Christianson, 33, is The Wicked Bees frontman and a West Fargo Public Schools band director. As The Wicked Bees’ official unofficial media representative, he said he’s excited to share “Knees” with old fans and new at two separate events this week.
“We love ska and reggae, and we can’t wait to share this upbeat music with everyone,” he said.
A “Knees” CD release party on Thursday starts at 6:30 p.m. at Swing Barrel Brewing Company, 814 Center Ave A, Moorhead, and is open to all ages. $10 entry gets attendees a CD, snacks, games and a live acoustic set.
“We are going to have food, games, a mini acoustic set, and more,” Christianson said, adding that the CD release party at Swing Barrel is all ages and will include entertainment for all tastes. “You can bring the whole fam to support your local ska band.”
Friday night, the band comes out for a live performance at Dempsey’s Public House, 226 Broadway N, Fargo. It’s a free show, but 21+, so families are going to have to leave the kids at home.
Christianson added that he and fellow bandmates are always up for introducing others to the power of music—ska and reggae, to be exact.
“We want people to connect and share a communal experience together through a musical experience. A lot of ska music is upbeat so usually it goes hand in hand with having good clean fun,” he said. “We call it the ‘Knees EP’ because we think it’s the bee’s knees.”
Buzzing with local art support
“Knees” is made possible in part by local art supporters. As a 2023 Individual Arts Partnership grant recipient, the band received $1,500 in funding to hire a producer/engineer and record the five-song EP of original ska/reggae music in a professional studio.
Formerly known as Ska-Skank Redemption, The Wicked Bees are largely influenced by third-wave music like Sublime, as well as classics like The Police and The Beatles. While the group popular songs, it has long been drawn to creating original music.
“I think collectively, we have a lot of jazz and r&b in the style of George Clinton and the Parliamentary Funk—anything that’s got really well done horn lines with a very in-your-face ‘we don’t care they’re there’ feel,” Schuman said in a July 2023 interview with The Arts Partnership and The Forum.
In 2011, Ska-Skank Redemption released “Wicked Bees,” a move that landed them bigger gigs, including at Vans Warped Tour in Shakopee, Minnesota, and Sonshine Music Festival in Willmar, Minnesota. When they were just three weeks old as a band, they opened for popular band Fishbone, and also played a 311 show in Minneapolis.
In September 2024, The Wicked Bees played a gig as part of The Arts Partnership’s Community Supported Art program, a three-event series modeled after community supported agriculture. Each shareholder gets three “shares” of art events per season that include a local art to take home, a performance and food by local chefs.
“Having The Wicked Bees perform for shareholders at CSA brought a special energy to our final event of the year. CSA is all about celebrating and supporting local art and artists, and The Wicked Bees are excellent models for how members of our community come together to share their passion for music, performance and having fun,” The Arts Partnership Executive Director Tania Blanich said. “They are a delight to see live.”
This article is part of a content partnership with The Forum and Forum Communications.
