Scenic Route

The Fish Heads are an accomplished Americana trio from Duluth playing a wide variety of original and classic folk and country songs. Comprised of Mike Monson, Kim Curtis-Monson and Paul Jones, all three of them are vocalists and multi-instrumentalists. 

Sky Blue is a longtime jazz ensemble in Cook County that's taken on many different iterations. The current group features Mike Debevec on piano, Karina Roth of vocals, Mike Roth on bass, Erik Hahn on saxophone, Thomas Stamps on drums, with Eric Anderson often joining on trombone. The group held a horn-focused concert in late May at Bethlehem Lutheran Church featuring Tom Pfotenhauer of Duluth on trumpet. Debevec, Anderson, and Pfotenhauer join host Will Moore to talk about current jazz, composition, horn playing, and more.

Twin Cities songwriter Chris Koza has a brand new album called Sleepwalkers, Part 1. He calls in to the Scenic Route with Will Moore to talk more about it, along with what it was like to sing the National Anthem at Allianz Field, an exciting new grant opportunity of his, and more ahead of a show at the Wunderbar with his full band.

Matthew Griswold is a songwriter and composer based out of the Twin Cities, originally from Austin, MN. An Army veteran, he has used music to help heal himself as well as other veterans going through depression and other life struggles. He plays his original songs live and talks with host Will Moore about his latest album Land of Our Last Chance, along with how he got his musical start in Nashville, writing for TV and film, playing at the VA Hospital, and much more.

Eli Bentley is a new resident of the Gunflint Trail who may already be familiar to some Cook County music lovers as the dobro player of Ginstrings, a Minneapolis-based bluegrass band who's been frequenting the Gunflint Tavern for many years. Starting a new chapter of his life to focus on songwriting, Bentley joins Will Moore live on the Scenic Route to perform some original songs on guitar, complete with powerful vocals.

Dick Kimmel is an acclaimed and accomplished bluegrass musician who's been active in the regional bluegrass scene for the past 50 years. A clawhammer banjo player,  he plays in a number of different musical duos. A former DNR official with a love of the outdoors, he writes songs expressing the power of nature and the importance of environmental issues at hand. He joins Will Moore by phone on the Scenic Route ahead of a few special shows up the Gunflint Trail.

Local fingerstyle guitarist Gordon Thorne and Twin Cities fiddler Randy Sabien once again prove to be a dynamic duo in this live session on Scenic Route ahead of the Fingerstyle Masters Weekend at Cascade Lodge.

Frogleg is a dynamic six-piece band known for versatile styles, long intricate jams, and smooth vocals from singer Joe Dunn. Ahead of Lutsen's Mountain Meltdown (which ironically was met with heavy snow), WTIP's Will Moore catches up with Dunn and lead guitarist Demetri Rallis at Caribou Highlands. They talk about songwriting, activities while touring,  their upcoming third album, and the connectedness of the Twin Cities jam scene.

Matt Pudas is the gritty-voiced singer of the White Iron Band, an energetic group formed in Ely, MN with rock, country, and folk influences. Calling from his new home in Georgia, he speaks with Will Moore on origins of the band, working as a roofer throughout the duration of playing music, and what led to the groups latest album being called "Homebrew".

Brotherless Arms is the duo format of Cook County band Brothers in Arms, featuring the twin guitars of Jim Miller and Drew Heinonen. They talk with Will Moore about songwriting, guitar-smithing, and more.