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A dying town fights back with awesomeness
My God in Heaven this is beautiful. A nine-minute YouTube video has cured me of my indifference toward Grand Rapids, Michigan. This film was apparently produced in response to a news story describing Grand Rapids, Mich., as a “dying town.” Not dead yet, as you can see. You know it’s good because all I can…
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Up-and-coming performers energize April 7 Great Northern Radio Show
The Great Northern Radio Show broadcasts live this Saturday, April 7 from the historic Chief Theatre in downtown Bemidji, Minnesota. One of the exciting things about this show is the large number of rising northern Minnesota musical artists we’ve booked. This is really a cross-generational show with some of Bemidji’s youngest talent playing alongside some…
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Shedding light on a dark chapter of Range policy
MPR has an informative update on the provision to shed more light on development deals under the purvey of the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board. A law that effectively hides key financial details about companies that receive agency funds was tucked in a conference bill a couple years ago to protect Excelsior Energy and…
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Jim Miller, Annie Humphrey among April 7 Great Northern Radio Show acts
While Two Many Banjos is doing a lot of heavy lifting in this Saturday’s Great Northern Radio Show at the historic Chief Theatre in downtown Bemidji, they aren’t the only A-list talent. We’re excited to welcome Bemidji area singer/songwriter Jim Miller to the show for a feature set. Jim is an experienced and downright beloved…
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Two Many Banjos bring more than banjos to April 7 Great Northern Radio Show
The Great Northern Radio Show broadcasts live this Saturday, April 7 from the historic Chief Theatre in downtown Bemidji, Minnesota. Our headline guests are Marc Gartman’s Two Many Banjos, a talented progressive bluegrass/folk group from Duluth. While known for banjo work, Two Many Banjos rotates a lot of different instruments in its playlist, demonstrated well…
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Dayton signs bill streamlining permits, could aid Range project
Yesterday, Gov. Mark Dayton signed a bill streamlining the state environmental permitting process for several projects in development. The bill included language proposed by State Rep. Tom Anzelc (DFL-Balsam) that makes it easier for Magnetation to build their processing plant in Itasca County. Magnetation still hasn’t committed to a site for its proposed pellet/nugget plant,…
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More from the Great Northern Radio Show preview week
This will be a busy week for the Great Northern Radio Show, slated to go live from 5-7 this Saturday, April 7, from the Chief Theatre in Bemidji, Minnesota. This will be our second episode of what is now a quarterly variety show on Northern Community Radio and other independent public radio outlets. You can…
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Reif Center release has height, width AND depth
Happy April Fool’s Day! I’m sure there are a lot of great gags out there, but my favorite so far is this press release from the Reif Center for the Performing Arts in Grand Rapids, Minnesota: Reif Arts Council President David Marty has announced that, effective immediately, ALL performances at the Reif Performing Arts Center…
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Highway 53: Herbie Rides the Range
This is my Sunday column for the April 1, 2012 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. SCENE: Jesse, a dejected-looking boy of 12, looks out over the Mine Overlook south of Virginia, Minnesota, in the heart of northern Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range. He speaks with his mentor Mort, the kindly retired miner who staffs the…
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Celebrity guest on April 7 Great Northern Radio Show?
In keeping with tradition I’ve prepared this fun little promotional video for the April 7 Great Northern Radio Show on 91.7 KAXE/90.5 KBXE Northern Community Radio. We’ll be live on the air from the Chief Theatre in Bemidji and streaming at kaxe.org from 5-7 p.m. that Saturday. Still some free tickets available but they’re going…
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Brown on the Air: KITCHEN GADGETS!
I’ll be on Northern Community Radio’s “Between You and Me” this Saturday morning with a commentary on kitchen gadgets. This should be a fun show, featuring guest hosts Maggie Montgomery and Ross Williams. I detail my ineptitude with kitchen gadgets and my predisposition toward the sort of canned, processed foods common to people who grew…
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Talking live radio on live TV tonight
I’ll be on WDSE-TV’s “The Playlist” tonight at 9 p.m. talking about our upcoming performance of the Great Northern Radio Show from Bemidji on April 7. This would be the variety show I produce, write and host with talent from around the region. The Playlist is a live arts and entertainment program by the Duluth…
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Anderson touts mining, commits to MN-8 DFL primary
Today former Duluth City Councilor and Ely native Jeff Anderson announced that he, too, would bypass the DFL endorsement process and run directly in the MN-8 primary. This virtually ensures that there will be a three-way DFL primary to challenge U.S. Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN8) taking place on Aug. 14. Former State Sen. Tarryl Clark…
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Iron Range Maidens roller derby bout set for Saturday
The Iron Range Maidens roller derby team takes to the flat track this Saturday night from the Hodgins-Berado arena in Colerpain … I mean Coleraine, Minnesota. The Maidens will play the Fargo Furies. The Maiden’s parent organization GRARDA also has a B-team called the Attackonites, who will play a B-team from Duluth’s Harbor City Roller…
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Mining company describes ‘underground city’ in N. Minn. plans
Twin Metals, one of the companies proposing nonferrous mineral mining near Ely, announced this week it is drawing up plans for its mine. This March 27 John Myers Duluth News Tribune story paints quite a picture of Twin Metals’ mining aspirations. The so-called Nokomis project along Minnesota Highway 1 near the Kawishiwi River is now…