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Top word of 2013: 404 (That’s bad, right?)
Every year the Global Language Monitor releases its “top words,” indicating which words represent our changing English language and world cultures. I have a little tradition of writing a column at the end of the year about the Global Language Monitor list, which I look forward to doing again next month. Past columns, replete with…
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Hear the Crosby Great Northern Radio Show!
You might recall that we did another Great Northern Radio Show in October from Crosby-Ironton High School in Crosby, Minnesota. This fall edition of my quarterly traveling live broadcast variety program was a big success, something I didn’t want to talk about here until I knew when the rebroadcast date and podcast would be available.…
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Mining disaster-themed Halloween attraction bad idea
An Appalachian amusement park has taken down references to a Halloween attraction with a mining disaster theme called “Miners’ Revenge.” This according to the Daily Yonder. The controversy happened at King’s Dominion in the state of Virginia. As you’d predict, a lot of people who lost family in mining disasters, including some recently, thought the…
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Trampled by Turtles cut live album, out Nov. 12
It’s been a while since we talked about those traveling troubadours, northern Minnesota’s old timey Strike Force, the ones known as Trampled by Turtles. The progressive bluegrass band is out with a live album “First Avenue” out Nov. 12 (preorder here). Trampled by Turtles are putting on a contest for free concert tickets in honor…
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Celebrating 30 years of public radio Phenology
Tonight at 6:30, KAXE/KBXE Northern Community Radio celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Phenology Show with John Latimer. Now, maybe you’re some kinda cat who doesn’t listen to the Phenology Show on this marvelous independent public radio station (the station, by the way, that distributes my radio show as well). Or maybe you were like…
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Dave Karr, Sam Miltich to play Grand Rapids tonight
Jazzman Dave Karr has been making music for more than 60 years, most of that time in Minnesota. Karr, an esteemed saxophonist and composer, got his start in his native New York City, cutting his teeth alongside Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, the guy who every band teacher in the country simultaneously tells trumpet students…
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New ‘Fargo’ set in ‘Bemidji’
The new FX series based on the 1996 Joel and Ethan Coen classic film “Fargo” will be set in Bemidji, not Brainerd. This according to Crystal Dey in the Bemidji Pioneer. “Breaking Bad’s” Bob Odenkirk has been cast as Bill Olson, a Bemidji sheriff’s deputy. Allison Tolman will be playing Molly Solverson, a deputy serving…
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Great Northern Radio Show in Crosby TODAY
It’s show day! There’s still time to make plans for a day trip to see a free, live broadcast performance of the Great Northern Radio Show in Crosby, Minnesota. We’ll be on the airwaves of Northern Community Radio from 5-7 p.m. Please be in your seats at Crosby-Ironton High School before 4:30 p.m. for the…
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GUEST POST: Confessions of a Stay-at-Home Dad
I’m busy producing the Great Northern Radio Show today, but have planned a special treat for you. Clint Edwards is a guy I’ve gotten to know through our modern world’s crazy techo-magic. He’s a fantastic creative nonfiction writer who got his MFA at Minnesota State-Mankato. Lately, he’s been blogging about being a stay-at-home dad with…
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8 clues to Saturday’s Great Northern Radio Show
This Saturday I’ll be hosting my Great Northern Radio Show live from the Mayberry Auditorium at Crosby-Ironton High School in Crosby, Minnesota. The show will air live on Northern Community Radio from 5-7 p.m. You can tune in at 91.7 KAXE Grand Rapids/Iron Range, 90.5 KBXE Bagley/Bemidji, 89.9 Brainerd, 103.9 Ely, streaming at kaxe.org. We’ll…
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Great Northern Radio Show: The Company
This week I’m busy preparing the Great Northern Radio Show, which makes its Season 3 debut this Saturday, Oct. 19 at Crosby-Ironton High School in Crosby, Minnesota. Please, consider joining us for the live show in Crosby (seating before 4:30 p.m., free!) or tuning in on the radio or live online feed (5-7 p.m.). Throughout the week I’ll…
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Great Northern Radio Show: Faith Boblett
This week I’m busy preparing the Great Northern Radio Show, which makes its Season 3 debut thisSaturday, Oct. 19 at Crosby-Ironton High School in Crosby, Minnesota. Please, consider joining us for the live show in Crosby (seating before 4:30 p.m., free!) or tuning in on the radio or live online feed (5-7 p.m.). Throughout the week I’ll tell…
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Great Northern Radio Show: Aallotar
This week I’m busy preparing the Great Northern Radio Show, which makes its Season 3 debut this Saturday, Oct. 19 at Crosby-Ironton High School in Crosby, Minnesota. Please, consider joining us for the live show in Crosby (seating before 4:30 p.m., free!) or tuning in on the radio or live online feed (5-7 p.m.). Throughout…
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Bob Dylan rock opera set to drop this month
As a longtime coordinator and media representative for Dylan Days, the annual arts and music event in Bob Dylan’s Iron Range hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota, I’m used to receiving oddities in the mail. For instance, there was this notice about a new rock opera album being released featuring Bob Dylan music. The band, Diva De…
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Minneapolis dating scene as depicted in the Times
Here’s this weird story from the New York Times about the Minneapolis dating scene. The lives depicted therein do not appeal to me, though that is no surprise given the fact that I’m wearing khaki pants in my country office right now. As soul-sucking and vacuous as all this seems to me, the story is…