Video: Danny Schmidt with 'Houses Sing'

From his yet-to-be-released album :) It was a beautiful performance!

On Friday, August 27th, KAXE brought back singer/songwriter Danny Schmidt to Grand Rapids for a concert at KAXE's Amphitheater under the Rotary Tent. Very seldom does KAXE bring back the same musicians two years in a row...but Danny Schmidt is brilliant - quite possibly one the country's best singer songwriters.

More info:
http://www.dannyschmidt.com/
http://www.KAXE.org

Goodbye, Again

by Maddi Frick

And it is time to say goodbye once more. And once again I must express my gratitude for the wonderful time I’ve had at KAXE. From always being fed to enjoying concerts at sunset to getting a prime view of the construction across the road to knowing about every public event in the area, KAXE has shown me so much hospitality and welcomed me with open arms.

I think the most peaceful day I had this summer was when I got my lunch to go from Brewed, drove back to the station, only to discover Sam Miltich and the Clearwater Hot Club playing music under the tent for children from the library. The sun was shining down as I ate the most delicious turkey sandwich and listened to the most happy music.

I’m off to fly across the pond and spend four months gallivanting about Europe. I’ll be studying at the University College Dublin in Ireland and hopefully DJing at Belfield FM, the college radio station. I caved in to the cliché of creating a

blog for my adventures. If anyone would like to keep up with my travels, it’s frickabroadinireland.wordpress.com. I’m also a Facebook fiend, so you can always contact me through that if need be.

The last few days of summer for me will consist of shoving one more pair of socks into my suitcase, agonizing over what reading material to bring on the plane and trying to soak up any last rays of Minnesota sun I possibly can before going to the land of perpetual rain.

Thank you, adieu.

What's New on KAXE

Land of Talk "Cloak and Cipher"
Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs "God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise"
The Weepies "Be My Thrill"
Bill Kirchen "Word to the Wise"
Michael Franti & Spearhead "The Sound of Sunshine"
Fitz & the Tantrums "Pickin' Up the Pieces"
The Blues Shadows "On the Floor of Heaven"
Jessie Baker "Yessir"
Read more on the Currents Playlist...

The Iron Range in the 1930s, The Pillsbury Dough Boy, and Split Rock Lighthouse in 90 Seconds

Monday, August 30, KAXE begins a new series, "MN 90", a daily 90 second feature about Minnesota history. You can hear the programs weekdays at 6:05am and at 6pm. They are produced by KAXE, the other 11 other community radio stations that make up AMPERS, and the Minnesota Historical Society. The first programs cover the hardship of unemployment on the Iron Range during the 1930s, the history of Split Rock Lighthouse on the North Shore, and the creation of the Pillsbury Doughboy, and legendary racehorse, Dan Patch.

Learning Ojibwe: Chi

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

Chi: Great
Listen

"Chi" is an abbreviation of "gichi", as in Gichi-manidoo or Great Spirit; and Gichi-gami - Great Water or Great Lake, the Anishinaabe name for Lake Superior.

Video: Pruning Roses with Bonnie the Plant Lady

Here's a video with Bonnie the Plant Lady about how to prune a rose so it blooms more. Every last Thursday of the month, she joins Linda Johnson on the 91.7 KAXE Morning Show to talk about gardens and gardening from 8a-9a, streaming at http://www.kaxe.org. They take questions from listeners and share tips and information for gardeners.

Mark Olson of The Jayhawks Closing the Tent

On Monday, September 13th, KAXE is very excited to welcome MN music legend Mark Olson to KAXE for our 2nd Annual Closing the Tent Event, under the Rotary Tent at KAXE’s Amphitheater in Grand Rapids starting at 7pm.

Mark Olson was founding member and principle songwriter with The Jayhawks, the most acclaimed band to emerge out of the alt-country scene in the 90’s, and you can still hear their impact and influence in music today.

Inspired by the daily struggles that everyday people face in their lives, Mark Olson’s music is both timely and timeless. He’ll be accompanied by world-musician Inguun Ringvold on harmonies and percussion.

That’s MN music legend Mark Olson of The Jayhawks live under the Rotary Tent at KAXE’s Amphitheater on the north bank of the Mississippi River in Grand Rapids on Monday, September 13th starting at 7pm for our 2nd Annual Closing the Tent Event. Tickets are $20, and KAXE members get a $10 discount.

Feel free to bring your own chairs and coolers. Call 218-326-1234 to reserve your seats and check out, or order your tickets here:

Visa/MC-
General Admission:

Members:

Youth (ages 13-19):

PayPal-

Select Ticket Type:

General Admission $20.00 KAXE Members $10.00 Youth (13-19) $5.00

K-WARE!

by Maddi Frick

Get your K-Ware, read all about it, new K-Gear for your non-radio endeavors!

Visit the KAXE K-Ware page to look at all our stuff representing the station. We are currently featuring the KAXE pint glass. Excellent for drinks, marbles, or straws, these crystal clear glasses can fulfill many of your container needs. From personal experience, these glasses make any home-made smoothie with local berries an even more delectable refreshment adventure.

Our clothing feature is currently the pale robin’s egg blue long-sleeve tee. With our logo printed in white on the front, you’re sure to turn heads when you wear this stunning shirt.

Also available are assorted sweatshirts and t-shirts, the purple tee, Bill Miller CDs, KAXE and KBXE bumper stickers, and temporary tattoos!

Drop by the station to fill your next birthday-present need or to replenish your closet. Or call us at (218) 326-1234.

This year's change in deer hunting regulations

by Heidi Holtan

This morning I talked with Perry Loeggering on The Morning Show. He's an Area Wildlife Manager for the DNR.

Perry talked about the significant changes in deer regulations this year and the new boundaries for permit areas.

Perry had this to say,

"Some years we can't have as liberal of a season as we'd like. There's a change in boundaries to better match the land use. It's also that some of these areas - especially in the forested areas - we're reaching our goal of deer numbers and so we're ramping down the harvest level. We're going from a situation where anyone can buy a license and hunt either sex to having to apply for a lottery to get an antlerless permit (for over 18 year old firearm and muzzleloader hunters).

A lot of these areas - like up in Marcell - have been open to either sex deer hunting for about 7 or 8 years - and now we've got a lottery. Hunters need to take a look at regulations to see where they hunt to see if they are in a managed area. If you buy just a standard firearms license you can hunt across these lines and you can always hunt for a buck deer anywhere in the state."

You can pick up a regulation guide when you buy a license or see the regulations here.

Video: Eilen Jewell at the Mississippi River Festival

Eilen Jewell and her band put on an excellent show - this is one of the slower tunes, 'Boundary County,' which is the title track from her debut CD. Driving all the way from Massachusets to perform on the North bank of the Mississippi River, they are leading a new generation of roots music, part of her music is instantly recognizable, the other part is instantly fresh and innovative.

The 6th Annual 91.7 KAXE Mississippi River Festival was on July 17th, 2010 featuring Pelican Railroad from Bemidji, Steve Kaul and the Brass Kings, Keri Noble, Eilen Jewell and Willie Murphy.

It was a great festival that also included local, handmade art/items from KAXE members.

Though it was looming from time to time, we only got some scattered sprinkles (all the worst weather drifted towards Brainerd).

More info:
http://www.kaxe.org
http://www.pelicanrailroad.com/
http://www.myspace.com/brasskings
http://www.kerinoble.com/
http://www.eilenjewell.com/
http://www.williemurphy.net/

Centerstage MN is Flung Wide Open

by Doug MacRostie

Some artists "own" a style. They eat sleep and breath it. Their entire career is dedicated to it. That's cool and all, but it didn't work for Deb Harley, a singer-songwriter from Eden Prairie. Her new CD, "Flung Wide Open," broke the mold of her previous work and brings many different styles into the mix. "I decided to give myself the freedom to touch on any genre because I love them all," she told me, and it rings very true on this new CD. It's upbeat contemporary folk music with more than a twist of blues, country and swing, and she'll be joining me in-studio this week on Centerstage MN to talk about it.

"I felt completely open to everything," Deb went on to say, "I felt like this is it, this is how I want to stay: open." She will also have her guitar along to perform some live music during our conversation. While a lot of writers are drawn to sad and morose topics, "Flung Wide Open" is pleasantly positive with occasional giggles. Deb said, "I want to write music that promotes healing and hope."

Inspired by Deb's flung wide open attitude, Centerstage MN covers a lot of sonic ground this week. We'll hear some classic Bob Dylan, MN blues man Big Walter Smith, the "new-grass" of Trampled by Turtles, the rock of Paul Westerberg and the acoustic work of Bill Bulinski...and more!

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 and can be heard again Sunday mornings at 6. All interviews are archived at www.KAXE.org. Centerstage MN is also heard on KSRQ in Thief River Falls, and on KMSU in Mankato. Sometimes heard on KFAI in Minneapolis & St. Paul and WTIP in Grand Marais. Often featured on MNartists.org.

What's New on KAXE

Tribute to Shel Silverstein "Twistable Turnable Man"
Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan "Hawk"
Indigenous "The Acoustic Sessions"
Ra Ra Riot "The Orchard"
James "The Morning After the Night Before"
Pacifika "Supermagique"
Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band "Legacy"
Eels "Tomorrow Morning"
Read more on the Currents Playlist...

The Truth According to Janiva Magness

by Doug MacRostie

Janiva Magness is one of the premiere Blues and R&B performers in the world today. She has a rich and soulful voice that can take an audience from deep sorrow to overwhelming joy. The story of her life is one of extremes and hardships. In her teens, both of her parents committed suicide and she bounced from foster home to foster home around the Twin Cities. She was the kind of "at risk" youth that typically doesn't survive. As she describes it, that was the Fate she was born to. But, through the kindness of others she was able to discover her Destiny: music. She will be joining me on Centerstage MN to talk about her new CD "The Devil Is an Angel Too."

Janiva told me, "I really believe people deserve the truth. People work really hard for their money and if I'm going to expect them to spend money to see my performance or buy my CD, then I damn well better give them something worth spending on....My job is about human connection, and the gift, or vehicle is the music, but the stories are about human connection. In order to do my job I have to be able to tell the truth and bring myself to that story...if someone understands by the end of a song, or end of a show, that they're not alone in their experience - if I can accomplish a piece of that, then I've done my job. I feel like the world is full of mediocrity and people are B.S.ing out there, and on records there is a lot of B.S. out there, and I can't serve that...it's a glorious gift that this is my world and this is my job."

Beyond her internationally acclaimed music career, Janiva is proud to be a spokesperson for National Foster Care Month and Ambassador of Foster Care Alumni for Foster Care Alumni of America. "For me it's sort of 'paying it forward,' by talking about the early part of my life, it turns out that it helps other people that are still in the struggle, that are still in that part of their journey - and I want to serve that, I want to serve that. It's so amazing." And so is she.

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 and can be heard again Sunday mornings at 6. All interviews are archived at www.KAXE.org. Centerstage MN is also heard on KSRQ in Thief River Falls, and on KMSU in Mankato. Sometimes heard on KFAI in Minneapolis & St. Paul and WTIP in Grand Marais. Often featured on MNartists.org.

Hockey, Journalism & All That Rubbish!

by Heidi Holtan

This week on Realgoodwords Bryan Gruley is back with his sequel to "Starvation Lake"....it's called "The Hanging Tree". Gus Carpenter is at the center - and this time he is trying to figure out why exactly his cousin Gracie was found hanging in a shoe tree.

I've never SEEN a shoe tree in real life, but I've heard about them. Roadside America calls them the greatest embodiment of the American Spirit you can find on the highway. Hmm. Really?

Gruley's "The Hanging Tree" just begins with this bit of great American spirit.... but what follows is a fascinating look at the passion of a Michigan hockey town and the complexities of journalism in a small town. Bruce DeSilva of the Associated Press says it’s “an exceptionally well-written novel by an author who has mastered the conventions of his genre.”

Also this week I talk with the British bestselling author Harriet Evans. Her new novel is called "I Remember You" and it's what some people might call "chick-lit" but what I call a mini-vacation. In our conversation this week, Harriet and I talked about how books in this genre can be overlooked because of quaint covers or because they aren't written by men. "I Remember You" has been called "A fabulous feel-good love story of friendship lost and love regained’ by Woman and Home.

Speaking of Realgoodwords, a couple of times during our conversation Harriet used the word "rubbish". I think I may have found my new favorite word! It's useful in so many ways!

Don't have time to read? RUBBISH?

What do you have to take out when you get home? RUBBISH!

Can't remember if you renewed your membership to KAXE? RUBBISH!

There's no rubbish this week on Realgoodwords.

What's New on KAXE

Jon Langford & Skull Orchard "Old Devils"
Charlie Musselwhite "The Well"
Mike and Ruthie "Million to One"
JJ Grey and Mofro "Georgia Warehouse"
Miggs "Wide Awake and Naked"
Strange Rebel Frequency "Our Refining Days"
The Starlings "Bright Light"
Defibulators "Corn Money"
Read more on the Currents Playlist...

Learning Ojibwe: Boozhoo

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

Boozhoo: Hello; Greetings


Listen

Video: Keri Noble with "When It Don't Come Easy"

Keri Noble performing 'When It Don't Come Easy' - which we've heard from a good source is the title track to her forthcoming release! Her music falls into the pop category, but her vocals definitely have that soulful edge.

The 6th Annual 91.7 KAXE Mississippi River Festival was on July 17th, 2010 featuring Pelican Railroad from Bemidji, Steve Kaul and the Brass Kings, Keri Noble, Eilen Jewell and Willie Murphy.

It was a great festival that also included local, handmade art/items from KAXE members.

Though it was looming from time to time, we only got some scattered sprinkles (all the worst weather drifted towards Brainerd).

More info:
http://www.kaxe.org
http://www.pelicanrailroad.com/
http://www.myspace.com/brasskings
http://www.kerinoble.com/
http://www.eilenjewell.com/
http://www.williemurphy.net/

Road Trips by KAXE member Karen K.

This week on Between You and Me we talk about ROAD TRIPS.

KAXE member Karen Karls sent us a story of HER memorable road trip...

I offer a 1999 trip across part of Wadi Hadramat (Osama bin Ladin’s ancestral home although this was ore 9/11 so that was not an issue then) in Yemen. Doesn’t that catch your ears?

My first trip to Yemen was in 1979 when my friends Al and Marguerite were living in Sana while he was the American Army Military Attache at the American Embassy. Their children Edward and Andrea were 8 and 6. I always wanted to return.

Fast forward to 1999. Edward, now an adult and married to Sabrina, both of them working for an NGO, Amideast, and residents of Sana. Al, Marguerite, and Andrea plan a trip to Yemen and ask if I want to join them; my answer is an immediate YES! I didn’t ask any questions or have any reservations. Hyper-vigilant Al would never have considered the trip for his family if there were serious dangers although there were the usual health concerns as well as local kidnappings. The kidnappings of foreigners were not for money but rather used as bargaining tools with the central government. As the trip plans unfolded, one area was avoided because there had been recent nappings there.

Now to the actual road trip...

We’d flown from Sana, the capital city, to Makalla on the Indian Ocean and then prepared to set off to Sayun via Wadi Doan and Wadi Hadhrmaw since Edward had always wanted to see this desolate part of Yemen. The end of the trip was to be a three-day stay at Al-Hawta Palace, a former sultan’s palace, now resort. We begin the day early on a paved road which quickly becomes unpaved. We are required to travel with a Tourist Policeman as protection against danger. There are 8 Americans with 2 Yemeni drivers, our guard, our stuff in 2 Land Rovers. Toyota could use Yemen to support the durability of the vehicle since they are everywhere in various ages and conditions. Al, Marguerite, Andrea, and I are in one vehicle with a driver and our guard. There is no third seat so the guard rides in the back, seated on a box, with his Kalishnikov rifle across his lap. He has no English; I had no Arabic, other than Shukran which is “thank you.” Al speaks fluent Arabic but he is in the front seat chatting with the driver.

The Hadramat is desert, not sand dune desert but hardpan. Endless miles of mostly nothing--a few scrub bushes, ridges, and valleys with an occasional oasis. Some of the ridges and valleys or wadis are huge, impressive, and beautiful, a bit like the Grand Canyon. There is a road, of sorts, with occasional small towns. We stop for water and snacks and continue on, sharing raspberry-cream sandwich cookies with our young guard who smiles and nods as we pass cookies back to him. He is slender and smooth-faced and does not appear menacing, not much of a threat to anyone.

At one point we were driving through a town and wound up on a dead-end street. Did I mention that the route was a bit vague? As the driver backed up and paused to discuss the route the thought did cross my mind that if we were going to be snatched, this would be a good way for it to happen. No kidnappers appeared and we backtracked, found the other car, and continued on our way.

Somehow we lose the actual road, such as it was, and wound up bouncing along a dry river bed covered in even, round, white stones, worn smooth by the water when there was some. Al tried to tell us that it was an erosion-prevention project and the rocks had been hauled in from somewhere. Andrea and I are sure that it is a riverbed and we made a wrong turn. We are right and Al continues to be teased about the “rock road.” The bouncing and rattling lead to endless body aches. Finally we reach the Al Hawta Palace in Sayun. We are a bone-weary, dusty, hungry, exhausted group of pilgrims. The photo of us in the lobby is a sight to behold. I have never been dirtier; there was sand in my eyes, my hair felt matted together, and when I removed my shoes they were filled with sand.

The palace was truly an oasis of luxury with a seemingly endless supply of hot water, a true rarity in Yemen where power can be iffy and hot water heaters are small. There were little bars of soap, packets of shampoo, and towels. I felt like I needed two scrubs, the first to take of the main layer of grime, and a second to get down to pink skin. It was a bit embarrassing to realize that we left piles of dirt when we removed our clothes. Clean clothes, a warm meal, followed by a long sleep in cool sheets was truly a royal relief.

Centerstage MN Comes In Under Parr

by Doug MacRostie

This week on Centerstage MN we're going to hear a live concert by Charlie Parr with an opening set from Nikki and the RueMates. It was recorded at the 331 Club in NE Minneapolis, a long-time hotbed of MN music, by KFAI, our sister station in the Twin Cities.

Charlie Parr is an amazing musician who has been more referenced as an inspiration for northern MN musicians than anyone other than Bob Dylan. He has a very traditional and "dark" presentation of blues music along with traditional and original folk. From Duluth, Charlie has helped define the music scene in NE MN, along with bands like Trampled by Turtles, as very raw and authentic. We've had Charlie perform live on Centerstage MN before, and thanks to KFAI for this opportunity to share another of his performances.

Nikki and the RueMates music has been played on Centerstage MN before, but we haven't been able to arrange getting them to perform in-studio, so it is very cool to have this opening set to enjoy before Charlie Parr. They are a 3 piece from Minneapolis ranging from acoustic blues to psychedelic folk.

Also, Maddi Frick will be talking with Troy Rogers about Bradfest, a memorial music festival, organized by the Friends of Brad Memorial Foundation, that will benefit young Minnesota musicians and honor the the life of Bradley E. Rozman featuring an eclectic mix of local and regional live music, entertainment, refreshments, a silent auction, and more.

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 and can be heard again Sunday mornings at 6. All interviews are archived at www.KAXE.org. Centerstage MN is also heard on KSRQ in Thief River Falls, and on KMSU in Mankato. Sometimes heard on KFAI in Minneapolis & St. Paul and WTIP in Grand Marais. Often featured on MNartists.org.

Learning Ojibwe: Bineshiinh

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

Bineshiinh: Bird(s)

In "Discovering The Little Brothers", nagamowin-bineshiinh, the songbird, looks for a mitig, tree, in which to build a nest. He has trouble because there is a shortage of mitoog, trees. . His friend, Waagosh, the fox, helps him, and along the way, nagamowin-bineshiinh meets other songbirds and animals including amik, the beaver, makwa, the bear, and name, the sturgeon.


Listen

Thoughts on Writing from James Lee Burke

by Heidi Holtan

I got a chance to talk with James Lee Burke this week. Yes! THAT James Lee Burke. I was a bit intimidated, but it turned out to be one of my favorite interviews, ever. He covered the gamut in his conversation with me - from living on a dirt road, oil companies, Louisiana, writing and the movie "Slap Shot". One of my favorite moments of the interview is where he can't stop laughing at himself. That uncontrollable laughing in church kind of laughing. If you don't get a chance to hear it tonight from 6-7pm on Realgoodwords, it'll be archived tomorrow here.

Here are some comments James Lee Burke had about his writing process:

I've always been fortunate - the story has always been with me. I never know where its going! I write sometimes in the middle of the night... I keep a notepad by my bed. Sometimes I get up about 4am and write.

Shakespeare said something I never forgot, he said, "All power lies in the world of dreams" and in one sonnet he said that illumination came to him not during his sleep. He said that at dawn he woke to darkness, but illuminosity waited for him the next night. And it was out of his dreams that he fashioned his greatest poetry.

I believe that's true of every artist. That a hand other than one's own has already fashioned a story. It's in the unconscious. And it's a matter of incrementally discovering it. Leonardo said that of his sculpture - he said he never carved the figure he released it from the stone.

James Lee Burke's latest Dave Robicheaux novel is "The Glass Rainbow".

What's New on KAXE

Robert Plant "Band of Joy"
Arcade Fire "The Suburbs"
The Black Crowes "Croweology"
Giving Tree Band "Great Possessions"
Anne McCue "Broken Promise Land"
Megan McCormick "Honest Words"
Amelia Curran "Hunter, Hunter"
Read more on the Currents Playlist...

What I Read On My Summer Vacation

by Maddi Frick

The books I have most enjoyed this summer, after The Picture of Dorian Gray, were two books by New York Times Bestselling author Gail Carriger, Soulless and Changeless. I read the first in under 24 hours, and then made my dad stop at the Village Bookstore to pick up the second, which I promptly finished in another 24 hours. And no, I didn’t finish them so quickly because they’re a quick read; I literally could not put them down.

Ms. Carriger’s novels follow Alexia Tarabotti, an unmarried, quick-witted, pragmatic lady living in Victorian England. She also has no soul. The novels are set in a world where werewolves and vampires have somewhat assimilated into high society, yet proper manners are still a must.

I wouldn’t call this series a derivative of the still-strong vampire/ supernatural craze sweeping the nation, although vampire popularity may have helped these novels become so popular so quickly. I sense no whiff of epic teenage “love-me-or-I-will-die” histrionics usually found in every book in the Young Adult book section in Target (I challenge you to find a book there without black on the cover or lurking vampires within its pages).

No, Ms. Carriger has succeeded in writing a more enjoyable novel of the supernatural, dabbling in humor, sci-fi steampunk, mystery and romance. Not only were the books delightful to read, so was Ms. Carriger to interview. We talked about her inspirations, personal rules and upcoming projects; the third in the series, Blameless, releases September 1st. Listen in this Wednesday at 6pm CT to Real Good Words to hear my interview with Gail Carriger.

BONUS- I have a tendency to make my own playlists for things and I made one for researching for this interview; here it is!

Wishing He Was Dead - The Like

100 Years From Now - Karen Elson

The Tale of Two Doves - A Whisper in the Night

Body And Soul - Billie Holiday

The Great Exchange - Thrice

Novocaine for the Soul - Eels

Vampires - Fastball

You’ve Changed - Sia

A Change Would Do You Good - Sheryl Crow

Werewolf - Cat Power

Oil Under Us: Time for Vigilance

by Scott Hall

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the recent million gallon spill from a ruptured pipeline in Michigan are reminders for us to keep the pressure on to prevent pipeline disasters here in northern Minnesota. We have at least six pipelines carrying crude oil and other oil byproducts from oil fields in northwest Canada across northern Minnesota. One of those pipeline routes is almost 60 years old. In the KAXE listening area the pipelines follow a route roughly parallel to U.S. Highway 2 between Clearbrook and Superior, Wisconsin.

Enbridge Energy owns and operates the pipelines. Enbridge is not an oil company, but a transportation company. Every day millions of gallons of crude oil flow under farm lands, bogs, lakes and streams here. Enbridge officials correctly point out that the pipelines carry this fuel more safely and cheaper than other modes of transportation.

The pipeline that ruptured in Michigan on July 26th is part of Enbridge's vast pipeline system. In a recent MinnPost article, Derek Wallbank reports on Enbridge's recent record of spills in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The oil spill in the Gulf revealed that the federal agency responsible for overseeing the safety of the offshore oil operations did not, to put it mildly, adequately oversee BP's operations.

Now we have to ask: is the agency responsible for overseeing Enbridge's operations, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), doing its job? MN 8th District Congressman, Jim Oberstar, chairs the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the House. He has scheduled a hearing on the Michigan oil spill and the safety of similar pipelines owned by Enbridge Inc., including nine in Minnesota. That hearing will be on Wednesday, September 15th.

Learning Ojibwe: Awesiinhyag

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

Awesiinhyag: Wild Animals

In "Discovering The Little Brothers" we learn many Ojibwe expressions for "Awesiinhyag", wild animals.


Listen

What do your pets eat?

On the first Friday of the month Dr. Michael Fox joins Heidi Holtan and John Bauer for a call-in segment about pets. Whether it's questions about food, behavior or a sweet story, Dr. Fox ALWAYS has something interesting to say!

If you have a question for Dr. Fox you can call in starting at 8:15 on Friday morning, or join the Facebook discussion of pets on KAXE's page. You can also email us or post your quetions here!

Pet food comes up quite often, and Dr. Fox has studied the pet food industry exclusively and usually mentions that you should be making homemade food for your animals. Why? Here's his reason:

Home-prepared foods for our animal companions, ideally with organic ingredients that were locally produced, are important because you then know what your animal is being fed if a food-related health problem such as an allergy to a particular ingredient or digestive upset were to arise. With most processed commercial pet foods containing all kinds of human food-industry by-products and ingredients considered unfit/unsafe for human consumption, many of questionable nutritional value after repeated processing, you just don’t know. Aside from coloring agents that may cause problems other than saliva-staining of animals’ faces, and paws, most commercial pet foods contain artificial preservatives like BHA that is linked with cancer of the bladder and stomach; BHT that may cause cancer of the bladder and thyroid gland; and Ethoxyquin, one of Monsanto’s many allegedly harmful products that renderers (meat and poultry processors) add to the fat/tallow that is put into pet foods to prevent rancidity. Ethoxyquin is a recognized hazardous chemical, a highly toxic pesticide. Most pet food manufacturers have recently phased out using BHA and BHT and now use ‘mixed tocopherols’ (a claimed source or form of vitamin E), citric acid, beta-carotene and Rosemary extract as preservatives.

Have you ever tried it? Here is his recipe for dog food. Click here for the cat food recipe!

Dr. Michael Fox's Homemade 'Natural'
Food for Dogs

2 cups uncooked whole grain rice (or barley, rolled oats, or pasta noodles)
Pinch of salt
1 T. vegetable oil (flax seed oil* or safflower oil) and 1T organic butter
1 T. wheat germ
1 T. cider vinegar
1 t. brewer's yeast
1 T calcium carbonate/citrate/ or lactate, or oyster shell or 3 Tums tablets
1 t. dried kelp
1 lb. lean hamburger, or ground lamb, mutton, or one whole chicken or half of a small turkey.
Combine all above ingredients. Add water to cover ingredients, simmer, stir, and add more water as needed until cooked. De-bone chicken parts and do not feed cooked bones since they can splinter and cause internal injury. The recipe should be thick to be molded into patties (add oat bran or rice or buckwheat flour to help thicken).Mix well into the stew while it is still very hot, a cup full of raw, grated carrots, sweet potato or yam. Serve 1 cup full of this recipe for a 30 lb. dog with the rest of his/her rations, and freeze the rest into patties and store in the freezer. Serve thawed, or frozen to gnaw on outdoors in hot weather.

For variation, you can use cottage cheese, plus well-cooked lentils, chick peas (garbanzo beans), lima beans or other pulses, or a dozen organic eggs as meat alternatives. Don’t forget, lightly cooked, or if organically certified, raw calf and beef liver, heart and kidneys are good sources of animal protein and other essential nutrients. All pet food ingredients, ideally, should be organically certified. (Note: some dogs are allergic or hypersensitive to some foods, especially soy, beef, eggs, wheat and dairy products.).

* Add flax seed oil after the cooked food has cooled down to room temperature.

*** Also give the dog a daily multi-vitamin and muti-mineral supplement, such as Pfizer’s Pet Tabs, or a good quality human ‘one –a day’ supplement equivalent, crushed up in the food, calculating one half of the human daily dose for a 50 lb dog.

For dogs under 30 lb, and for over-weight and less active dogs, use 1 cup of uncooked rice in the recipe.

--TRANSITION YOUR DOG GRADUALLY ONTO THIS NEW DIET---MIX INCREASING AMOUNTS OF YOUR DOG’S NEW FOOD WITH DECREASING AMOUNTS OF THE OLD FOOD OVER A 7-DAY PERIOD TO ENABLE ADAPTATION AND AVOID POSSIBLE DIGESTIVE UPSET.
IT IS ADVISABLE TO VARY THE BASIC INGREDIENTS TO PROVIDE VARIETY AND TO AVOID POSSIBLE NUTRITIONAL IMBALANCES, AND TO MONITOR THE ANIMAL'S BODY CONDITION SO AS TO AVOID EITHER OVER-FEEDING OR UNDER-FEEDING, BASED ON THE AVERAGE DOG CONSUMING ONE CUPFUL OF THE FOOD TWICE DAILY PER 30 POUNDS BODY WEIGHT.

--NOTE: DIFFERENT ANIMALS HAVE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT NUTRITIONAL NEEDS ACCORDING TO AGE, TEMPERAMENT, AMOUNT OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND HEALTH STATUS.

This recipe is safe for all puppies as well as for adult dogs unless they have a genetic predisposition for nutrient-related disease, or have a pre-existing medical condition such as pancreatic of kidney disease. In which case, consult with your veterinarian, and always remember to transition on to any new food gradually. Giving probiotics daily during such transition can be helpful. Normally, when healthy animals are fed a wholesome, balanced diet, they absorb what nutrients they need. An unbalanced, high-cereal content diet leads to unbalanced physiology, nutrient excesses and deficiencies leading to obesity and a host of health problems as documented in the book NOT FIT FOR A DOG; THE TRUTH ABOUT MANUFACTURED DOG & CAT FOOD.

I Feel the Burn... and it Feels Good

by Doug MacRostie

This Thursday night at 6pm on Centerstage MN I am very excited to welcome back The Brothers Burn Mountain. A very dynamic duo, their music is unique and identifiable instantly. They just put out their 3rd release "Partly in the Blue, The White" and it's another amazing journey of moving rhythms, burning vocals and an overall sense of freedom. "We have to move when we play - if my head isn't moving then I'm not playing," Jesse told me, and I think it's true when you listen too - even if you're not physically moving, you're mind is soaring across the universe.

The phrase, "I'm just a vessel" is used a lot when I ask artists about where their music comes from, and while the Brothers Burn Mountain never simply said that, I don't think it could be any more true for them. Their music is alive - it's a breathing force that you can feel. The music is all around them, in everything they see. They absorb it and appreciate it and it becomes a part of them that then flows out with no thought process or agenda - true musicians, true artists. Be sure to tune in and enjoy! They'll be playing throughout MN and WI over the next month, check out their tour schedule on their website.

We'll also hear a MN music reminiscence from Dan McKenzie, an 18 year old DJ from Lawrence Lake Township and his growing relationship with Prince from a young boy to today - more specifically, understanding the meaning and context of the lyrics (oh, the innocence of youth, lol).

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 and can be heard again Sunday mornings at 6. All interviews are archived at www.KAXE.org. Centerstage MN is also heard on KSRQ in Thief River Falls, and on KMSU in Mankato. Sometimes heard on KFAI in Minneapolis & St. Paul and WTIP in Grand Marais. Often featured on MNartists.org.

Amy Goodman on the Power of Community Media

Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now!, stopped by a session that Doug MacRostie and Heidi Holtan of 91.7 KAXE were presenting during the 2010 National Federation of Community Broadcasters conference in St. Paul.

This is our video of Martina Tran of NFCB getting a video asking Amy about the importance of local media. What do you think?

More info:
91.7 KAXE: http://www.kaxe.org
Democracy Now!: http://www.democracynow.org/
NFCB: http://www.nfcb.org/

What's New on KAXE

The Giving Tree Band "The Joke, The Threat & the Obvious"
Brian Wilson "Reimagines Gershwin"
Great Big Sea "Safe Upon the Shore"
These United States "What Lasts"
Angel Band "Bless My Soul"
Stevie Ray Vaughan "Couldn't Stand the Weather"
Los Lobos "Tin Can Trust"
Herbie Hanbcock "The Imagine Project"
Read more on the Currents Playlist...