This #WomensHistoryMonth we’re highlighting singer-songwriter @aliciakeys who has dedicated her career to championing women. We celebrate how vocal she has been both on and off stage about women’s rights, body positivity and the impact that empowering women has on the world!
The Fillmore Minneapolis – Live Music Venue
RÜFÜS DU SOL by Joe Lemke — at The Fillmore Minneapolis
I’m so grateful to Vice President Walter Mondale, Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, Justice Alan Page, Ann Bancroft, Will Steger, Alex West Steinman, Yia Vang, and the late David Carr for lending their voices. This project began more than 5 years ago when we started asking notable Northerners how this place shaped their lives and recording their stories. The end result is a love letter to my home state and the season that defines this region and I’m thrilled to see it finally come to life. Read full-feature here.
Makeup Artist Alekedia Jefferson, left, worked on Stella Luoma’s face during the Kings and Queens Day event at YouthLink
The event was held to commemorate Black History Month. With the help of volunteer stylists, barbers and makeup artists, young people struggling with homelessness were given the chance to look and feel good during Minneapolis nonprofit YouthLink’s third Kings and Queens Day, held in conjunction with Black History Month last Wednesday.
YouthLink Community Coordinator and Opportunity Navigator Thomas Collins said that 75% of the young people they serve are Black and brown, making it crucial to celebrate Black History Month. The drop-in center for homeless youth hosted a Malcom X brunch earlier this month and will showcase art during an event on Friday. Looking good can help uplift these young people, he said.
Junior Davis worked on Erick Brandon’s face during the Kings and Queens Day event at YouthLink
“Appearance plays a lot into people’s self esteem, their self worth. They don’t get too many chances to go to a barbershop or afford having their makeup did,” Collins said.
The young people getting pampered are also getting inspired, said Collins. They can see themselves in the stylists, barbers and makeup artists, all people of color. The young men got to experience the barbershop atmosphere that builds community for many Black men, said Collins.
“Everybody that’s here right now, they really care about these youth and they want to see these babies smile, because they don’t get to smile too often,” Collins said.
Dynasty Born Asia watched through a mirror as makeup artist Morayo Allibalogun worked
on her face during the Kings and Queens Day event at YouthLink
Ty Olson trained for his ski trek across the top of Minnesota on Ten Mile Lake near Walker, where his family has a cabin. The Grafton, North Dakota, native is skiing 250 miles across the Minnesota-Ontario border, from Rainy Lake to Lake Superior, to raise money for a Lakota nonprofit.
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Duluthnews: Ty Olson left the Rainy Lake Visitors Center at Voyageurs National Park on Thursday, starting a 254-mile ski trek across the top of Minnesota. It was 20 below zero at the time. He was alone. He won’t be indoors again for four weeks or more.
Olson expects to end up at Grand Portage, on Lake Superior, sometime in early March, having followed the Minnesota/Ontario border the entire route — retracing the path that Native people used for centuries and European voyageurs after that.
But they usually went that way in summer.
“I know it sounds pretty crazy. But I’m actually thinking it’s going to be fun,’’ Olson said last week while preparing for his ski trek.
He’ll spend time on the frozen surfaces of 35 lakes and nine rivers and cross land along 26 portages as he skis through Voyageurs and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Olson, 32, will be unsupported on the solo trip, meaning he’s taking all of his food, white gas fuel (for cooking and melting water, he has no heat source) and gear with him for the entire route. The Grafton, North Dakota, native will be pulling 150 pounds of gear spread out on two sleds behind him as he skis.
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Updates: As of Thursday, Ty Olson was making steady progress on his 250-mile ski trip across the top of Minnesota.
He is breaking trail on his solo journey that is aimed at raising awareness of Native American issues and is raising money to provide firewood to needy people on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. He’s now raised more than $22,000.
Olson left the west end of Rainy Lake on Feb. 11. A week into his trip, Olson had skied the length of massive Rainy Lake and Namakan Lake and was crossing Sand Point Lake, heading east to his destination at Grand Portage, according to a GPS transponder he is carrying. The trip could take 30 days or more as he skis along the Minnesota-Ontario border.
Late Tuesday, Olson posted this report: “Hopefully my final morning in the -30°s. Last night I woke to a pack of wolves howling bloody murder just outside my tent. It felt surreal as it was already still, eerie, and moonlit. This morning I found their tracks only a hundred feet away on the island over. I was too cold to be scared. And they almost never bother humans. But it feels like I’m following them. I don’t go an hour without crossing tracks.”
To follow his trip, or to donate to the cause, go to: skiforfire.com
A One-Man Band from Palo Minnesota! The dude plays 14 instruments at once including the Accordion. Mainly ethnic and comedy music, basically a conglomeration of a Stuntman, Comedian, and a Musician. You won’t be disappointed!
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GET TO KNOW STEEV
Steve Sisu Solkela (July 9, 1996 – Sometime after today) is a Musician/Comedian/Stuntman/Opera Singer/Actor/Composer known for his non-sensical sense of humor, creative mind, unpredictable musical combinations, and immense pain tolerance. He was raised on a farm in Palo Minnesota where he studied (sometimes) at the nearby Mesabi East High School. There he excelled in band, choir, speech, lunch, theatre, track, basketball, cross country, football, and several other clubs. Averaging GPAs lower than the floor, no one expected him to amount to much academic success, however, through effort, charm, and creative ways to teach himself the material he regularly caused the smart kids to worry about their class rank. Ranging from the Dunce to the Tutor, Solkela left that school broken, scarred, and longing for his return visits as an alumni. At 5’9, and 177 pounds of pure danger, you wouldn’t think there would be much athletic success, but Steve known for his aggressive nature and disregard for his own safety and health made him a decent athlete. This fearlessness towards danger may have been what enabled the birth of his stuntman career.
He went on to study music at Rowan University in Glassboro New Jersey where he was a star in the opera program, several bands and choirs, and was mostly famous for his “Overpopulated” One-Man Band that now performs all over the country and sometimes Finland and Canada. The band started out as a joke in high school. He started playing Accordion out of spite of the guitar players getting all the female attention for knowing 5 chords and the Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here Bass Line. One Day Steve bought a cowbell to cheer people on at cross country meets when the idea to play it with his foot came along. Slowly but surely, more insane ideas came along and now there’s a 14 piece One-Man Band running around the country. The band is made up of Cowbell, Hi-Hat, Double Bass Drum Pedal, shaker, triangle, slinky, bicycle horn, cymbal, train horn, spin whistle, both hands of the Accordion, trumpet, and one Blonde guy who sings. This band is possible due to the combination of static muscle memory, multi-tasking skills, and above average Accordion skills. There are other instruments that are added for occasions, but generally the 14 piece band is what is travelled with.
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From Minnesota
All his life Steve has been a huge advocate for the state of Minnesota. Even at college in New Jersey he left several people calling it pop and pronouncing Sauna correctly. Having written hundreds of songs with Minnesota as either the theme or the flavor, this state writhes within his soul. When being interviewed about Minnesota Steve once said, “Oh sure, ya am from nort’ Minnesota dere den. It’s not too bad a deal you bet.” and “If The United States was a high school, Minnesota would be the hot popular chick that didn’t change to become popular, who still got a 4.0, was talented in sports, volunteered all the time, and had modeling contract offers but chose to go kill it at college instead. She makes everyone feel inferior, but is the first one to come support you if you’re feeling down about it.” Steve is especially grateful for the community that packed the cannon, and the cannonball will always roll back no matter how far he goes.
Finnish Heritage
In Minnesota, being of Finnish heritage is like being in a cult group. A cult that prides themself on bettering their community and honoring those who probably hate the fact that they deserve it. Stereotypically speaking, Finns are introverted, humble, and logical. Steve does not fit this description of course. As a creative performer with an extroverted dominant personality, most stereotypes solely are entertaining. Traveling all over Minnesota, you meet ol’ Finns all over. One thing I have always adored and appreciated is that they all treat me like their own young Finnish grandchild. Having performed in Finland and several areas of Finnish heritage in The US, I have become ever grateful for the strong community that it brings.
With resilience and good humor. Check out @stevesolkela and smile. From his “Overpopulated” One-Man Band to Tandem Talks, music videos, and YouTube he’s on his way up.
