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…
October 7th, 2020
By Michael Str!ke
Two-hundred days.
In two-hundred days I've played one show.
At the beginning of this year if someone had told me I was going to play just one show over the span of almost seven months I would've laughed them out of the room, and then put on a show in it. I had eight tours and over 100 separate shows routed and nearly booked at the start of 2020. Then in mid-March predicted nightmares had become reality, and I made the decision to cancel them…
March 11th, 2020
Fargo obviously loves their classical music. Audiences have still turned out during the 2019-2020 season of the Sanford Masterworks Series performed by the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra despite an unrelenting winter. That being said, spring is rapidly approaching, much to people’s relief. As this month marks a departure from winter to spring with the equinox, the next concert in the series something of a departure from form as well. While the other concerts this season have…
March 11th, 2020
Michael Str!ke is a man of many hats and many instruments. Along with his work with Michael Str!ke and the God Damn Band he also plays saxophone for Fargo’s dustiest folk punk gypsy jazz combo Mr. Meaner. He has a new five song EP in the works and is preparing to hit the highway for a ten day tour with stops including the Folk Sh*t Up festival near San Antonio.
Str!ke’s sound would be classified as folk punk, he cites Tom Waits Neil Young and Flogging Molly as some of his biggest…
February 19th, 2020
Back in January, KRFF Radio Free Fargo was going to have a benefit concert featuring the metal band Witchden from Minneapolis. Fargo got hit with a massive blizzard that just so happened the weekend of the concert. However, as the old adage goes, “Better late than never.” The parties involved were able to book a new time at the Aquarium and Witchden and the rest of the lineup will still have the opportunity to return to the area for the first time in almost a year for some long…
February 12th, 2020
by Jean Marie Hellner
jhellner01@gmail.com
Vibrant violins, vivacious violas, charming cellos, and beguiling basses will be unleashed for students to explore and play at a Music Petting Zoo and Safari. Children of all ages can scope out their favorite stringed instrument and may even want to take one home for their very own. Everyone can hear incredible music – some that is sure to let loose your inner beast – performed by local students and professional musicians. The Community…
January 29th, 2020
by Gerardo Gomez
gomezg@uni.edu
Drummer and Fargo native Ross Pederson always saw himself following in his father’s footsteps as a musician. He currently finds himself in New York City playing with many world class professional musicians and groups, including the Grammy-award winning group The Manhattan Transfer. I had the pleasure of talking with him about his upcoming show at The Hotel Donaldson on Tuesday, February 4th, but most importantly I had the opportunity to learn his story…
January 15th, 2020
by Jill Finkelson
jsfinkelson99@gmail.com
Deb Jenkins returns for a 23rd year of celebrating Fargo’s Women- and their music. The story is old news now, Deb tells me over the phone as I ask her- how did this start? 23 years ago, she was working at a little cafe in downtown fargo and she asked if she could bring in some musicians. Obviously, Fargo delivered. There are so many women making great music and producing art-- the next step was bringing them all together. This was the same time…
January 15th, 2020
Fargo is smack dab in the dead of winter, with two major blizzards already under its belt this season and frigid temperatures that show no sign of abating in the near future. Whether by choice or by necessity many people have remained cooped up in their homes rather than venture out into the cold. What better way, then, for the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra to lure people out than with the third concert of the 2019-2020 season, “Cold Weather, Hot Music?”
The next installment in…
December 23rd, 2019
by Shannon Rae
loudmouthrockreviews@gmail.com
photo by Ryan Jacobson
When written from the heart, music takes on a different life. The listener can relate whether directly with the story being told or the emotion being expelled. David Allen is one of those musicians who pours his heart out in every song. He has a talent for portraying an experience in life and the exact way you would expect it to feel through his guitar. His music is simple, but layered in a manner that gives it a depth…
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By Alicia Underlee NelsonMore than 1,000 pro-worker events are planned for Thursday, May 1 across the country, including rallies in Fargo-Moorhead, Grand Forks, Minot and Jamestown. East Grand Forks and Bismarck will host protests…
From concerts and car shows to Japanese art and Juneteenth celebrations, there's so much going on around the region this summer. This year's High Plains Reader Summer Events Calendar is back and bigger than ever. It's packed with…
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…
By John Strandjas@hpr1.com One description that perhaps aptly describes the mental state of many lately is that they feel they are attached to a string. Or several strings. Call it the notion that people are played like puppets,…
By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comFor sale: White House in D.C. housing dung beetles and giant leechesI suspect someone close to Donald Trump has read “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich,”because the Trump administration is…
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 After a very inspiring conversation with Kayla Houchin of Sonder Bakehouse a few weeks ago, I decided that it’s an appropriate time to write a column about some of the sweet people who are involved…
Mooncats and Pert Near Sandstone play Empire TheatreBy Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comThe MoonCats describe themselves as “Americonscious Campfire Folk.” They have a clear acoustic folk sound with a sense of whimsy — think…
By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com Filmmaker Antonella Sudasassi Furniss constructs an engaging sophomore feature with “Memories of a Burning Body,” selected by Costa Rica to be entered for consideration as a possible Oscar…
By Raul Gomezraul@hpr1.com Minutes before Modern’s Celebration of Life opened its door at the Sons of Norway, I was fiddling with the bar computer, trying to pull up the playlists of Modern’s work I had set aside for the…
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 Ellie Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com There appear to be differences in the incidence of mental illnesses between men and women. For example, women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression, post-traumatic stress…
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.nd7@gmail.com Our trucking business has me driving almost daily from gas plants in western North Dakota's oil patch to Canada. I haul natural gas liquids (NGLs) products we used to see flared off at…
