Music

Basement’s Best: New Basement Tapes

November 12th, 2014

New Basement Tapes, same “old, weird Americana”

Masterminded by Americana champion and curator extraordinaire T Bone Burnett, the New Basement Tapes, an appropriately Traveling Wilbury-esque supergroup, shake the dust from lyrical scraps salvaged from Bob Dylan’s infamous 1967 Woodstock retreat. In the spirit of Billy Bragg and Wilco’s “Mermaid Avenue” records, the ensemble, comprised of Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Elvis Costello, Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes), Rhiannon Giddens…

Basement’s Best: Flaming Lips

November 5th, 2014

Flaming Lips get high marks with a little help from their “fwends”

With the same kill-your-idols exuberance displayed on their handful of previous collaborative tribute albums, the Flaming Lips and their sizeable stable of “fwends” dare to tackle one of the most acclaimed albums of, well, ever. A song-for-song rebuild of the album that arguably changed the course of modern music, the Lips and their band of merry pranksters’ take on the Beatles’ monolithic “Sgt. Pepper’s…

Far East to Fargo

November 5th, 2014

Variety is the spice of life and also of the symphony. For its second concert of its Masterworks Series, the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra is continuing its trek across the globe with “Along the Silk Road.”

After a South American-styled opener to its 84th season this September, the F-M Symphony’s next stop with its “Embrace the World” theme is the Far East. “Along the Silk Road” rounds up contemporary composers as well as some older works for a specially styled concert.…

For show: O’fosho! celebrates five years

November 5th, 2014

Photo by Holly D Photography

Fargo’s own O’Fosho! is now five.

To celebrate, the jam-fusion band is hosting a show at The Aquarium, where they’ll be recording video and audio to release for a later date.

“I feel like our live show is where we are at right now so I think that’s kind of where we want to showcase where we are, (it’s) definitely the best option for sure,” said Matt Johnson, O’fosho’s vocalist and guitarist.

As an original touring band of five years, O’fosho said it’s immensely…

Basement’s Best: Kevin Morby’s ‘Still Life’ anything but still

October 30th, 2014

By Stephen Anderson

Deceptively titled, Kevin Morby’s sophomore release is all moving and shaking. A onetime member of ramshackle indie collectives Woods and the Babies, Morby follows up on the sleepy promise of last year’s low-key solo release “Harlem River” with a song cycle of musings on his constant state of motion.

With a road-worn authority, Morby weaves not-too-tall tales of modern Americana through sparse, rootsy arrangements. Soberly examining death from arm’s length,…

Vinyl revisited: The Fargo Record Fair returns

October 22nd, 2014

Dig out your turntables and dust off your record collection: the Fargo Record Fair is returning for its fifth consecutive year.

Since 2010 the Fargo Record Fair has been the F-M area’s great annual vinyl sale and get-together. At the fair’s helm is Fargo resident Dean Sime, who has organized the event every year. Initially inspired by a trip to New York’s colossal WFMU Record Fair, Sime set out to supply the F-M area with its own version – albeit one a little smaller in…

Project Trio: Three for three in three

October 22nd, 2014

Photo by Philip Sharp

A long-awaited residency from a New York chamber trio is finally happening for area students in Fargo-Moorhead.

The passionately eclectic Project Trio, combining flute, cello and bass, comes to town this Friday through Monday, performing for three area student groups: Concordia College, Fargo Moorhead Area Youth Symphonies and Moorhead Public Schools’ string program.

Deb Harris, associate professor of flute at Concordia College, has been following Project Trio—particularly flutist Greg…

Farewell to New Music Thursday

October 16th, 2014

Christopher Gabriel say new plans are on the horizon

Willie Waldman, Riesage, Turtle Island Quartet, Little Winter, Post Traumatic Funk Syndrome’s horn section, Longreef, MSUM’s Straw Hat Theatre, Haley E. & The Rydells, Poitin and dozens upon dozens of others all have one thing in common. All these creative projects have been guests on The Christopher Gabriel Program’s New Music Thursday.

Gabriel, a local radio personality for 970 WDAY, started this music segment when he was first…

World’s only concertizing pipe organ/percussion duo slated for Sunday

October 16th, 2014

The world’s only concertizing pipe organ/percussion pair, to the best of Sally Harmon’s research, is on its way to Fargo.

It’s Organized Rhythm, and Harmon, dean of the Red River Valley Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, knew she had to have them for the group’s biennial concert.

“I had read an article in a magazine about these guys,” Harmon said. “Somebody else [in the guild chapter] had heard them at a convention and said they were awesome … so we said, ‘OK,…

The Highlands to the High Plains

October 16th, 2014

Julie Fowlis adds Scottish style, soulful voice to MSUM arts series

Sit back, relax and enjoy an aural trip to Scotland as singer Julie Fowlis brings authentic Gaelic music to Minnesota State University Moorhead’s Cheryl Nelson Lossett Performing Arts Series.

Perhaps best-known in the U.S. for her vocal contributions to the soundtrack of Disney Pixar’s “Brave,” Fowlis will be showcasing traditional Scottish Gaelic music. With instruments from highlander fiddle to bouzouki to…