July 19th, 2017
There is good news for our community members who love music but have a hard time with crowds. Prairie Musicians is back with an all-new season, with regional talent performing live on the Prairie Public studio soundstage. It is on Friday evenings.
Prairie Public recognized that there were many talented musicians in our region, so the show has been started to appreciate our regional music. Prairie Musicians just premiered last week as season seven on July 7.
The musicians are selected…
July 18th, 2017
With a wide span of genres and talent spanning from the world music of Ukrainian folk band Dhakabrahka to indie rock such as the Shins and Feist, to hip hop sensations such as DJ Shub Chali 2na & the House of Vibe there’s something for everyone at the Winnipeg Folk Festival.
While Feist was onstage she told us an anecdote on how she described the fest as “The Burning Man of Canada.”
The programming runs morning to night with both concerts and workshops that create a one-of-a-kind…
July 12th, 2017
Photo by Raul Gomez
Leonard Podolak is both a contributor and an innovator on the Canadian folk scene. Considered a clawhammer virtuoso, the Grammy and Juno award-winning artist has entertained audiences worldwide, with a wide range of styles and influences. HPR had the chance to chat with Podolak onsite at Winnipeg Folk Fest this year about his banjo beginnings, growing up with the festival and his latest projects.
High Plains Reader: In the Winnipeg Folk Fest program you’re listed as…
July 12th, 2017
Peter Yarrow is an American singer and songwriter who found fame with the 1960s folk music trio Peter, Paul and Mary. Yarrow co-wrote one of the group's greatest hits, Puff, the Magic Dragon.
A veteran of Greenwich Village and a lifetime dedicated to his causes--at 79 Yarrow has no plans of slowing down.
High Plains Reader had the opportunity to connect with Yarrow on site at the Winnipeg Folk Fest this weekend. We had the opportunity to team up with John Prentice of Planet Mainstage on…
July 12th, 2017
Salt Creek is an indie/post-rock band based out of Lincoln, Nebraska. They just released their new EP, Where Strangers Go, to critical acclaim and the #5 spot on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart.
High Plains Reader: Congratulations on the new record hitting the billboard charts! How did you find out?
Nathan Richardson, guitarist: We got an email from Alex Vitoulis [from Billboard], we had tracked our sales so we kind of thought it might have been a mistake at first until he followed up…
July 12th, 2017
Minot-based pop, punk, rock group Vanity Plate is releasing their first album, Not Cool, after previously releasing two EPs. With their new album, Vanity Plate is touring the region and the country, hitting Fargo on July 17. Jazmine and Zach Schultz, founding members and vocals and guitar for the band, chatted with HPR about their upcoming album, tour and the band.
High Plains Reader: How did the concept for Not Cool develop?
Zach Schultz: When we first started the band, we had a…
June 29th, 2017
Here comes summer, full of sun, ice-cold drinks, and of course, music festivals. From the southeastern most corner of Minnesota to north of the very north of North Dakota, HPR has compiled enough music festivals to enhance any music lover’s summer nights and days.
Canada
Winnipeg Folk Festival
July 6 – July 9
Winnipeg, Canada
Folk
Headliners: Brandi Carlile, Feist, City and Color, The Shins, Esmé Patterson
More information and full lineup: http://winnipegfolkfestival.ca/
Minnesota
Basilica…
June 28th, 2017
Former HPR editor, musician, and current lead music promoter at The Aquarium, Diane Miller took some time out of her jam-packed schedule to sit down with HPR for an interview. She filled us in on why she works at The Aquarium, how important she thinks the venue is to the local music scene, and what musical endeavors she is currently undertaking.
High Plains Reader: When did you start working at The Aquarium?
Diane Miller: So I started at The Aquarium at the end of last September. Burt…
June 28th, 2017
Some of my favorite interviews are with musicians and bands. They’re often relaxed, casual, and I might get a drink or two out of them. Of course, we were at the Bismarck on the night of the interview because, as banjoist Mike Schmidt put it, “The Bismarck is for business,” putting an emphasis on the first syllable.
That certainly was the case with Fargo band Mr. Meaner, who split much of their time between the Empire and the Bismarck downtown. “We live in dive bars,” said…
June 28th, 2017
Jolene, Allison, and Eleanor Rigby are all very different characters made famous by pop songs, but have you ever wondered how they felt about their situations?
Singer-songwriter Esme Patterson’s latest concept album “Woman to Woman” sings their stories from their perspectives.
We had the opportunity to speak with Patterson via phone interview. We caught her in San Francisco working on a new collaboration. Unfortunately, all she could tell us was it was for a movie score. Fortunately…
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By Bryce Vincent Haugen More than 300 people gathered at Trinity Lutheran Church in central Moorhead on Jan. 27 for “constitutional observer” training. Led by the Immigrant Defense Network and supported locally by the West Area…
By Kooper Shagena Just off of I-94 and Highway 83 on State Street in Bismarck, an abandoned Kmart sits behind an empty parking lot, watching the cars roll on and off the interstate exchange. It has been standing there quietly since…
Saturday, January 31, mingling at 6:15 p.m. and program at 7 p.m.Fine Arts Club, 601 4th St. S., FargoThe FM Symphony is getting intimate by launching a “Small Stages” chamber music series and it's bringing folks together via…
By John Strand If you are reading this editorial and you too are worried sick about the state of our country, keep reading. Maybe we can inspire each other. It was near closing time. We were discussing our values crisis. So this…
By Ed RaymondA mind that snapped, cracked, and popped at one hundredI wasn’t going to read a long column called “Centenarian: A Diary of a Hundredth Year” by Calvin Tomkins celebrating his birthday on December 17 of 2025…
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 GionSince the much-dreaded Covid years, there has been much ebb and flow in the Fargo-Moorhead restaurant scene. In 2025, that trend continued with some major additions and closings. Let’s start the New Year on a positive…
Saturday, January 17, doors at 7:30 p.m.The Aquarium above Dempsey’s, 226 N. Broadway, FargoThe Slow Death is a punk supergroup led by Jesse Thorson, with members and collaborators that include members of The Ergs!, Dillinger…
By Greg Carlson The versatile Nia DaCosta follows her underseen and underappreciated “Hedda” (one of my 2025 favorites) with the first female-helmed entry in the 28 Days/Weeks/Years Later series, a fascinating and grisly…
By Jacinta ZensThe Guerrilla Girls, an internationally renowned anonymous feminist art collective, have been bringing attention to the gender and racial imbalances in contemporary art institutions for the last 40 years. They have…
Saturday, January 31, 6:30-9 p.m.Transfiguration Fitness, 764 34th St. N., Unit P, FargoAn enchanting evening celebrating movement and creativity in a staff-student showcase. This is a family-friendly event showcasing pole, aerial…
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 Ellie Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com At the beginning of the movie “How the Grinch Stole Christmas," the Grinch is introduced as having a smaller than average heart, but as the movie progresses, his heart increases three…
January 31, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.Viking Ship Park, 202 1st Ave. N., Moorhead2026 marks 10 years of frosty fun! Enjoy sauna sessions with Log the Sauna, try Snowga (yoga in the snow), take a guided snowshoe nature hike, listen to live…
By Vern Thompson Benjamin Franklin offered one of the most sobering warnings in American history. When asked what kind of government the framers had created in 1787, he replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.” Few words…
