DAN'S Favorite Local Musicians Tell me a bit more about live music in Fargo.

“I've been to so many great shows over the past couple of years. The Windbreak is a reliable place for live music that doesn’t mess around. The Aquarium and Dempsey's both have great stages with fun events going on all the time. They all consistently have music on Fridays and Saturdays, whereas there’s no guarantee with some other venues. I love the Fargodome for bringing national acts to our town. Fargo Brewing Company does a great job bringing in a blend of up-and-coming artists and large, national acts. One great thing about their shows is that they’re smart by booking them on the weekends. They know that we’re a very working-class community that wants to enjoy top-tier entertainment in our free time. I love going to live shows since it’s crazy how far we’ve come. Fargo has done a great job upping the ante in our entertainment frequency lately.”

- Dan Virchow

LOW STANDARDS 1.

“They're exactly what a local live band should be: a ton of fun. At their core, they're big fans of 2000s pop-punk music like Blink-182 and other bands from that era. They play that music, but they also sprinkle in a lot of 2000s hits from Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys. They're really fun for anyone in my age group especially, as that’s the music that I grew up with. The fun thing about their band is that you can tell that no one is having more fun at their shows than they are and that's why I love going into their shows. Don't be surprised if you yourself wind up on stage at a Low Standards show!”

MAUL 2.

“I love heavy metal music and these guys are BRUTAL. Fargo houses a handful of really impressive, aggressive bands, and it was only a matter of time before Maul broke out. They’re one of the hottest bands in the world of death metal right now and they're from right here in Fargo. They’re making waves touring nationally right now, and they got really great reviews from a lot of credible sources in the industry on their latest album, so I love to see that they’re blowing up now. When they start, you can feel the mood of the room change. They create an atmosphere that’s truly something special. If you're in the mood to bang your head completely off, find your nearest Maul show.”

ASHFALL 3.

“Ashfall is an excellent hard rock band with punishing riffs and exceptional musicianship. They have more of a traditional metal sound, like Iron Maiden meets Judas Priest, with other similar influences in that era. They're really great musicians with a unique sound, and they're great people too. I've done some photography projects for them in the past and I'm a big fan of motivated bands that are actually going for it and putting in the work!”

PERFECTLY STILL 4.

“These guys are really going for it. They spend money on their show because they’re motivated to give the best performance possible through great stage production with catchy hooks. They create this amazing stage atmosphere through a light show with smoke, which is invaluable from a local perspective. These guys with hopes and dreams are investing in themselves, and I respect that a lot.”

ME CJ 5.

SAVE

“What makes them fun is that they have wild setlists that span from the 80s and 90s to the 2010s and modern songs, which they do extremely well. Their talent level far exceeds what's required of the songs they're playing. They're really fun, energetic, super-talented musicians who have a great setlist that keeps you guessing every time. You never know what you're gonna get next and that's what makes it so compelling and awesome. Three hours could pass of watching one of the best party bands in the area and you wouldn’t even notice!”

WITH DAN VIRCHOW

Q: What does Fargo mean to you? What keeps you here?

A: I travel a lot lately. Fortunately, now I'm in a position where I'm traveling the world. I just got back from an awesome trip to Australia, Indonesia, and Japan and I’m going to be in Europe next month. I go to these amazing, exotic places, but there's something about Fargo. You have everything you need here.

Everybody here lives a very comfortable life and they make others around them comfortable as well. There are a lot of major businesses that have either started or been based out of here. It's difficult for us to get through these winters, but I feel that spurs up a lot of creativity. It’s a very fun and thriving entrepreneurial town that I get to call my home base.

Q: What does your "perfect day in FargoMoorhead" look like?

A: For me, the perfect day in Fargo is a walk around the city's parks and downtown with a camera in hand. There's something so peaceful about capturing the happenings of any place through street photography.

Q: What work of yours has had the biggest impact on you?

A: I was fortunate to take photos at one of Chris Cornell's final performances before his passing. Some of my shots were used at festivals nationwide as a tribute in the following weeks. As a huge fan of his music and career, it was surreal to have my eye's view used as a tribute for all to see in the following weeks, and really kickstarted my photography career.

What have been some of your most memorable experiences with radio?

A: One random Tuesday at the station, I was asked by a sales associate if I knew who Ric Flair was. As a massive wrestling fan, I was almost insulted to be asked such a thing! Flash forward to the next day and I was working an event at the Fargo Theatre with the Nature Boy, passing the mic between each other and cracking wise. It was unbelievable. WOOOO!

Q: What's the most "out there" event that you've worked on?

A: I've worked in Sturgis for years, and every day there tends to be WAY "out there.” But one event I worked on that comes to mind was being an "imposter" at a Micro Wrestling Federation show at The Venue at The Hub (now Avalon Events Center) years ago. My night ended with a cookie sheet to the head and a

Q: Is there anything else that you want to say to the readers?

A: When you’re down in the dumps, which we all get sometimes, you have to remember what hobbies and passions you like to do and do them. If you don't have those things, there's always more time to find a new one. Sometimes those hobbies can accelerate and blow up into full-blown careers, which is kind of what happened to me.

Growing up, I’ve always been a huge heavy metal and hard rock fan and aspired to be a touring musician. As life went on, that didn't happen for me, but now I'm able to go on tours for photography and videography with the musicians that I admire. I love that because the only real currency in life is your memories. I create memories all the time, all over the world, and I'm fortunate for that. I had to work at it really hard, but hard work pays off and dreams do come true. You just have to make it happen.

& GOING OUT TRENDSETTER