October 23rd, 2019
By Michael Str!ke
michaelstrike.solo@gmail.com
“Every moment is a special moment… if you pay attention to it.” Wenzl McGowen stated over the tinny speaker of a cell phone, and as one of the three members of Moon Hooch they certainly know about the power of capturing attention. Wenzl, along with fellow saxophonist Mike Wilbur and drummer James Muschler, have been capturing the attention of folks worldwide pioneering the sounds of brass house and new jazz as well as sharing an ethos…
October 16th, 2019
By Jill Fikelson
jsfinkelson99@gmail.com
Dean Sime has been collecting records since he was in sixth grade. Since then, he hasn’t stopped. Though he stopped working in a music store twenty years ago, he has spent the last ten years rounding up the private collectors of Fargo- and some from out of town- to put on the record fair. This year, he’ll have 40 booths for private collectors to showcase and share their records. “You’d be amazed,'' he said when I asked where he finds all…
September 11th, 2019
When asked to describe their sound, Max Dameron guitarist and vocalist of the Portland, Oregon based two piece Wizard Rifle replied: “People call us a doom band sometimes which I think is funny because we are pretty spazzy.”
On multiple platforms their sound has been categorized as psychedelic, sludge or thrash metal topped off with impressive vocal harmonies. Though they don’t just stop with their uncategorizable sonic landscapes, drummer/vocalist Sam Ford is a working visual…
September 11th, 2019
As children, school lunches were something many of us likely took for granted. For those who went to public schools, school lunches were as ubiquitous a part of the public school experience as running the mile in gym class or taking standardized tests. Life was simple. However, when we grow to be adults, we find out that life is not so simple, even when it comes to something like school lunches.
That is what Kari Lugo, owner of Northern PR and Marketing found out during a…
August 21st, 2019
If you’ve ever craved an outdoor music festival where you can walk to downtown shops, do yoga or go fishing in between sets, you’re in luck. The Greenway Takeover Festival returns to two stages in the heart of Grand Forks September 5-8. Now in its third year, the festival re-imagines The Greenway -- 2,200 acres of outdoor green space along the banks of the Red and Red Lake Rivers -- as a community gathering place. This year’s line-up features four days of music, including…
August 21st, 2019
NAPOLEON – Without his trusted Beltuna accordion, Victor Wald turned to the antique piano. He pushed a few keys. Listened. It was still in tune.
The old German Russian folk songs flowed effortlessly from his large hands. His wife, Barb, picked up the words half way through “In München steht ein Hofbräuhaus,” or the “Hofbräuhaus song.”
“Water is cheap, pure and good, but it thins our blood, far better is a drop of golden wine, but the best is this: in Munich is the…
August 21st, 2019
By Gary Ussery
usseryg@gmail.com
There is something inherently mystical about musicians. We are talking about individuals or a group of individuals who are like you and I, but dream big. They know that pursuing their dream is a one in a million shot, yet they do it anyway. They know that it will be a task filled with turmoil, defeat, depression, and the most back breaking work they have ever attempted, but that will not stop them.
Musicians live in a special kind of hell. They give up free…
August 21st, 2019
HPR had the exclusive opportunity to chat with David Crosby prior to his appearance at The Fargo Theatre on Sunday August 25. Crosby is a two time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his work with The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN). He was recently the subject of a documentary called “Remember my name” and he’s released four albums within the last four years and is currently working on a fifth album.
High Plains Reader: Where did you find your folk/musical…
August 21st, 2019
We had a chance to connect with El Gato del Rio, a mysterious masked quartet from the wilds of Western North Dakota--Stark County to be exact. It’s hard to pin them to a genre. Dark cabaret? Country Gothic? Labels are irrelevant at this point, not only are the fine folks of El Gato del Rio skilled musicians, they’re gifted storytellers with a taste for theatrics. We had a chance to chat with band member Ripley Crow about the band, the masks and what’s next for El Gato del Rio.
High…
August 21st, 2019
By Rod Hadland
rodanthonyhadland@gmail.com
Woodstock 50 died a slow death in the months leading up to August 2019. Maybe it was doomed from the start? Maybe it was just bad luck, but what worked in 1969 doesn’t work today. I was always set on attending the Bluestem 50th Anniversary tribute show in Moorhead when I first heard about it. I first went to Bluestem back in 2011, and have been to a dozen or so great performances there since. This was written in the aftermath of the past…
_(1)__293px-wide.jpg)
_(1)_(1)_(1)_(1)_(1)__293px-wide.jpg)
__293px-wide.jpg)
_(1)_(1)_(1)_(1)__293px-wide.jpg)
By Bryce HaugenNot everyone detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is an undocumented immigrant. After a Jan. 12 scuffle at a local Walmart, Tim Catlett, a resident of St. Cloud, Minn., was held at the Bishop…
By Kooper Shagena Just off of I-94 and Highway 83 on State Street in Bismarck, an abandoned Kmart sits behind an empty parking lot, watching the cars roll on and off the interstate exchange. It has been standing there quietly since…
Saturday, January 31, mingling at 6:15 p.m. and program at 7 p.m.Fine Arts Club, 601 4th St. S., FargoThe FM Symphony is getting intimate by launching a “Small Stages” chamber music series and it's bringing folks together via…
By John Strand If you are reading this editorial and you too are worried sick about the state of our country, keep reading. Maybe we can inspire each other. It was near closing time. We were discussing our values crisis. So this…
By Ed RaymondA mind that snapped, cracked, and popped at one hundredI wasn’t going to read a long column called “Centenarian: A Diary of a Hundredth Year” by Calvin Tomkins celebrating his birthday on December 17 of 2025…
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 GionSince the much-dreaded Covid years, there has been much ebb and flow in the Fargo-Moorhead restaurant scene. In 2025, that trend continued with some major additions and closings. Let’s start the New Year on a positive…
Saturday, January 17, doors at 7:30 p.m.The Aquarium above Dempsey’s, 226 N. Broadway, FargoThe Slow Death is a punk supergroup led by Jesse Thorson, with members and collaborators that include members of The Ergs!, Dillinger…
By Greg Carlson There is a great scene in the middle of Kelly Reichardt’s excellent movie “The Mastermind” when protagonist James Blaine Mooney (Josh O’Connor) is chastised by criminally-connected wheelman Jerry (the…
By Jacinta ZensThe Guerrilla Girls, an internationally renowned anonymous feminist art collective, have been bringing attention to the gender and racial imbalances in contemporary art institutions for the last 40 years. They have…
Saturday, January 31, 6:30-9 p.m.Transfiguration Fitness, 764 34th St. N., Unit P, FargoAn enchanting evening celebrating movement and creativity in a staff-student showcase. This is a family-friendly event showcasing pole, aerial…
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 At the beginning of the movie “How the Grinch Stole Christmas," the Grinch is introduced as having a smaller than average heart, but as the movie progresses, his heart increases three…
January 31, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.Viking Ship Park, 202 1st Ave. N., Moorhead2026 marks 10 years of frosty fun! Enjoy sauna sessions with Log the Sauna, try Snowga (yoga in the snow), take a guided snowshoe nature hike, listen to live…
By Vern Thompson Benjamin Franklin offered one of the most sobering warnings in American history. When asked what kind of government the framers had created in 1787, he replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.” Few words…
