Music

​Back to fun in ‘21: getting WE Fest back together

July 14th, 2021

Sabrina Hornung

sabrina@hpr1.com

15 July 2021

“We have a guy that's been involved with the show for many years as a landlord and knew what it was like in the heydays. So he knows where he wants to take it.” says WE Fest General Sales Manager Mark Bjerke.

We Fest was started in 1983, a couple of partners were brought in about 1985. And that ownership group was rock steady through 2014. In 2010, one of those owners bought out his partners’ shares and from 2010 to 2014, WE Fest had a…

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​Jessica Vines heads west

July 14th, 2021

Sabrina Horung

sabrina@hpr1.com

15 July 2021

Fargo-based musician Jessica VInes’ music is catchy.. in fact it’s downright infectious. A classically trained jazz vocalist, she’s collaborated with a number of area musicians such as blues rockers The Knotties to the hip hop stylings of Diane Miller.

She recently announced a move to California in September so naturally we had to flag her down to talk about her video “Delicious,” establishing a routine during lockdown and to see where…

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​Prairie Pothole Back After COVID Speed Bump

June 15th, 2021

by John Showalter john.d.showalter@gmail.com

The COVID-19 pandemic took a huge toll on the live music industry. Not only concerts but full-blown music festivals were among the casualties over the course of 2020. However, as vaccines continue to roll out and guidelines are loosened, venues have been cautiously reopening their doors to live performances and promoters have been plying their craft.

Among…

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Gina Powers Is Outlaw Country

May 18th, 2021

By Kris Gruber

perriex1@gmail.com

20 May 2021

During the course of our interview Gina Powers frequently stopped to console Atomic Coffee patrons wrestling with the suction-heavy door between them and Broadway (“The Atomic Door Dilema”), that indeed they were not alone in their struggle, offering them lighthearted banter in her rich and resonant speaking voice.

Her self-proclaimed mission is to “put good things in the world.” She used the analogy of dirt in a glass of water,…

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Ten Years of D Mills and the Thrills: A Conversation with Diane Miller

May 18th, 2021

By Brittney Goodman

https://www.facebook.com/brittney.goodman.3

20 May 2021

Has it really been 10 years of D Mills and the Thrills?? Yes it has! Ten years ago, Diane was dating Tom Johnson, who was a member of the Johnson Family Band, and also a very talented musician. So, he said to her, “So, you are doing this Hip-Hop Show, I’ve got some guys who can back you up.”

High Plains Reader: How did you get started?

Diane Miller: We didn’t even rehearse. They were just so talented and…

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The Tim(e) for Music Is Now

April 22nd, 2021

By John Showalter 

john.d.showalter@gmail.com

18 March 2021

Many of the talented musicians in the Fargo-Moorhead area are natives of the area. Others, like Tim Gibson, may not have been residents of the area their whole lives, but are certainly ambitious enough to make up for lost time. In the six years he has lived in Fargo, Gibson has been involved in several projects and…

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Spring Fling with Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra

April 22nd, 2021

By John Showalter 

john.d.showalter@gmail.com

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented some interesting challenges for music and the arts, and the realm of classical music is no exception. Even nationally recognized bastions of classical music like The Met in New York were put in a seemingly unprecedented situation as they found their concert halls suddenly emptied. Despite these difficulties, lovers of the arts have…

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​Don’t Sleep on Spite Nap

December 17th, 2020

When we were growing up we often found ways to rebel against our parents, some more nonsensical than others. Not all of us decided to use those methods as inspiration for the name of a band. Bismarck-based band Spite Nap decided to jump on that opportunity, setting the irreverent tone for the band.

“It all kind of started as a joke,” said Spite Nap’s drummer Connor Wentz, who I recently had the opportunity to interview. “We were all messing around in Matt’s basement. We all…

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The Shortest Distance to New Music is a Straight Line Arrival

December 1st, 2020

by John Showalter

john.d.showalter@gmail.com

The COVID-19 pandemic may have brought most live musical performances to a screeching halt, but that doesn’t mean that industrious musicians have been any less busy. Streaming outlets and social media have allowed groups and performers to have “live” concerts and release new music that they have recorded during quarantine. One of these groups is the local band Straight Line Arrival, who are now releasing a new album titled “The…

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​Just the Beginning for Enditall

October 21st, 2020

By John Showalter

john.d.showalter@gmail.com

Musicians and concertgoers alike unexpectedly found their plans disrupted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Artists and venues have been facing a situation that is unprecedented for most people. As the old saying goes, however, necessity is the mother of invention. Artists and their supporters have been endlessly creative in finding ways to overcome these daunting circumstances. Take Zander Ness, for example, who isn’t about to let a…

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