Rochester Rundown

Meet Rhonda Thompson, a former Mayo Clinic nurse who ended up at Rochester’s Boys and Girls Club nearly 20 years ago. The connections she has made with kids have lasted far past the day when a child leaves the Club. Rhonda said her Facebook feed is littered with stories from past Club members who have gone on to lead their lives, in Rochester and elsewhere. It’s easy to see the impact Rhonda has on these kids — a sweet, knowledgeable woman imparting her wisdom and kindness on the next generation is something to be celebrated. But this relationship is more symbiotic than you’d think. Reporter Isaac Jahns has the story in this week’s episode of the Rochester Rundown.

Cold Sweat & Tabby @ Thesis Beer Project

Fargo’s Cold Sweat, a DJ and MC with a penchant for interesting beats is coming to town. Supporting him is Tabby, a Minneapolis rapper with roots in Winona and one of my favorite discographies from any local artist. This show is 21+, but if you’ve got the horizontal ID, you can get in for free.

Dr. Seuss Birthday Bash

I remember being a kid at Bamber Valley Elementary, getting served green eggs and ham for Dr. Seuss’s birthday — maybe your school did that, too. If you’ve aged out of the lunch line but still want to celebrate the children’s icon, head to Kathy’s Pub on Leap Day, this Saturday, for their annual Dr. Seuss birthday bash. It’s a genre-bending party on the second floor, going till closing time, but starting at 9 p.m.

Dessa w/ MONAKR & Topo + the Chemist

Dessa’s bringing her unique and fresh blend of hip-hop and singer-songwriter music to the Castle Saturday night, with special guests MONAKR and Topo and the Chemist. This show is gonna be crazy… and the people of Rochester noticed. This show has been sold out for nearly the entire month of February. 

We’ve got a little workaround for that, though. Through Med City Beat’s partnership with My Town My Music, we’re giving away two tickets to our members. If you’re already a member and want to go, great! You’ve got a shot. If not, head to our website and sign up ASAP — winners will be announced in our weekly member newsletter, which comes out not long after this podcast does. Better hustle.

🎙️ You can follow future installments of the Rochester Rundown on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, or here on the site. 🙏 We thank our members for their support of the program.

It’s been incredibly interesting to watch Rochester’s music scene grow over the past few years. Options for shows were pretty limited, especially for younger music fans, when I first poked my head around the music scene in 2014. Fast forward to now, and there’s a genuine venue ladder and scores of bands across all genres, giving even the casual music fan options on a nightly basis. 

We’ve seen artists look around this scene and rise to prominence. I think of Vansire, who played a smattering of shows around 2016 and ‘17 before blowing up on Spotify and touring nationally.

Not every band can do that, but there’s going to be some groups and solo acts that will rise to a new level in 2020.

That’s why — for this list specifically — I wanted to see the possibility of upward mobility, combining a genuine talent with the promise that they hadn’t hit their “ceiling” yet. The best has to be yet to come, but they already had to be pretty good. Plans for new music in 2020 or an increased focus on live music in 2020 was a major part of this, too.

Photo courtesy Local Sports

Also, I wanted a distinct Rochester focus from each artist. You didn’t necessarily have to be from Rochester, but it was almost a requirement to be based in Rochester. 

Lastly, I wanted a co-sign of some sort — whether it came from friends, fellow musicians, or standard-bearers of the Rochester scene. I got a lot of great information from Zach Zurn of Carpet Booth Studios, and asked around all week for people’s thoughts.

So, with all of that said, don’t think of this as an exhaustive guide, but more of a primer for the great summer of music to come.

These are my picks for five artists to watch in 2020.

Big Turn Music Festival: Friday & Saturday, Red Wing

This one is in nearby Red Wing — about a 45 minute drive from here — but we included it due to the large number of local artists who will be out there this weekend representing Rochester. The lineup includes Theocles, VILD, Pat Egan, Author, Under the Pavilion, Push and Turn, Luke Hendrickson, Amateur, Twin Lakes, Fires of Denmark, Loud Mouth Brass, My Grandma’s Cardigan, and Sterling and the Silver Lining — and that’s not even all of the Rochester artists set to perform at Big Turn. Check the festival’s website or your favorite band’s social media for details on where and when they’ll be playing.

A Chair Affair

So, with so many Rochester musicians in Red Wing, what’s happening in town? Just a local staple for decades — this Saturday is A Chair Affair, the annual fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club of Rochester. The dinner menu is locally sourced this year, and as always, there’s a live auction of several eccentrically designed chairs. Stick around for the after party, too — but before going to the Hilton, be sure you have your tickets.

Taco JED acoustic shows

Finally, we’ve got our eyes on a couple shows at Taco JED this weekend. On Friday, check out singer-songwriter Michael Gay, of the Americana band Almighty American. You may have seen his band at Down by the Riverside last year, in an opening slot. One day later, check out acoustic artist Nancy Tobiason-Kramer with her genre-fluid bend of covers and originals. Both shows start at 7 p.m.

🎙️ You can follow future installments of the Rochester Rundown on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, or here on the site. 🙏 We thank our members for their support of the program.

Cover photo: My Grandma's Cardigan at the Castle / credit: William Forsman

If you have been following the headlines in recent weeks, you know the Rochester Civic Theatre is in a bind, and has been for quite some time.

Newly-disclosed financial documents show the Civic Theatre was bleeding money under the leadership of former director Kevin Miller, who abruptly resigned in late January.

Among the most troubling details: Payroll checks bouncing; utility bills going unpaid; and board members putting up personal loans to keep the theater from sinking.

Those are among the findings included in a draft from the Outside Agency Oversight Committee, which met this week to discuss the theater’s future.

The work of the committee, made up of three city council members, helped bring the theater’s dire financial situation into the public view. They are now tasked with forwarding recommendations to the rest of the council on how best to move forward.

To understand more about how we got to this point, plus what it means for the future of the theater, we brought in Med City Beat editor Sean Baker for this week’s episode of the Rochester Rundown.

Luke Hendrickson @ the Castle

In the Castle this Saturday night, it’s local country artist Luke Hendrickson, headlining a show to celebrate the release of his album One Night at the Crystal Lounge. Hendrickson is a native of southern Minnesota and recorded this record at Carpet Booth Studios right here in Rochester. Special guests Tate McLane and Becky Schlegel round out the lineup. Music starts at 7 p.m. in Les Fields Hall.

Annie Mack @ Forager Brewery

Also on Saturday, Forager Brewery welcomes Rochester’s blues & soul standard-bearer Annie Mack for an acoustic night of soulful tunes. Her voice is a voice that you NEED to hear if you haven’t yet. It’s a free show, and it runs from 8-11 p.m.

Free admission + last day for the Children’s Museum

We previously reported on the Rochester Children’s Museum’s imminent move to Apache Mall (with a new name, “Spark”) … but Sunday is their last day in their current space at River Center Plaza, just off North Broadway near Silver Lake. The museum is offering free admission all day as a thank-you for eight successful years in their old digs. Bring the whole family out, because the museum won’t open in the mall until the summer.

🎙️ You can follow future installments of the Rochester Rundown on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, or here on the site. 🙏 We thank our members for their support of the program.

Riduan Hassan, a 22-year-old graduate of Mayo High School and current Rochester resident, heard the music of electronic dance music pioneer Skrillex for the first time in 2009. He says it made him dance like never before. It inspired him. In the decade since that day, Hassan has carved his own path in the genre, making him one of Rochester’s most famous music-makers — if only greater Rochester knew it was him behind the online curtain.

His ability is most evident on the song “Eternal Youth,” which came out on his YouTube page in 2016 and hit streaming services a year later. Something clicked with that song. It was featured on a friend’s YouTube channel, which helped signal-boost, and then things went crazy. Forty-five million plays on Spotify. Eight million plays on Soundcloud. One-point-five million views on his YouTube channel, and an extra 37 million on his friend’s channel.  Add it all up, and Eternal Youth’s been listened to over 91 million times — and that doesn’t even count the VIP cut he released later in 2016 or the countless other re-uploads on YouTube. It’s a ride he never saw coming.

Hear our extended interview with Hassan, who goes under the musical moniker RŮDE, in this week’s episode of the Rochester Rundown.

It’s the talk of the town, and for good reason — we’re midway through SocialICE. Head down to Peace Plaza 4-10 PM Friday and Saturday for music, specialty drinks from five local establishments, and of course, to check out the ice sculptures. If you’ve got little ones tagging along, shoot for SocialICE’s FAM JAM 1 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday for a more family-friendly experience.

If you’re up early Saturday morning, head to the Castle for the first birthday celebration for Collective Books and Records. Check out special and rare vinyl brought in exclusively for the party, a foosball tournament, book signings from local children’s book author Brandon Vreeman and Rochester’s first spoken word open mic. It’s all free and it starts at 9 AM.

Finally, Les Fields Hall will be bumping this Sunday afternoon when Loud Mouth Brass takes the stage as part of the Jazz in Les Fields Hall music series. You can’t go wrong by listening to live jazz music, so if you’re looking for a break from the snow, hit the third floor of the Castle from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Indie-rock band Author, which holds roots in Minneapolis and Rochester, is releasing their new track “Blur” this weekend. Bartlett brothers Cameron and Trevor are in Minneapolis, but bassist Zach Zurn lives in Rochester and operates Carpet Booth Studios — that’s where the song was recorded. It’s the band’s first release since their album Is It Far or Is It Close, which came out on the first day of 2018. “Blur” comes out on all streaming services when the clock strikes midnight on Saturday… give it a listen. They’re a group of three good dudes and I’m excited to hear more.

🎙️ You can follow future installments of the Rochester Rundown on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, or here on the site. 🙏 We thank our members for their support of the program.

Rochester Rundown, hosted by Med City Beat reporter Isaac Jahns, is now streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher! We thank you for a successful first week and present our second installment of the podcast.

Here’s a quick look at what’s inside this week’s edition of the Rundown.

Governor Tim Walz was in Rochester on Wednesday, speaking with members of the city’s African-American community. He was the latest in a series of high-profile guests on Barbershop Talk South Minnesota, a Rochester-based talk show broadcast entirely on Facebook Live.

The show is one of many programs under the umbrella of Barbershop and Social Services, the brainchild of Rev. Andre Crockett, which operates with “a passion for the at-risk minority and helping them overcome.”

Gov. Walz was in the barber chair for just over an hour, taking questions on racial inequities in the courtroom and the classroom. According to show host Donovan Bailey, Barbershop Talk is all about “keeping it real,” and Gov. Walz skipped the political pleasantries when talking about Minnesota’s achievement gap. His quotes, plus more from Bailey, are in the show.

It’s likely that you or most people you know have plans Sunday at 5:30 p.m., when the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers square off in Super Bowl LIV. With most people’s calendars set for Sunday and a beautiful, mild weekend ahead of us, I wanted to focus on outdoor activities — and especially things happening Friday or Saturday. 

History Center Winterfest

After sixteen years of winter fun, Rochester’s Winterfest is officially no more. That hasn’t stopped some places from continuing their events, most notably the History Center of Olmsted County. Stop by Saturday between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. for sleigh rides and tours of the Stoppel caves, which were dug out by the Stoppel brothers, German immigrants to Rochester in the 1850s. They rode out a Minnesotan winter in those caves — could you?

Ski by Candlelight @ Quarry Hill

Normally, getting out on the ski trails is strictly a daytime activity — without the sun, what’re you gonna do? Quarry Hill Nature Center flipped the script for Saturday, as they occasionally do through the winter, by lining their cross-country ski trails with candles. This event is recommended for experienced skiers, and rentals at the Nature Center are limited — so if you’ve got your own, bring your own.

Castle Catapult

The one-year anniversary party for The Castle features interactive exhibits, live music from a jazz band and a DJ, an artist market, a live auction, and more. Make your way to the former senior center and Armory building starting at 6 p.m. Friday. Tickets available on The Castle’s website.

This folk record has Rochester all over it: it’s written by two Rochester residents, recorded at Carpet Booth Studios in Rochester, and features a who’s who of Rochester-based studio musicians, like Charlie Burket, Wyatt Moran, and Zach Zurn. Soul Crossing is on Spotify, Apple Music, and wherever you get your music. We featured “Morning Child” on the podcast.

🎙️ We have a big show set for next week, with lots of music coverage headed your way, plus a preview of SocialICE. Follow the Rundown on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here on the site. 🙏 We thank our members for their support of the program.

Welcome to the Rochester Rundown, a new podcast from Med City Beat featuring in-depth interviews, news briefs, and our picks of the best upcoming events in the area.

Dr. Halena Gazelka

For our inaugural episode, editor Sean Baker joins reporter Isaac Jahns for a conversation on how Mayo Clinic is responding to the nationwide opioid crisis.

Sean’s reporting on the subject includes an interview with Dr. Halena Gazelka, chair of the Mayo Clinic Enterprise Opioid Stewardship Program. Dr. Gazelka says new guidelines are helping curb the number of opioids being prescribed at Mayo — in some cases by over 50 percent. By her estimation, that means about 1 million fewer pills are making their way to the streets of Rochester each year. That represents a significant step forward, considering that in 2017, the most recent year in which government statistics are available, 422 Minnesotans lost their lives due to an opioid overdose.

🎙️ Be sure to look for future episodes of the Rochester Rundown on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other streaming services. 🙏 We thank our members for providing us the support to invest in new projects such as this.