Read about the event and schedule below:
The Chippewa Valley’s 2020 Juneteenth celebration will begin at 9:00am on Friday, June 19 and will be facilitated through a Zoom meeting. The day’s events will culminate with a Conversation about Race from 5:30pm-8:00pm and will be focused on three primary issues: police brutality, education on race issues, and race in everyday life. The event will bring together area residents to celebrate their commitment toward a more united community enriched by its diversity.
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19 that Union soldiers, led by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas, with news that the war had ended and the enslaved were now free. Today, Juneteenth commemorates African American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement. In cities across the country, people of all races, nationalities and religions join to acknowledge a period in our history that shaped and continues to influence our society.
The schedule of events is as follows (but is subject to change):
9:00am Exploring Race in American History
*Reading of the Black Codes
*Explanation of Jim Crow (Selika Ducksworth-Lawton and Le’Trice
Donaldson)
*How the Past Meets the Present
*Mythology of the West & The Lost Cause (John Mann and
Carrie Ronnader)
*Colonialization and the Link to Slavery (Louisa Rice and
Andrew Stervent)
*Lessons from the 1967 Milwaukee Riots (Paul Erger)
*Monuments & Memory (Cheryl Jimenez-Frei)
12:00pm Juneteenth Media Panel
Discussing media coverage of protest and working with the community (Zach Perlutsky of WEAU, Eric Lindquist of Leader-Telegram, Julian Emerson of UpNorth News, and Noah Ovshinsky of WPR; moderated by Jan Larson)
1:30pm Breakout Sessions
*Hmong People in the Age of George Floyd (Pa Vang, Caitlyn
Lee, and Dang Yang)
*How to Protest Nonviolently (Selika Ducksworth-Lawton)
*Holding Critical Race Discussion (Patricia Turner)
*Black Masculinity and Issues (David Carlson)
3:00pm De-Escalation Training (Isa Small)
4:30pm Altoona Juneteenth Celebration
Speeches by Mayor Brendan Pratt, Police Chief Kelly Bakken, Selika Ducksworth-Lawton, AHS Principal Jim Reif, and Breana Stanley
5:30pm Juneteenth Musical Interlude (CollECtive Choir, Naalia, and Irie Sol)
6:30pm A Community Conversation about Race (moderated by Ed Hudgins)
Uniting Bridges of Eau Claire organizes the Chippewa Valley’s Juneteenth celebration each year. This year, the event is sponsored by the City of Eau Claire, the City of Altoona, Converge Radio, the UWEC Office of the Chancellor, the UWEC Office of Multicultural Affairs, the UWEC Office of Affirmative Action, the UWEC History Department, and Visit Eau Claire (among others). For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/events/550554058949880) or contact Selika Ducksworth-Lawton at 715-836-4886 or duckswsm@uwec.edu.
All events will be presented through Zoom. Please reserve tickets at the following site:
https://www.eventbrite.com/x/city-of-eau-claire-and-altoona-juneteenth-celebration-tickets-109560404118. The event will also be livestreamed from the Tomme Suab Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/tommesuab/).
With a perspective equally influenced by her Texas roots and her Cape Cod home, Americana singer-songwriter Monica Rizzio has emerged as one of the finest talents in the East Coast music scene. Monica released her debut album, aptly named Washashore Cowgirl, in 2016; where it was Monica’s solo introduction after a decade in the trio Tripping Lily, Sunshine is Free is her expansion — after time spent on the road, she realized it was time for her to start collaborating again and recorded the album in Nashville with producer Michael Rinne and a stacked lineup of guest musicians. Throughout the eleven tracks on Sunshine Is Free, Monica appreciates the little things in life and looks for silver linings where necessary. It’s clear she has a keen ability to connect; her songs are often autobiographical but delivered through a fictional approach that aids in creating a universal experience for the listener — whether it’s expressed using her trademark sense of humor or with such striking honesty that the pain in her voice is tangible. (Read More)
Converge Radio 99.9 FM and the Brewing Projekt are thrilled to bring you a Halloween music and fun extravaganza that’s top notch.
Saturday, October 26th @ 4pm
The Brewing Projekt
More Info
Get your costumed butts down here Saturday October 26th for our GINORMOUS grown-up Halloween bash! We’ve partnered with Converge Radio to bring you live music throughout the night!
The bands include:
Black Eyed Snakes – “Look to a place where Low, The Fall, and Willie Dixon all have something to say to one another. Then dance fool.” That’s how Spin Magazine’s Andrew Beaujon rolled up the Black-eyed Snakes, a genre-bending electric blues band from Duluth, Minn. fronted by LOW’s and Retribution Gospel Choir’s Alan Sparhawk.
Listen:
Annie and the Bang Bang – Annie and the Bang Bang is a Minneapolis rock band that genre hops from dreamy folkpop to late sixties rock to swampy blues. Guitarist and songwriter, Annie Enneking tells stories about being a person in a world full of people, and relies on the thick invention and dig-right-down-into-it-ness of the Bang Bangs: John Riedlinger (guitar), Kare Tweiten (bass), Mike Kittel (drums).
Listen:
DJ Esp AKA Woody McBride – American Techno and Acid Icon DJ ESP aka Woody McBride is in the mix. With releases and remixes on Dave Clarke’s White Noise, Josh Wink’s Ovum, Eric Powell’s Bush, Fat Boy Slim’s Skint, Novamute, Acid Tracks, Drop Bass Network and dozens of other labels there are just a handful of stateside producer/DJs so prolific. His own label Communique continues to promote the underground sound and push it into the future.
Listen:
DJ Felon– Hosts Sessions Radio which is techno/ electronic music on Converge.
Also featuring: 4 NEW BEER RELEASES! (TRICK-OR-TREAT STYLE), food, costume contests (prizes TBA), games, first dibs at sweet new Fall merch, and general spooky fun for all!
Did we mention admission is free? Cuz it is. It’s FREE AF!
For more information check out the Facebook event here!
Happy Freakin’ Halloween, Eau Scare! We’ll see you monsters in October!
Converge Radio is proud to announce a new radio program focused on Western Wisconsin high school students – Rock And Roll Homeroom.
The show will air on Saturdays from 10am to noon and will have a unique lineup for hosting.
Every Tuesday at 5pm, area high school students will be invited to the Converge Radio studio to work with producers to record an episode, learn the basics of radio production, and develop promos for their own episode which will then air on Saturday.
Converge Radio station manager Scott Morfitt is excited for the new opportunity for young people: “My own passion for radio was built at a young age; it’s unbelievably exciting to get to create this space for area high school students to learn more about the craft we all love so very much.”
Converge is currently seeking sponsors willing to partner with the station to help make the program sustainable, as these recording and training sessions will be free of charge to students wishing to participate.
To get involved with Rock and Roll Homeroom at Converge, students will simply need to apply. Parents will then be sent a release form.
Following the application process, a recording session with the student will be scheduled for a Tuesday at 5pm. Students who live throughout Converge Radio’s seven- county broadcast region are encouraged to sign up.
The show will run throughout summer, so students wishing to host over their break are in luck. Morfitt says, “At Converge Radio, our team works to produce high quality radio 52 weeks a year, Rock and Roll Homeroom will be no different. We are also open to student hosts who are visiting the region over the summer.”
To learn more about how to get involved and apply to host, go to: ConvergeRadio.org/RockAndRollHomeroom
Converge Radio 99.9 FM is a radio station that serves a 110-mile broadcast region covering Chippewa, Clark, Eau Claire, Dunn, Rusk, Barron, Polk, Pepin and Pierce counties. We are the only station in the region that plays music produced by artists in those counties alongside national music played by independent artists not heard on any other radio station in the region.
Press Contact:
Scott Morfitt – scott@convergeradio.org – 715-461-0066
Program Questions:
Diane Christophersen – diane@convergeradio.org – 715-836-2437
Sponsorship:
Dustin Steinbrecher – dustin@convergeradio.org – 715-471-0251
Converge Radio and Xpeditions Bar and Coffee are proud to present three upcoming shows.
Humbird (March 28th)
Bio: Combining a wintry longing with the warmth of a familiar folktale, Humbird stretches between experimental folk and environmental Americana to embrace the unexpected. This music invites a refreshing dissonance into the house, it leaves breadcrumbs along the path and reflects light back at the stars. Currently based in Minneapolis MN, Humbird’s companion EPs “Elsewhere” and “Where Else” were released in summer 2017. Both collections explore themes of the human body within various environments and showcase minimalist soundscapes, looping, and extended vocal techniques to create an otherworldly, though familiar sound rooted in folk music traditions.
Now, moving between intimate solo performances, improvised duo sets and full band arrangements, the songs and stories continue to evolve, shift and flourish. Humbird’s debut full length album is set to be released in 2019.
Annie Mack (April 11th)
Bio: Annie Mack has built a reputation for writing meaningful, relate-able and inspirational songs. Live, she delivers her songs with power, soul and conviction.
A dynamic vocalist and charismatic performer, she takes the audience on a journey; from velvet lined melodic depths to exciting, gritty, full bodied church hollers.
A regional Powerhouse with National Recognition, Annie has performed at many top festivals and venues, including The John Coltrane jazz Festival-High Point North Carolina, The Lancaster Roots and Blues Festival-Lancaster Pennsylvania, The Thunder-Bay Music Festival-Ontario Canada, The Minnesota State Fair, The Twin Cities Jazz Festival, The Bayfront Blues Festival(six years running)-Duluth MN, Buddy Guys-Chicago Illinois, The Blues City Deli – St. Louis, Missouri and The Arts Garage Del-Ray Beach Florida. Annie is a regular performer around Minnesota, appearing frequently at venues such as The Aster Cafe,Bunkers Bar and Grill,Vieux Carre and The Dakota Jazz Club. Most recently Annie Had the honor of opening up for Modern Blues Legend Robert Cray at the Historic Fitzgerald Theater in St.Paul, Minnesota.
Elvessa (May 23rd)
Bio: Elvessa is introspective ghost rock laced with mystery, lost in ether, featuring Elizabeth Weidner (guitar, vox, songwriting), Kari Gallagher (violin, backup vox), and Joe Decker (bass guitar). Expect dry, bittersweet freak folk with undertones of dark chocolate and tobacco, a delicate blend of smooth and biting aromas with a lingering finish. Let’s get weird.
Chippewa Falls, WI – The Chippewa Falls Public Library and Converge Radio 99.9 FM are proud to host a brand new concert series on every other Friday in February through April. While this is a brand-new series, it’s loosely based on MTV Unplugged and VH1 Storytellers.
“Whenever we approach concerts be it a series, festival or one-off concert we’re very focused on bringing intentionally programmed events in our broadcast region,” says Scott Morfitt Converge Radio 99.9 Station Manager, “When the library approached us with the idea of an Unplugged series, we instantly loved it!”
Much like the popular series from the ‘90s and early ‘00s, each concert will be broken into 2 thirty-minute sets of music with an interview in between focusing on each musician’s approach towards live performance and connecting with audiences.
Each night will kick off at 7pm at the Chippewa Falls Public Library.
Library Director Joe Niese says, “We are excited about the acts and partnering with Converge Radio to provide the public with free music during this time of year.”
Performances will be as follows:
February 22 – Broken Eights
March 8 – Elvessa
March 22 – Jim Pullman
April 5 – Joyann Parker
April 19 – Pit Wagon
Each event is free and open to the public. Bands are being paid by Business Friends of the Chippewa Falls Public Library: Chippewa Valley Orthopedic & Sports Medicine, Chippewa Veterinary Clinic, Eagle Point Mutual Insurance Co., Fries Financial Group, Kiwanis Group of Chippewa Falls, Lake Wissota Family Chiropractic, Lumberjack Tools, Nordson Corporation, Northwest Passages to Independence, Inc., Northwestern Bank, Optimist Club, TTM Technologies and W.S. Darley.
LIVE RADIO DRAMA! Join us for a very special live performance of the final two episodes of “Bend in the River” – a locally written, performed, and produced radio drama series from the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild and Blugold Radio 99.9 FM.
*** DON’T WORRY! THIS PERFORMANCE WILL CATCH NEW LISTENERS UP TO SPEED! ***
Whether you’re a dedicated fan or hearing it for the first time, you’re in for a treat! The live performance is set for Saturday, May 5 at 7PM at The Metro in downtown Eau Claire. (The show normally airs on 99.9 FM at 7pm on Friday nights.)
BIO: Like many great Southern storytellers, singer-songwriter Tyler Childers has fallen in love with a place. The people, landmarks and legendary moments from his childhood home of Lawrence County, Kentucky, populate the 10 songs in his formidable debut, Purgatory, an album that’s simultaneously modern and as ancient as the Appalachian Mountains in which events unfold.
BIO: Them Coulee Boys are a progressive folk band from Eau Claire, WI who play a brand of Americana that at once is both bursting in enthusiasm and sincerely thoughtful. Mixing folk, bluegrass, punk, and rock & roll, the Boys write songs that are rooted in honesty and feel like a conversation. Their 2016 release Dancing in the Dim Light was named “Best Album 2016” by Volume One Magazine, and led to tours all over the Midwest and beyond. In the past year alone Them Coulee Boys have shared the stage with John Fogerty, Yonder Mountain String Band, Sam Bush, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades, and Pert Near Sandstone.
