Scenic Route

The rockers from Sparta, MN return to Grand Marais for a New Years Eve bash, with a new album entitled Totem quickly following later in January. Will Moore talks to Rich Mattson about this and more on the Scenic Route.

Jon Wayne fronts the Minneapolis based band Jon Wayne & the Pain, which combines reggae with rock, dub, and electronic elements. He talks to Will Moore ahead of the group's appearance at SnowBall at Papa Charlie's, and talks about lyrical themes, moving to Thailand, and some unusual electronic instruments the band uses.

Christopher David Hanson is a musician and radio DJ from Ely, MN. Ahead of a performance with his band at the Wunderbar in Grand Marais, he stopped by WTIP for a solo acoustic live session. He shares his philosophy on songwriting with host Will Moore, and is joined by his pup Minnow. 

Local Acapella Swedish folk group SVEA hosted their second annual holiday show at the Art Colony in Grand Marais. Featuring a new lineup of (L to R in photo) Elunia Steckleberg, Erika Ternes, Tina Hegg, and Rose Arrowsmith-Decoux, they chat with Will Moore about Swedish traditions and stories behind their arrangements.

The Cuckoo Bees of Duluth are not your average musical trio. Their sound consists of vocals, guitar, bass...and xylophone. Guitarist Cory Coffman joins Will Moore by phone on the Scenic Route to talk about the band's debut album "Weeping Willow", their release show at Beaner's Central, and the story behind their interesting instrumentation.

Joshua Schmidt of Step Rockets returns to his roots in Cook County ahead of a weekend of shows at Lutsen Resort. He stops by WTIP to talk with Will Moore about new music from Step Rockets as well as new solo material. He shares some of these songs and even performs one live on the Scenic Route.

Colleen Myhre hails from Mahtowa, MN, and brings a strong, bluesy voice to venues across the Northland. She chats with Will Moore about her musical background, telling stories through songs, and what to expect from her upcoming third album. 

Local Cook County musicians Joe Paulik and Al Oikari are back to talk about their latest collaboration - a new album from Paulik produced by Oikari called "New Set of Eyes". Paulik details the stories behind several of the songs on the record, many of which were written decades ago, and how this collection of love songs came together and was recorded.

Richie Yurkovich and his wife Gabe are fixtures in the Wisconsin polka community with the group Polkarioty, playing all over the upper Midwest. They joined Will and Carl Solander on a special Oktoberfest Sidetracks. This session was recorded live on 9/28/18.

North Shore folky-tonk duo Pushing Chain return with a new album called "Sorrows Always Swim", their second full-length release featuring a dozen original songs recorded in Austin TX. Guitarist Boyd "Bump" Blomberg and fiddler Adam Moe join Will Moore to talk about what went into their latest record, and play the title track live on The Scenic Route.