Centerstage MN is Rolling in Women...

by Doug MacRostie

Women's History Month celebrates women's contributions to history, culture and society and we'll further that celebration with an hour dedicated to women performers on Centerstage MN. From the crazy-jazz sounds of The Bad Plus joined by Wendy Lewis to the delicate and personal songs of Alicia Corbett... from the hip and catchy Dalia to the bluesy soul of Janiva Magness...women are going to rock Centerstage MN!

And we'll be talking about the 3rd Annual Sister Song: A Celebration of Women and Their Music with event director Shannon Murray, a local singer, songwriter and community organizer (have you heard about the Babe City Rollers - the new flat-track roller derby team in Bemidj? Yeah, thank Shannon :D). Showcasing many area musicians, the event is also a fundraiser for a scholarship by the same time. Sister Song is Sat. March 27th at the Wild Rose Theater in Bemidji, starting at 6:43pm. Performers include Annie Humphrey, Brenda Weiler, Yasen Marie, Caleigh, Hattie Peterson and many more. Get more info at myspace.com/sistersongbemidji.

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.

A Spider in Your Guitar... or Just Happy to See Me?

by Doug MacRostie

Trying to fit bands and musicians into categories and genres is one of the trickiest parts of my job. You can either WAY over simplify and go with the basics like rock, folk, blues, et cetera. Or you can WAY under simplify...case and point, the last time I had Amy and Adams on Centerstage MN they suggested the genre name, "eclectic folk-rock tin-pan-alley bluesgrass," which sounded about right to me :D

Amy and Adams is the husband and wife songwriting duo of Amy and Mark Adams-Westin from St. Paul. They write and cover music with positive themes and will be debuting music from their still-being-recorded new CD due out by the end of the year. The focus will be enjoying some live music on Centerstage MN, but I'll also talk to them about what's changed since they stopped by last year and what's different as the approach their new album.

I'll also be talking with Les Crawford, an organizer with EvTAP, the Eveleth Venues in Technology, Arts and Performance group. EvTAP is working to re-open the Auditorium in Eveleth for music, arts and community events. They have a goal of supporting local artists and are community oriented. Mixed in with our conversation will be some Iron Range music with Colmekill, Virgil Caine and The Mojosaurus Blues Band.

Also, new music from The Pines hot-off-the-presses release "Tremelo" and a song from Bemidji folk-punker Shannon Murray.

My guests next week will be John Wozniak of Marcy Playground and Rich Mattson and Matt Ray from I.R.O.M.A. I'll talk with Wozniak about the new MP CD "Leaving Wonderland...In a Fit of Rage," a very personal and intimate album - it actually might be my fav Marcy album to date :D And then Rich and Matt are founders of I.R.O.M.A., the Iron Range Original Music Association, a non-profit organization comprised of musicians who are located on the Iron Range of northern Minnesota. I.R.O.M.A. performers all have two elements in common: most of them live, work, and reside on the Iron Range & they perform ORIGINAL music!! We'll talk about the organization and their upcoming fundraiser concert on Sat. Aug 29th in Chisholm.

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.

Sisters w/ Their Songs and Brothers w/ Their Beats

by Doug MacRostie

Tonight on Centerstage MN I'll be talking w/ Shannon Murray, a singer, songwriter and activist from Bemidji about the 2nd Annual SisterSong Concert: a Celebration of Women and Their Music (this Sat @ Wild Rose in Bemidji starting at 6:18). Shannon founded and organizes SisterSong, which is a fundraiser for scholarships of the same name for young women musicians. I asked Shannon to bring her guitar along with the hope that she'll play a song for us live in-studio :D

Also, new to the show tonight will be Take Cover, a pop-rock band out of the Twin Cities. Their bass player is Chad Snell, he graduated from Deer River High School in '00, and before moving down to the Cities was very active playing music in Duluth, Grand Rapids and various places around northern MN. In the spirit of full disclosure, Chad has been my best friend since kindergarten and I am pumped to be playing music from his band tonight. BUT, that's not why I am playing Take Cover - their music stands on its own. Oh, and here is a little sneak peak for you: I am planning to have Take Cover perform a live acoustic set in-studio coming up in June (when they'll be having a CD release party at the Ground Floor in GR, muahahahha).

Another new band to the show will be My My Misfire out of Minneapolis - while well produced and with actual singing, I still call it hardcare thanks to the loud guitars, badass drums and occasional SCREAM!!!!! :D They'll be at the Elks Club in Bemidji Sat night.

Also Clawthroat, Podipto and the Gypsy Prophets...in fact, you can read more about my plans for the show tonight in my Previous Blog :)

Centerstage MN is every Thursday evening at 6p - streaming live online at http://www.kaxe.org, or 91.7fm Grand Rapids, 89.9 Brainerd and 105.3 Bemidji. CSMN is also rebroadcast Sundays at 6a, and all interviews are archived at KAXE.org.

From punk-folk activism to hardcore... hardcorism :D

by Doug MacRostie

This week on Centerstage MN my guest will be Shannon Murray; a singer/songwriter and socially conscious activist out of Bemidji. She has a “punk-folk” style and 6 albums to her credit and just recently finished touring Florida on a bicycle (talk about walking the walk, eh?). But Shannon and I will be talking about the 2nd Annual SisterSong Concert: a Celebration of Women and Their Music which is happening at the Wild Rose Theater in Bemidji on Sat. the 28th starting at 6:18pm. Shannon started the event last year – it’s a fundraiser for the SisterSong Scholarship Program and they’ll be giving out the first 3 scholarships at the event this year. Shannon will tell us more about it, and pick a couple of the great women musicians at this years SisterSong to highlight during Centerstage MN.

Also, I’ll be playing some My My Misfire this week, the hottest hardcore out of Minneapolis!!! This 5 piece band does it all themselves, from releasing albums to organzing national tours. They’ll be performing at the Elks Club in Bemidji on Sat. the 28th – music starts at 5:30 and there is something like 4 or 5 bands playing, including Hackensack’s In Pursuit of Tomorrow. This is definitely going to be a bad ass show, and I’m looking forward to playing My My Misfire’s new song Gypsy Rose on Centerstage MN - be sure to have it turned WAY up :D

More excitement in MN music – Clawthroat (formerly Cpt. Clawthroat and Crooked Teeth) have a new CD coming out. You might remember I had Joseph Downing on Centerstage MN last summer, before they went up north to perform at the Winnipeg Folk Fest. The demo they had last year was excellent, and from what I have gotten to listen to, they have done nothing but improve. So we’ll hear Clawthroat along with some early 70’s Bemidji rock from Podipto and new music from Peter Himmelman’s “The Mystery and the Hum.”

Centerstage MN is every Thursday evening 6, streaming live at KAXE.org, or 91.7fm Grand Rapids, 89.9 Brainerd and 105.3 Bemidji. Interview are also archived at KAXE.org (click on CSMN on the left). Read more of Doug's blogs about at myspace.com/macedelic