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…
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…
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…
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…
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By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.com Ten North Dakota communities will participate in the nationwide No Kings Day of Peaceful Action on October 18. The grassroots movement is a nonviolent protest against President Trump’s…
By Michael M. Millermichael.miller@ndsu.edu I would like to recognize some of the scholarly Germans from Russia from Canada and USA shared on the GRHC website. There are additional names not included here. If you have suggestions…
Friday, October 31, doors 8 p.m. show starts at 8:30 p.m.The Aquarium above Dempey’s, 226 N. Broadway, FargoThe annual Aquarium Halloween Cover Show is back and it is stacked. And this time there are a limited amount of presale…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com At the end of September, downtown Fargo said goodbye to another old friend; the Spirit Room closed its doors, marking the end of an era. The Spirit Room room has been a fixture downtown for the…
By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comAnother public health crisis besides guns: lack of empathyThe Sisters of Charity have finally had enough of their Trumper boss, Roman Catholic Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York. One of the most…
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 Gion and Nichole Hensenrickgion@gmail.com The wait is finally over. Those who have visited Nichole’s Fine Pastry & Cafe lately know about the recent major additions and renovations that have taken place over the past…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com Dakotah Faye is a hip-hop artist from Minot, North Dakota, and he’s had a busy year. He’s released two albums. This summer he opened for Tech N9ne in Sturgis and will be opening for Bone…
By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.comNoémie Merlant, working from a script she wrote with Pauline Munier and her “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” collaborator Celine Sciamma, directs herself in “The Balconettes” (the…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com Gallery 4 downtown recently celebrated its 50 year anniversary, making it one of the longest consecutively running galleries in the country. With different membership tiers, there are 17 primary…
Press release“Shakespeare with a sharpened edge.” To launch its 2025 – 2026 season, Theatre NDSU is thrilled to team up with Moorhead-based organization Theatre B to perform a co-production of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and…
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 When we are sick, all we want is a cure. You go to the doctor, they give you a pill, you take it for a bit, then you are cured. It happens. But unfortunately, it is not always the case. …
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@rocketmail.comMoral accountability and the crisis of leadership As a recovering person living one day at a time for the last 35 years, I have learned not to judge others because I have not walked in…
