(soft acoustic guitar music) ♪ Back roads and byways ♪ ♪ Campfires will lie awake ♪ ♪ Sweet grass and summer sage ♪ ♪ Come on baby ♪ ♪ Come and take my hand ♪ ♪ Take my hand ♪ ♪ Take my hand ♪ ♪ We're Dakota bound ♪ (soft acoustic guitar music) - Join us as we travel to share stories and songs from the Prairie.

Good Roots Farm and Gardens is a 40-acre farm located in Eastern South Dakota, near Brookings.

Managed by a husband and wife team, Bill and Julie Ross.

The pair decided early in their tenure on the farm to create a place that serves as both literal soil to cultivate crops, but also figurative soil to cultivate community.

They believe that the well-being of humans is intertwined with the well-being of our non-human neighbors.

And that in relationship with each other, we all thrive.

Consequently, Good Roots values regenerative practices and grows a wide variety of vegetables and fruits.

They also offer a variety of programs to feed the soul.

Perhaps their most popular offerings are seasonal pizza nights that use ingredients raised on the farm.

Prepared onsite in traditional wood-fired pizza ovens, I can say from personal experience, these pizzas are delicious.

And the camaraderie in a beautiful setting is just as nourishing.

Hello, I'm Eliza Blue, and I am here at the Good Roots Farm and Gardens just outside Brookings, South Dakota.

And I wish you were here.

We are so excited to share stories with you today about roots, about community, about music, and all kinds of other wonderful things that are happening on this farm.

We are here with musician, teacher, and zine publisher, Jon Bakken.

And Jon, we actually met at Good Roots.

- We did!

- Yes.

- Yeah.

- You came up to me and gave me a copy of your zine.

And before I played here, and I was like, "Uh, well this is super awesome."

Because the cover was a musician that I admire, and that I don't feel like people talk enough about.

Zitkala.

- Yeah, Zitkala.

- So I was like, immediately like, "Wow, who is this guy?"

And then we didn't get to chat but we connected via social media.

So, it's really thrilling to get to actually be sharing space with you here now.

- Agree, thank you so much for having me.

- So tell us more about this zines.

- Yeah.

So the general idea of the zine is I interview six different artists or bands I should say, or musicians, about an album they have coming out, or maybe it's an older album, to just kind of celebrate all of the creation that's happening in South Dakota all the time, specifically about South Dakota artists.

Anywhere within the state lines is good.

And it's been a total joy and a total ride.

I found out about you because I interviewed Rachel Ries from Her Crooked heart.

So as I'm interviewing people, of course it's leading to more amazing things to listen to.

So I'm so thankful for that interview that led me to you, that led me do this.

It's amazing, yeah.

(Eliza laughs) - And that was the other thing I thought was really cool is that creating the zine, it really reminds me of what the folks here at Good Roots are doing.

'Cause you are, you're creating this network of roots.

I have also, because of your zine, learned about artists that I wouldn't have known about otherwise.

- [Jon] Oh cool.

- [Eliza] And have really enjoyed getting to know, cause there isn't currently something like that for us here in South Dakota that really is focused on music.

- [Jon] Yeah.

- [Eliza] A publication that's just focused on music.

- [Jon] Yeah, there hasn't been.

I put out an album in 2020.

And when I put it out, I was kind of like trying to find what else was out that year.

And I was talking to like record stores and different musicians I respect.

And some people didn't have any ideas of any other music that was released in 2020, or even that like I had released one.

And so I was sort of like, "Nothing came on 2020, nothing at all?

What about me?"

(Eliza laughs) You know what I mean?

It was one of those...

So after those conversations, I started the zine.

It's called "Tiger Meat".

You can get it online, tigermeatmusic.com.

And yeah, it's just been a really eye-opening.

Especially to me, finding out the history of musicians that have always been here like Zitkala-úa, like Buddy Red Bow.

- Yeah, I agree.

And then that's part of what I love about it, too.

There's history in there, but then you're also up and coming bands.

Bands that people may not have heard of, because again, we're a rural state, people are more spread out.

- [Jon] Yeah.

- So, it is harder to kind of like go out to a show and see a new band.

So especially, I live in a very rural area.

- [Jon] Right.

- So it's been wonderful for me to get to know all these bands that I can't just go out and see.

So now, at the end of most of your interviews, you always ask - Oh!

the artists you're talking to what their favorite Dakota albums are.

- Yeah.

- And I told you I was gonna ask you too.

That's a mean question though, isn't it?

- It's really mean, I know.

(Eliza laughs) I kept trying to like whittle it down.

It's really, really tough.

I tried to kind of do it by genre.

Can I give you a list of like 10-ish?

- [Eliza] Yes.

Yeah, 10-ish?

- Is that too many?

(Eliza laughs) Is that too... - [Eliza] No, why not?

- Okay.

- [Eliza] Go for it.

Of course there's this one called "South Dakota, 1st of May" by Eliza Bloom.

It's fantastic.

- [Eliza] Awesome.

- That's up there now, I have to mention that one.

Jami Lynn's "Fall Is a Good Time to Die".

Other kind of folksy ones are like, there's a guy not far from here, lived in Lake Preston.

His name is Evan Lyle Jensen.

He's passed away now but he had two great albums.

In terms of like country music, there's like Eric Holm here from Brookings.

He write some great radical country music.

There's Buddy Red Bow, "Journey to the Spirit World".

With like hip-hop, there's such a cool hip-hop zine.

That's one of the favorite things that I've been finding out in doing interviews, especially on the reservations.

So you have Bazille, he has a wonderful album called "Taku Sni".

He's from Bad Nation.

Witko has another great album called "Public Enemy".

Rage Rocc Boy has an album called "Gods Among Us".

Those are all fantastic hip-hop albums.

Rock albums are harder for me to narrow down.

I feel like that's what I listen to the most.

But if I had to pick a few, it'd be like No Direction.

There's a subtitle, he's really famous.

Sioux Falls' artist, Rich Show.

There's so many.

Face of Decline is another one from Sioux Falls.

They have an album called "A Clockwork Orangutan".

Is this too long?

This is probably too long.

I've gone on too far.

(Eliza laughs) "We All Have Hooks for Hands" is another great one.

It's impossible for me to narrow down.

If you want jazz, you got Alex Masa.

He's got a great kind of ecological jazz album and water music.

There's too many.

I know I'm leaving off people.

Purple Honey.

Gotta shout out Purple Honey out in Rapid City.

They're amazing.

- I think that this is all a good lead into why people need to seek out your zine and read more.

So you already said the web address.

And if they want a physical copy... - Yeah, you can get it at different stores around town.

But yeah, check out tigermeatmusic.com.

And then I also list all the stores.

I have them in different stores.

In Rapid City and in Brookings here, and in Sioux Falls and...

Trying to spread that out.

So if you want a store, let me know.

(Jon laughs) - Awesome.

All right.

Well, what do you think?

Should we play some music?

- Let's play some music.

- All right.

- So this song is actually a song I started writing about 15 years ago.

And just very recently, finally finished the last verse, which is always an interesting process with the song.

So a lot of these sentiments are things I carried across the country with me when I was touring full-time.

And I think that lyric "Living like a river, but I'd rather be a tree" really echoes the sentiments we are talking about today with creating roots and creating community.

So, living like a river.

(gentle guitar music) (orchestral music begins) ♪ We can listen ♪ ♪ To the whispers in the tree ♪ ♪ Found my little bed ♪ ♪ On the sand beside the grassy sea ♪ ♪ You can tell me ♪ ♪ In a voice so soft and low ♪ ♪ You'll always love me ♪ ♪ And you'll never let me go ♪ ♪ Now say, the truth is love can never win ♪ ♪ But even as I say that I'm dying beneath ♪ ♪ Even as I say that I'm dying beneath ♪ (orchestra intensifies) ♪ I fear I'll hurt you ♪ ♪ In ways that I can never mend ♪ ♪ I write you letters ♪ ♪ That I don't plan to send ♪ ♪ And even as I sing this ♪ ♪ In a voice so soft and low ♪ ♪ I am turning to a place you cannot go ♪ ♪ Ooh, Ohh ♪ ♪ Ooh, Ohh ♪ ♪ Beneath the ocean ♪ ♪ There lays a bed of stone ♪ ♪ Beneath the dessert ♪ ♪ Cool rivers often flow ♪ ♪ And I'm living like a river ♪ ♪ But I'd rather be a tree ♪ ♪ With roots that reach so deep ♪ ♪ I never have to leave ♪ ♪ Aah, ooh ♪ ♪ Ohh ♪ ♪ Ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh ♪ This next song is actually off my last album.

It's called "Red Dress".

But I have never gotten to play it with the cello player before.

So I am super excited to play this one with you, Jon.

(soft acoustic guitar music) ♪ Darling put your dress on ♪ ♪ Just before the storm had come ♪ ♪ She said I'm dear to you ♪ ♪ And you're dear to me ♪ ♪ So you let it go ♪ ♪ You let it go ♪ ♪ And east to east, and west to west ♪ ♪ These are the days that you love best ♪ ♪ Have you heard the phone you read ♪ ♪ Say you let it go ♪ ♪ Leave me be ♪ ♪ She said don't leave me be ♪ ♪ Won't you leave me be ♪ ♪ But don't you leave ♪ (gentle music) ♪ The devil walks where angels dread ♪ ♪ Their footstep shape the hearts of men ♪ ♪ And you don't know who just walked in ♪ ♪ So you let it go ♪ ♪ You let it go ♪ ♪ A bough will break if it cannot bend ♪ ♪ They say trouble follows trouble men ♪ ♪ And I have always been one of them ♪ ♪ So I let it go ♪ ♪ I let it go ♪ ♪ Leave me be ♪ ♪ She said don't leave me be ♪ ♪ Won't you leave me be ♪ ♪ But don't you leave ♪ ♪ Don't you leave ♪ ♪ Leave me be ♪ ♪ She said don't leave me be ♪ ♪ Won't you leave me be ♪ ♪ But don't you leave ♪ I am here with Julie at the Good Roots Farm.

And I wanna know a little more about sort of the spirit behind the mission and why you started this project in the first place.

- I'm happy to share.

My husband Bill and I came back to help ailing parents on our family farm.

So we became the third-generation owners in 2015 and thought, "Hmm, what can we do with this beautifully-located farm just outside of Brookings?"

Well, we went on vacation and ended up at Pizza Farms and thought, "Well that's kind of a fun idea.

A way to use produce, a way to engage the public.

And so we thought... We love the Earth.

We have a value around caring for the Earth.

We have a value around health, meaning relationship health, pastoral health, a place you can come to rest and relax and build relationship.

And we have a strong value on building community.

So with a lot of time and thinking, we came up with the idea of being an event farm.

So we host a lot of weddings, we host a lot of events.

We are open to the public and we have pizza nights in the summer.

Once a week on Sundays where people can come and we make rustic pizzas.

It's a three-day refrigerator process.

And then come and just enjoy and be on the farm, and enjoy the goats and the ducks and the loved ones that they bring with them.

So the idea kind of evolved, but that's where it started.

- And do you, are you seeing now, like looking to the future, do you have other things that you're looking forward to building?

(laughs) - We've come a long way.

We're almost done with the infrastructure.

And now we'd like to do more and more training.

We've started a little store.

We have a nice art room where we can do pottery and we can do other things.

We can host classes.

So yes, there's no end to the creativity that can come on a farm.

- (soft claps) Yay!

And more music.

Woohoo!

(both laughs) - We do have concerts.

We're now putting in a stage on part of our farm so we can do proper concerts.

But right now, we do them here in the yard.

And sometimes on Sunday nights and sometimes other kinds of concerts.

And now we've got an interest for kids to do karaoke.

So we'll see what kind of fun we can get into.

- Yes.

So that's how we originally met, is you reached out to me to play music here.

And I came, and I was like, "It's heaven.

I found heaven and it's right outside of Brookings."

(laughs) - We're thrilled that you came and we just love your music.

And we're so glad you're here again.

- [Eliza] Oh, thank you.

I feel the same way about you.

(both laughs) So the next song we're gonna do is actually from your new album.

And can you tell us a little bit about the album?

- Yeah, I'm super excited.

It's called "Return to the City of Afterwall".

I've been recording the last couple years, just wrapping it up.

It's just kind of my indulgences with like, Like I like to read comic books and fantasy novel.

So there are all these kind of little short stories of like ones about like robots and ones about, let's see, like clones.

And this one's about like a giant who's in love with a constellation.

So kind of like trying to like just write songs about the things that I like to read about that I haven't heard too many songs about.

- Awesome.

Well let's do it.

- Yeah.

This is called "Gemini and the Giant".

(soft guitar music) ♪ And so I lay here ♪ ♪ With my head in snow ♪ ♪ And both my feet deep into the undertow ♪ ♪ And dream of you ♪ ♪ Drawing in the stars up above ♪ ♪ The only one ♪ ♪ One that I ever have loved ♪ ♪ Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ In the stars up above ♪ ♪ Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Is the one that I love ♪ ♪ Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ In the stars up above ♪ ♪ Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Is the one that I love.

♪ ♪ Don't let me walk away ♪ ♪ From the moon and sea ♪ ♪ I'll try to rearrange ♪ ♪ To rearrange with me ♪ ♪ Don't let me be amazed ♪ ♪ By the ocean deep ♪ ♪ I'll try to be afraid ♪ ♪ If you'll be afraid with me ♪ ♪ And so I lay here ♪ ♪ With my head in snow ♪ ♪ And both my feet deep into the undertow ♪ ♪ And dream of you drawing ♪ ♪ In the stars up above ♪ ♪ The only one ♪ ♪ One that I ever have loved ♪ ♪ Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ In the stars up above ♪ ♪ Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Is the one that I love ♪ ♪ Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ In the stars up above ♪ ♪ Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Is the one that I love ♪ - The second half of winter on a ranch feels a little like the second half of summer for school-aged children.

Calving and lambing and planting season will start sooner than we'd like to admit.

And whatever freedom afforded by the relative simplicity of winter chores is about to come to an abrupt end.

Better hurry up and start relaxing, I always say.

Because the time to do so is quickly waning.

Our workload is about to shift from daylight hours to around the clock as the cows and used due dates approach.

It's also true for my work as a performer and musician.

I spend the winter plotting summer travels, negotiating contracts, consulting maps for touring routes, and working on set lists.

When I was younger and more energetic, I had the stamina to endure the overbooking that always resulted from me forgetting in January that I can't do all the things in July.

By August I'd be exhausted by all the plans I'd made in the cold, quiet months.

But I'd somehow drag myself to the finish line with just enough energy left to begin the whole cycle again.

So, around the same time we start cleaning barns, fixing fences, and all the other nesting that the imminent arrival of new babies requires, I also begin officially confirming dates for summer shows.

At the bequest of the older, wiser version of myself, I also now try to hold a metaphor in my mind as I do this work.

I spent a lot of my life living like a tree with no roots and thus learn the hard way again and again that in order to support healthy, sustainable growth above ground, there needs to be an equal amount of growth below ground.

Otherwise, the tree is liable to topple over in the slightest breeze.

My attempt to turn over a new leaf, pun intended, means asking myself before I make a new commitment, "Do I have the root structure to support this branch?

Or is some pruning required?"

Now, I know better than to make any proclamations or assumptions about this being my new normal.

When I was younger, I tried to follow the mantra, "Progress, not perfection."

But now I'm not even sure that's my goal.

Forward momentum isn't always what's needed.

Sometimes, progress means turning back to discovers lessons you missed the first time around.

And sometimes progress looks like letting life unfold on its own terms instead of constantly pushing ahead.

Who knows what the next season of life will bring.

But I feel like I've cracked some kind of code.

Grace is waiting in the tall, quiet grass, in the last morning star, in the golden faces of late summer flowers, in the roots of a grove of aspen trees.

I spent the first half of my life growing this unwieldy tangle of branches.

So I suspect the winnowing will take as much time as I have left, however long that turns out to be.

But in the meantime, walking across the prairie at dusk, I give thanks for the opportunity to keep growing and learning, and blooming.

Because grace is actually always there, if I remember to look for it.

- All right, this next one's, it's a ghost song.

Gonna dedicate it to my brother.

He's not a ghost, he's very much real.

But yeah, this is for my brother Chris.

It's called "Am I Helping?"

(gentle guitar music) ♪ Once I pray to a ghost ♪ ♪ Then it lay down right beside me saying ♪ ♪ "Help warm my chilly toes."

♪ ♪ So I tried 'cause I don't wanna go to sleep ♪ ♪ Am I doing this right ♪ ♪ Am I helping tonight ♪ ♪ I'll try to see and show you ♪ ♪ I'll try to see them saw you ♪ ♪ Before you're gone ♪ ♪ And you float away through the sheets ♪ ♪ Through the bed frame ♪ ♪ Back to another day ♪ ♪ When the air was safe ♪ ♪ And everyone could sleep ♪ ♪ Am I doing this right ♪ ♪ Am I helping tonight ♪ ♪ I'll try to feel and know you ♪ ♪ I'll try to feed and grow you ♪ ♪ Before you're gone ♪ ♪ And the words I pray ♪ ♪ Matter less than how I say them ♪ ♪ So yeah, I'll warm your chill away ♪ ♪ If you hear the ghost inside me ♪ ♪ Back roads and byways ♪ ♪ Campfires will lie awake ♪ ♪ Sweet grass and summer sage ♪ ♪ Come on baby ♪ ♪ Come and take my hand ♪ ♪ Take my hand ♪ ♪ Take my hand ♪ ♪ We're Dakota bound ♪ - To find and watch previous episodes of Wish You Were Here with Eliza Blue, Head to watch.sdpb.org.