On Saturday, Sept. 24, I’ll bring my Great Northern Radio Show to Fortune Bay Resort and Casino near Tower, Minnesota. It’s exciting to start another new season (our sixth!) and to announce some changes.
The Great Northern will remain a music and comedy variety show featuring the same talents as before. Instead of broadcasting one live two hour show, we’re going to broadcast two live one-hour shows back-to-back. That will give us a more condensed podcast and more options for public stations that might run our show(s) later.
Based on how it worked in the writing process, I think the result will be two tight, fast-paced shows. Each will be potent on its own. Yet, the studio audience will get a unique experience of seeing both, and Northern Community Radio listeners will get to hear both live.
Each show will feature a headline musical performer. Additional musicians will sit in with our new house band, led by our keyboard player Katie Houg. The house band will probably never be quite the same show-to-show, rather it will be an opportunity to highlight all-star musicians from the Minnesota music scene.
The rest — music, comedy and my radio monologues about “Modern Life in Northern Minnesota” — will continue unabated.
Check out our new Great Northern Radio Show website and order your tickets today.
The press release for our Sept. 24 show may be found below:
Rich Mattson and the Northstars will perform at the Sept. 24, 2016 live broadcast event for the Great Northern Radio Show at Fortune Bay Resort & Casino near Tower, Minn.
Great Northern Radio Show is Sept. 24
Unique ‘Up North’ variety show to broadcast from Fortune Bay Casino
TOWER, Minnesota (Sept. 13, 2016) — The Great Northern Radio Show will air its season premiere with a special live radio broadcast Saturday, Sept. 24, at Fortune Bay Resort and Casino near Tower.
This traveling variety program is produced by Northern Community Radio, an independent National Public Radio affiliate covering a large part of Northern Minnesota. Through comedy, stories and music, the Great Northern Radio Show explores life in small towns and places found off the beaten path.
Producer and host Aaron Brown leads a regular cast along with guest performers, musicians, and storytellers through local legend and real life, highlighting the talent and culture of northern Minnesota. Each show celebrates a unique location and the people who make it special, sharing the experience with a much wider audience on the radio.
“We gave our season the theme “World of Tomorrow,” said Brown, an author and blogger from the Iron Range. “The Tower-Soudan area, Lake Vermilion, Nett Lake and the Bois Forte communities all have things going on that show people doing cool stuff and looking forward. That’s why we’re starting our sixth season here.”
Acclaimed native musician Keith Secola will perform at the Great Northern Radio Show at Fortune Bay Resort and Casino on Sept. 24, 2016.
The headline musical act for the first one-hour show is Northern Minnesota-based Rich Mattson and the Northstars. The headliner for the second show is acclaimed native rock ’n’ roll star Keith Secola. Each show will be released as separate programs for later airings on stations around the state and in the show’s podcast.
The Great Northern Radio Players include Jason Scorich and Louisa Scorich, both of Duluth but originally of Mountain Iron and Buhl; C.J. Anderson of Pequot Lakes; Rachel Brandt of Ada, Minn., originally of Chisholm; Sara Breeze of Bemidji, and Lauren Nickisch of Pequot Lakes on foley sound effects. Special guests include Soudan Underground Mine lab tour guide Al Lipke and Ojibwa comedian Rob Fairbanks with his popular “Rez Report” act.
“Our show continues to grow,” said Brown. “We’re developing new ideas, new characters, and a sharper sound every time we take the stage. My mission is to show that great art and interesting people can be found right here in Northern Minnesota. There is no shortage of material.”
The programs will air live from 5-7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016. Tickets cost $10 for Northern Community Radio members and $15 for adults, free for children and college students with IDs. Audience must be in their seats by 4:30. Seating is limited. Call the Northern Community Radio to reserve tickets at 800/662-5799 or visit www.kaxe.org.
The Sept. 24 programs will air live on 91.7 FM KAXE in Grand Rapids, Aitkin and the Iron Range, 90.5 KBXE Bagley and Bemidji, 89.9 FM Brainerd and 103.9 FM in Ely. The show is also rebroadcast on independent public radio stations throughout Minnesota and distributed as a live stream and podcast at www.greatnorthernradioshow.org.
The Great Northern Radio Show is made possible in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund with support from the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Culture and Tourism grant program and the Blandin Foundation.
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