Aura

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Rizz

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Simp

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Ick

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Aura 〰️ Rizz 〰️ Simp 〰️ Ick 〰️

**NOLA with friends. Technically Dec 27-30 2023, but who’s counting? What a time to travel. No Christmas closings, no New Years mobs. Idealistic. Best friends, better times in that historic, jazz-filled jelly roll of a southern town.

**Receiving a Third Place (CASH PRIZE) in the Deanna Tulley Memorial Multimedia Poetry contest for my piece: “A Lonely Undergrad Wanders Into Gorilla Sushi on a Friday Night”.

**Many of these highlights are work-related. Please forgive me, but I feel immense gratitude that I get to work in a field (and for an organization) that allows me to use my creativity. I know that not everyone can say that about their work. I am honored to have this position. In February, I trekked to Duluth with my colleagues Derek and Evan. There, we set up shop in an old Masonic Lodge which we converted into a concert hall for one evening. Among the three musical acts we recorded: Aby Wolf and Eric Mayson (performing on the Masonic Lodge’s pipe organ!). I directed video, operated cameras and did the video post-production for this. Derek Ramirez captured audio and was FOH audio engineer, and Evan Clark piloted the ship, setting up all the lighting, operating cameras, and making sure I wasn’t fucking anything up too badly.

Check out “Eyes On Me” at 38:33

**Later in February, more work colleagues Evan Clark, Alex Simpson, Megan Lundberg and I set up at a Minneapolis bar—the Hook and Ladder—for The Current’s Winter Digout with local band Kiss the Tiger and two Chicago groups that blew my socks off: Friko and Brigitte Calls Me Baby. I was on audio for this one and did the mixes for Friko and Kiss the Tiger:

**Only a couple of weeks after the Winter Digout, I got to do a live classical broadcast, again with my colleagues Evan Clark and Megan Lundberg. This was the Before Bach’s Birthday Bash Banger with Michael Barone (host of Pipedreams). I did the audio capture and mix for live broadcast on YourClassical and YouTube live.

**April was a busy month at the office! It was Minnesota Music Month, so we had a plethora of live music events to capture and produce over that month. Governor Tim Walz (before becoming Kamala Harris’s VP pick) stopped by MPR HQ and declared April 10 Minnesota Music Day. But five days before that, my colleagues and I ventured to the Turf Club in Saint Paul to record four music acts, including the legendary Minnesotan, and co-founder of Low, Alan Sparhawk. This was only a few short months after the passing of his beloved wife and partner Mimi. I was a camera operator and did the video post-production for Sparhawk’s performance. I wish we could have captured some of the more sublime moments (his haunting songs to Mimi), but due to some unforeseen technical issues, we were only able to release a few of the songs.

**Another highlight of April was my brother-in-law Adam and 9-year-old nephew Fischer coming to town to see the World Series 2024-bound Dodgers beat up on the Twinkies. We had great seats to watch Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani knock the Twins around.

*Moments before Fischer took a leak in the Metro bus stop*

**Still in April…on a Saturday, I was asked to come into the studio to record Frank Turner on our glorious Neve console at MPR. He was a good dude. My colleague Peter was on video for this one.

**It wasn’t ALL work, of course. On the last weekend of April, I ran the Chippewa Trail 20-miler in northwestern Wisconsin. Leah and Churro were my support squad as I finished my longest race since 2019!

**We also got to go to Chicago twice, for a pair of weddings! Once in May for Lily and EZ and again in July to witness the wedding of dear-dear friends Margaret & Tommy. These were some of the happiest times of the year!

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**Leah and I like to treat each other to nice dinners out every so often, and 2024 was filled with new and delicious restaurants. Monteverde in Chicago with Russell and Stephanie, High Five ramen and Pequods (in the same day!) with Leah, Peter, and Kris, then in Minneapolis: Nixta, Kim’s (RIP), Owamni (the best meal I’ve had since we moved to the Twin Cities), and Kahluna…even though I forgot my Lactaid at home and subsequently destroyed their restroom, it was a delicious meal. Would definitely go again.

**One of my proudest moments of 2024 was releasing an album in June. Even before I could afford my first piece of recording gear, I dreamed of one day recording an album. 2024 was the thirtieth anniversary of playing in my first band and discovering shows at the Minot Collective Cultural Centre, so I planned my album An Echo in the Dark around bands that I have played in through the years. It was a fun project, but I don’t think I’ll be undertaking another any time soon. You can hear the album wherever you listen to music, but my Electronic Press Kit video may have gotten the best reception of all:

**Another work-related highlight was recording the band Shannon & The Clams at the Current studios. I was unfamiliar with their music at the time I recorded the audio, but instantly fell in love with their sound, and even more so, the heart-wrenching story behind their new album. You’ve got to see the interview here:

**I told you my job was rad, right? So then the day after Shannon & The Clams, I got to direct and post-produce a video for Iron & Wine in our studio. I loved this song in particular. Sam was such a humble, sweet dude.

**One week after Iron & Wine, Leah and I set out on our annual June pilgrimage to Duluth. 3RUN2 crew was there {in force} for Grandma’s Marathon and the Garry Bjorlund Half. So nice to see old friends that weekend and run a race in favorable conditions.

**During the first week of August, I flew to Vermont with my colleague Jeanne to record some content for YourClassical MPR’s Performance Today. I was directing video for these interviews between host Fred Child and many of the classical luminaries who attended Marlboro Music Festival 2024. Vermont was gorgeous!

**In late summer, I got to see some dear friends from Minot, who I haven’t seen in 23 years! Best buddy from high school days, BJ Moore was in town playing with his excellent band Oriska. It was so nice to reconnect with him. Then old friends Brent Braniff and Nick Leet visited me in September. I took them on a tour of MPR and Brent took some pictures of me back at our home. Man, these visits were food for the soul.

**Also in September, I got to direct and post-produce video of LEGENDS Gillian Welch and David Rawlings for Radio Heartland. They were amazing to work with! This video has already received over 60,000 views on YouTube:

**October 6 was a busy day! Leah and I ran the TC 10 miler that morning. She was running ahead of me until the last half mile, at which point I managed to catch up to her and we crossed the finish line together…

**But we only had a few hours to recover because I had my first-ever poetry reading that afternoon! Thanks to Paul VanDyke from Veterans Telling Stories, who invited me to read during the Sogn Valley Art Festival at the Cannon Falls VFW. What an experience. I loved sharing my poetry with the small crowd there and meeting the other veteran writers.

…and then later that evening, we saw Michael Kiwanuka and Brittney Howard at The Palace. Speaking of concerts, so much good live music in 2024: Arlo Parks, Scrunchies, Carnage the Executioner, Monica LaPlante with Tommy, Christy Costello with cousin Adam, Mates of State, Al Church at the MN State Fair, Vikingur Olafson playing the Goldberg Variations! Dillinger Four with Adam & Peter, Charles Lloyd at Ordway with Peter and Tommy. Great year for concerts.

**In October, we had a visit from Tommy (Margaret was very busy working with the election on the horizon), and in November, Rick & Jenny were here. So nice to see Chicago friends in Saint Paul.

**On the writing front, it’s been a relatively quiet year, however, in October, I had my first-ever prose piece published in Slippery Elm {2024}. The editor of the journal really must have enjoyed the piece, because I learned in late November that he nominated it for a Pushcart Prize! Quite an honor to be nominated, and truly a highlight of my year.

**In November, I traveled twice to Duluth and once to Moorhead for work and then again to Fargo for Thanksgiving Day at Lacey and Adam’s place. I can’t remember the last time I was home for Thanksgiving. But no highlight reel would be complete without mentioning all the family time we were fortunate to have this past year. Thanksgiving with Mom, Dad, Lacey, Adam, Fischer & Selah, Christmases with Leah’s family, Leah’s grandma’s 90th birthday celebration/family reunion in South Dakota, lake time with Lacey, Adam, Mom and Dad, lake time with Leah’s aunt and uncle, drop-ins and visits from Mom, Leah’s family, and more, were all reminders of why living in Minnesota is so important. Although we couldn’t go to Las Vegas in November for a family reunion due to Election season and all, it was nice to see family on the regular.

**A final highlight I’ll mention is the Quilt of Valor ceremony that I got to experience with Dad at Thanksgiving. Big thanks to George and Denise for bringing our family together in that way. It was a very proud moment for me, and I’m sure for Dad as well.