Indie Alaska

Russia has a long history in Alaska since the fur trades. One notable member of the Russian Orthodox community in Anchorage is professional pianist, Margarita Merkusheva. Since moving to Alaska from Vladivostok 20 years ago, she's continued to advance her musical career by writing custom music for the Alaska Dance Theatre and giving piano lessons to dozens of families in the Russian community.

Alaskans are used to seeing bears in their neighborhoods. Nils Pedersen and his Karelian Bear Dogs, Soledad, Rio, and Mardy work together to reduce human-bear conflict in Alaska. Nils is the Director of the Wind River Bear Institute, which was founded to provide innovative, non-lethal solutions to complex human-wildlife conflict issues.

Josh Randich lives a pretty quintessentially Alaska lifestyle. Grind in the summer and play in the winter. And the sport occupying most of his winters these days is speed riding. While the sport has most of its popularity in Europe, it's still relatively new in the U.S. But now, due largely to Josh's influence, the sport is growing in the Last Frontier.

John Larson always had a dream to have his own recording studio, and to work with the vibrant music scene in Alaska.

When COVID-19 hit in 2020, restrictions for music venues left Musicians no where to perform. John saw this as an opportunity to turn his home studio into a livestream internet show every Friday Showcasing Alaskan musicians.

Seaweed and kelp is a billion-dollar industry — one that has the potential to help alleviate the pressures of climate change. Currently, the biggest players in the kelp industry are out of Asia, but Seagrove Kelp Co. in Craig, Alaska is trying to prove that the Last Frontier could be a global seaweed competitor.

Ski bikes are becoming more common at ski resorts across Europe and in some parts of the U.S., but Claudine Haynes is on a mission to bring it to Alaska. Inspired by her love of the easy-to-learn sport, she is building her own ski bikes and even inviting strangers to her house in Eagle River, AK to try it out themselves.

Angela Łot'oydaatlno Gonzalez is a Koyukon Athabascan woman who learned traditional beading as a child. But with the hustle and bustle of adulthood, she lost touch with some of her Alaska Native cultural traditions. When she finally had the chance to start beading again she was reminded of its powerful cultural connection.

Five years ago, INDIE ALASKA featured Sarah Davie's 100 Stone project, a massive sculpture installation in Anchorage that was used to shed light on individuals dealing with depression and suicide. We caught up with Sarah to see what the 100 Stone project meant to her and what she's working on now.

After a year of pandemic and increased racial tensions, Ed Washington, an Anchorage musician who won best male vocalist at the 2020 Alaska Hip Hop and R&B Music Awards, shares a message of hope and wellbeing.