valley chapters of Fearless and Indivisible will lead a protest from…
By Prairie Rose Seminolems.prairierose@gmail.com I was a child who walked behind my parents into classrooms and kitchens, spaces of song and prayer, where teachings lived in the air and settled on my shoulders. I didn’t yet have…
Saturday, April 26, 1:30-3:30 p.m.Rourke Art Gallery + Museum, 521 Main Ave., MoorheadThings are coming up rosy at the Rourke in a true feast of the senses during the third annual “Gallery in Bloom” exhibit. The pop-up…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com I feel like reading a newspaper is the equivalent of listening to music on vinyl. Not only is it analog, it’s an experience. I might be a little biased, but there's something about the rustling…
By Ed Raymondfargogadly@gmail.comThe wizards and kleagles in whites now wear blue suits and red tiesA hundred years ago, more than 30,000 members of the Ku Klux Klan from virtually every state in the Union wearing their white…
By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…
By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com After a very inspiring conversation with Kayla Houchin of Sonder Bakehouse a few weeks ago, I decided that it’s an appropriate time to write a column about some of the sweet people who are involved…
Mooncats and Pert Near Sandstone play Empire TheatreBy Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comThe MoonCats describe themselves as “Americonscious Campfire Folk.” They have a clear acoustic folk sound with a sense of whimsy — think…
By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.comRyan Coogler goes big and bold with “Sinners,” a sweaty, bloody vampire movie set in 1932. The filmmaker stuffs this universe with enough ideas to serve a limited-series season of episodic…
By Raul Gomez Modern Man was a gentle soul. If you were down or just wanted a friend, he’d be there for you. I remember the first day I met Modern Man. It was Jeremiah Fuglseth and me. He wanted to write about this legendary…
By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comHigh Plains Reader had the opportunity to interview two mysterious new game show hosts named Milt and Bradley Barker about an upcoming event they will be putting on at Brewhalla. What…
By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…
By Josette Ciceronunapologeticallyanxiousme@gmail.com What does it mean to truly live in a community —or should I say, among community? It’s a question I have been wrestling with since I moved to Fargo-Moorhead in February 2022.…
By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…
By Faye Seidlerfayeseidler@gmail.com In 2023, the Superintendent of Fargo Public Schools, Rupak Ghandi, gave a passionate plea to the Fargo School Board to follow federal law, because a recently passed state law would increase…
