First Crack 71. Peanut Butter Goes Nuts at PBLoco

I grabbed a few moments with Keri, Jodene, & Ken – the owners of PBLoco and they share the history of their company and some peanut butter sandwich recipes you probably haven’t tried. On the business side, they went into the rationale behind launching in Minnesota, rather than either coast. Listen to Peanut Butter Goes …

Camp Shoppy?

So, Camp Snoopy is leaving Mall of America. I think the Mall has a huge opportunity to develop their own cheesy mascots – like the Olympics does. Problem is, they need a new name as well. Hmmmmm. Here’s an easy fix: Turn the ‘n’ into an ‘h’ and the second ‘o’ into a ‘p’.

First Crack 70. Ted Lowell from the Acadia Cafe on Being an Original Venue

Last year, PodcastMN got it’s start over drinks at the Acadia Cafe. This week, I sat down with Ted Lowell – one of the owners. We talk about: The history of the Acadia Cafe. The decision to be an all original music venue. What it’s like having a Starbucks across the street. Riding the 75-cent …

What To Do with 10 Sears Ads?

Sunday Star Tribune seemed a little heavy for a boring, post-holiday, January weekend. As I culled out the handful of things I actually care about; comics big box electronics ads “signature” – maybe there’s something interesting this week “money + business” – maybe there’s something interesting this week the Satellite radio article in “arts & …

Happy Holidays from St. Anthony Village

This is the second winter we’ve spent in the house and the second winter somebody covered a city firetruck in lights, turned the carols up to 11, strapped a sleigh on the back, threw Santa in it, and drove around the village spreading holiday cheer. Like the summer’s helicopter ping-pong drop – it makes both …

First Crack 68. Dan Carroll Talks about the IMP Media Player

Dan Carroll and I grab lunch at Joes Garage and we talk about IMP – his music and movie distribution platform currently in beta. We talk about how it benefits independent artists, how it’s different than iTunes, the decision to go with BiTorrent, and who this platform is intended for. We start off with a …

Gardens of Salonica – Comfortable Greek

Last night, Jen and I went out to dinner in celebration of our anniversary at NE Minneapolis’ Gardens of Salonica (19 5th Street NE, Minneapolis). Gardens is half a step outside of the hustle and bustle of the St. Anthony Main and that’s why I like it. This 2-room restaurant so comfortable and personable, I …

First Crack 67. Steve McClellan on Developing Musicians and Independence

Steve McClellan’s name is synonymous with and as legendary as First Avenue where he worked for 30+ years. Lately, he’s been working with the Diverse Emerging Music Organization – a non-profit focused on connecting independent venues and new artists. We sat down at the Acadia Cafe, I had a Duval (Acadia has an amazing beer …