Celebrating our community through the power of music, art, & nature. 

KAXE and the City of Grand Rapids are partnering together to present the 5th annual Grand Rapids Riverfest, Saturday, September 6, 2025.

More Than Just a Great Mix of Music.

KAXE, Northern Community Radio, was started in Grand Rapids in 1976 and is a place that shares local news, ideas, talks to innovators, artists, makers, and doers throughout northern Minnesota and beyond.

Where you can hear a great mix of music that stands out above the rest; a station that has been working toward a 50/50 male to female/female-identifying playlist for over 20 years. Though we don’t take ourselves too seriously, KAXE is a media that means business when it comes to creating an equitable playlist - we know (our listeners tell us!) that a more vibrant playlist makes for better radio and a better experience.

Syrup or Brown Sugar?

When you listen to KAXE, you hear stories that connect our human experience helping us become better stewards of the land and its people. Celebrating 49 years on the air, the station has made a name for itself by not adhering to radio norms.

Over 70 hours of music each week DJ’d by community members and volunteers, morning shows filled with kids talking about nature, interviews with farmers, actors, and artists, conversations with authors, and on Friday mornings hear the minutiae of someone’s meal on What’s for Breakfast, our weekly conversation with a member of KAXE (we promise, hearing if someone has syrup or brown sugar on their oatmeal can be a fantastic 6 minutes of radio!).

With a solid reputation as an authentic community radio station, KAXE has listeners tune in from all around the country and world each day to hear what is going on in northern Minnesota. We lift up the artistic community of northern Minnesota by engaging in conversation about a creative life.

“We lift up the artistic community of northern Minnesota by engaging in conversation about a creative life.”

 From the Archives

Aerial view of an outdoor event at night with colorful lighting, a large crowd, and illuminated structures.
Musician playing acoustic guitar and singing into a microphone on stage.
Musician performing on stage with a guitar and microphone
Musician playing a Yamaha keyboard on stage outdoors, with a microphone, wearing sunglasses and a shirt featuring a hands design.
Female musician wearing sunglasses, playing an acoustic guitar, and singing into a microphone with a vine decoration, performing on stage.
People sitting outside on grass, watching live performance; large colorful mural of a bird on a brick wall in the background.
Person with long wavy hair and glasses playing guitar, wearing a brown jacket.
Outdoor concert stage with band performing at night, colorful lights, crowd watching, "WILCO" sign in background.
Musician performing with electric guitar on outdoor stage
An upright bass lying on its side on a stage, with a drum set and a musician in the background.
Musician with a guitar on stage wearing sunglasses and a black hat, performing outdoors.
Person sitting in a folding chair wearing a safety vest and sunglasses, with a "Vendor & Volunteer Parking" sign nearby, and cars parked in the background.
Outdoor festival scene with a large puppet figure, wearing a sash, in a park. People are sitting on lawn chairs, socializing. Trees and tents in the background.
Person with glowing hoop dancing at outdoor concert at night, with a stage in the background and crowd seated on the ground.
A diverse group of people seated and standing at an outdoor event, some holding drinks, with varied expressions and clothing styles.
Three people playing an outdoor xylophone in a park setting, surrounded by trees and a fence.
Outdoor festival at sunset with food trucks, tents, and people.
Two electric guitars in stands, one sunburst and one teal, on a stage.
A young girl wearing a colorful patterned jacket sits on an adult's shoulders in a crowd at an outdoor event. The people around are smiling and holding drinks, enjoying the atmosphere. The background features trees and a fence.
Live music performance at Grand Rapids Riverfest, featuring a band on stage with colorful lighting, large crowd of attendees, and screens displaying a singer's closeup.