Dave Anderson was always a musical child. In the same manner, most kids were scolded by their parents for sitting too close to the TV, Dave was prone to hugging the family radio, with his head and ear pressed firmly against the speaker until reprimanded by his mother. It is this love for music that leads inevitably to his learning guitar and the formation of his first band Dave & the Wharf Rats in 1960. The next four years saw him playing in several bands including one that went by the name The Pink Panthers. He took a long break from the road, got a respectable job, and soon left the Two Harbors area upon getting married in 64’. He returned to the area after retiring from the Teamster’s Union in 1998. He then set about becoming involved in 4 separate bands as a dobro player.
One of the early volunteers and content producers for Two Harbors Community Radio, Mr. Anderson was involved doing on the spot recordings for the station at various events prior to the launch of the Big Dave’s Beat Farm. He describes the 2-hour weekly broadcast as “an upbeat mix of Tex-Mex, Blues, Boogie, Swing, etc. Each show features a live music segment with area bands and musicians of varying skills, styles and instruments.” The live performance spot is open to anyone from the area regardless of professional experience.
Getting the best performance from someone who has never played ‘live’ requires a bit of wizardry. The magic begins with Dave’s hospitality towards his guests. His demeanor is genial and unrushed. As a musician himself, he can anticipate concerns and questions a first timer might have. Watching him interact with last week’s guest, Larry South, before the show, the outside observer comes away with the sense that Dave is truly interested in the person before him and the story behind their music. The show is not an altar to his ego, and this segment is purely a vehicle designed to showcase community artists of all skill levels.
A few minutes before going on-air the radio station office suddenly transforms into the lobby of a local civic center as friends and fans of both the performer and the show casually file in to lend support and add to the overall energy. Stories and names are traded between audience members until the signal is given for the one-minute to air countdown. The small rows of folding chairs now take on a church-like quality as everyone sits quietly waiting for the show to begin.
One could easily draw parallels between the Beat Farm’s live broadcast and the in-the-field recordings made by the late great archivist, folklorist, and musicologist John Lomax. The musicians, their stories, and their songs that Mr. Anderson makes available to the world are, for the most part, those rarely heard outside of living rooms, multi-family BBQs, or the occasional coffee house.
The wrap party between host, performer and their supporters is brief as there is still another hour of programming to be filled. After each show, at his own expense, Dave snail mails each artist a digitized copy of their performance. For some first timers, this makes all the pre-show jitters well worth it.
Big Dave’s Beat Farm airs Friday nights at 7 PM and repeats again Sundays at 3 PM. KTWH-LP, 99.5 FM, is a volunteer run non-profit serving the town of Two Harbors and surrounding area with a broadcast range of 10 miles. It streams online at ktwh.org.
Two Harbors Community Radio would like to thank everyone who stopped by the KTWH Heritage Days booth to show their support this past weekend.
Many of those visitors were former residents who were pleasantly surprised that Two Harbors now has a real-time source for community news, severe weather information, music, and entertainment. A surprising number of these hometown visitors were already aware of the station and were frequent listeners via KTWH’s live streaming feature at ktwh.org.
THCR would also like to thank its many volunteers for the time and effort they contributed towards making Heritage Days 2016 a rousing success. Just as crucial as the volunteers who set up, maintained and staffed the Heritage Days booth were those who stayed behind to man the boards back at the station. It is this type of coordinated effort that makes possible the day to day operation of the station and the services it provides to the community.
A round of applause is in order for both Arna Rennan and Dave Anderson for their special participation. Arna, the host of Nordic Roots, christened the Heritage Days main stage with her performance of Scandinavian folk and dance tunes on accordion. Big Dave’s Beat Farm and his band of Beat Farmers endured the midday sun as they rolled through town dispensing good will and candy for children of all ages.
Congratulations are due to the three lucky winners in the Two Harbors Community Radio Heritage Days Prize Drawing:
● Taking home the all-in-one entertainment unit was Steven Keech.
● Brad Ronning chose the one night’s stay for two at The Inn at Gitchee Gumee.
● Winner of the John & Susanne Bathke donated loon artwork was Tim Lekatz.
For everyone we have yet to thank, such as content contributors, underwriters and the people who drop off baked goods at the station, etc., thank you for your support.
KTWH-LP, 99.5 FM, is a volunteer run non-profit serving the town of Two Harbors and surrounding area with a broadcast range of 10 miles. It streams online at ktwh.org. Big Dave’s Beat Farm airs Friday nights at 7 p.m. and repeats again Sundays at 3 p.m. Nordic Roots airs Mondays at 9 a.m. and again Saturdays at 3 p.m.
There are plenty of things for the whole family to do during the Heritage Days celebration. Two Harbors Community Radio is back again this year with more to see and hear. The THCR booth will be located in the Vendor area near the Historic Depot. Volunteers will be on-hand to hand out KTWH-LP 99.5 FM program schedules as well as answer questions about the station and its mission.
On Friday, July 8th, starting at 11 AM, Nordic Roots host, and on-air personality Arna Rennan will be kicking things off on the Heritage Days stage performing a selection of Scandinavian dance tunes on accordion.
Saturday from 9 to 11 AM the radio station, 99.5 FM, will air rebroadcasts of two shows that will be of interest to residents and visitors alike.
Both shows will air again on Sunday, July 10th starting at 11 AM.
Saturday at 1 PM watch for KTWH’s very own Dave Anderson, host of Big Dave’s Beat Farm, and his Beat Farm float in the Heritage Days Parade.
Sunday at 12 noon Two Harbors Community Radio will hold a drawing for three awesome prizes including:
New Show Premiere! Sunday at 7 PM will mark the start of the weekly hour-long program, Hear Tomorrow. The show profiles new music and artists (of every genre) that might not otherwise be getting the attention they deserve.
KTWH-LP, 99.5 FM, is a volunteer run non-profit serving the town of Two Harbors and surrounding area with a broadcast range of 10 miles. It streams online at ktwh.org.
