Centerstage MN is a Fool for Marc Gartman

by Doug MacRostie

When your muse is working it's important to embrace that flow and let the creativity out, and that is something that Marc Gartman has definitely done over the last couple of years. With 4 albums released in the last year (and 3 or 4 the year before...), Marc has clearly been inspired. Marc is the songwriter, singer and one of the banjo players with Two Many Banjos - but when he puts the banjo down the music is then released by The Marc Gartband, and Marc will be talking with me about the new album "I Am A Fool For You" this Thursday night at 6 on Centerstage MN.

From Duluth, Marc also performs/records with Coyote, Nice Bears and Little Grey House. The new album is another outstanding collection of songs, and this time Marc did the songwriting and recording on an Irish Bouzouki - an instrument he first picked up to play with Little Grey House. "I Am A Fool For You" has a great mix of sounds and styles, from sweetly-slick love songs like "Till There's Nothing Left" to wordly exotic songs like "Abu Dhabi." Each time Marc releases a new album I think it's his "best writing yet" and this album is no exception - be sure to tune in for this interview with Marc Gartman!

I'll also be doing a demo set - and just because the sound quality is a little lo-fi doesn't mean the creativity, energy and passion isn't shining brightly :) We'll hear from The Rosebud Social, a garage rock/indie folk band that has been making original music in Grand Rapids for almost 10 years. And Zombie Season from Minneapolis, sort of a post-punk rock band with a lot of creativity and gothic imagery - perhaps you could describe it as indie-vampire-opera, idk :p And we'll hear from another Grand Rapids songwriter, Pat Deal. Pat has strong pop influences with an obvious enjoyment of punk attitude.

Centerstage MN is Thursday evenings at 6, 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.

The Tender Wild Things, by Diane Jarvenpa, and Nude in Winter, by Francine Sterle: Book Reviews

by Nathan Bergstedt

The Tender Wild Things, by Diane Jarvenpa, and Nude in Winter, by Francine Sterle, are two books of poetry by Minnesota women authors that delve deep in the realm of descriptive language. Though the topics at the root of their writing; their muse, if you will, are worlds apart.

Jarvenpa, whose grandparents emigrated from Finland, uses touches of her ancestral culture, and the aspects that join that culture with the one we now live, as fresh fodder for unfolding her poems. On each page she paints a picture of her personal world; what she sees and experiences, and how these elements have shaped her as a person. She acknowledges our overall relationship to the natural world, and presents in her poems our collective desire to seek and harvest (that is, to make our own, and hopefully become part of) the tender wild things of the world.

Just as imaginatively, Francine Sterle, in her book Nude in Winter, attempts to blur the lines between visual and written art by presenting this series of poems about, well, visual art. As a translator has to interpret writing from one language in order to put it into a new one, so does Sterle with these poems, though their original language was never written. But unlike a true conceptual series, the poems vary from describing a particular work of art, to some that are about the artists themselves. Nothing necessarily wrong with that, and it can certainly make for stronger individual poems. But it does take away from what could’ve been a stronger central idea that the book on the whole seems to be about.

But with great honesty to her subjects, she molds the style of each poem to best suit the mood of the referenced piece. She writes not just with words, but also with structure, and with wonderful results.

Both of these books are rich with poems written by observers. Whether the subjects involve the natural world and how we try to immerse ourselves in it, or whether they’re objects of previous artistic thought and emotion, both books offer an opportunity to view the world through the author’s eyes. Which one you read depends on what you want to see.

The Tender Wild Things is published by New Rivers Press, and Nude in Winter is published by Tupelo Press.

How to... No... Why to Talk Minnesotan

by Nathan Bergstedt

When I first heard myself on KAXE, I had a realization: I truly have a Minnesota accent.
It’s funny how you can go through so much of your life and not realize that, until your voice has detached itself from your body, and you simply hear it.

But the first thought that ran through my head upon hearing myself speak about the ironic twist of fate in a 2005 Texas constitutional amendment was, “I never thought I had an accent. Man, that’s a little embarrassing.” But then I thought, “Well, why is that embarrassing?”
There are certain badges that any regional culture wears at all times that distinguishes them from others. One of which is the art; every culture and society has developed a style of expression that is unique to themselves, deeply entrenched in the local history.

But foremost among those badges is the manner in which we speak. It’s by far the most prevalent. Try introducing an outsider to your regional art or conduct yourself in a manner typified by your culture without saying a word. It’s everywhere! And what’s more, it’s the first sign of regional culture that one is typically confronted with. The all important first impression!

Now, there are all sorts of reasons why someone would want to disguise their accent. Most common reason I’ve heard: I don’t wanna sound stupid. Do we really equate this local distinction with sub-standard intelligence? I’ve personally thought of Minnesota as being a place rich with progressive ideas and ideals, a place that’s put education on a pedestal and that’s been envied for our public school system. It’s a diverse state with enormous wild forests that lure the adventurous to them, and a double metropolis that can cater for you any food you’d want to eat, and any art form you want to experience. We are the hybrid of the country! With 10,000 lakes, we’re as comfortable on land as we are on water. And we’re as capable at handling 100 degree weather as we are 50 below.

Embarrassed by the way we speak? What truly do we have to be embarrassed about?

There are two primary ingredients that create a regional dialect: the accent, which is the manner of pronunciation of words used (eg. sa-na vs. sow-na), and the lexicon, which is the list of words that you use (eg. those popular leather mittens that we like to call ‘choppers’). For a little practical advice, if you’re truly afraid of sounding stupid, don’t go to a formal business meeting and use every folksy term you can muster from your region. But if Southerners and New Yorkers and Californians feel at peace with their dialects, and we feel comfortable with them, why can’t we be proud of our own? Maybe there’re just as many of them who feel self-conscious about how they talk. Maybe the grass is always greener on the other side. But I’d say the same thing to them. It’s certainly nothing to be embarrassed about.

So as far as how I felt after hearing myself on the radio, after I thought about it, I was ashamed for feeling embarrassed. It was just a reaction, so I’ll forgive myself. But thinking back to why I like living in Minnesota, and why for so long I’ve called it my home, I can’t think of another way I’d prefer to talk. You betcha, eh.

How about the rest of you? How do you feel about the Minnesota accent?

I'm Shocked!!!

by Scott Hall

Slugger Mark McGuire admits steroid use. McGuire, Sammy Sosa and hundreds of other players did body building with steroids and other supplements during the 1990s and early 2000s. McGuire had a supplement in open view in his locker for at least a few years. Steroid use wasn't a dark secret in football and baseball. McGuire and Sosa created great excitement and television and box office wealth for baseball.

Now the same baseball and media industries that reaped billions off these athletes expect remorse and shame from these guys 10 years later. It's the same sorry crowd of hypocrites that are keeping Pete Rose out of the Hall of Fame. The baseball writers that won't vote Rose and McGuire into the HOF, and won't elect Barry Bonds when he's eligible, are the shills that allow the hypocrisy to continue. It was good for the cash flow to ignore it in the 1990s, and it's good for the cash flow to play it this way now.

Greater Minnesota Housing Fund

by Maddi Frick

Warren Hanson, the president and chief executive officer of the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund spoke with Scott Hall and Chad Haatvedt on the Morning Show about his organization and the projects in progress. The Greater Minnesota Housing Fund (GMHF) was created in 1996 in collaboration with The McKnight Foundation and the Blandin Foundation to address the needs of affordable housing in Greater Minnesota.

Since its creation, the foundation has helped create 8500 units of affordable housing. GMHF tries to target their assistance to individuals and families who make 60-80% median income and below, including those who are homeless up to approximately $40,00 yearly income.

Private housing does provide many opportunities for affordable housing, but GMHF looks to combine charitable dollars with state and federal money to improve the housing stock, add to the supply, and stimulate private housing development, including community development. Hanson says affordable housing does attract businesses and industrial development because if affordable housing is not available, businesses will often look elsewhere to develop.

In collaboration with Black Bear Homes Inc., they are currently developing a two-block area by Crystal Lake in Grand Rapids into neo-traditional style houses.

A project in beginning stages is the development of the old Grand Itasca Hospital sight into apartments, townhomes, and single family homes surrounding the area.

GMHF is also working with Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency to create the Virginia Youth Foyer Project, an apartment housing complex to house youth ages 13-21 who are homeless, many of them no longer in the foster care system. This idea of collective living, housing, and community for youth supports those with a challenged early life in continuing their education and developing life goals.

GMHF commissioned six photojournalists to document the lives of homeless veterans in Minnesota. An exhibit of selected photographs entitled “Portraits of Home II” will be at the MacRostie Art Center in Grand Rapids during the month of January.

Additional Resources:

Kootasca Community Action Partnership

Bi-County Community Action Programs Inc.

Aitkin Health and Human Services

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.

When I Grow Up...

When you ask around the KAXE Studios about what people want to be when they grow up you hear all kinds of answers.

Steve Downing still thinks about his original dream to be a Catholic Priest like Guido Sarducci (see left).

Scott Hall's 12th thing-to-be is a woodland hermit that avoids the social ramble and fried foods that anger-up the stomach.

Doug MacRostie wants to be a rockstar who is in it for the music but loses his way and has to rebuild his career through an emotional but inspiring creative process.

Jennifer Poenix wants to be a TV sitcom writer - more specifically for The Office...in fact, she said she would be willing to switch bodies with Mindy Kaling.

Maggie Montgomery wanted to be a nuclear physicist and even took the math and physics classes, then she wanted to be a writer, then she wanted to be a teacher, then she wanted to be mental health counselor...and now here she is at KAXE.

When Heidi Hotlan was little (like, 4 years old) she wanted to get her Class C drivers license so she could drive a regional library system bookmobile...something she still thinks she would enjoy.

What's your story? We're talking about what you want to be when you grow up this Saturday from 10-Noon on Between You and Me with guest host DJ the DJ. And while DJ is retired, he still has hopes & dreams for when he grows up!