Signal Fires - MUDSONG

Scott Jasmin

Raised on a warm, 70s analog sound rambling around Ventura Highways, Scott Jasmin offers a heartland mix of heartland, Americana with his originals and covers in venues around the region.

photo credit @thefervidmind

Lance Benson is a musician confident of his ability to capture audiences through the power of his written, sung and played words. A seasoned and honed singer songwriter with a refreshing outlook on life lived and dreams acted on. A sound stemmed from life experiences along with roots, rhythm and blues. Dancing multiple capos across the neck of the guitar and blending honest, soulful lyrics. The connection between a song and his audience built organically from thousands of miles of touring. He is a Minnesota folkie singer songwriter that is as good as they come.

photo credit @photographybynikkilee

Karen's Cabin

Karen's Cabin is a modern folk band from Bemidji, MN. NikkiLee Nolden and Lisa Mattson harmonize heart-wrenching originals along with a wide variety of y’alternative style covers, ranging from classic folk tunes to 80s pop hits. The band is currently working on writing and recording their debut album, and has been performing together since 2022 at regional events like the Watermark Arts Festival and as an opener for Monroe Crossing at Bemidji’s historic Chief Theater.

Racheal Ianiro

Rachael is a rising country and Americana singer/songwriter from the Detroit Lakes area.

Acoustofiddle

Funky Folk, Punky Polka, Cool Celtic, Caffeinated Classical, Grassy Blues, and Gypsy Jazz

The Oxbows

Bemidji's string band, slinging fiddle tunes, folk songs and more.

Mamma Wags & Boomer

Mamma Wags & Boomer, aka Kathy Wagner and Larry Kimball, met through Kathy’s son Charley Wagner, where Kathy joined Charley and Larry busking around Walker MN. That musical seed bloomed into MW&B when they got together to work on Kathy’s vocal rehabilitation following surgery, sharing music they lived and loved over the decades.

Forgetting lyrics since 1969, these two play music from the 70s. (not the decade, that’s just how old they are!) Medically cleared to play tempos up to and including 160 bpm, Mamma Wags sings to Boomer’s acoustic guitar accompaniment and harmony. Hailing from Longville and Walker, these two greatly appreciate every day they can share music and good vibrations!

Liam Larson

Playing a mix of folk, rock and blues, and soloing on his harmonica the night through.

Caleigh

Caleigh (k-lee) is a Minnesota band whose sound is earthy and eclectic. The Northern Minnesota trio presents a fusion of world folk, celtic, bluegrass, American Old-Time, original compositions, and folk music. Caleigh has shared their twenty-nine year musical journey with audiences throughout Minnesota and fans worldwide via the Internet. The band has released five albums on the Lily Label. Graced with harp, fiddle, bodhran, banjo, accordion, guitars, mandolin, congas, viola, contra bass, and captivating vocals, Caleigh’s music will inspire the imagination of listeners as they travel through a time-honored musical experience.

Bemidji Bogtrotters

The Bemidji Bog Trotters put their twist on folk music from around the world, proving that accordion and guitar can peacefully coexist! Jeff Anderson (Accordion) and Jay Forney (Guitar) began playing together after meeting and discovering a shared interest in Celtic music at a Monroe Crossing Concert in 2015. Since then, they have evolved, adding to their repertoire a variety of ethnic folk music including Tex-Mex, Cajun/Zydeco, Scandinavian, and Klezmer. Come and hear them for a foot-tapping good time. Who knows, you might even have an uncontrollable need to get up and dance!

About...

On any given weekend in glades and glens carved into stands of pines, upon a nearby shore, someone is singing. Often from the heart. Usually accompanied by some virtuosic twizzle of a bandmate's guitar, fiddle, keyboard, or loop station. Many times, people are listening, singing along, shimmying their shoulders and letting their hips declaratively wiggle while their feet can't help but tap.

A few years ago, I learned music as we know it is only possible here on Earth. Music, as it soundtracks our moments of days, like water, is a sign of planetary life. It only happens here, on this Pale Blue Dot. What we hear each weekend in our bars, restaurants, and concert halls isn't possible in The Big Quiet beyond Earth's atmosphere.

Since knowing this fact, I haven't been able to unknow it.

This website is an attempt to link the Signal Fires of live music, of life, that buzz, hum, and wiggle the strings weaving us together in community in these Northwoods. If you need a place to listen to music, or an artist to listen to, hopefully you'll find something here to celebrate what it means being Earthlings with your neighbors.

Take care,

Mary O.

P.S. If you are one of these venues or artists and want to update your info, drop me a line. If you want to be added, also drop me a line.

Why not just stay informed via Instagram or Facebook?

Those systems are designed to monetize our personal connections. I’m hoping you’ll join me, in a quiet act of resistance, in the email space to preserve a more authentic, intentional connection that compose our community of music lovers. The connections we share when we melt our faces, close our eyes, or raise our hands high as grateful listeners.