Great Northern Radio Show from Brainerd June 16th!

 

Great Northern Radio Show heads to Brainerd

Variety program to broadcast live from Central Lakes College June 16

BRAINERD, Minnesota (June 6, 2012) -- The Great Northern Radio Show, a popular new variety program produced by Northern Community Radio (KAXE), heads to Brainerd on Saturday, June 16.

The show will be broadcast live from the John Chalberg Theatre at Central Lakes College from 5-7 p.m. on 89.9 KAXE in Brainerd, 91.7 KAXE in Grand Rapids and on the Iron Range, and 90.5 KBXE Bemidji. The program will also be streamed live at kaxe.org. Tickets for the June 16 live performance are free, but must be reserved by calling KAXE at 800-662-5799. Audience members are asked to be seated by 4:30 p.m.

Written and hosted by northern Minnesota writer Aaron J. Brown, the Great Northern Radio Show features music, stories and comedy about modern life off the beaten path.

“We try to reflect the unique culture and history of northern Minnesota with every show,” said Brown. “We pay particular attention to the stories and people of the towns we visit, using mostly local actors and musicians with a few of our regulars brought along.

The June 16 show features several musicians, including The Bitter Spills, a rock and blues band from the Iron Range, Eric Pollard and his solo act “Actual Wolf,” Brainerd singer/songwriter Seth Doud, recent Brainerd high school graduate and musician Katie Wig, Central Lakes student brothers Andy and Spencer Olson and their bands the Danver Patients and Hollow Hearts, with John Pribyl. Past show guests Iris Kolodji of Hibbing and Sonny Johnson of Bemidji will return.

The Great Northern Radio Players, a rotating group of actors from towns around Minnesota, will feature Brainerd and Pequot Lakes area actors Nancy Waller, Charlie Johnson, Sue Johnson and Jon Bjorquist, along with other surprise guests from the Brainerd area.

Great Northern Radio Show regulars include director Shelly Nowak and stage manager Kelly Gustavsson of Hibbing. The house keyboardist is Nickolai Koivunen of Zim. Longtime Iron Range broadcaster Scott Hanson provides foley sound and other performance material. The show is written by Brown and Hibbing native Matt Nelson.

“Each show is unique, exciting and unpredictable,” said Brown. “Whether you attend the live performance, where you get to see behind the scenes, or listen on the radio, you’ll have a great night of free entertainment.”

The Great Northern Radio Show started last year with a show on Brown’s native Mesabi Iron Range in Hibbing. This April the show broadcast from the Chief Theatre in Bemidji. After the June 16 Brainerd program, the Great Northern Radio Show heads to Eveleth on Oct. 20 and Bigfork on Dec. 15.

“Right now we do a show every season and we’ll try to visit as many different towns as we can in the first couple years of this show,” said Brown. “After that we’ll consider whether we want to stay on the road or establish a home theater somewhere.”

The Great Northern Radio Show is rebroadcast on other independent public radio stations around the state and is available as a podcast. Find out more at www.kaxe.org. The show is underwritten by the Iron Mining Association of Minnesota and made possible in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Amendment.