August 22nd, 2013
Fargo folk rockers Riesage are releasing their very first album, “Anon,” on cassette tape this August 31 at The Aquarium.
“Anon,” a five-song EP, includes years-old songs written by lead vocalist/guitarist Mike Barnum, who originally played music and toured as a solo artist. It wasn’t until early 2010 that he started forming what is now known as Riesage.
“I’ve been touring by myself since 21,” Barnum says. “It’s really hard to tour by yourself. You get sick of people…
August 22nd, 2013
Andre Williams is sort of mysterious legend. The 76-year-old Chicago/Detroit R&B musician has written songs for Stevie Wonder, Ike Turner and even Parliament-Funkadelic. He’s even had a few mega-hits – “Bacon Fat” and “Jail Bait” – among the hip R&B crowd in the 50s.
More than 50 years down the road, he still continues to record, perform and write. And believe or not, music fans and critics everywhere almost unanimously…
August 8th, 2013
Moorhead singer/actor Nina Grollman kindly interviewed with the High Plains Reader on the day before her big move out to New York City to study acting at Juilliard.
Find out what it was like for her to audition for one of the most prestigious music schools in the country, how she reimagined Grease’s “Beauty School Dropout,” how YouTube changed her life and much more.
High Plains Reader: First of all, your performance in “Grease” was astounding. How did you prepare yourself for…
August 1st, 2013
This Sunday, The Aquarium will host an authentic, raw, rough and quirky Seattle-based indie-punk band. They are called Wimps.
This could quite possibly one of the most purely fun non-locally fronted indie shows in Fargo this year. With rock-energized tracks like “Stop Having Fun,” “Grumps” and “Nap,” Wimps’ songs are short, banging and humorous, in a quirky sort of way.
There is plenty of calling and responding, shouting and repetition that could entice crowd participation.…
July 25th, 2013
As far as we know Erika Wennerstrom isn’t a Heartless Bastard. Perhaps it just reflects in her singing in split-second increments. Her voice is incredibly dynamic.
Truly, Wennerstrom’s voice is one of the Heartless Bastard’s most enthralling features. Often times it’s clear and easy to follow, other times it loops, looms, floats and blooms. She sounds like a girlish Marc Bolan (T. Rex) or a boyish Zooey Deschanel.
Wennerstrom said her vocal style derives from her influences –…
June 23rd, 2013
Avett Brothers to perform in Fargo for the first time
The Avett Brothers of North Carolina are heading farther north.
This popular modern Ameriana/folk outfit will perform in Fargo for the first time ever this Thursday at the The Venue at the Hub. Concert-goers should expect a packed house. The Avett Brothers are one of the most sought-after folk acts in the country.
In 2011, the band joined the stage with Bob Dylan and Mumford & Sons to perform “Maggie’s Farm.” Their latest album,…
May 9th, 2013
Amanda Warner grew up in near Hillsboro, N.D. and went to high school in Fargo. Today, she is a New York pop singer/DJ/songwriter and goes by the stage name MNDR.
This Saturday, Warner will be performing a solo set at the Aquarium for the finish line of the Zombie Pub Crawl. It will be her first performance back in Fargo in five years – though expect this to be just the first of two MNDR shows in Fargo, Warner said. Saturday’s show will be an all-DJ set and her second one later this…
April 4th, 2013
AWOLNATION is sexy, modern, edgy and tremendously heavy popular music.
An active and respected musician since the early 2000s, singer-songwriter Aaron Bruno’s major breakthrough came in 2011 with the release of AWOLNATION’s “Sail,” which is now certified double platinum in the United States.
Funny thing is, Bruno, a Los Angeles native, didn’t even think people would like the song. The High Plains Reader caught up with Bruno over the phone to…
January 17th, 2013
Hawaii and North Dakota are the only two states Grace Potter and The Nocturnals have not performed in. So, in a sense North Dakota will be one-upping our country’s tropical paradise – The Nocturnals are making it to ND first. What up now, Hawaii?
“I’m a northern girl myself and I come from the cold and I’m hoping it’s just going to be super snowy and fabulous (in Fargo),” Potter says while making spaghetti in her home.
“The thing is, I’m comfortable in that atmosphere;…
September 16th, 2012
Bob Dylan, among hundreds of other things, was a prolific songwriter. Among the hundreds of things he was -- a singer, an activist, a harmonica player, a poet, a husband, a father, a guitar player -- he was most brilliant and artistically stunning at being a songwriter. In fact, Dylan is, without question, one of the most influential songwriters of the 20th century. From classic rockers to bluegrass musicians to indie rockers to pop stars and everything in between, Dylan has made an…
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By Winona LaDukewinona@winonaladuke.com The business of Indian Hating is a lucrative one. It’s historically been designed to dehumanize Native people so that it’s easier to take their land. ‘Kill the Indian, save the man,”…
By Johnathan Campbell history@nd.gov Since Halloween is just around the corner, I thought I’d share three mysterious — and mildly creepy folktales — that have been shared about the Former Governors' Mansion State Historic Site,…
November 1-2, 9 p.m.Downtown VFW, 202 N Broadway, FargoEden Parker hosts two nights of music and mayhem with everything from original music, piano bar sing-alongs, to Halloween hymns. Dress up for the costume contest, drink up and…
By Jim Fugliejimfuglie920@gmail.com As a political columnist, I know I should be writing an election preview for the issue of this paper that comes out just a couple weeks before what is being labeled, once again, as “the most…
By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comCitizens United Turned Billionaires Into Oligarchs, Dictators, and KingsWe have reached a stage in Divided States of America politics where if the Democratic Party decreed that zebras have black…
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 In this land of hotdish and ham, the knoephla soup of German-Russian heritage seems to reign supreme. In my opinion though, the French have the superior soup. With a cheesy top layer, toasted baguette…
North Dakota’s All Star Tribute to John Prine at the Fargo TheatreBy Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comOn November 3, The Radio Stars are rounding up a number of North Dakota’s finest musicians from Watford City to the Red River…
By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com Writer-director Nicole Riegel’s sophomore feature “Dandelion” is now playing in theaters following a world premiere at South by Southwest in March. The movie stars KiKi Layne as the…
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By HPR Contributorssubmit@hpr1.com They are the inventive, passionate, adaptable, resourceful, sometimes over-enthusiastic, wack-tacular people who create art in our community, and they’re opening their studio doors to you for…
By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comHigh Plains Reader had the opportunity to interview two mysterious new game show hosts named Milt and Bradley Barker about an upcoming event they will be putting on at Brewhalla. What…
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…
By John Showalter john.d.showalter@gmail.comThey sell fentanyl test strips and kits to harm-reduction organizations and…
Rynn WillgohsJanuary 25, 1972-October 8, 2024 Rynn Azerial Willgohs, age 52, of Vantaa, Finland, died by suicide on October 8, 2024. Rynn became her true-self March 31, 2020. She immediately became a vocal and involved activist…
By Curtis Stofferahncurtis.stofferahn@email.und.edu In1915, Arthur Townley, an organizer for North Dakota's Socialist Party, witnessed a session of the state legislature where legislators were poised to discuss the establishment of…
