Summer of Music with SDPB

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,” says Kaye. “People are so warm and Kimberly Kaye. 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.”

“Allie Oh” by My Second Rodeo, Spearfish

Although “Allie Oh” is about moving on from an ex-girlfriend, the bright, popping, party-time jam was an instant favorite among SDPB Super Fans. “It holds a special place as our first original song and seems to get a lot of great crowd feedback,” says Jason Guthmiller. By day My Second Rodeo are a beverage distributor, hotel manager, bike fixer and IT admin, but for the last year they’ve been playing regular gigs at Spearfish Creek Wine Bar and other venues. “Performing in South Dakota is great,” says Guthmiller, “There are so many people who love the arts here. Listeners are genuinely interested in our original material. The Black Hills music community is strongly united and supportive of each other. One challenge is that we’re making pretty much the same wages performing musicians were making 30 years ago – or less, ha ha.”

“Ky’s Tune” by WJazz & Friends, featuring Sophia Beatty, Spearfish

Like their eclectic song, WJazz & Friends are an eclectic group. Ward Johnston has been the high school band & choir director in Sundance, Wyoming but starts a new gig teaching music at Rapid City’s South Park Elementary this fall. Flautist Rod Garnett founded Spearfish’s gamelan ensemble. Bassist Joel Adams has a day job with Roma’s Restaurant and tours with bands like Camp Comfort. Rapid Citybased singer Sophia Beatty works as a musician and waits tables. “Ky’s Tune” is their first collaboration with Beatty. Johnston says South Dakotans have an appetite for jazz. "Most community members I talk to after concerts are blown away and want to hear more. They also want to be educated about jazz, its history, and how instrumental music is created and performed. I think performing with Sophia will be a great bridge for people just learning about jazz because a vocalist makes the music that much more accessible."

“See Your Face” by Back Alley, Sioux Falls & Rapid City

“See Your Face” stood out to SDPB Super Fans as the only local Tiny Desk entry to contain a round. “Dustin wanted us to have a round part in a song since we started writing together and he finally tricked the guys into trying it,” say Ethan and Ryne. “It happened to actually sound good and we think that makes it stick out a bit, especially from the rest of our originals.” The folk-pop group originated seven years ago as a cover band at Augustana University. The members enjoy the great beer, good food, and relaxed environments of South Dakota’s live music venues and say the state influences their songwriting. “As people who have grown up and continue to have lives here, most of our songs are about people of South Dakota. Whether it’s about breakups and exes, friends struggling with anxiety and depression, missed opportunities or love songs for our significant others – they’re all South Dakota people that have impacted us in huge ways.”

“Freight Train” by Six Mile Road, Spearfish

Comprised of a timber sales administrator, community support provider, businessmen and a middle school music teacher, the bluegrass Americana group Six Mile Road played their first gig in 1998 at Spearfish’s Knights Cellar. Although members have come and gone, the current configuration has been the longest in the group’s history. With day jobs and families, the band mostly gigs around the Black Hills. “Playing in SD is great and the Black Hills music scene seems to be having somewhat of renaissance,” says Dan Cross. “There’s more music now than what I remember 20 years ago.” Although “Freight Train” has a tight and lively bluegrass vibe, Cross says, “I’ve always had a hard time describing our sound. We’re not straight up bluegrass but can be at times. We’re also a little Progressive and Americana, but not always. I guess we’ve always been more concerned with whether or not the music sounds good.” The group is releasing their first album of originals soon.

Check out SDPB’s Local Tiny Desk Concert Contest Favorites at SDPBNE.WS/TinyDesk To see all entries from South Dakota, go to “Browse Entries” at TinyDeskContest.NPR.ORG/2019/Browse

SDPB Music Programming and Events

Jazz Nightly

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

Fiddles & Friends

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.

Moment in Sound

Tune in for live performances in-studio and on air during In the Moment with local and regional artists. Upcoming events are listed on SDPB’s Facebook page at facebook.com/SoDakPB.

SDPB Classical 24

Live classical music programming 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Visit SDPB.org/classical or download the SDPB app.

No Cover, No Minimum

Local and regional music performances recorded live in South Dakota. Check listings for air times. Watch the events tab at facebook.com/SoDakPB for upcoming live recordings and be a part of the show!

Danish Music and Dance - Live at Sioux Falls Studios, June 13

Several years back, when visiting folk musicians from Denmark attended a small music festival in Minnesota, they were awed by an older musician from Moorhead, Iowa. Dwight Lamb’s fiddle and button accordion music was distinctively and authentically Danish, but unknown even in their native Denmark.

Lamb, who inherited the Danish music from his father and grandfather, has toured throughout Europe and America, mentoring generations of national and international musicians in the style that was once thought lost to time.

Lamb performs live Thursday, June 13, at 4pm at SDPB’s Sioux Falls Studios. Featuring Danish musicians Kristian Bugge, Mette Jensen Stoeck, and Morten Alfred Hoirup, with Scandinavian dancers. Sponsored by the Canton Center for Arts, Culture and Education. Tickets available at the door. The performance will also be webcast live at SDPB.org