A South Shore native and University of Wisconsin-Superior journalism graduate. Lifelong musician, and former open mic host. Passionate about the music scene and politics.
It has certainly been quite the year for music in the Twin Ports and surrounding region and its no cut and dry task to decide the highlights of the last year. One thing that is for certain is that we believe we have a tight knit music and arts community up here and everyone does their part whether it be photograp
On Monday, December 10, a group of rappers performed on the Norms stage in Superior. Considering the amount of acts for the night, the $10 cover was reasonable. The night included touring and local rappers alike, but the headliner that many in the crowd were excited to see was the hip-hop artist
James Warren from Saint Cloud will be playing his first performances in the Twin Ports this weekend. Although this will be his debut shows in the area, Warren has caught some attention in his area having been nominated three times for Central Minnesotas Best Original
At the Reader we like to get to help promote and generally pay attention to what local musicians and artists are up to in the scene. When we heard of local rapper Sam Wall and his project Medicate, we sat down and gave his tracks on soundcloud.com a listen and were impres
Ian Thomas Alexy just recently celebrated a birthday, he is a Scorpio born on the Day of the Dead, on November 1. I recently watched Ian play live the other night at Thirsty Pagan Brewery and I found that he indeed has some very solid songs and can hold his own easily as a s
If youre looking for an amazingly beautiful, smooth and well recorded folk/country album, look no further than The Great Escape by North Shore native, Barbara Jean. The approach to this album is fantastic and Barbara holds down the majority of what holds
As far as having ties with the industry in the region Kevin Bowe has definitely paid his dues. His career in music sprang from the Minneapolis music scene of the 80s where he played in a few punk bands and ended up meeting the producer
Having The Minnesota Same-Sex Marriage Amendment, Amendment 1, on the ballot has been the topic of much debate with this coming election coming up on November 6. It should be noted that this amendment will not legalize marriage between same-sex couples but will rather decide if a revis
The last year has been a busy one for Andrew and Julie Thoreen, an Iowa based husband and wife duo who play as the band Har-di-Har. The two met in college and both have prior backgrounds and formal education in music. Although the
The Occupy movement, which exploded to the forefront of public awareness from humble roots as an Adbusters protest campaign (Adbusters is a Canadian alternative magazine) has gradually been fading in relevance. Last year, masse
On Friday, September 21, 50 year old Anthony Jackson was brought into the Center for Alcohol and Drug Treatment facility, the only detox facility in the Twin Ports, by Officer Richard Jouppi who has served with the Duluth Police Department for two years. Of
The issue of sulfide mining in the Boundary Waters area has been cause for debate for around seven years now. It is no secret that the job market of the United States and in the Northland has been suffering f
Every week its always a joy to find new CDs on my desk, sometimes its from a musician Ive seen many times and sometimes its from an artist I really know nothing about. In this case Alison Scott falls into the later category. When I was in charge of the Twin Cities calendar I have seen her name pop up on occasion and indeed her press release confirms that s
Metal, punk and rock music in general have always faced adversity from authority and it doesnt take long to sit and realize that thats an integral part of what its all about. On Monday, September 10, members of the community stood behind a music festival and a business which faced a nuisance ordinance that would affect everyone in the Lake Nebag
Metal, punk and rock music in general have always faced adversity from authority and it doesn't take long to sit and realize that that's an integral part of what it's all about. On Monday, September 10, members of the community stood behind a music f
Kind of like with the R&B/Pop/Soul of Solomon Witherspoon, Preston Gunderson has picked a genre that isnt very common in the area. I dont really like to label a musical artist, but when it comes to describing music in writing, it is something that must be discussed. Gunderson clearly takes on pop music with the full length album While I Was Gone.
It hasnt been an easy journey through history for women in the United States. Although things have been progressing ever since the womens suffrage movement at the turn of the 20th century and with the passing of the 19th Amendment in 1920 which allowed women to vote, its been a slow process of gaining equality. To this day women on average make less than men and
The hip-hop scene of the Twin Ports is often looked over, but there is indeed a growing element of it in the area. Much like the metal scene from 15 years ago, styles of music that were practically unheard of in the area are developing and finding their hold in our ever developing music community. We caught up with the local hip-hop artist and promotions person, Jes
Originally from Minnesota, singer/songwriter Mary Bue has done her fair share of touring and living in other places out of the Northland. Last summer Bue returned to Minnesota after living for five years in Seattle. Over that time she had amassed a new set of songs and was eager to get them recorded.
Over the last few years Ive noticed the act 1017 performing at various shows, most of which were hip-hop performances. I was intrigued when I found the new album by Ten17 featuring Solomon Witherspoon on my desk because I really didnt know what to expect.
On Friday, July 13, charges of disorderly conduct against Lara Simpson, a member of Occupy Duluth, were dismissed under a "Continuance for Dismissal" clause.
With the diverse music scene right here in the Twin Ports sometimes its easy to forget that there is plenty of music going on just an hours drive up the South Shore of Lake Superior which features many genres and styles of music and is indeed unique. The new compilation album The
I encountered this band when I went to see Screaming Mechanical Brain from Minneapolis. SMB is indeed an awesome band and can be compared to acts like Mindless Self Indulgence, they just got off a two year hiatus and I was pretty excited to see them at Norms a couple of months back. As far as Psychostick, well, just the name had me a little apprehensive as what to expect from this Arizona group that constantly tours around the nation.
On Tuesday, June 5, 2012, it was a sunny afternoon in Superior, Wisc. as people shuffled in and out of the Salvation Army building on Hughitt Ave. and Broadway St. Registered voters were lined up at tables where they could get their number, get their ballot, and then vote either for or against a recall of Gov. Scott Walker. A number of other non-registered voters sat in folding chairs lined up against the walls and diligently filled out their information in order to vote. The number of new voters indicated that this recall was certainly something that people were taking seriously regardless of political views. Scott Walker would have been the third governor ever to be recalled by his constituents in the United States, but by 9 p.m. on this Tuesday evening it was pretty clear that he had pulled through and would continue as Wisconsins Governor.
Back in 2010 a mysterious and rocking group popped up in the Twin Cities and began releasing EP albums, each packaged in neat and modest cardboard cases made out of recycled materials. The CD cases were each marked with a number and the…
The Pines are a Twin Cities based indy/folk/Americana group that consists of seven members including: J.T. Bates (drums), James Buckley (upright/bass), Alex Ramsey (keys), Michael Rossetto (banjo), Jacob Hanson (electric guitar) and the group is fronted by Benson Ramsey (guitar/vocals) as well as David Huckfelt (guitar/vocals). The band formed back in 2004 and Dark So Gold is the fourth album for
Teague Alexy is known around the area for his years as a singer/songwriter and his work in the band Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank with his brother Ian. In his latest CD release titled This Dance, it is quite apparent that he has developed a sound that pulls upon things that could be compared to artists like Bob Dylan in songwriting and genre but on this album he shines through with his own unique feel as well. The album hinges heavily on deep and meaningful lyrics that remain accessible and there are plenty of interesting and well done things happening with the instruments and recording process that emerge in the songs. The sound that he creates has a sense of timelessness to it. Its almost as if this album were released 30 years ago or 30 years from now, itd still hold its own.
On Tuesday, May 1, in downtown Duluth, the city was filled with its usual mid-afternoon bustle, that was, except on the corner of Lake Ave. & Superior St. where the Duluth Mayday Festival of the 99 percent was in full swing. Members of Occupy Duluth along with other activists were gathered in a general strike against corporate greed. May 1 has long been regarded as a day for workers rights and demonstrations have been common on the date and they seem to be gaining in intensity in recent years.
Tuesday, April 24, theater two of the Zinema was decently filled with members of the Twin Ports community anxiously waiting to watch the Duluth based bluegrass band Trampled by Turtles perform on the David Letterman show. The viewers patiently waited through the guests and dragging commercials. Its hard to describe the amount of energy that was in the theater once TBT started playing on the large screen, but its safe to say it was an e
Tuesday, April 17, several volunteers of the Magic Smelt Puppet Troupe worked diligently on various tasks in preparation for the upcoming Run, Smelt, Run parade and smelt fry which will be held on Earth Day, Sunday, April 22. The parade will begin by the Aerial Lift Bridge, behind the Maritime Visitors Center, and will work its way up to the Zeitgeist Arts Cafe in downtown Duluth.
Aaron Tank is a singer/songwriter from Bemidji, Minn. and for several years he has played around the area; everywhere from the Twin Ports to up the Northshore. Just recently he played several shows around town such as at the Pizza Luce brunch and at the Thirsty Pagan Brewery.
Dancing With No Music is Tanks second official CD release. It is primarily a laid back folk album that brings in perso
Although this winter was a fairly mild one, almost to the point of being unnerving, Erik Brandt from the Urban Hilbilly Quartet has a few things to say in his album The Long Winter. I for some reason imagine what an album will be like before listening to it and Ive often been surprised by when I e
Phillip of Nazareth formed back in 2009 and consists of local rockers Josh Muthler (aka Ugly Kid Joe) on lead guitar and vocals, Eric Busker on guitar and vocals, Andrew Pletcher on bass and vocals and Cory Coffman on drums and on lead vocals.
The album starts out with the instrumental track Green Eggs and Sam, right from the start some beautiful riffage gives way to some fairly quick and blasting punk. The song was writt
