Music

​Basement’s Best Jesso simply swoons on “Goon”

March 25th, 2015

Sometimes even those who know history well are doomed to repeat it.

Considering the recent deluge of albums by the likes of Father John Misty, Natalie Prass and Matthew E. White, it appears that the Nixon-era singer-songwriter heyday is seeing a second life some 40-odd years on.

Sure, it could be a mere coincidence that these records were all released in the span of a month, but upcoming releases by Cali soft-rockers Vetiver and jazz-folk picker Ryley Walker suggest otherwise, and the…

Read more...


​Help fund Amanda Standalone’s new album

March 18th, 2015

Photo by Amber Fletshock

Folk singer will release “Trouble” on March 28 at Ecce

Beloved local folk singer Amanda Standalone is on a mission to become a full-time musician. As a community we have an amazing opportunity to help her make that happen.

The songwriter has launched an IndieGoGo campaign to help fund her latest solo album, “Trouble.” So far, she’s raised nearly a third of her $3,000 goal through this online crowdsourcing platform. People can donate any amount before the campaign ends on Friday,…

Read more...


​Around the world to Russia

March 18th, 2015

FM Symphony’s ‘Passion & Beauty’ channels Tchaikovsky, among others

In the wake of BeethovenFest, the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony returns to its Masterworks Series this weekend, bound for Russia in this “Embrace the World” offering.

This season’s worldly theme has seen stops in South America and Asia for tastes of each region’s musical flavors. “Passion & Beauty,” the latest concert, takes audiences to Russia with the likes of composers Peter Tchaikovsky and Alexander…

Read more...


​Basement’s Best: ‘Fresh Blood’ preaches the gospel of Matthew E. White

March 14th, 2015

In the wake of the peer-to-peer sharing boom and the mushrooming remix culture that it fueled, we face ambivalence as to what constitutes proper artistic appropriation. Looking back now, do we view Led Zeppelin as hacks or heroes for putting their own electric spin on the music of the American Delta?

Could a Tribe Called Quest have kicked it without “Walk on the Wild Side”? Should we give a damn about Foxygen or just put on “High Tide and Green Grass” and call it good?

The line…

Read more...


​Twin Cities Metal Invasion

March 11th, 2015

King Goro

By Paul Harvey Johnson

Metal bands King Goro and Ghost Hook both hail from the Twin Cities and will perform Saturday at The New Direction.

King Goro

I've had the delight of attending a handful of sweaty, booze-soaked basement shows to witness the three-piece assault that is King Goro. It is in that environment where this band thrives. One of the things that separates the group from a lot of other bands within the death metal and grindcore genre is its sense of humor and insatiable desire…

Read more...


​North Dakota’s own folkster gleams on ‘Perfect Abandon’

March 4th, 2015

In reference to the carefree manner in which J.L. “Joe” Frank, an early Nashville country music promoter, wore his hat, the title of Tom Brosseau’s latest effort aptly shades the freewheeling music within.

In his ninth long-player, the Grand Forks, N.D.-bred singer-songwriter moseys through the album with a low-key lope, spinning aching story-song yarns all along the way.

Inspired by the spontaneous live sound of Elvis Presley’s early cuts for fabled country and western label…

Read more...


Basement’s Best: ​THEESatisfaction seeks transcendence on “EarthEE”

March 2nd, 2015

Hip-hop has been, since its origin, an art form written in the present tense, the spray-painted writing on the wall still waiting to dry. Even before the genre was coined, primogenitors like Nina Simone and Gil Scott-Heron called ‘em as they saw ‘em, laying bare the ugly truths of a still-divided nation, leaving any sugarcoating for the nightly news. The genre’s “hear ye, hear ye” spirit is as strong as ever, as taut racial tensions fuel the hot spit of Run the Jewels and…

Read more...


​Fargo celebrates the music of Bob Dylan

February 25th, 2015

Merrill Piepkorn

Fargo is celebrating Minnesota icon Bob Dylan with an afternoon of covers by local musicians. The event, DylanFest, is on Feb. 28 at the Fargo Theater and features 15 artists performing some of Dylan’s most beloved songs.

Musical acts include Post Traumatic Funk Syndrome, Tim Sparks, Jessie Veeder, Merrill Piepkorn and the Radio Stars Band, Poitin, Moody River Band, Heavy is the Head, D Mills & The Thrills, Tucker’d Out, Amanda Standalone, Darrin Wentz, Merry Helm & Roger Gress, Mike…

Read more...


​Basement’s Best: Father John Misty head over heels on “Honeybear”

February 20th, 2015

J. Tillman is in love.

Ordinarily, such an opening statement would be irrelevant, but considering the larger-than-life, Don Juan-esque persona that the ex-Fleet Fox hatched for his debut as Father John Misty, such a change in narrative is worth noting.

Whereas “Fear Fun” was a gonzo telling of an ayahuasca-fueled dive headfirst into that which lies further beneath the City of Angels’ underbelly, “I Love You, Honeybear” captures the confounding complexities of love and…

Read more...


​The Return of Davis? Yes.

February 18th, 2015

Ike Morsch, Matt Cook, Nick Peterson and Travis Atwood

Popular Fargo band releases new record after a nearly 10 year hiatus

Before there were popular locals bands like 32 Below, Johnson Family Band, Post Traumatic Funk Syndrome and Tripwire, among others, there was an awesome band by the name of Davis? (That sentence is not a strangely formed question. It’s just how Davis? formats its name.)

Actually, there still is an awesome band by the name of Davis?

The group formed in the late ‘90s and released two albums, “Radio Ashes” and…

Read more...


Tracker Pixel for Entry NewSalem1C Tracker Pixel for Entry blackbird Tracker Pixel for Entry Nicoles Tracker Pixel for Entry NewSalem1B Tracker Pixel for Entry Gruff1 Tracker Pixel for Entry farrms

Recently in:

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comNorth Dakota communities will join a “nationwide day of defiance” against authoritarianism and President Donald Trump’s policies on Saturday, June 14. A range of "No Kings" events…

Back-to-school season is on the horizon, but there's still plenty of summer left. Check out our favorite August attractions and events in North Dakota and western Minnesota. And if if you missed them, here are a few excellent May…

June 21, 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.Fargo Theatre, 314 Broadway N., Fargo“We Watch Shudder,” Fargo’s favorite horror podcasters, bring on the darkness during the longest day of the year. The Darkest Day of Horror Film Festival features…

Fighting the good fightBy Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com Over two thousand rallies took place nationwide June 14 as part of the “No Kings" protest. Ten of those protests were held in North Dakota, with thousands in attendance.…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comWhy did Trump run for the White House? That’s where the money is!Remember the story about the robber who, when asked why he robbed banks, responded: “That’s where the money is!?” Well, now…

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 The weather warmed up quickly here in the upper Midwest this spring, sparking prime eating season. This means burger battles, food trucks and lake-season food travel. The 2025 Downtown Fargo Burger…

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comThe Moorhead Public Library will offer three free, all-ages outdoor concerts featuring regional bands this summer. The series begins on June 12 with the Meat Rabbits, a group that blends…

By JD Provorsejdprovorse@gmail.comHorror movie fans of the valley, our time has come! Darkest Day of Horror Film Festival comes to the Fargo Theatre on Saturday, June 21. I sat down with JD Provorse, the creator and curator of DDHF…

By Deb Wallworkdwallwork@icloud.comI first met Catherine Mulligan at a party at her house. It was a small gathering, spontaneous, just a few people over for dinner. Directed toward a stack of plates and bowls and a big pot warming…

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comAct Up Theatre, in partnership with Minnesota State University Moorhead, will present “The Sound of Music” on June 10-14. All shows are at 7:30 p.m. at the Minnesota State Moorhead’s…

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…

The drug that keeps re-purposing itselfBy Ellie Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com There is a drug that is getting a lot of attention nowadays all over the world. It has various commercial names (Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus), but…

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 Vern Thompsonvern.thompson@rocketmail.com Working in the Bakken oil fields of the Williston Basin is so different from my home in Fargo. I'm not judging, because the people working and living in western North Dakota are very…