August 7th, 2019
Center Fest 3 kicks off in Robinson, North Dakota this Friday and will run through Saturday night. What started as a discussion about the center of North America has taken on a life of its own and become an annual celebration.
Several years ago, Bill Bender, who owns Hanson’s Bar in Robinson, discovered that the trademark for the Geographical Center of North America – previously held by Rugby – had run out, so he was able to get it and decided to label Robinson as such.
“We…
August 7th, 2019
When I had the chance to catch up with the Reverend Horton Heat aka Jim Heath, I was greeted with a friendly smooth slow Texas drawl. He’s like an encyclopedia of early rock n’roll knowledge, theories and killer stories. His band has opened for everyone from shock rocker Marilyn Manson to the ORIGINAL shock rocker Jerry Lee Lewis. In fact the pianist currently on tour with Heath even plays Jerry Lee Lewis as a tribute act. After nearly 30 years in the game, Heath is also one of the…
July 31st, 2019
Photographs by Noel Strauss
Summer is the season of many things: barbecues, camping, high air conditioning bills, and of course outdoor music festivals. One of those music festivals is the Bohemian Family Ramble, in the small town of Wolverton, Minnesota. Now entering its sixth year, Bohemian Family Ramble is the brainchild of 22-year diesel technician Michael Pavlicek and Tracey Sand, who has been in the medical field for 31 years and an RN for 11 years.
“We live together, share our…
July 31st, 2019
One of the many highlights of the Winnipeg Folk Festival (WFF) are the Workshops. The term “workshop” may be a bit misleading to the novice folkster, they are essentially jams or may even serve as a “musical sampler platters” that unite musicians that normally may or may not have ever played together otherwise. Some may never play together again and some have actually kickstarted projects that would have otherwise never came into fruition.
When asked about his experience…
July 24th, 2019
On the local level you may have caught The Minneapolis based Cactus Blossoms at Harold’s Fest earlier this summer in Moorhead. The group is fronted by brothers Jack Torrey and Page Burkum, who made their first appearance in Fargo in 2013 as a duo. Since then they’ve added members and instrumentation. In fact a third brother, guitarist Tyler Burkum can be spotted wielding a vintage double-neck Jerry Jones Longhorn guitar.
The Cactus Blossoms’ sound is unmistakable with their…
July 24th, 2019
One of Minnesota’s best-kept musical secrets is the Blue Wailers. How deep into the blues do you want to go? I struggle to describe them in words. They are fundamental, defying belief, disturbing.
HPR: What can you tell me about yourselves?
Tim Jorgensen, bass: I started on guitar around1989 and switched to bass shortly after in order to make music with my friends and later band mates, the Keller Brothers. Chicago and Texas Blues are my favorite regional Blues genres.
Randy Schrenk,…
July 10th, 2019
High Plains Reader had the opportunity to catch up with Sarah Shook, front woman of the North Carolina based punk country band Sarah Shook and the Disarmers. We had a chance to talk about life and love from the road, where she found her musical voice and their latest album “Years.”
High Plains Reader: I just saw that your latest album “Years” made the Rolling Stone top 40 country and Americana albums of 2018, How does that feel?
Sarah Shook: It feels good, It’s a good feeling…
June 12th, 2019
When asked to describe the sound of Green Blue, Minneapolis based musician Annie Sparrows formerly of the Soviettes and Awesome Snakes laughed and said, “Our friend came up to me after a show and he said ‘Do you like Belle and Sebastian?’ and I was like--I don’t really listen to them but I know who they are so ...maybe? Then he goes, ‘I love Belle and Sebastian and you guys are the Belle and Sebastian of psych rock.’”
The Belle and Sebastian reference was in describing the…
June 12th, 2019
El Supremo started out as a one man band for Chad Heille, drummer of the iconic Fargo stoner rock band Egypt. Once the project started rolling it started to snowball. With the addition of Egypt guitarist Neal Stein, Cam Dewald of Gorgatron and Chris Gould on keys their latest album “Clarity through distortion” is a psychedelic force to be reckoned with.
HPR: The first El Supremo demo was recorded in 2008, how did El Supremo come to be?
Chad Heille: It was really out of a lack of like…
June 5th, 2019
By Abby Swegarden
abbyjoswe@gmail.com
Ani DiFranco has always craved intimacy. This may come as a surprise to many fans of the folk icon, because we know her as a fiercely independent singer, songwriter, activist, poet, and now author. Ani has always defied any sort of categorization, though, and she forever reminds us in 1995’s “Not a Pretty Girl” that she is, in fact, “32 flavors and then some.”
In her delicious new twist, we are gifted a sprawling, 300 page look at her…
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By Bryce Vincent Haugen There are three Fargo Park Board seats up for election June 9. Park Board President Vicki Dawson and long-time member Dr. Joe Deutsch announced their reelection bids, but board member Aaron Hill is vacating…
By Michael M. Miller Francie M. Berg, native of Hettinger, N.D., edited an impressive book, “Ethnic Heritage in North Dakota,” published in 1983. She grew up on a ranch near Miles City, Montana. Her son, Richard Berg, is…
Thursday, April 23, 7 p.m.Fargodome, 1800 University Dr. N, FargoHeralded as "The Nicest Man in Stand-Up" by The Atlantic, Nate Bargatze is also one of the top-grossing comedians, breaking both streaming and attendance records. Now…
By Sabrina Hornung In the last week of March, we heard about an AI education droid visiting the White House as the first lady made a pitch to replace teachers with androids. In an interview with conservative commentator Benny…
About the leader who sits so far-right from God he can’t see Him I have been reading Harvard PHD Heather Cox Richardson for more than a decade because she knows how important Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is in the study…
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 A brand new food event called the "ONE BITE Challenge" will launch in downtown Fargo on May 23. Rocky Schneider, executive director of the Downtown Community Partnership told us more. HPR: Hi Rocky. Thank you for…
By John ShowalterAs hip-hop started to make its way into the national spotlight in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was largely split into two camps, “East Coast” and “West Coast”. Not content to be left out of a…
By Greg Carlson Veteran documentary filmmaker Marina Zenovich has chronicled a number of powerful men in entertainment, politics and popular culture, including Roman Polanski (twice), Richard Pryor, Robin Williams, Lance Armstrong…
Friday, May 8 - Sunday, May 10, 2-8 p.m.Brewhalla, 1702 1st Ave. N., FargoAmarok Tattoo is working with our pals at Drekker Brewing/Brewhalla to celebrate ink and everything odd and a little macabre. See some of the best in the…
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 Liverani In November 2025, the FDA initiated the removal of the “black box” warning from Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). The “black box” warning is a FAD safety warning for healthcare providers and patients…
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 Jim Fuglie Okay, here I go again, warning (whining? complaining?) about another threat to the North Dakota badlands. Sorry. Please put up with me for a few hundred more words. Now, some folks I don’t think want to put a…
