It was December of 2020 during the first Christmas of the pandemic. Kristina “Tina” Jackson was in a funk after one of her main forms of comfort and entertainment had gone off the air—Live from Here with Chris Thile on NPR. Formerly known as A Prairie Home Companion, the American variety radio show was known for its musical guests, tongue-in-cheek radio drama, and relaxed humor.
“Everything was weird and a little bit sad during that time,” she reflected. “So, I wanted to do something that would bring back a little bit of Christmas cheer. I had the idea to do a similar radio-hour style show that we could record at a safe distance and put out as a sort of podcast.”
Tina’s husband, Nick, was a part of the theater community since the couple moved back to Sioux Falls in 2018 and helped bring her idea into fruition.
“I can’t stress enough how this idea would have gone nowhere without him,” said Tina. “He recruited everyone for the band through his performing arts contacts and friends and, thankfully, they all said yes.”
““One of the reasons we keep doing this ‘side gig’ is because it’s an excuse to hang out with our dear friends.” -TINA JACKSON
That same month, the ensemble gathered in an empty sanctuary, masked up, spread out, and recorded their first show with no audience. The show’s name was dubbed Midtown Radio Coffee Hour, which was based on a fictional coffee shop in their neighborhood near Park Ridge Plaza.
“We really like neighborhood names and giving different parts of the city an identity, and our neighborhood feels like it could
be a cool ‘midtown’ area,” said Tina. “Not downtown, but not just residential suburbs.”
The name is also the hypothetical setting of where the show takes place. Physically though, shows have taken place everywhere from their backyard, to the Levitt at the Falls, to the Back Alley on Augustana University’s campus, to the Belbas Theater in the Washington Pavilion, to the current location at ICON Event Hall.
“I don’t know if I could pick a favorite venue—they all had their charms and their, shall we say, quirks,” said Tina. “We’ve been super lucky to be able to play in so many fun settings and spaces.”
But the talented ensemble didn’t start with live shows.
“We made five shows in the empty church sanctuary, which gave us time to figure out what we were doing,” said Tina. “After doing five shows in five months and just putting them on the internet, we really needed some in-person feedback to help keep us motivated to do the show and decided to spread them out a bit.”
In May of 2021, an audience model began taking shape during a recording in the backyard with fellow performer friends in the seats,
like The Goodnight Theatre Collective. The guidance from Bob Wendland and Luke Tatge helped with figuring out logistics and how
to put on live performances. Tina says it also meant a lot to have friends show up for them.
“Their support was immeasurable,” recalled Tina. “Also, we guilted our extensive family members in town into coming to every show, so that really helped us get a live show off the ground.”
Now Midtown Coffee Radio Hour performs around six to eight times a year with three shows in the fall and spring semesters and two shows in the summertime or for fundraisers. When asked about favorite moments from
a show, Tina noted one from the inaugural audience episode when Nick interviewed their 86-year-old neighbor, Wes.
“Wes spoke about life being ‘just a moment.’ It makes me tear up just thinking about it,” she remembered.
A Cast of Characters
Here are the names of podcast members and their role:
» Kristina “Tina” Jackson
#1 Idea gal/owner/writer/ producer/promoter/ social media
» Nick Jackson
Band leader/piano/guitar/ ukulele/vocals/skit writer/ voice actor
» Maren Engel
Lead female vocalist/ voice actor
» Wade Gemar
Lead male vocalist/ voice actor
» Matt Morrison
Bassist/Backup vocals/ voice actor
» Tyson Conn
Drummer/voice actor
» Krystal Pederson
Fiddle
» Dave Holly
Host/voice actor
» Adam Ellsworth
Sound guy (Molten Audio)/ voice actor/skit writer
» Martha Winklepleck
Backup host/vocalist/ voice actor (not pictured)
» Flower
Four-legged-friend
Another highlight was from a February 2022 show in the Back Alley, where lead female vocalist and voice actor Maren Engel “brought down the house” with a rendition of Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley.
“It was just one of those full-body-chills moments,” said Tina.
The vibe of Midtown Coffee Radio Hour is described as hygge with creating an hour that makes the audience and listeners “feel cozy and comfortable, but will also make you laugh and/ or cry and/or think.”
“We will have Nick doing a dramatic reading of the instructions that come with Christmas lights followed up by Maren singing Both Sides Now by Joni Mitchell,” said Tina. “It’s a little bit of everything that we like.”
The last show of the fall series was November 30, and the spring series will be March 7, April 18, and another date to be determined.
In regards to the local art scene climate, Tina says there’s definitely momentum going on.
“I love that there are so many weird, niche art groups now, from the poetry slams at Full Circle Book Co-op, to The Goodnight Theatre, Premiere Playhouse, and DAPA performances, to the visual art scene at Rose and Eugene Presents, to the outdoor dance shows from Headlights Theater—there is almost too much happening to go to it all,” said Tina.
And according to Tina, that’s a good problem to have.
She continued, “The best part is I know the people doing the art, and that is something really special.”
