I took my Great Northern Radio Show up to Ely, Minnesota, on June 14 and had a wonderful time telling stories, making music and approximating humor. People seemed to like the show, which aired live on Northern Community Radio, and I’d argue that it was a pretty good calling card for what we do: explore the authentic sense of place you find in the small towns and overlooked corners of Minnesota.
I previewed the show a while back, and all I can add is that we had some marvelous moments in the show that exceeded my expectations. In particular, the stories of Mike Hillman were funny, touching and powerful. We had a marvelous cast, top-notch musicians and my monologues seemed to hold water. There was a tender-hearted anniversary story and song by Cory and Doris Kolodji (made all the more special by the fact that we thought they might kill each other in rehearsal). This was the first show where the guests weren’t merely interesting, they stole the show from us regulars on several occasions.
Northern Community Radio is in its summer fundraiser this week. They’re trying something new to introduce listeners to the show. Today, from noon to 2 p.m., the first hour of the Great Northern Radio Show from Ely will be broadcast along with some “DVD extras commentary” by our associate producer Erika Kooda and program manager Heidi Holtan. Tomorrow, during the same time period, I’ll be on with Heidi doing the same thing for the second hour. The full show will be re-broadcast without interruption on Sunday, June 29, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
After the show airs on Sunday, the full podcast will be posted at KAXE.org. You can download the podcast here (right click or command click to download file)
The next show will be Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014 at the Armory Square in Park Rapids, Minnesota. We’ll be working with WOJB and the Leech Lake Ojibwe community for a winter show, before heading to the TWIN CITIES in March 0f 2015. It will be a big year for the Great Northern. Get on board by becoming a member of Northern Community Radio right now.
