​A Step in the Right Direction

Since its inception in 2011, The New Direction has played an important role in the FM music scene. It’s a community-minded, all-ages venue with a strong DIY aesthetic. New Direction Fest started as a way to stay open during a slow month in their inaugural year. Since then the three-day extravaganza gained the moniker New Direction Fest. HPR had the opportunity to speak with Jack Stenerson, the man behind the venue.

High Plains Reader: How did the New Direction come to be and how has it evolved in these five years?

Jack Stenerson: The New Direction was born out of a need for an affordable venue in the FM area. There have been a lot of venues coming and going over the years, and we got to a point where the only one left was charging us as promoters over $500 to do a show on a weekend. For a local show that is not feasible. We had been booking at the Red Raven Espresso Parlor for years and when they moved from their old location we took it over and turned it into The New Direction.

It was a learning experience from day one, because suddenly we weren’t just promoters, we were business owners as well. At first we struggled with that and had to learn how to pay sales tax, open business bank accounts, and get business licenses from the state, among many other things. It was trial and error but we eventually figured it.

 HPR: How did you choose the bands that are playing? Are they primarily Fargo Bands?

JS: The first two years had all local bands. I wanted to spread the word about the Fest to other cities, so for the third year I brought in some bands from Minneapolis and one from Iowa. It was a huge success and people loved being able to watch and meet bands from other areas. It created an awesome sense of community between the Fargo and Minneapolis music scenes that continues to this day.

Each year I like to throw in some genres that are underrepresented as well. For example, I have two hip hop groups and a jazz band playing this year. I think doing things like that really adds to the experience and gives people a chance to check out new styles of music.

HPR: Can you tell us a bit about a few of the headliners?

JS: I don’t like to think of it as headliners although there are definitely bands that people are most excited to see. The bands I’m most excited to have are Tiny Moving Parts, Lost Cause, and Household.

Tiny Moving Parts is a band with Fargo ties that has been touring the country and the world for the past few years and are on Triple Crown Records. They started out by opening shows at TND and now they are selling out venues everywhere. They haven’t played a Fest since the first year so I’m really happy to have them back.

Lost Cause is a band from Fargo that actually broke up after last years’ New Direction Fest but decided to reunite this year to play again. It is special that they are playing because they are one of only two bands that have played every Fest.

Household is one of the main reasons the Minneapolis music scene is as strong as it is. They rented a house and started throwing shows in their basement, which they called “The Household.” There is a lack of small venues in Minneapolis so The Household gave so many bands a home in the year it was open. The band itself has been touring almost nonstop for the past two years and released a full-length record last year on Blood and Ink Records.

HPR: On Saturday you will be hosting a record fair and punk rock garage sale. What can our readers expect from sellers?

JS: This is going to be a lot of fun. The punk rock garage sale has been happening every year during the Fest, but with the crazy popularity of vinyl lately we wanted to try out a record fair as well. There are a handful of local vendors that are bringing some stuff down. You can expect to see vinyl, band shirts, stickers, buttons, hats, CDs, cassettes, and even video games. I think it will be a fun new addition with a wide range of things to look through. It is also free to sell something and free to attend.