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The Accidental Archivist: Kurt Riemann | Hometown, Alaska

Man with a beard and glasses stands in front of an audio station.
Audio wizard Kurt Riemann has been contributing to the sounds of Alaska for four decades. (Kurt Riemann)

If you’ve ever listened to local radio, or found yourself humming along to a catchy jingle from an Alaskan business, then you've undoubtedly heard the work of Kurt Riemann. In a world dominated by visual imagery, lifelong Alaskan, Riemann felt most at home enveloped in sound. His passion for all things audible developed into a 40-year career that has seen the audio engineer produce some of Alaska's most iconic music. From the Alaska Music Archives to KONR and the Alaska Music Show, and his recording studio Surreal Studios, Riemann has used his hands — and ears — to shape the Alaska music scene since the 1980s.

HOST: O'Hara Shipe

GUEST: Kurt Riemann

LINKS:
Alaska Music Archive
Nightworks Media/Surreal Studios
Nightworks Music

O’Hara Shipe was born in Anchorage with skates on her feet and a hockey stick in her hand. At 13, she relocated to New England for prep school and college at Brown University. After 13 years outside of Alaska, six of which were spent playing professional hockey, O’Hara returned home. For the last seven years, she has worked as a multimedia journalist, most recently serving as the managing editor for the Anchorage Press.