The Roadhouse

Matthew Brown & Ann Possis welcomed Duluth singer-songwriters Bill & Kate Isles to Studio A Oct. 26. They were in town to play a fundraiser for the North Shore Music Association the following evening. Did you know they met via public radio?

Matthew Brown visited with diver Mark Wick Oct. 26 about the steamship America. His third cousin was first mate on the ship when it sank off Isle Royale after hitting a submerged reef; everyone aboard was saved. The wreck is a popular dive site today, as it is in fairly protected water, and the bow is just a few feet from the surface. Mark speaks at this year's Gales of November conference in Duluth, Nov. 2 & 3.

Ann Possis chatted with author Mary Casanova Oct. 26 about her newest book, "Frozen," from the U of MN Press. Set in the beautiful, wild area near Rainy Lake in the 1920s, it's a historical novel that tells the story of a determined young woman as well as a fascinating time in our past. You can watch a brief book trailer here.

Buck & Bob welcomed bluesman and finger-picker extraordinaire Gordon Thorne back to Studio A Oct. 19. Listen in for chat, laughter, and some really great train songs.

Buck spoke Oct. 19 with Dr. Elena Bodnar, founder and President of the Trauma Risk Management Research Institute in Chicago, about her invention, the Emergency Bra, which can be converted into two face masks without removing any clothing. Dr. Bodnar's experience as a young doctor with Chernobyl victims led her to create the EB, which won the 2009 IgNobel Award in Public Health. The Ig Nobels honor achievements that first make people laugh, then make them think.

Bob visited Oct. 19 with Steve Glischinski, author of "Minnesota Railroads: A Photographic History, 1940-2012," from the U of MN Press. They chatted about about rail service in Minnesota then and now, the future of rail transport, and the restoration of the historic St. Paul Depot to once again serve as a transportation hub. Steve is a correspondent for Trains Magazine; this is his sixth book about railroading.

Walt Meier, research scientist at the National Snow & Ice Data Center at the U of CO, Boulder, joined Buck Oct. 12 to help explain how it is that ice cover in Antarctica is growing, even as Arctic ice is melting and the planet is warming.

Otters are painting at the Great Lakes Aquarium! Bob chatted recently with Tara Lieberg, otter keeper at the aquarium in Duluth, about how the otters, Zhoosh & Anang, are making art with childrens' finger paints. Their paintings are for sale at the aquarium and online.

Mary Bue, Duluth singer/songwriter, visited Studio A with her keyboard to chat and play her original songs on WTIP for the first time. She was joined by local musician Bump Blomberg. Her new album is called "An Apple in the Ocean."

Bob visited Oct. 5 with musicians Keith Secola and Briand Morrison about an event to help restore George Morrison's painting, "Dawn and Sea," the artist's gift many years ago to the Cook County Schools. The painting is going on tour with the Minnesota Museum of American Art to museums across the country. Keith, who was inducted into the Native Music Hall of Fame in 2011, played a few songs and talked about his new album, "Life is Grand."