Christine Dean

This St. Paul-based indie folk singer/songwriter is working on a new project set for release in 2019. He joined us in the studio on October 5 for a preview of his appearance the same night at Prøve Collective in Duluth.

John Mark Nelson

Prøve Collective

Live from Studio A on KUMD is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund

This Portland, Oregon-based band plays jam influenced bluegrass and features former Duluthian and Tin Can Gin member Harrison Olk. The band is preparing to release its second album, Chasing the Sun; they shared more about that project and played live when they joined us in the studio on September 28th. They performed later the same night at The Red Herring Lounge in Duluth.

Cascade Crescendo

Red Herring Lounge

This Michigan duo features Laurel Premo and Michael Beauchamp, whose close harmonies backed by spare acoustic instrumentation and blend of traditional tunes and original compositions create a distinctive folk sound. The pair, who play banjo, guitar, and fiddle, recently released their fourth studio album, Fall Away Blues. They joined us on September 27 and gave us a preview of their show at Amazing Grace Bakery in Duluth that same evening.

Red Tail Ring

Fred Eaglesmith has been writing and performing for nearly 40 years. The Ontario native's songs are engaging narratives that reflect his rural upbringing, his time spent hopping trains, his observations of ordinary folks, and his love for the spirit of '60s and '70s rock and roll. Although Eaglesmith has intentionally avoided the mainstream in his performing career, his songs have been covered by everyone from Toby Keith to Kasey Chambers, and he's traveled the world playing for his dedicated fans.

When the news of Aretha Franklin's death at the age of 76 was announced on August 16, 2018, KUMD's Chris Harwood posted on Facebook, "I am absolutely devastated. Losing Sharon Jones last year was like losing a music sister. Losing Aretha Franklin to me is like losing my music mother."

This acoustic singer/songwriter is back in her native Northern Minnesota after returning from 2 years in Northern Ireland. She released her debut album in 2016 and has a second in the works. We welcomed Nickolay to our studios on August 17, 2018.

Maria Nickolay

This local entertainer is known for his charismatic performances covering everyone from Elvis to the Rat Pack to the Everly Brothers. He's now channeled those influences into his own compositions for his first album, Out of the Blue, which he'll release on Sunday, August 19 at Clyde Iron in Duluth. We found out more about the album, why it was so long in the making, and heard some tunes when Eckart joined us in the studio with guitarist Jimi Cooper on August 16, 2018.

Todd Eckart

Max Mileski is a local audio engineer, producer, and musician who is known more for his work on others' projects than on his own.

This male/female folk-pop group recently released its second full-length album, From the Light. The upstate New York act dropped by our studios on July 30, 2018 to share some tunes and talk about the new album and their transition from a duo into a four-piece.

The Sea the Sea

This Minnesota acoustic trio recently released its second album, Like Kings. With an eclectic, folk-based sound that also brings in influences ranging from jazz to metal, they've toured nationally, including performances at SXSW for the past two years. They'll join us in the studio on Friday, August 3 at 2pm for a preview of their show later that night at Beaner's Central in Duluth.

Good Morning Bedlam 

Beaner's Central 

Christine Dean of KUMD had a chance to talk with Gary Louris of Minnesota band the Jayhawks on June 29, 2018. They discussed what it was like for the Jayhawks to work as the backing band for Ray Davies of the Kinks on two of his recent albums, Americana and Our Country. Louris also talked about the

Jayhawks' next release, Back Roads and Abandoned Motels, which features tunes he co-wrote with and for other bands as well as a couple of all-new songs.

New Power Generation (NPG) was Prince's backing band for many years. Members of that group reunited in 2017 and have been performing shows billed as Celebrating Prince. They'll be bringing that show to the Big Top Chautauqua on Saturday, July 7, and band members stopped by Studio A to chat with Christine Dean. Guitarist Levi Seacer, an original NPG member, keyboardist and musical director Morris Hayes, who worked with Prince on and off for 20 years, and the band's new, young vocalist MacKenzie, talked about working with Prince and the new project.

KUMD is pleased to announce the release of Live from Studio A Volume 1, a collection of 16 tracks recorded in our studios over the past several years.

Listen to our sessions with this young Duluth musician, known for his unvarnished solo folk performances, his fiddle playing at traditional dances, his occasional collaborations with Charlie Parr, and his work with local band Yester. He'll release his first full-length solo album of American folk songs at Amazing Grace on Saturday, June 23. He joined us on  June 19, 2018 to talk about the album and share some tunes.