Music

​‘Driving a blues train’

July 24th, 2019

Blue Wailers - photograph by John Hutchinson

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,…

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Shakin’ it up with Sarah Shook

July 10th, 2019

Sarah Shook - photograph by Derek Ketchum Photography

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…

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​Green Blue: A new band among old friends

June 12th, 2019

Green Blue band - photograph by Jon Behm

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…

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El Supremo reigns supreme

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…

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​Stay connected to your own voice

June 5th, 2019

Ani DiFranco - photograph by Danny Clinch

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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Kottonmouth Kings, Cannabis, and Concerts

June 5th, 2019

Kottonmouth Kings

If one were to compile a list of hot button issues in American news, the legalization of marijuana would certainly find its way on there. Though there is a growing acceptance of its usage for both medicinal and recreational purposes among the general population and the list of states that have legalized it grows longer as time goes on it still struggles to receive its blessing from the federal government to be legal in all fifty. Dustin Miller, AKA D-Loc of the hip hop (or as he likes…

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​A Harmar is born

May 29th, 2019

Design by Raul Gomez

All photographs provided by Rickett + Sones

“I’m excited to play the first show at Harold’s on Main, it’s fun to know that the friends I made in Moorhead in the 90s playing punk shows at Ralph’s... we all kind of stayed together and opened up a really cool bar,” said Twin Cities crooner Sean Tillman, also known as Harmar Superstar. 

Tillman also happens to be part owner of Harold’s and will be playing on Saturday June 15 during the second day of the first annual Harold’s…

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Look Out Posers: DTFM Vinyl Distro is in Town

May 15th, 2019

DTFM Vinyl Distro owner Devin Casavant

There is a golden oldie by Peter Allen called “Everything Old is New Again”, and that is certainly true about vinyl records. It is no secret that vinyl records are no longer just your parents’ musical format. Their popularity has skyrocketed among a new generation of audiophiles who cite everything from aesthetics to audio fidelity to a “warmer sound” for their ditching the formats like CD that supposedly made them obsolete.

Locations like Orange Records and Mother’s in…

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NeedToBreathe brings acoustic show to Fargo Theatre

May 8th, 2019

NeedtoBreathe

NeedToBreathe is bringing their Acoustic Live Tour to the Fargo Theatre May 15 and HPR was able to catch up to keyboardist and vocalist Josh Lovelace to talk about the tour as well as the band’s charity golf tournament and Lovelace’s Young Folk project.

High Plains Reader: How’s the tour going?

Josh Lovelace: It’s been really really good. We’re feeling good and everybody’s doing really good. It’s been really fun for us to get back in front of people. It’s been nice to…

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​The FYB life with Cascades

April 10th, 2019

The Cascades - photograph by Fargo.live

By Gary Ussery
usseryg@gmail.com

FYB. Three letters, three words, well known by the guys who make up Cascades, and anyone who is a fan of the five-man band. When asked what genre best describes their sound, I was bombarded with at least a dozen different categories, and sub-categories. We finally narrowed it down to punk, rock, and the important one to many, emo. FYB (f*ck yeah bud) was the callsign of Carter Amundson, the former bassist of Cascades, and a friend gone too soon for many of…

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