Hear Them Howl from 2013

featuring Aoife O'Donovan, Heather Masse, and Howard Levy

The 50th Anniversary Tour Continues in Moorhead, MN

A Prairie Home Companion began in Minnesota in 1974 and built a loyal local audience in the state before national distribution began in 1980. Thus, with the 50th Anniversary tour, the troupe is visiting many places across the North Star State — from our sold-out shows at the Fitzgerald Theater to the shores of Lake Superior in Duluth and, in the fall, to Moorhead, MN, home to the Prairie Home Cemetery. On September 26, join Garrison Keillor at Moorhead’s Bluestem Center for the Arts, with special guests Christine DiGiallonardo, Rich Dworsky, Howard Levy, Chris Siebold, Larry Kohut, Tim Russell, and Fred Newman. The fun begins at 7 p.m. Ticket information.

Listen to the classic show

This week, we travel back to May 25, 2013, for A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor. It's a show that was performed live from Wolf Trap National Park. With special guests, harmonizing duo The Milk Carton Kids, and singers Aoife O’Donovan and Heather Masse. Plus, the Royal Academy of Radio Actors (Sue Scott, Tim Russell, and Fred Newman), and harmonica ace Howard Levy joins the Guy’s All-Star Shoe Band.

Highlights include the hilarious ditty “Social Media,” Heather Masse singing “Bright Morning Stars,” Howard Levy on “Front Porch Blues,” Pat Donohue picking away on “Lazy John,” a few tunes from The Milk Carton Kids, an audience sing-along, a script or two, and — of course — the latest News from Lake Wobegon. Listen to the show.

AOIFE O'DONOVAN

Growing up in a musical family, Aoife O'Donovan took an interest in the American folk tradition. And after graduating from the New England Conservatory of Music, she formed the progressive bluegrass band Crooked Still and the trio Sometymes Why. She collaborated with Sara Watkins and Sarah Jarosz to create the "I'm With Her" tour, which took the trio to the U.K., Europe, and across the U.S. Aoife's latest recording is All My Friends, inspired by the passage of the 19th Amendment and a testament to her belief in the power of the vote — especially in this election year.

HOWARD LEVY

Multi-instrumentalist Howard Levy is perhaps best known for developing a fully chromatic harmonica style on a standard 10-hole diatonic instrument. Anyone who's ever picked up a little Hohner Marine Band can appreciate the feat. The musical adventures of this Chicago-based Grammy winner include journeys into jazz, pop, rock, Latin, classical, folk, blues, country, and more. He has appeared on hundreds of recordings.

THE MILK CARTON KIDS

Two voices, two guitars — sometimes that's all it takes. Case in point: The Milk Carton Kids. Los Angeles-based singer-songwriters Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan spent a decade pursuing separate careers before they formed a duo in 2011, taking the name from the title of one of their songs, “Milk Carton Kid.” With their close harmonies, deft guitar work, and deadpan humor, they quickly built a wide and devoted following. Their 2023 album is titled I Only See the Moon.

HEATHER MASSE

Growing up in rural Maine, Heather Masse sang hymns and folk songs around home with her family. She went on to train as a jazz singer at the New England Conservatory of Music, and she’s equally versed in a variety of other traditions — pop, bluegrass, and more. She garnered legions of fans as one-third of the Juno Award-winning Canadian trio The Wailin' Jennys. The first of her solo albums, Bird Song, was released in 2009.

Old Sweet Songs from A Prairie Home Companion

Lovingly selected from the archives of A Prairie Home Companion, this heirloom collection represents the music from earliest years of the now-legendary show: 1974–1976. With songs and tunes from jazz pianist Butch Thompson, mandolin maestro Peter Ostroushko, guitarist Dakota Dave Hull, and The Powdermilk Biscuit Band (Adam Granger, Bob Douglas, and Mary DuShane). Get the CD -

Check out Garrison Keillor’s new(ish) book, Cheerfulness. Drawing on personal anecdotes from his young adulthood into his 80s, Keillor sheds light on the immense good that can come from a deliberate work ethic and a buoyant demeanor.

CLICK HERE to buy your copy today!

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