Indie Alaska

Staff Sergeant Jasmine Chavez is a Loadmaster in the Alaska Air National Guard stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska where she works with the 211th Rescue Squadron to perform Search and Rescue operations across the state. Years of riding in the back of C-130's and being around aircrew and flight operations helped her when she decided to pursue her private pilot license.

Growing up in Japan, Hugh Yamada always had a fascination for bicycles both new and old. But it wasn't until his first year-long bicycle trip from Hokkaido to Okinawa that he discovered a love for travel and a need to take an ambitious step forward.
The Bicycle Baron, as he's known on YouTube, is planning to travel the entire world by bicycle. Starting in Alaska and ending in Japan.

Bryce Wrigley opened The Alaska Flour Company in Delta Junction, AK in 2009 with the help of his family and they have been producing strictly Barley ever since. They plan on continuing in this family tradition and, with thousands of untouched acres ready to produce, they believe that the future of Agriculture will be grown in Alaska.

Erika Fitzgerald jumped at the opportunity to teach in Alaska after graduate school. She didn't expect she'd be living and working in Whittier, a town where nearly all residents live in the same building, and the only way in and out is through a tunnel that closes each night.

Erika's story was first featured in 2013 and INDIE ALASKA contacted her to see how she felt about her time in Whittier.

Dan Redfield and his wife Kristen Frederic were excited, first-time parents when they had their daughter, Ava. As a young couple with a love for the outdoors, they started taking their daughter on adventures. When Ava was diagnosed with Tay-Sachs, a rare, genetic, fatal disease, taking Ava outside became more challenging. Now he helps disabled families have their own epic adventures.

Pamyua (bum-yo-ah) is a musical group that has gained worldwide recognition. Founded by Inuit Yup'ik African American brothers Phillip Kilirnguq Blanchett and Steven Qacungatarli Blanchett, the group produces music with traditional Yup’ik and African-American elements to create what they call "Inuit Soul." They are also the artists behind the theme song for the PBS Kids show, Molly of Denali.

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.