Music

The Mouse that Roared

September 16th, 2015

photo by MeiLi Smith

From the manic buzzing of unseen bees that signaled the band’s arrival on the stage of the Bluestem amphitheater down to the last sonic drop of their second encore set, Washington indie rockers Modest Mouse blazed through a nearly two and a half hour set with a seemingly unceasing energy.

Founder and frontman Isaac Brock was the rightful center of attention as the octet bombarded their way through their catalogue, mining gems from their most recent record, “Strangers to…

Auerbach’s soulful side project comes out on top

September 10th, 2015

The Marxist school of sociological thought posits our world as one of unceasing conflict, an undercurrent of discord raging through every instance of human interaction. It’s just as a handy a theory for making sense of large-scale movements like Black Lives Matter as it is for explaining the lesser tensions in life, like why company execs enjoy corner offices and lowlier workers cramp up in drab cubicles. While viewing the world through this lens of struggle can be draining and…

Everything’s amazing and nobody’s happy

September 3rd, 2015

A few years ago, in a now-famous appearance on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” comedian Louis C.K. went on a tangent that decried us as a society for griping about our #firstworldproblems. In the skit, he claimed that “everything is amazing, and nobody’s happy,” pointing out that we’re more irritated that we can’t reliably get Wi-Fi on a plane than we are astounded by the mere fact that we have pocket-sized devices that allow us to speak, in real time, to somebody a…

Battle of the Hamm’s returns

September 3rd, 2015

In 2004 Chris Lindstrom and his bandmate Chris Moore wanted to throw a party -- a BIG party. Both were active in the music scene and the idea of a battle of the bands came about. Add a $10 30 pack of Hamm’s as an entry fee, enter 10 bands and the Battle of the Hamm’s was born. The victor would collect all the beer, be king of the after party and win a custom-made championship belt made of the finest cardboard and duct tape money could buy.

A few months ago Lindstrom was having a…

Andrew W.K. Brings the Party to the Aquarium

August 26th, 2015

I’ve tried hard to source it, but Google fails me. The first review I ever read of Andrew Wilkes-Krier’s massively successful debut album, "I Get Wet," went on and on about how brazenly and cleverly dumb it was. Many reviews did at the time. I can’t remember if this was before or after Pitchfork moaned “Alright, this is bullshit” and gave the album a 0.6 out of 10 (not everyone knew what to make of the guy, and probably still don’t).

At any rate, this forgotten review from…

Tennessee Bluegrass at Crooked Lane

August 26th, 2015

Singer, fiddler and banjoist Becky Buller to perform in North Dakota

When bluegrass musician Becky Buller returns to North Dakota this Sunday, what she’s really hoping for is rhubarb pie.

“I am trying to grow some rhubarb down here in Tennessee but it’s so hot that it doesn’t do very well,” she said to HPR.

Perhaps she’ll get a slice at her upcoming concert at Crooked Lane Farms in Colfax, N.D. Buller will be one of the most significant acts to perform at the one-of-a-kind…

New Direction turns tide

August 19th, 2015

Photo by Kaytlin Dargen

Q and A with co-owner of thriving all-ages venue

The New Direction opened as Fargo-Moorhead’s only full time all-ages D.I.Y. punk venue almost 5 years ago in downtown Fargo by a group of local musicians and promoters hoping to have a steady place to host bands for kids. While punk and hardcore music are its main sources of music, the venue is really open to letting anyone come in and use the space for any type of genre of music.

As college students return to town, we thought it would…

Soulful roots run deep on Night Sweats’ debut

August 19th, 2015

There’s a deep satisfaction I take in the fact that Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats’ self-titled debut comes courtesy of the revitalized Stax Records imprint, a label that historically pumped out album after soaked-brow album by the likes of Otis Redding, Booker T & the MGs and Sam & Dave until folding in the mid-’70s. The label’s 21st century reboot signifies the unassailable place that soul music has carved out within the canon of popular American music, evident in the…

Q&A with guitarist Jack Semple

August 14th, 2015

Canadian blues virtuoso Jack Semple is one of Friday’s Fargo Blues Festival headliners. This will be the award-winning, veteran guitarist’s first show ever in North Dakota.

HPR: You definitely have different elements of style represented in your music, but you describe blues as your “center of gravity.” Why keep blues as your “center”?

Jack Semple: I grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan, which is probably very similar to people who grew up on farms in North Dakota. You know,…

Painting the town blue

August 14th, 2015

Fargo Blues Festival turns 20 with 12 acts in two days

Dan Bredell has a hard job.

The Fargo Blues Festival executive director listened to 200 acts over six months in advance of the 20th annual Fargo Blues Festival, set for this Friday and Saturday at Newman Outdoor Field. Making choices on groups can be hard, he said, especially with just 12 slots to fill.

“We always take pride in having good bands, beginning to end,” Bredell said.

Fargo Blues Festival rarely brings back artists from…