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Co-hosts Heidi Holtan and Charlie Mitchell wonder at dragonflies, delight in bitterns, and look forward to seeing hummingbirds.Send us a voice memo through Speak Pipe!
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St. Louis County
When our neighbors are in need of food, organizations and volunteers across Northern Minnesota step up. Food shelves, community meals and soup kitchens aim to the fill the gaps.
For the duo’s 18thalbum,Peaches! The Black Keys find their way back to the raw blues sound that first defined them.
The album features reinterpretations of songs by artists like Junior Kimbrough, R.L. Burnside, and Wilko Johnson, reconnecting the band with some of their deep musical influences.
Recorded live with minimal overdubs, the sessions brought together Patrick Carney and Dan Auerbach alongside slide guitarist Kenny Brown, bassist Eric Deaton, and multi-instrumentalist Jimbo Mathus. Brown and Deaton both are deeply embedded in the blues genre, sharing long histories with Kimbrough and Burnside as players and mentors.
The album came out of informal sessions Carney started as a way to give Auerbach a creative refuge while his father was terminally ill. Though The Black Keys have often leaned into a heavier rock with more production over the years, Peaches! ultimately brings the band back to where they began, with the blues. -KH
The album features reinterpretations of songs by artists like Junior Kimbrough, R.L. Burnside, and Wilko Johnson, reconnecting the band with some of their deep musical influences.
Recorded live with minimal overdubs, the sessions brought together Patrick Carney and Dan Auerbach alongside slide guitarist Kenny Brown, bassist Eric Deaton, and multi-instrumentalist Jimbo Mathus. Brown and Deaton both are deeply embedded in the blues genre, sharing long histories with Kimbrough and Burnside as players and mentors.
The album came out of informal sessions Carney started as a way to give Auerbach a creative refuge while his father was terminally ill. Though The Black Keys have often leaned into a heavier rock with more production over the years, Peaches! ultimately brings the band back to where they began, with the blues. -KH
Latest Stories
Cars, tiny gardens, missing toes among stories reviewed by Tracy Kampa
Children’s librarian Tracy Kampa reviews new books by Melanie Florence, Deborah Underwood, Joslin Brorsen, and Aaron Starmer.
Iron Range group has regional solution to child care crisis. But it needs a leader.
The Iron Range Child Care Task Force says employer contributions, public wage subsidies and philanthropic support can save struggling providers and build capacity.
Man shot, killed by Virginia police officer; Robbins suspends gov. campaign
Plus: Bemidji State University celebrates an $8.1M gift from an alum's trust; and 40,000 seedlings are planted in forests burned last year by the Munger Shaw Fire.
State grants to fund 3 workforce development programs in Northern MN
One program will be developed by Central Lakes College for an Eagan company. The other two are for manufacturers with locations in Brainerd and Fosston.
With federal approval, St. Louis County reverts to original construction plans
The county had worked out a unique agreement with the state Department of Transportation after the government delayed approving the county's use of project labor agreements.
Bemidji State announces largest-ever $8.1M gift, new name for college
The gift will upgrade learning technology and create endowments, new student scholarship funds and an innovation fund to support regional partnerships.
Bright Spot: Grand Rapids Garden Club hosts spring meeting and spruces up the town
The Grand Rapids Garden Club hosts the 8th District Minnesota State Horticultural Society meeting May 16, 2026, at United Methodist Church in Grand Rapids.
Bemidji YMCA project gains board support; hire of local leader planned
Bemidji's blighted rail corridor is slated to be the home of a future YMCA with a final $10 million fundraising push for the new facility.
Crash kills man in Grand Rapids; Suit filed over Hermantown data center proposal
Plus: Cougar kittens are captured in footage for the first time ever in Minnesota, first evidence of breeding population in a century; and Bemidji YMCA plans gain steam.
Trail cam captures footage of cougar kittens in MN for first time ever
The high-quality video shows a mother and three kittens up close and feeding south of Voyageurs National Park in Northern Minnesota.
Pickup truck driver dies after crashing into trees in Grand Rapids
The Grand Rapids Police Department reported it was dispatched to the serious injury crash April 30, 2026, on the 1600 block of Golf Course Road.
Great Tails Animal Rescue unveils new Cohasset facility
The nonprofit has been using a foster model, but those behind the group saw the need for something more, and the city of Cohasset donated land in its industrial park.
With The Setlist, KAXE's Music Team curates the best live music to catch each week across Northern Minnesota and beyond.
During the Phenology Report for the week of April 21, 2026, Staff Phenologist John Latimer remarks on aspen flowers, migrating swallows, and the beginning of the dawn chorus.
Contributed
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Chad Kaddatz
Contributed
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Daniella Marie via iNaturalist
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KAXE/KBXE is the oldest rural community radio station in the U.S. and an independent NPR affiliate.
KAXE/KBXE is the oldest rural community radio station in the U.S. and an independent NPR affiliate.
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