The Roadhouse

Buck & Bob welcomed The Brothers Burn Mountain (Ryan & Jesse Dermody) to Studio A Dec. 14. The Brothers play original Americana and bluegrass, with poetic lyrics, on guitar and drums. They were in town for two performances at the Gun Flint Tavern.

Buck visited recently with award-winning environmental & adventure travel journalist Conor Mihell, on his new book, "The Greatest Lake: Stories from Lake Superior's North Shore." They talked about the Canadian north shore, what it's like to be a wilderness guide, environmental threats to the Big Lake, and much more.

Bob spoke with Prof. Shmuel Lissek of the U of MN department of psychology Dec. 14. Lissek's specialty is the science of fear. They talked about how and why humans react to imagined fearful situations the same as to real ones, and what happens in our bodies and minds when we're afraid. 

Bob was joined by former Pioneer Press outdoors writer (and current communications director for the MN DNR) Chris Niskanen Dec. 7 to talk about his new book, "The Minnesota Book of Skills: Your Guide to Smoking Whitefish, Sauna Etiquette, Tick Extraction and More." Those and dozens of other uniquely Minnesotan skills are covered in this 'playful yet practical' how-to guide.

Mark Dimunation, chief of the Library of Congress' rare book & special collection division, joined Bob recently to discuss "Books That Shaped America." Learn how and why the list of 88 books were chosen, and how they affected our history. You can view the entire list here.

Ann Possis chatted Dec. 7 with Prof. John Watkins, professor of English at the U of MN, who specializes in sovereignty, queenship, and British history. Learn about the royal family, how succession to the British throne works, and changes in British law that will allow a girl baby equal chance to become the monarch. 

Local filmmaker Beau Larson and Lutsen 99er bike race director Adam Harju joined Bob Nov. 30 to talk about a new documentary film, "Breaking Trail," by Beau and filmmaker Carl Hansen, which looks at the history of Lutsen Mountains, biking in Cook County, and the third Lutsen 99er, coming up in June. The film premiered Dec. 1 at North House Folk School in Grand Marais.

Bob visited recently with former state legislator Tom Berg, author of "Minnesota's Miracle: Learning from the Government That Worked," about state politics in the 1970s and how significant changes and advances were made through hard work and compromise.

Ann Possis chatted Nov. 30 with Barry Kudrowitz, assistant professor of product design at the U of MN, just in time for the holiday toy season. Barry designs everything from word games to roller coasters, and he believes play is important at every age. You can see his cool inventions here.

Ann Possis visited Nov. 23 with polar adventurer, educator, guide, and former Cook County resident Eric Larsen about his upcoming adventure, Cycle South. Eric, the first person to reach both the North and South Poles and Mt. Everest in a single year, will start in mid-December to pedal from the edge of Antarctica to the South Pole on a fat tire bike. You can follow his adventures here. Outside Magazine has a great article about it, too.