Northern Minnesota's Iron Range Tourism Bureau kicked off an online campaign inviting Dylan to return to the area. He grew up (with the name Robert Zimmerman, of course) in Hibbing, a town right on the Iron Range, and was born in Duluth. The bureau created a Web site that allows fans to sign a petition and share videos/photos. The AP story also got into the bad blood that Dylan understandably has with his hometown:

Tourism bureau executive director Cheyenne Denny says “it’s no secret” that Dylan wasn’t accepted years ago on the Iron Range. But Denny says “times have changed.”
Larry Jenkins, a publicist for Dylan, says the singer is in Japan on tour and cannot be reached for comment.

KISS will be the first rock act to perform in the new grandstand on Sat., July 24, the news release said. They're the headlining act, with tickets at $55 for standing room in front of the stage and $65 for reserved seating in the new grandstand.

Buckcherry will also perform at the fair, taking the stage on Thursday, July 29. Tickets for that show are $25, and all tickets for this concert will be general admission. Tickets for either band can be purchased online at www.ndstatefair.com, in person at the State Fair Center office (in Minot) or by calling (701) 852-FAIR. If you buy tickets for both concerts at the same time, you get a $10 discount.

They're also selling a "Grandstand Showpass" that goes on sale March 25 at 8 a.m., consisting of seven nights of entertainment for $75 (standing room) or $85 (reserved seating). The lineup for that is:

• Friday, July 23 - Brooks & Dunn
• Sunday, July 25 - Eric Church feat. The Band Perry
• Monday, July 26 - Enduro Auto Race
• Tuesday, July 27 - Dacotah Bank Demo Derby
• Wednesday, July 28 - Front Fenders and Collector's Car Show
• Friday, July 30 - Darius Rucker
• Saturday, July 31 - Sugarland

What do you think of this year's lineup? The new grandstand would be cool to check out, and KISS is definitely a good headlining act I think.

Mostly it was the layout, and I'm sure most people would think even that was fine for a large bar like this. The layout worked to keep the place feeling open and airy, probably a good thing for most bars but not such a good thing for a place that has live music. There was a nice dance floor but that was about the only place where you could get a decent view of the band. Most of the other seating on that side of the bar was behind where the band played, meaning you could sit down and hear the music alright but only get a glimpse of the musicians' backs. Still, the sound was better than I had expected and the band (didn't catch their name) played a string of upbeat covers that had some people dancing.

Overall, I had a good time at the bar but wonder how such an enormous establishment can keep up a high enough level of customers to perform well financially. It's gotta be expensive to pay for upkeep, heating, electricity and all the other things that come along with real estate. I'd be interested in checking this place out again on a weekday night to see if it's still as busy as it was last Saturday.

I know many of you have been to the Metal Bar by now - what did you think? What are its strengths? Things you would like to see changed?

It's been probably 2 1/2 years since I last worked at Budget, so I was worried I would be kind of rusty at all the little things you have to know how to do . But everything came back to me right away and things went pretty well. It was nice that there was a steady stream of customers for most of my shift - it's cool to sit around and listen to music, but it's much better to talk to people about music or help them find interesting new stuff. I had a good time and think this little temporary gig is a nice return to my musical roots in some ways.

I already had a passion for music before I first started working at Budget (I think I was 19 when I got the job). But that store definitely opened my eyes to new genres, new artists and also just a deeper appreciation of my favorite form of art. It's so cool to be in a place where everyone else is into music just as much as you are - and that's also a bad thing in some ways because I get a lot of recommendations on good music to check out, which usually leads me to spend way more money than I should on getting new albums. But it introduced me to so much that it's always worth it.

Another good thing I picked up at Budget was being able to relate to other people's taste in music. An example is that one time, I had a 30-minute conversation about Motley Crue with a customer I had never seen before. Honestly, Motley Crue doesn't really do anything for me. But I could totally relate to how excited this guy was as he was telling me about his favorite MC albums - because it's pretty much exactly how I feel when I'm discussing my favorite albums and bands. Musical taste is obviously subjective, and it's a good thing to realize that one man's favorite band is another person's least favorite band. But when there's a mutual interest in the art, it doesn't matter if it's a metalhead talking to a Taylor Swift fan or any other strange combination of genres. The conversation ends up just being about how great music is, which is always a cool thing to have happen.

I still can't believe I've never heard anything about this until this afternoon... I've really slipped in my awareness of UND events I guess. I'll be attending and possibly writing a story for the Herald, depending on how we're doing space-wise for Friday's paper.

Here's what UND's Web site says about the event:

MAC presents Dan Savage March 4
The Multicultural Awareness Committee presents nationally acclaimed columnist Dan Savage, and his speech, "Savage Love." The event will take place Thursday, March 4, at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Union Ballroom. Covering everything and anything related to sex and relationships, Savage creates a space for all students to honestly discuss “taboo” topics. With the audience driving the discussion, the program can touch on any subject.

UPDATE 6:27 PM 3/5/2010: Tu-Uyen Tran and I doubled up for the story about Savage's appearance, which was probably the funniest Q&A session I've ever seen. But it was also quite edgy, a.k.a. vulgar at times, so the story we wrote for the Herald had to be a PG version of his talk. Did any of you go? What did you think?

I think my problem with iPods was that they gave music listeners too much power - I really thought it was important to not always get what you want, even when it came to music. To me, it was cool to think of some random song and then have to wait to hear it until I could get home and turn it on. It seemed to make the song better and more enjoyable for some reason. I also didn't like that iPods and cell phones became the instant fix to avoiding any kind of quiet time in life. As soon as I walked out of the doors after a class on the UND campus, half my classmates would pop in their earbuds or call a friend - even if they only had a 1-minute walk to their next building. I thought it was crazy that it had to be like that, rather than just enjoying a little quiet time or talking with the people who walked next to you.

But things have changed. I now have a car stereo that has a direct connection for iPods, allowing me to change tracks or select a new playlist without having to even touch the iPod itself. That's been a great addition to my Dodge Neon in the last year or so and has really made longer drives or just being stuck at a train a little more tolerable. But I would argue it has also come at a cost - I now have 700 or so songs available to me at any given time in my car (I only have a 4 GB iPod). I've become accustomed to pretty much being able to hear whatever song comes to mind almost immediately, which becomes a problem when I don't have my iPod and have to relearn how to deal without the access to everything I want. It also makes me far less likely to turn on the radio, which is a great way to discover new songs or bands that I would probably really like. But it's hard to turn on the radio when I know there's a great playlist already made and in my car.

I do try to have some iPod/iTunes-free moments in my life still. For example, I don't have any music on my work computer, and I generally don't listen to much music at work either. It's a nice break in some ways. But when I do want to hear some tunes, I use Pandora or look up specific things on YouTube.

It's all really convenient and nice, but I do worry about these changes from time to time. I almost never listen to CDs anymore - in fact, most of my CD collection is sitting in boxes in my storage unit collecting dust. I've become a bigger fan of records in the last few years and still like to listen to those, although I don't put a vinyl on the turntable nearly as often as I just listen to music using iTunes or my iPod. I think it's just tough to go back to the older ways - which require frequently changing discs or albums and only choosing from a few songs at a time - once you learn the convenience of digital music.

Which brings me to my question of the day - how do you listen to your music these days? I would think people hear music on a number of different formats in an average day - maybe you listen to the radio for a while at work, CDs or an iPod in the car and records at home during the evening. For the poll below, please select the format(s) you usually use in any given day. I'm just curious about this because re-reading my Dakota Student column makes me realize just how much I've changed my own habits in a few years, and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone.

Just a quick reminder that Brandon Scott Sellner is performing at the Empire Arts Center tonight as part of the Budweiser Blues Series. I had lined up a phone interview with Sellner, but had to scratch my plans after becoming the political reporter because I didn't have time to get to a music preview right now.

But I passed it off to Herald writer Kaitlin Ring, who did a pretty great preview/interview with Sellner that ran in Friday's Herald. Here's just the tail end of the story - you can read the full thing online:

For the rest of 2010, Sellner plans to record new material and release a new record. The band is working on the licensing and artwork to finalize a DVD release, and Sellner wants to keep touring and to catch the eye of some labels.

“There are a couple of people in business that are waiting to hear stuff we’ve been working on,” Sellner said. “Hopefully they like it and we can get some new exposure and open some new doors.”

Through his transformation from an average, small-town high school student to an up-and-coming blues musician, Sellner said, “The only advice I can … give is to think big and never give up.”

Sellner's show starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Empire Arts Center. Tickets are $20 at the door with a $3 discount for Empire members. To find out more about Sellner, visit his MySpace page.

Ticket prices are pretty steep, which is what I expected: $51.50, $86.50 and $126.50. You can get one through any Ticketmaster outlet or www.ticketmaster.com.

Rob Sobolik, the Fargodome general manager, said the concert will be setup to hold about 14,000 people but more seats could be available if there's a high demand. You can check out Lamb's full story to learn more about the announcement and a little history on the musical duo's visits to Fargo in the past.

One thing I'm wondering is if this show would do well in Grand Forks. Let's say the Alerus Center got the concert instead of the Fargodome - do you think the Al could sell 14,000 tickets at that price for Simon & Garfunkel? Would the show be a success? I'm pretty jealous of the Fargodome getting this show and might have to try to make it to the concert, and definitely wish it was happening in GF instead. But I don't know if Grand Forks could sellout for this show, and I think Fargo has a good chance of doing so. Any thoughts on this?

Here's "Homeward Bound," perhaps my favorite S&G song:

They're playing the Fargodome on Friday, May 7. Tickets go on sale next Saturday, March 6, at 10 a.m., and can be purchased at the Fargodome box office, all Ticketmaster locations or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Simon & Garfunkel are kicking off their tour at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on April 24, then make their way to Fargo with other tour cities to be announced. There's no word on ticket prices yet for the Fargodome show. What do you think of this announcement? Think you'll be heading to Fargo to see Simon & Garfunkel?

But the last item on the agenda took me by surprise. The board discussed a facilities committee meeting from earlier in the day that once again went over several proposed music and theater arts construction projects, as well as a much-needed revamp of Cushman Field. But then the committee recommended the board vote to start two of the proposed projects - an $8.1 million, 750-seat theater at Red River High School and a $2.5 million expansion of the Central High School auditorium. There was quite a bit of discussion, and board member Roger Pohlman said he didn't really understand why the board would go ahead with these projects now and not address a bigger issue - the poor condition of Cushman Field. The field repair project was the highest-ranked item on the board's list of potential projects, receiving the top priority from citizens who attended a public forum two weeks ago. Pohlman seemed to favor instead doing the track work first.

Plus, there are several unanswered questions. Consultants said the Red River theater could go in one of two locations - obviously, they need to pick a spot before construction can begin. And if it goes over by the existing band/choir rooms, it will take up practice field space that could impact both high schools' football and soccer teams. But Central has bigger issues - there is a perception in the community that the school needs more gym space, which could end up in a proposed addition onto the school that board members also seem to favor but might not get start construction until next year at the earliest. There's another problem - the auditorium remodel will displace an art lab (currently housed in the former balcony area), and officials for now don't know where the art room will go. It also could go into the addition - but if plans go ahead, the auditorium's remodel will start in November so they'll have to figure out a temporary art location soon.

All that aside, School Board President Eric Lunn pointed out they want to start these projects first because they've already done a thorough needs analysis for music and theater arts. Consultants' top two recommendations were to build a new Red River theater and remodel Central's auditorium, which is what the board voted for on Monday. The other projects would be better if officials wait, Lunn said, because two ongoing studies will result in recommendations sometime after mid-April that will suggest what other needs there are in the GF schools' facilities. Those studies would likely tell board members what should go inside the new Central addition, how badly needed the gym space is and also point out other things that the board is not currently even looking at.

The board ended up voting 6-1 to start the first step that will make these theater projects a reality. Pohlman cast the only 'no' vote - I'm guessing it was because of his view that they should look at higher priorities first, plus lingering concerns over still having so many loose ends on these theater projects - but they don't explain their votes so that's just what it seemed like to me. You can read my full story about the meeting here.

One important thing to note: Monday's vote DOES NOT obligate the board to really do anything. It simply authorized the district to begin the request for proposal process, which asks architects to send in their rough plans for the projects. April 12, the board is scheduled to vote and select architects for both projects, and then will vote in July to approve full designs and begin the bidding process. After several more steps, construction could begin at Central as soon as November and the auditorium could be ready by next May. Red River will have to wait - after all, construction crews can't break ground in the winter for this like they can inside Central. So the plan for that is to approve everything over the next year and start construction in May 2011 when it's possible. That's scheduled to take about 13 months, so it could be open in the early summer of 2012.

What do you think of the board's actions? They can do both projects for a total of about $10.6 million (according to consultant estimates) and not have to raise taxes to do so. But do you think this is a good investment for the district? It will be interesting to see the reaction to this, especially as the designs are finalized and the board takes a vote that would commit the district to these projects.