The Mountain Goats - Transcendental Youth

by Erika Kooda

When I got the chance to chat with author of "The Fault In Our Stars", John Green, the topic of the soundtrack for that movie came up. He mentioned his favorite band, the Mountain Goats. When I was in the KAXE studios a few months later, I saw the newest release of the Mountain Goats - "Transcendental Youth" - and decided to give it a listen. The Mountain Goats remind me of Flogging Molly, without the Irish. This album is kind of different from what I normally listen to, a lot of it is upbeat tunes (which is what drew me to it,) but their meaning is so much deeper than I expected.

Highlighting some of my favorite tracks now, "Cry for Judas" is definitely an example of the upbeat but depressing thing. Some of the lyrics include "Long black night, morning frost / I'm still here, but all is lost". I also like the first song I heard from it, "In Memory of Satan", because it's slower with an emphasis on the drum set, and the lyrics are very visual. Another good song is "Lakeside View Apartments Suite"... I'm not sure why I like it, but it's another song with a good beat. The Mountain Goats' use of a variety of instruments makes the whole album good. It rounds it out and has a great balance, and highlights the singer's voice in each track.

Forget Ringing- Now They're Playing Videos

by Maddi Frick


I went out for lunch today, a pizza and salad buffet.  The restaurant was particularly busy, surprising us because we thought the insane construction in Grand Rapids would have deterred people.  I sat down after dodging my way through the buffet line (impatiently waiting behind a woman cherry-picking certain pieces lettuce from the salad bin).  


Ready to delve into my waiting crust pieces, I was disturbed by the sound of a cellphone.  It wasn't ringing, but was displaying a video to its owner.  And it didn't stop.  The restaurant was loud, so the phone's owner had turned up the volume to a jaw-clenching level to make it audible.  I know I'm particularly annoyed with noise pollution- just ask my parents about eating potato chips while I'm in the house.  However, I can imagine I wasn't the only one aghast as the phone's owner played the 30-second clip for the second time so her dining companion could watch.  


At one point, someone's cell phone actually rang at a different booth.  I felt no annoyance at the beeping sound.  Can you imagine?  It's 2012 and I'm not concerned with an interrupting cell phone ring as the early 2000's had predicted- because the cell phones can do things far worse now.  People with no phone etiquette can subject the rest of us to their personal choice of YouTube video, but only the audio bit.

Minnesota's Women?

by Maddi Frick

Last Wednesday, I went to the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota’s Status of Women & Girls in Minnesota Road to Equality Tour stop in Grand Rapids, hosted at the Blandin Foundation. 

That was a lot of titles with capitalized words, but to cover the basics, the event looked at information about women in Minnesota about economic, safety, health and leadership topics and compared the data to that of men and women in other regions. 

While I wasn’t up on the specific percentages, most of the data wasn’t surprising- 

• The wage gap keeps $1 million dollars from the average Minnesota woman over her lifetime 
• 33% of women in Minnesota report being sexually or physically attacked by mid-life 
• 55% of Minnesotan women are overweight or obese
• Only 14 seats of 72 new corporate board seats created in 2010 were filled by women, and those 14 were all white 

The room was packed.  The presenters kept us engaged.  The facts were often sad, but at times hopeful. 

But I have to admit, while fact after fact proved to me that women are still to this day not treated equally in society, there was something else that made me incredibly disappointed in the state of women’s affairs.  Two men came to the presentation.  I’m not complaining that men dared to show up, I’m complaining that only two men cared enough to show up.

This is the root of my frustration with being female in this region.  Feminism is a word that represents an aggressive know-it-all who doesn’t wear a bra.  We’ve moved past the blatant perception of feminism but haven’t replaced the understanding with a definition that suits 2012.  


This is a national problem, but I feel like our region is even more behind than the rest.  I’ve been forced to battle my own stereotypes on the differences between men and women the past few years and find it frustrating to return Up North.  I find more women critical of other women’s looks and more men who won’t clean the kitchen.

It isn’t enough to have equal opportunities in the workplace.  When you meet a little girl, don’t comment on how pretty she is or how cute her clothes are- ask her about her dreams and the books she’s read.  And do the same for little boys.  


A lot of our problems could disappear if we created a culture of knowledge, goals and a good attitude instead of one of segregated roles and stereotypes.

Summer Music: 2012

by Maddi Frick

The earth is warming, the crows are awake way too early and it's summer 2012.  I'm eagerly consuming new music at an alarming pace.  After being devoid of new music the past new months, the avalanche at the KAXE studios makes me giddy.  So to inhale even more, let's see what else is coming these next few sunny months.

Fiona Apple | Alanis Morissette

For some reason, these two are always combined in my mind.  Maybe it has something to do with their music videos.  Fiona's album, The Idler Wheel, the first in 7 years, releases in June.  Alanis's album, Havoc and Bright Lights, won't release until late August.

Tallest Man On Earth

 Releasing in June, TMOE's There's No Leaving Now is one album I will buy/download immediately with no preview.  Just give me more. 

Maroon 5 

Sue me.  I like Maroon 5.  A lot.  Coming out in June, Overexposed will hopefully give us more pop hits to sing along with in the car.  And I can't wait.  

Glen Hansard

He's Irish!  He was in a movie!  I bet you've heard him before.  And that movie Once?  It's a broadway musical now.  This is his first solo album- Rhythm and Repose releases in June.

Passion Pit

 I really like some of Passion Pit's songs, and I really don't like some of their songs.  Hopefully Gossamer will provide a few hits to fall in love with.   Releases in July.

50 Cent | Chris Brown | will.i.am | Flo Rida

If you don't like hip-hop, this is a warning.  If you love hip-hop, I think you'll be happy.  In a span of 4 days, right before July 4th, 4 major hip-hop players will all have albums releasing.  That's a lot of hip-hop music.

Summer Essentials: August Edition

by Maddi Frick

 
Wasn't I just writing the July edition yesterday? 

Pepper Rabbit - Red Velvet Snowball

The duo (who's names are Xander and Luc) Pepper Rabbit will release their second album on August 9th.  They've toured with Freelance Whales and Passion Pit.

Luke Temple - Don't Act Like You Don't Care
Out of Brooklyn, New York, Luke Temple's music is sure to calm you down on a harried August day.  Releasing August 16th.

Beirut - The Rip Tide
Releasing August 30th, the New Mexico band Beirut will bring more of its fusion of Balkan folk with Western pop to the world.
 

K-WARE!

by Maddi Frick

Get your K-Ware, read all about it, new K-Gear for your non-radio endeavors!

Visit the KAXE K-Ware page to look at all our stuff representing the station. We are currently featuring the KAXE pint glass. Excellent for drinks, marbles, or straws, these crystal clear glasses can fulfill many of your container needs. From personal experience, these glasses make any home-made smoothie with local berries an even more delectable refreshment adventure.

Our clothing feature is currently the pale robin’s egg blue long-sleeve tee. With our logo printed in white on the front, you’re sure to turn heads when you wear this stunning shirt.

Also available are assorted sweatshirts and t-shirts, the purple tee, Bill Miller CDs, KAXE and KBXE bumper stickers, and temporary tattoos!

Drop by the station to fill your next birthday-present need or to replenish your closet. Or call us at (218) 326-1234.

Tortured in a Good Way

by Maddi Frick

I first heard them performing live at St. Olaf College. Dark blue lights glowed as the electro beat pumped out of the speakers. The band Solid Gold seemed to put my fellow college students in a thumping trance. Solid Gold’s founding members met at the University of Wisconsin Madison and were together for six years before releasing their first full-length album.

Tune in this Thursday at 6pm to hear me talking with lead singer Zac on Centerstage MN about the Twin Cities' music scene and creating their music. Their new EP, Synchronize, includes a cover of Danger Zone, originally from the film Top Gun, an instrumental, and a remix of Synchronize by White Sea. I also look forward to being wowed this weekend at First Avenue in Minneapolis for a Haiti benefit concert. They're socially compassionate too!

Streaming live online at www.KAXE.org; or 91.7 Grand Rapids, 89.9 Brainerd and 105.3 Bemidji. All interviews are archived at www.KAXE.org and the show is rebroadcast Sunday mornings at 6.

Do you know how many times I've heard that this month?

by Maddi Frick

What happens in staff meetings stays in staff meetings. And what happens at pizza parties, volunteer parties, morning show recordings, interview recordings, editing sessions, and the kitchen all stays in their respective places.

A few quotes I cherish from this month:

“Don’t throw scissors.” “I’ve always wanted to be a zamboni driver.” “You can judge someone by how they take a shower.” “That’s so big it could be a radio station on a float.” “What should we do for Heidi’s birthday? - I’m thinking jello wrestling.” “If you don’t know what to play, play polka.” “This is a punk-rock-tex-mex-folk band.” “Do we have any red wine? -We have red wine. -Oh yeah, I forgot, we have a lot of that.”

During the course of the month, my purple notebook and Sharpie pen were attached to my hands. Slowly, but surely, I let my notebook stay in my book bag a few hours longer throughout the day. Among my quick notes of observations are doodles of boots, pianos, bees and a diagram of the angles at which Minnesotans will face each other when talking. Looking back, here are some tidbits of notes I started to write down and forgot when distracted:

“Discovery! KAXE temporary tattoos . . .” “Don’t give John a ham sandwich when he circled turkey three times.” “possible causes for the end of the ice age . . .” “Ze crows of Tokyo, Ze crows of Tokyo” “. . a Minnesota man’s constitutional right to be unemotional . . .”

My month at KAXE couldn’t have been better. I got to pretend the conference room was my office, giving me the biggest desk of anyone at the station. I was let loose in the recording studios, giggling my way through the difficulties of pronouncing “northern,” “turtle,” “casino,” “community,” and the long list of activities available at the Crosslake Winterfest, including human bowling.

I’ll miss you KAXE for the time being, but don’t worry, I’ll be back. Tuesday morning I’ll host On The River from nine to noon, and tune in Thursday to Centerstage MN and you may hear me again. Be ready for some blog postings this spring about the Twin Cities music scene and this summer, I hope to do more music programming.

So I give my thanks to everyone who made my month at KAXE awesome, especially Scott Hall for letting me follow him around all day, and to all the listeners who make this worth doing. THANK YOU!!!!

Sincerely,

Maddi Frick

Teen Jobs in the Northland

by Maddi Frick

Hopefully, next fall I will study abroad in Dublin, Ireland. What I’ll be able to pay for while I’m in Dublin directly depends on how much work I can find this summer. And I’m scared. On top of added tuition expenses, it is recommended to have $4000 to $5000 to pay the cost of living in Dublin for three and a half months. The past couple summers I was able to find part time work picking strawberries, working in a greenhouse, and babysitting. However, this summer, that won’t cut it.

Time magazine recently reported on the difficulties teenagers have finding jobs. Not only are there fewer jobs to be had, baby boomers aren’t retiring. Employers choose older workers, and wages teens are able to earn are often cut down by the national ninety-day subminimum training wage.

Last year, when I called to check about an application I had sent in to a local resort, they said they had already filled all their positions by early April, much earlier than they usually do. “It's hard to find them . . . you either can find jobs for part-time that only offer you 10 hours or less a week or you find jobs that make you work overtime! [There is] no happy medium!” says my friend Sarah. Molly says “college students always get stuck with the worst shifts. Working nights 40 hours a week isn't exactly what I had in mind for my summer.”

“I agree with Sarah,” from Rachel. “It seems like everything fills up so fast that all that is left sometimes are fast food places . . . unless you look out of town at [resorts] that are always hiring housekeepers, but those types of jobs don't pay very well. It is just difficult to find a good summer job in a town that is small with less opportunities compared to Duluth.”

I’d like to wish good luck to my fellow teenagers, may you and I find a job this summer.

CHUCK

by Maddi Frick

Although even I find fault with the plausibility of their spy antics, Chuck on NBC is one of my favorite television shows. Yes, the masses convinced NBC to bring it back after its brief cancellation. The masses agreed that the adorableness of Zachary Levi, the humorous wit of the Buy More (the equivalent of Best Buy complete with a Nerd Herd/ Geek Squad team), and the melodrama of action sequences redeem Chuck’s cheesy factor.

If none of that convinces you to try Chuck, maybe this will; the music on Chuck is the best I’ve heard on any television show. You can hear Bon Iver, Huey Lewis, Flight of the Conchords, Bing Crosby, Lady Gaga, and The Republic Tigers. Last Monday night’s episode featured selections from Spoon’s new album Transference, a day before it released in the North America. With all the new music they use, you’re bound to find someone new to you. For me, it was Malbec, free downloads at their website! Computer geek by day. Government operative by night. Fresh, cheese-free music all the while.

Optical Disc Packaging

by Maddi Frick

I've listened to a lot of CDs since I started my internship. A LOT. And at KAXE, all CDs are kept in their original cases. My problem is navigating the confusing waters of getting the CD out of said cases. The easiest packaging to understand is the jewel case, the original popular plastic cases. However, as record companies are catching onto the environmentally-friendly consumer-product-packaging movement, CDs are getting increasingly hidden in their cases. Each case is different and if you aren't careful when looking for the concealed CD, you run the risk of watching in horror as the CD flies out of a hidden opening when you flip the wrong flap. One should also be attentive to the re-folding of uninhibited four-foot accordion contraption cases. Re-folded incorrectly will undermine the integrity of corners and bends, and will result in four-foot accordion contraption cases disintegrating to multiple squares of cardboard. Just a warning, the music library is great, but don't be too naïve when trespassing through the stacks.