The Great American Folk Show is a little place where we commune with you to share stories, sing songs, and talk to some good people with great voices.
The show is written, recorded, and hosted by folksinger and songwriter Tom Brosseau, produced by Prairie Public Broadcasting. Original instrumentation by Burkum Boys. Additional music by Sean Watkins. Special flyer design by DLT.
—
On the radio
Hear a new episode The Great American Folk Show every Saturday at 5pm on Prairie Public, or stream anytime.
Podcast
The Great American Folk Show podcast, released biweekly, features interviews, music, poetry, and more, curated from the show's beloved radio broadcast.
—
How to Listen Live
• Tune your radio to Prairie Public. Find your local frequency >
• Stream online >
What's Tom Listening To?
Check out Tom Brosseau's frequently updated playlist of some of his favorite music.
Questions, Comments, Suggestions?
Email Mary Jones at maryjonesmjm@gmail.com.
Listen to The Great American Folk Show's latest weekly radio episodes below.
-
Episode 95 features music from Nina Nastasia, Jeremie Albino, Rambler Kane, Quincy Allen Flint, and Ismay. -
Episode 94 features singer-songwriter Dustin Maenaga, acoustic quartet Twisted Pine, London musician Our Man In The Field, and Fargo singer Paula Larsen. Plus, Tom visits Copilot Designs in Grand Forks.
-
Episode 93 features singer-songwriter Jamie Drake, musician Jeff Plankenhorn, and writer Julie Wolfson. Plus, to kick off the show, we play Arlo Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant” in its entirety — a new Great American Folk Show Thanksgiving tradition!
-
Episode 92 features music from Americana duo Last Birds, singer-songwriter Brendan Melia, Grand Forks singer Michael Marcotte, and singer-songwriter David Wilcox. Plus, an interview about Kenny’s Music Shoppe in Grand Forks, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary.
-
Tom Brosseau visits with Kenny Holweger, owner of Kenny's Music Shoppe in Grand Forks, where Tom got his first guitar at seven years old. The store celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.
The Great American Folk Show podcast features interviews, music, poetry, and more, curated from the show's beloved radio broadcast. Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform.
-
Episode 51 features folk musician David Wilcox, New Mexico guitarist Max Gomez, midwest singer-songwriter Ross Thorn, country singer Garrett Hendricks, and Portland-based Americana artist Jared Dustin Griffin. -
Episode 154 features singer-songwriter Rajah Bose, acoustic duo Prickly Pair, indie-folk musician Remi Goode, and Irish songwriter Trevor Hansbury. Plus, novelist Lee Barnes reads from his new book, “Emerald City Blues."
-
Episode 49 features neo-folk singer Denison Witmer, musician and activist Greta Gaines, country band Ramona and the Holy Smokes, and 49th Parallel from Minot, North Dakota. Plus, singer-songwriter Marshall Crenshaw talks about his new album, "From the Hellhole."
-
Episode 48 features singer-songwriter Grant Lee Phillips, CJ Landowski of Grammy-winning band Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, bluegrass band East Nash Grass, and Texas country music from Dallas Burrow. Plus, we hear from Minneapolis rapper, poet, and musician Dessa, who is performing at Minot’s Notstock Festival on September 18.
-
Episode 47 features Toronto singer Rosanne Baker Thornley, musician Christian Motos, true-crime podcaster and singer Chris Lambert, Medora rancher Clay Schaeffer, and North Dakota columnist Jessie Veeder.
Join Tom Brosseau in Dakota Diners as he visits some fantastic places to eat in North Dakota.
-
Today on Dakota Diners, we visit with Kevin Hartel of Maple Valley Meats in Enderlin, North Dakota. He makes a sausage that’s very popular — a cold-smoked sausage called Farmer's Rope. Host Tom Brosseau visits with Kevin to learn about the process of cold-smoking. -
In this episode of Dakota Diners, Tom Brosseau visits the Cowboy Café in Medora to talk with co-owner Beth Clyde. -
On today’s Dakota Diners, Tom takes a trip to the Fairdale Café in Fairdale, North Dakota. It’s in the northeast part of the state, in Walsh County. Population: 25. Listen to Tom's friendly visit with Fairdale Café owner, Shiela Myrvik, as they talk about that famous Thursday Klub lunch special, and what it was like to run the café through the pandemic. -
The Wurst Shop in Dickinson offers choice cuts of beef, pork, elk, and buffalo — plus, seafood selections, and all kinds of cheeses. The shop also carries many other North Dakota food products. Host Tom Brosseau visited The Wurst Shop to talk with owner Ken Molitor about the shop and its patrons, head cheese and liver sausage, and the old-fashioned way of preparing these food items. -
Prairie Sky Breads in Minot, North Dakota, opened their storefront in 2020, serving fresh salads, sandwiches, pizzas, and, of course, bread — dill hamburger buns, sourdough, and jalapeno cheddar buns, just to name a few. In this Dakota Diners feature, Tom Brosseau visits Prairie Sky Breads and talks with co-owners Zach and Jazmine Schultz.
Throwing Rocks: The Curling Clubs of North Dakota is an ongoing segment on The Great American Folk Show.
Host Tom Brosseau is on a mission to interview every curling club in North Dakota — he wants to learn how the sport came to the United States, the rules of the game, and the history of curling clubs in our state.
-
On this Throwing Rocks segment, Tom Brosseau talks with Dick Nordgren, who once ran the Hazen Curling Club. -
The Minot Curling Club is one of the oldest in the state, and today it’s at its fourth location. Over the years, flooding, a fire, and shifting ground forced a change in venues. But the club has continued to thrive, and welcomes new curlers each year. -
On this Throwing Rocks segment, Roger Smith, curling historian and certified curling instructor at the Capital Curling Club, talks with host Tom Brosseau about the club's history. -
Every February for the past 30 years, Tom’s Lounge — the local bar in Forest River, North Dakota — has hosted an outdoor bonspiel. Some 40 teams took part this year. For a town of 100-some inhabitants, Forest River more than doubles its size during the three-day event. -
The Crosby Curling Club has been “throwing rocks” for 61 years and counting — making it possibly the oldest curling club in North Dakota. Tom Brosseau traveled to Crosby to meet with club member and board member Josh Bummer.
