Tiny Desk Concerts Local entries to NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Contest have steadily grown since the contest’s debut four years ago. This year, NPR received 24 entries from South Dakota. With so many great choices, we gathered a group of six SDPB Super Fans for a blind vote on our favorites. Here are the results, which strongly suggest there’s something in the water of Spearfish Creek. “The New Stuff” by Kimberly Kaye, Belle Fourche A licensed pastor and bookkeeper, Kimberly Kaye won our hearts with her plucky, toe-tapping homage to her hero roots musicians. “I bought my first guitar when I was 13 from money earned walking beans and pulling weeds in the beanfield where I grew up in Iowa,” says Kaye. “As a family, we played a lot of the old classic tunes around the kitchen table on Saturday nights where relatives would gather to sing and play.” Kaye performs at oprys and state fairs around the Midwest. “Performing in South Dakota is such a delight,” Kimberly Kaye. says Kaye. “People are so warm and welcoming. I play classic country songs with original tunes, which by default are that country twang I know and love so well. I like the raw sound, no overproduction on CD’s, just authentic country sounds. I think we’re losing that in this day and age of technical ‘fixes.’ It’s almost like if we make a mistake, technology will fix it and make us sound perfect. No one is perfect. Overproduction takes the humanity out of it.” In addition to performing and writing her own songs, Kaye hosts Kimberly Kaye Country Café on her Facebook page. “I love featuring the sounds of local/regional artists who promote, sing, play classic country music. They are great historians and supporters of the genre.”
The only live jazz radio program of its kind in the region, Jazz Nightly with Karl Gehrke is South Dakota’s source for new, classic, local and international jazz. Weeknights at 8pm (7 MT) on SDPB Radio and SDPB.org 4
Learn. Dream. Grow.
Save the dates! The 4th Annual Fiddles & Friends, featuring Owen DeJong, Tom Schaefer and Kenny Putnam, is August 23 at Rapid City’s Performing Arts Center and August 24 at Renner’s Strawbale Winery. Watch SDPB.org for ticket info.
