Tag Archives: music

Areavoices Digest #40 – From We Fest to Watercolors

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This is the weekend some country music fans wait for all year. It’s been called the Super Bowl of country music festivals. We Fest draws thousands of visitors to Detroit Lakes, Minnesota every August for concerts and camping. This year, you can keep tabs on all the news from We Fest as Forum columnist John Lamb blogs live from Soo Pass. Can’t you just see him in his cowboy hat?

It’s just the first of this week’s recommended blogs.
We Fest – http://wefest.areavoices.com
Forum columnist John Lamb is throwing on his cowboy hat and chronicling the three-day country music festival from Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.

Life in the Slow Lane - http://gardeninguru.areavoices.com
Don’t be fooled by the title this blogger is awfully busy gardening and canning. She says “If it can be dried, frozen, canned or jellied, I’m on it!”

Homeless and Hungry – http://homelessandhungry.areavoices.com
The official blog of the Fargo-Moorhead based Homeless and Hungry project.

My New Direction – http://mynewdirection.areavoices.com
You will only change your direction if you determine where you’d rather be.

Red River Watercolor Society – http://rrws.areavoices.com
RRWS is a non-profit volunteer organization of art lovers who advance the appreciation and education of watercolor.

Prehistoric Indian Village – http://prehistoricindianvillage.areavoices.com
A weekly look at what’s happening at the Prehistoric Indian Village in Mitchell, South Dakota.

New areavoices blog makes you the music critic!

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When you work in the media you get used to people stopping you in the grocery store asking you about something they saw in the paper or on the TV station where you work. I’ve given my thoughts on “Do you think John, Daryl, and Rob are really right about that forecast?” and “What do you think about Walaker’s prediction about the river?”

I really enjoy talking to people about what I do for a living. It means they’re reading and watching, right? Gives me a sense of job security. But there are times when I’m never quite sure how I should respond. One time back when I was anchoring, a woman came up to me in the frozen food section and  told me she didn’t like it when I wore big earrings. Not long ago, a man came up to me in Walmart and said he didn’t like it when Dana and Kerstin called Kevin Wallevand “Kev.” 

Then there’s this one, “What is John Lamb/Robert Morast thinking?

If you’re not familiar with them, John and Robert do the majority of music and theatre reviews for The Forum and InForum. I think they’re amazingly talented writers and they certainly know more about music and theatre than I could ever pretend to know. Still not everyone agrees with their opinions. That’s the beauty of reviews, right? We can’t all like the same things can we? (For example, I still don’t understand why the “Mamma Mia” movie got panned. Except, for Pierce Brosnan’s questionable singing ability, I loved it.)

Anyway, to my point. InForum together with Jade Presents is giving you the opportunity to be the critic. They’ve set up FM’s Finest.

According to their blog, “FM’s Finest is a showcase for some of the best bands in Fargo-Moorhead who you might not know about; and a chance for you to tell us what other music should be in the conversation.  But FM’s Finest is also an opportunity for the music fans to take control. Think about every time you’ve read a critic’s concert review and disagreed, or opened the Forum newspaper and were disgusted to see that the paper did not cover a band that’s making waves in the local scene. Now’s your chance to change that.”

FM’s Finest will feature nine musical acts, ranging from funk rock to bluegrass, on their site and during weekly 10 p.m. Saturday concerts at The Monkey Bar in The Hub, 2525 9th Ave. S., Fargo. 

The concerts are for ages 21 and over and cost $3 to enter. For more information go to http://fmfinest.areavoices.com.

Areavoices Digest #18 – Feb 9, 2011 – Have you seen these blogs?

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Thanks for your feedback about the areavoices directory. I’m still wading through it blog by blog, revising and updating information. You can now see the directory on the blog sections of your home pages as well as on the areavoices homepage. I realize we still have featured blogs that might be missing. If you notice a blog that is not in the directory please shoot me an email. I will make sure to get it on the directory as soon as possible. As I said last week, this process is giving me the opportunity to find some wonderful blogs that might be deserving of a second look.
 
Powerful Perspectives – http://powerfulperspectives.areavoices.com – When I asked everyone for feedback on great bloggers this is what Phil from River Falls told me, “Sam Bluhm’s Powerful Perspective’s blog is by far the hottest of the 25 local bloggers we have at the River Falls Journal. She brings a life coach perspective, is a professional business writer and weaves some heartwarming stories that generate lots of feedback.”  I looked through the blog and found it well written and interesting.
 
Rambling River Repair – http://ramblingriverrepair.areavoices.com – Sue and Bill Kropelnicki are fairly new to blogging, but I think this auto repair blog has a lot of potential. They own and operate their own shop in Farmington, Minnesota. Their last post addressed keeping tires in top shape during winter driving, so obviously, something we can all relate to.  The focus of their blog is to make cars and car repair understandable to the average Joe and Jane.

Rural Reflections – http://rreflection.areavoices.com – Grant Nelson writes about rural life and farm projects. His column is featured weekly in the Northern Watch newspaper in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. His Radio program is also posted on his blog every Thursday by noon.

 
Music Moves – Perspectives & Insights from a Local Music Therapist – http://musicmoves.areavoices.com -  Natasha Thomas is a board certified music therapist. She says the purpose of her blog is “for any individual looking to learn how music can enhance their own life or the lives of their loved ones, co-workers, or friends.  Weekly posts will include such topics as “how music can aid academic learning”, “using music for stress relief”, and other perspectives on the many ways in which music can impact your life.”
 
Who Needs Who? – Stories of love from a special needs mom – http://whoneedswho.areavoices.com – Kerri Kava is blogging about her life with her special needs son. He has Williams Syndrome or WS. But she writes, “I’m an extremely positive person and in no way am I wanting this blog to be a “poor me” bucket. But rather, a place to share, vent, and brag about the love and joy brought, as well as the everyday journey we experience.”
 
And finally I just wanted to point out two of our newest education-type blogs.
 
Detroit Lakes Public Schools is now blogging – http://detroitlakesschools.areavoices.com. They’ve used their blog to make school announcements and deliver other news. It’s a great use of blogging.
 
And Dr. Christopher Markwood, Interim Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Superior, has started a blog for UW Superior. I was really excited to see this one. I believe he’s the first Chancellor to blog with areavoices.  Very cool! http://uwsuperior.areavoices.com. 
 

Areavoices Digest #6 -Ghosts, Gumbo, Tawny Kitaen and Dirty Laundry

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Quite a list, right?

But they are among some of the topics written about in this weeks’ recommended areavoices blogs. Some of these blogs are brand spankin’ new. Some are established but might deserve a second look.

 
1) I’m going to start with one that I think is kind of fun and very timely for Halloween. It’s called VRS Paranormal – Paranormal Files. http://paranormalfiles.areavoices.com.
 
 VRS Paranormal is a scientific research team in Fargo, North Dakota that explore claims of paranormal activity throughout the states of North Dakota, Minnesota and South Dakota. Using scientific methods, they try to discover possible alternatives or logical explanations to paranormal situations. They also try to help people understand through education how to cope with their paranormal environments. These guys are like our local version of the SyFy channel’s “Ghost Hunters.” Their services are free. They’re pretty new to blogging, but I think they’ve already created a pleasing blog with a lot of infomation regarding “Ghost Hunting.” Their latest post, for example, was “Ghost Pictures – Real or Fake?.” Good fun.  

 
2) When I’ve recommended food blogs in the past, I’ve gotten emails from a couple of you exclaiming, “What about Chef Jeff?” Chef Jeff is a favorite for sure!   http://chefjeff.areavoices.com. Jeff Tiedeman is the food editor of the Grand Forks Herald. He writes a great blog about food. One of his last posts included a recipe for Turkey Gumbo. YUM!

 
3) Here’s another one with it’s roots in Grand Forks. Jukebox Hero. http://jukeboxhero.areavoices.com. Jukebox Hero is music blogger Cassie Walder. She says she writes about the music she loves. “That does not include The Beatles. That does, however, include Wings. Please don’t judge. Just comment and add me to your favorites.” She frequently posts music videos which is a lot of fun. I enjoyed today’s post about Tawny Kitaen and Whitesnake. Wow! That is some serious ’80′s hair! Another fun blog.  If only, she’d blog about The Beatles. Just kidding.

4)Dirty Laundry. http://laundry.areavoices.com  “What do the crime beat and being a mom have in common? Dirty Laundry.” Justine Wettschreck is a crime reporter for the Daily Globe in Worthington, MN. She lives in a tiny southwestern Minnesota town with her husband, dog and whichever of her three children are around at the moment.
5) And this last one I mention more for information and inspiration than anything. Fargo School Talk is the Fargo Public School system’s official blog. http://fargopublicschools.areavoices.com. From what I can tell (PLEASE correct me if I’m wrong) this is our first official K12 blog on areavoices. Again, if another district is doing a blog with us, let me know. I’m trying to recruit as many school bloggers as possible and I’d like to have examples of what other districts are doing.  I’m hoping to sign up many more K12 bloggers. That will continue to be a top priority of mine and I will have more schools (and universities to recommend soon).