Signal Fires - MUDSONG

Tiny Town

Bemidji, MN cover band (Ethically Sourced and Free Range). Styles ranging from Pop 2 Folk 2 Jazz. Funk on demand. Soul by request.Listen to Tiny Town's take on classic soul in the clips below.

Bumps on a Log

Specializing in cover songs you forgot you loved, Bumps on a Log keeps the room bumping throughout the night. Some siblings traffic in blood harmony, these brothers traffic in blood rhythm and funk.

photo credit @thefervidmind

Teddy Arunski, a rock-n-roller to his core, has a double-life as both hard core, metal and acoustic. It’s one of the reasons Jethro Tull is one of his favorite bands, because of the expansive way they play the spectrum of all kinds of songs.

It’s a common experience at Teddy’s shows to see people singing along to songs they haven’t been able to jam out to in a while, and putting in special requests to celebrate the night with their friends.

Lance Benson

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.

Mississippi Hot Club - A gathering of Grand Rapidians

Ian Stenlund, the rhythm guitarist for the Mississippi Hot Club, cut his teeth as Sam Miltich's rhythm man back in their high school days. In fact, most of the band also grew up in Grand Rapids. Since then, he's been slinging swing and saunas in various ensembles in the Twin Cities. Listen in as he reflects on the pull of Hot Club style-jazz, the specialness of small town shows, and more.

House Parties of Local Bands

My mixed feelings about attending house parties never seem to prevent me from attending the highlight musical event of my September, a community hoe-down, hobo dinner inspired affair on a potato and blueberry farm in Longville.

On one hand, house parties with local bands are star-salted evenings of crickets, campfire, and community. You are guaranteed a conversation that will raise your hands to your heart because you know many of the souls gathered and value many of the same things, like dancing barefoot on the barn floor. You spend a string of moments of the evening in gratitude that you were so lucky to be here, while the kick drum and stand up bass sing through the wooden walls of the star-walled barn.

On the other the hand... house parties tend to be invite only, so not everyone, like each of you, could have your hearts opened in kind by the sights, sounds, and stars waiting there.

So for those of you unable to join us for this particular house party with a beloved string of local bands, here are some images of the peace & harmony unleashed that September night. Now that the season of summer music is at a close, maybe these will inspire you to host a house party with a local band of your own this fall. Any of the artists profiled on this site would *love* the chance to be the local band at your house party. Just surf them by the Genre tags on the sidebar menu.

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

Percussion Ensemble

Bemidji State's Percussion Ensemble. Performs near the end of each semester. Call the music office for current performance schedule: (218) 755-2934. Listen to their most recent feature interview on KAXE, northern community radio, here.

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.