Zak Norton and Bronson Bergeson, who together make up Poppa Bear Norton, are a country duo from northern Minnesota and one of 7 acts appearing at Amerigrass, a one-day festival taking place October 7 at the Hook and Ladder in Minneapolis. The duo met me in downtown Minneapolis to talk about their musical approach, which combines comedy with classic country themes and sounds, and their larger-than-life stage personas ..read more

I went to the Hook and Ladder Theater & Lounge in Minneapolis to connect with this up-and-coming Minnesota duo about the origins of their act, their ties to the region's music community, and what they're looking forward to at the upcoming Amerigrass festival. You can hear Dellwood's intriguing modern indie take on old-time music  on October 7: They're one of 7 acts performing at Amerigrass, a one-day festival taking place at the Hook ..read more

I met up with three members of Wild Horses at the Hook and Ladder Theater in Minneapolis to talk songwriting, musical influences, their origin story and more. The high-octane alt-country/rock/Americana group from northern Minnesota is one of 7 acts performing at Amerigrass, a one-day festival taking place at the Hook October 7.  ..read more

I met up with Tyler Pautsch, guitarist and singer-songwriter for Ty Pow and The Holy North, at the Hook and Ladder Theater and Lounge in Minneapolis. The group is one of the 7 bands performing at Amerigrass, the one-day festival taking place at the Hook October 7. We chatted about how this blues-rock, alt-country, Americana soul super group formed and how Tyler's Midwest home informs his songs ..read more

In this special season of Smouse in the House, we interview many of the artists who'll perform at the inaugural Amerigrass festival at the Hook and Ladder Theater in Minneapolis. For the second episode I met up with jam-grass band Buffalo Galaxy in the Nokomis neighborhood of South Minneapolis ..read more

In this special season of Smouse in the House, we interview many of the artists who'll perform at the inaugural Amerigrass festival at the Hook and Ladder Theater in Minneapolis. Our first guests are an award-winning Americana act and organizers of the festival. Maygen Lacey and Noah Neumann talk about how their unique sound inspired the creation and lineup of this one-day festival ..read more

The beauty of local music is the ability to witness new artists grow, and I feel so honored to have an opportunity to follow the rapid and organic development of Molly Brandt, a truly authentic artist finding her voice and place in our community. Nestled in Lowry Hill on one of the coldest evenings of the year, we discuss her burgeoning songwriting skills, experiencing a dream come to fruition by recently opening for the Cactus Blossoms, and how she navigates the Twin Cities music scene through valuable support from other artists. Molly Brandt is a fresh country voice in a city that is ready f ..read more

Ellen Stanley, aka Mother Banjo, and Ben Cook-Feltz are such pillars in our music community, both supporting artists through promotion, live shows, and making music accessible to as many people as possible. Seated downstairs in their home, you can feel the passion they carry in songwriting. It’s a tangible experience where they can pull from places in their past, expressing their experiences in visual ways. Ellen and Ben are also both transplants to Minnesota, so memories of their past environments have proven to be an interesting angle from within their “sandboxes.” Their passion for music an ..read more

Possibly my favorite beginning to any of our podcast episodes, I walked right into a magical off-the-cuff song about pancakes performed by Lamar, aka Geoffrey Lamar Wilson, and his young child playing a cardboard guitar. Surrounded by books and photos of his kids, we chatted about that first spark of joy playing music as a child in the family basement with his dad’s band, how his move to New York influenced his songwriting, and how the move back to his childhood neighborhood in Minneapolis was mindfully intentional. A true triple-threat, Lamar is a gifted saxophonist, guitarist, and even write ..read more

Iowan native Tracey Blake is an enigma to country music. His R&B swagger, admiration for Prince, and student of the Minneapolis sound is a combination that doesn’t immediately make you imagine country music. But in that multifaceted skill set comes an authentic voice that feels all his own. We discuss the ironic importance of the Mississippi by his home, along with how he decides where a song can succeed the most. Oftentimes that means sharing a song with another artist to perform. Beneath the performer is a producer's mindset that cares deeply about the creation and sound of the song. Gra ..read more