The 6th Annual 91.7 KAXE Mississippi River Festival

by Doug MacRostie

OMG, this is going to be awesome! The 6th Annual 91.7 KAXE Mississippi River Festival is THIS Sat. starting at Noon and the forecast as of Tuesday: partly cloudy/partly sunny with temps in the low 80s and only a 20% chance of rain. Be prepared - maybe have a raincoat or tarp just-in-case, feel free to bring your own chairs & coolers, there will be food & soda/ice coffee/root beer floats by the Grand Rapids Kiwanis Club. And there will be a table of handmade goods by KAXE members including wild rice, clothing, jewelry, honey, soap, wood-turned bowls and more.

And we haven't even talk about the music yet! I'm torn on who I'm most excited to see, but Scott Hall said on the Morning Show that, "Doug thinks Eilen Jewell will be the big surprise," so I'll go with that :p And yeah, I've wanted to see her perform since the first time I heard her new-style of roots music on KAXE. I'm also really pumped to see Willie Murphy, partly because who he is and what he represents (having helped define the sound of R&B and Soul music and a prolific Blues career) and also because I know he's going to make everyone dance. When I interviewed him on Centerstage MN last year that was one thing that he made perfectly clear, "I like longer songs because they're better for dancing, and my music is all about dancing." Hell yeah.

But wait, there's more. The day will kick off with Pelican Railroad from Bemidji, a rockin' blues band (or was it a bluesy rock band, lol) - they play regularly in the Bemidji area, and we are really excited to bring their good-time to Grand Rapids. And, another son-of-Bemidji will be performing: Steve Kaul and The Brass Kings. To quote myself, "Steve Kaul is the caliber of guitarist you compare with the likes of Doc Watson, Leo Kottke and Bruce Cockburn." Check out the video of Steve playing at our studios below :) The Brass Kings are a world-class roots/blues trio.

And we've also got Keri Noble, a soul-pop artist from Minneapolis - in her late teens she was inspired by Joni Mitchell's "Blue" to start writing her own music. Her music is about relationships (not just the romantic kind), "as a kind of closure...you have to feel music." She will be my guest this week on Centerstage MN - so tune in for that preview.

That's the 6th Annual 91.7 KAXE Mississippi River Festival this Sat., July 17th from Noon-8:30pm. Tickets for this full day of excellent music are just $40 and KAXE members get a $10 discount. 13-18 year olds are $10 and kids 12 and under are free. Call 218-326-1234 to get your tickets and more info, or go to KAXE.org. See you Saturday!

Here's Steve Kaul of The Brass Kings performing in our conference room (the studio was being "upgraded" at the time, hehehe):

Learning Ojibwe: Anishinaabemowin

From Chelsea Annette's new book, "Discovering the Little Brothers"

Anishinaabemowin: Original Language

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What's New on KAXE

Lee Ritenour "6 String Theory"
The Steve Miller Band "Bingo!"
Butch Holler "A Tribute to Loretta Lynn"
Herbie Hancock "The Imagine Project"
Cyndi Lauper "Memphis Blues"
Lucy Woodward "Hooked"
John Henry's "White Linen"
Read more on the Currents Playlist...

sneak peek at the performers of 6th annual KAXE Mississippi River Festival

Get your tickets HERE to the 91.7 KAXE Mississippi River Festival!!!!

Wedding Lover or Crasher?

This week on Between You and Me we’re talking about the summertime tradition of Weddings. Did it rain on your wedding day? Did anyone faint or interrupt the ceremony? Did you "speak now" at someone's wedding? What’s the coolest wedding you’ve ever attended? We’re talking WEDDING STORIES this Saturday on Between You and Me With Heidi Holtan, our weekly get-together, a mix of music and conversation from 10-noon.

Share your stories:

The Minnesota Phenology Network: Phenology at Your Fingertips

The Minnesota Phenology Network Facebook site is up and going. John Latimer and some of the KAXE Phenology Show regulars are already posting observations, pictures, asking questions and starting discussions. The network is not for "experts", but for everyone who is curious about our wild world here in northern Minnesota. Your observations and questions will help create data for those who study the biology of our region.

Gaea Returns to the Bemidji Sculpture Walk

Last night, the Bemidji City Council voted to return the statue “Gaea” to its place on the Bemidji Art Walk at the corner of 4th Street and Beltrami Avenue. [Click here to see pictures]. The fiberglass beaver had been removed last week by order of City Manager John Chattin, who felt the painted front of the beaver looked like female genitalia. Gaea was one of 11 beavers to adorn the art walk this year. The beaver is the Bemidji State University mascot.

Gaea had lots of supporters in Bemidji, many of whom turned out for the city council meeting, filling the council chambers and spilling into the hall. Gaea herself was also present for the meeting, placed at the back of the room. 15 people spoke during the comment period, including artists, city residents, students, a representative of the ACLU, and a member of the Sculpture Walk Committee.

The civil discussion that ensued covered censorship, the extent of the city manager’s authority, dismay over his single-handedness and lack of artistic input in removing the sculpture, and the lack of clear guidance or agreed-upon criteria for public art. One commentator asked those who found the piece objectionable to “get your minds out of the gutter.” Another equated the piece with “woman-ness, womanhood, feminine strength and beauty.” Others expressed dismay that Bemidji, which calls itself the First City of the Arts, had become the center of national media attention for its attempt to censor the piece: “If you Google ‘pornographic beaver’ your first search result will be ‘Bemidji’,” said one BSU student.

Just one elderly gentleman spoke in opposition to the majority: “It is not obscene to me, no,” he said. “But yes, it is offensive…I would not want my daughters and granddaughters to see it and have to explain what they’re looking at…It belongs in an art gallery where people can intentionally view it.”

Gaea’s creator, Deborah Davis, said she had recently spoken with supporters, journalists and celebrities from as far away as Japan and New York. “Gaea has touched people,” she said. “Gaea makes people feel peaceful, happy, positive and empowered.”

Council member Barb Meuers moved to “Put the statue back,” with a second from council member Ron Johnson. The vote was unanimous.

After the motion, the statue was picked up by a group of enthusiastic supporters and marched back to its pedestal, occasioning both applause and tears. “Communication is so important,” said Meuers after the vote. “Obviously, it wasn’t what it should be.”

~Maggie Montgomery

More info:
Sculpture Walk: http://thisismytownbemidji.com/?p=318
KAXE: http://www.kaxe.or