Writer's Block | September 25th, 2015
‘On Wednesday, Sept. 30, poet Kevin Zepper and musician Roger Gress will hold a dual poetry reading/drum solo show at the Red Raven, starting at 7:30 p.m. The title of this show is “Approximately Improvised,” as they plan on improvising a portion of the performance.
For over two years, Zepper, an English professor at Minnesota State University Moorhead, has collaborated with local pianist Terrie Manno as part of their project entitled Lines and Notes. Most recently, they performed at MSUM as part of the Performing Arts College Recital.
“We both have our own projects as well as Lines and Notes,” Zepper has said of Manno. “I want to see where drums and poetry might lead. Roger and I might do this once, maybe a few times. It just depends.”
This will be Zepper’s first time working with Gress with the goal of performing.
“I have always wanted to try poetry with a drummer, and Roger was the first person I thought of for this kind of collaboration. There are many fine drummers in the area, and I wanted to work with someone from the community, an independent artist. I knew Roger was a songwriter. He's currently with two other musicians performing original music.”
Back in February, Gress was one of 15 musicians who took part in DylanFest, a festival at the Fargo Theatre that celebrated the work of Bob Dylan with covers of his songs. The other musical acts included bands like Amanda Standalone and the Pastry Shop Girls, Post Traumatic Funk Syndrome, D Mills and the Thrills, and Werewolf Bar Mitzvah.
In addition to being a musician, Gress has been the executive director of the Fargo Park District since 1996. Over the years he has expanded the district by 60 to 70 new parks, and plans to retire at the end of next year. He also holds an architecture degree from North Dakota State University.
“Drums and poetry is a bit different from Lines and Notes, based on material and other factors,” Zepper said. “I would like to think the poems I've selected to work with Roger might work a bit better than collaboration with a piano or guitar. We'll see.”
Regardless of how it turns out, Zepper declared, “Ultimately, Roger and I are doing this to have fun. We know we're going to have fun and we hope the audience will have some fun with it as well.”
June 19th 2025
June 19th 2025
June 19th 2025
April 22nd 2025
February 21st 2025
_(1)_(1)_(1)__293px-wide.jpg)
_(1)_(1)_(1)__293px-wide.jpg)
__293px-wide.jpg)
_(1)__293px-wide.png)
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…