May 7th, 2016
by Kaley Sievert
The bass drops and the crowd screams, eardrums and hearts vibrating with the beat. PJ comes out on stage. She crouches and waves her arms as her crisp, high voice floats above the beat, diving down every so often to duet with the bass.
Singer/songwriter PJ just started touring. She has been to Arizona, the University of Texas, Concordia College, and soon, New York. When performing, before PJ goes on stage, she is a nervous wreck and says she “feels spastic.” Once she…
May 6th, 2016
The blues guitar wizard has been a legend since opening for B.B. King and John Lee Hooker when he was just in junior high. At 38 years old, he has 12 solo albums under his belt, one Grammy nomination and he even performed at London’s Royal Albert Hall. His latest release “Blues of Desperation” saw him teaming up with some of Nashville’s top songwriters to record an album of entirely original compositions.
In addition to his solo career, Joe Bonamassa is part of Black Country…
April 28th, 2016
North Dakota roars for hip-hop. Some people here in rock/country-town just don’t seem to know it yet. Perhaps it comes from the influence of Minneapolis, with its strong presence of underground/alternative rappers. Or maybe hip-hop’s dominating presence nationwide plays an effect.
Of course, the genre has influence over our local artists, including Minot/Grand Forks-native Ryan Tetzloff, a.k.a. Cold Sweat. The rapper just released an 11-track album, “Right To Arm A Bear,” which…
April 27th, 2016
HPR caught up with local musician and former “The Voice” contestant Blind Joe before his Fargo Lions Club benefit show at the Fargo Theatre last Friday. Although he lost “The Voice,” the experience propelled his career. He’s been touring the U.S. nonstop while also working with school assemblies and he even found time to record a new album titled “By the Fans, for the Fans.”
The album comes out on May 5 and features 12 tracks, including the three songs he performed on…
April 27th, 2016
By Payton Berger
At first listen, the music of The Lowest Pair can be summed up as simple, dramatic and expressive. As one becomes more acquainted with the music’s depth, the idea of using only three adjectives is an understatement. The interplay between the two voices at work moves between beautiful and harrowing, tense and light, while always being poetic. The Lowest Pair’s movement of song is liken to the movement of life. Like the distinction of folk roots and separate stories,…
April 15th, 2016
Though the current weather doesn’t seem to indicate the fact, it has officially been spring for several weeks now. In the art and mythology of human history, this season has always been associated with new life bursting forth from the dead, barren landscapes of winter: a time for planting fields and gardens, for flora and fauna to create a new generation. All this is in preparation for the hardships of the next winter after which the cycle begins anew.
It is this intimate interplay…
April 14th, 2016
By Ben Rheault
Don’t ask Holler House for a sheet of lyrics because you are writing a review of their first full-length album, “Lodge.” You will only receive a PDF file of a dozen or so abstract, geometric designs that remind you of those brain-teaser puzzles you used to get from your grandma for Christmas.
Not to say that Garth Blomberg, Mike Novak, Alan Erbach, and Tony Spaaij deem their lyrics unimportant. Instead, they take the approach that the listener should derive meaning…
April 13th, 2016
Whether you’re looking for limited pressings of vinyl records or a chance to snatch up some oldies at discount prices, you’re bound to find unique experiences at each local record store as they celebrate Record Store Day 2016.
“It’s a really great thing for drawing attention to local record stores,” says Aaron Swinkels, who has much to celebrate this year since his store Junk Giant recently moved downtown with the former location becoming Vinyl Giant.
Instead of selling a…
April 13th, 2016
New York born Joe Satriani cultivated an appreciation of music at an early age. Not only is he the world’s most successful solo guitarist, he’s worked with some of the biggest names in rock and roll such as Mick Jagger, Deep Purple, Brian May of Queen, and Robert Fripp of King Crimson, to name a few. Satriani took a minute to chat with HPR about his musical beginnings, guitar building, and his latest artistic endeavors.
High Plains Reader: According to your website, on September 18,…
April 6th, 2016
‘80s supergroup Loverboy can attribute their successes to not only to just working on the weekends. It’s taken a lot of blood, sweat and tears to come such a long way. It’s hard to believe that at the beginning of their career, they were rejected by all of the major American record companies until Columbia Records Canada picked them up. “We had a lot of disappointments in the beginning” says lead singer and founder Mike Reno.
They eventually went on to become one of the top…
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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…
