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…
March 11th, 2015

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.
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…
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…
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…
February 25th, 2015

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…
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…
February 18th, 2015
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…
February 18th, 2015

The annual punk and hardcore music festival New Direction Fest is celebrating its fourth year in a variety of ways.
The fest kicks off on Feb. 20 with a punk rock garage sale. Tables will be set up with records, merchandise and other items for purchase. Music starts that night at 7 p.m. with local pop punk bands and artists from Minneapolis.
“I try to make it so diverse so that people who don’t come to shows will come to that show and then…
February 11th, 2015

Final performance this Friday by Fargo-Moorhead boy band
By Jay Rice
If you haven't heard the most amazing group to spring from the loins of Fargo-Moorhead's music scene, then you haven't heard the boy band KumNcyde.
What you need to know is they are having their last performance ever at The Aquarium this Valentine's Day. Doors open at 10 p.m., and KumNcyde are set to begin at 10:30 p.m. Tickets are already on sale at Orange Records and online at ticketweb.com. Get yours and do not miss…
January 29th, 2015

With what sounds like the last tiptoe across the floorboards of a once-shared home, Natalie Prass presents herself to the world.
With a voice as soft as down, Prass bares her vulnerability just enough for empathy, though the astounding confidence of her tried-and-true songwriting chops, augmented by enveloping string and horn arrangements, defy any question of meekness.
In the case of all exceptional debut albums (and make no mistake, this is one), there comes an exceptional backstory.…
By Michael M. Miller Francie M. Berg, native of Hettinger, N.D., edited an impressive book, “Ethnic Heritage in North Dakota,” published in 1983. She grew up on a ranch near Miles City, Montana. Her son, Richard Berg, is…