readerspread

DISCOVER LOCAL VOLUME 01 | ISSUE 01

605 EDITION

THE

TOP ALBUMS OF 2025 Browse our pick for 6 albums we couldn’t stop spinning ths year.

EXPERIENCE

SIOUX FALLS

Get to know pro designer Joshua Thompson, as well as what it truly takes to succeed in the industry.

A CONVERSATION

JOSH THOMPSON WITH

Editor’s Letter | Discover LOCAL | 1

LOCAL

605 EDITION

Table of

VOLUME 01 | ISSUE 01

Contents

3 Editor’s Letter

Get to know Author and Designer, Caleb Smith.

4

Joshua Thompson

6

Top Records

12

Spinning Local

Of Experience SF

Get to know pro designer Joshua Thompson, the Creative Marketing Director of Experience Sioux Falls.

Learn more about Joshua’s journey in Graphic Design, as well as what it truly takes to succeed within the Professional industry.

of 2025

Our pick for the top 6 spins of the year. From Lorde, Bon Iver, Blood Orange, and more!

at Total Drag

Dan Nissen, owner of Total Drag Records thrives in the local Downtown community.

2 | Discover LOCAL | Table of Contents

READY FOR TAKE OFF.

Editor

From The

F

rom a young age, I always knew I was meant to be doing something creative.

Throughout my years of education, I’ve always excelled in art classes while deeply struggling to keep up in my math and science courses. I remember taking every possible art and design course that was available to me so that I would have some sort of creative outlet throughout all 8 semesters of high school. I tried to go straight into a four-year University after my senior year because I felt that it was what I was supposed Through designing and conto be doing. I quickly found out structing this magazine, I wanted it simply wasn’t meant for me. It it to feel local, and centered around took a few years of strictly working the city of Sioux Falls. I was born full-time for me to realize I and raised here in town, was extremely unhappy in and it wasn’t until recent...I feel my job, and what I needed ly that I began to truly apcreatively more than anything was the preciate the city. Promotreturn of a creative outlet. fulfilled when ing and supporting local Attending Southeast working on businesses is something Tech has allowed me to projects that that I’ve always felt pasbranch out and try somechallenge my sionate about, which is thing completely new. It perception why I was thrilled to be didn’t take long for me to able to sit down and inof visual realize that this was exterview a local business. I content. actly what I was meant learned what it takes to be to be doing. I’ve begun a small business owner, as to understand the fundamentals well as some of the many obstacles of design and what it truly takes a business owner must navigate. to create a strong composition. I truly enjoy conveying a message or idea through the use of color, shape, text, and imagery, and I feel creatively fulfilled when working on projects that challenge my perception of visual content.

Caleb Smith

Editor’s Letter | Discover LOCAL | 3 GIVES YOU WINGS

changed my year

6 albums that Discover NEW MUSIC

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VIRGIN Lorde Lorde is back with her long awaited fourth studio album, Virgin. This collection of 11 tracks explores gender identity, self-image, and embracing full transparency.

Virgin is Lorde’s most raw and honest piece of work to date.

Music to freshen up your year

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EQUUS CABALLUS

Hunx and His Punx

Men I Trust

Indie Punk band Hunx and His Punk returns with their first studio album in 14 years! With the return of their classic sound, the band proves they can still throw out bangers with their catchy melodies and blaring instrumentals.

Men I Trust is a Canadian based indie band consisting of three members. The band’s second release of 2025, Equus Caballus, explores an 80’s retro production approach, marking a much different sound from previous work.

4 | Discover LOCAL | Featured Products

Some of my most spun records of 2025 as a vinyl record enthusiast. $42

ESSEX HONEY

For listeners who enjoy Indie Alternative Rock Garage Rock Experimental

Blood Orange English musician Dev Hynes returns with his first studio album since 2018. Essex Honey explores themes of loss and neglect, while delivering effortlessly flawless vocals, production, and instrumentals.

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SABLE, FABLE

Tame Impala

Bon Iver

Australian multi-instrumentalist, Kevin Parker, returns with his fifth studio album. Deadbeat features lead singles including “End of Summer”, “Dracula”, and “Loser” and is Parker’s most experimental piece of work to date.

Indie folk singer songwriter, Justin Vernon, show cases his most diverse collection of songs to date. Vernon experiments with punchy synth paired with acoustic guitar to create yet another remarkable Bon Iver record.

Expe

6 | Discover LOCAL | Lead in Spread

erience Sioux Falls

with

Joshua Thompson

“You have to have drive, and to love what you do.

You have to be humble, and want to be in

Q&A

Written by Caleb Smith

J

oshua Thompson, the Creative Marketing Manager of Expierence Sioux Falls, specializes in bringing his creativity to life through the use of visual design. Expierence Sioux Falls is a Destination Marketing Organization that showcases everything that the city has to offer, while also acting as a resouce to all out of state visitors. In this article, I join Joshua in conversation to discuss creative fullfilment, challenges and triumphs, artistic inspiration, and what it truly takes to be a graphic designer.

Lead in Spread | Discover LOCAL | 7

Pro designer

Joshua Thompson gives a glimpse into what it takes to

succeed in the industry.

What is your official job title?

“I’m technically the Creative Marketing Manger for Expierence Sioux Falls.”

What inspired you to choose this career?

“Genuine answer is, it’s one of the few things that I find I can do for 8 hours a day, and not get burnt out doing it. It has a lot of fulfilment, and it provides a creative outlet for me that I would have a hard time finding elsewhere.”

Did you attend College or University? If yes, where?

“Northwestern College. I majored in Business Administration with

8 | Discover LOCAL | Joshua Thompson

an emphasis in marketing, then I minored in multi-media which is your graphic design, photography, cinema, all that good stuff.”

Logo for non-profit organiziation, Experience Sioux Falls.

What are some challenges you have encountered in your field of work?

“For me specifically, I didn’t know what a DMO (Destination Marketing Organization) did. My biggest challenge was figuring out how to be creative for a single company, rather than an agency.

Until this point, I had only ever done freelancing design and some agency work.

Right now, I am the brand and I am coming up with all the creative pieces for my one company. My job is to keep moving forward and to evolve this brand as we go.

Trying to wrap my head around that I’m a marketing organization but I am a marketing organization to one company. It’s a big brain shift I think.”

I’ve worked on to date. I really love the idea of a brand identity, and being able to have a hand in every single piece of that has been really rewarding for me. Sidenote, but there’s a lot of fulfilment in my job because the people around me trust my persepctive, and treat me like the expert that I know I am. I don’t not if I’ve neccesarily felt that in other places that I have worked. I’m treated with respect and I know that my opinion matters.

It’s super rewarding.”

picture definatly helps with that which is why I love a big brand re-design so much.

What would you say your strengths as a designer are?

Any weaknesses?

for sure i think My biggest Yeah, we all do. Strengths: think my biggest challenge Istrength is visualizing and conceptualizwas figuring ing things that don’t out how to exsist. So layout for whether be creative example, thats a two-page or how a for a single spread, billboard is going to after I make the company, look creative. I’m big on rather than how a design is being an agency. used. My

Do you have any favorite projects or design pieces to work on?

“Yes 100%. The 2026 creative direction has been my favorite thing

banner ad for a website is going to look and feel very different than a print ad because they function different, and they’re also targeted at different people. My ability to think big

Displaying the logo for Expierence Sioux Falls, These icoic Downtown Sioux Falls flags welcome you right outside of the Sioux Falls Commerce Center.

You never want to assume that you are the best in the room. Everyones eye for design is going to be different...

But often times, it’s hard for me to be so deatail oriented because of how I always am thinking about the big picture. It’s important to surround yourself with opposites in order to bounce ideas off eachother.”

How long have you been a designer for?

“I started freelancing in college.

My first job was designing a poster for a friend of my parents. So it’s been 10+ years of freelance design expierence. The full time design role has been 3 years now.

The longer your in it, the better you will get. You gotta be humble enough to learn from yourself because that’s how we all become better designers.”

Do you do any work outside of design? For example, web coding

“Not anymore. In my last job, I was just doing freelance work on the side.

Maybe a logo here or a small 10 page website.

But right now, I don’t really have the time or the desire, because of how much fullfilment I have being the main designer at ESF. A lot of the time, if you’re not really aggresive doing freelance work, its hard to come up with enough clients to make a living off of it. Having the full-time carrer job makes me not seek any other creative outlet, because I already have it. Right now, I’m the happiest I think I’ve ever been.”

Any tips or advice you would give to someone just starting out in the field?

“Honestly, I would say seek out feedback, and never shy away from constructive critism. I think that’s what has helped me the most. I’ve kind of exploded as a designer in the past 2-3 years because I got overmyself, and I was willing to take the punches. My role is to provide what the client wants. You never want to assume that you are the best in the room. Everyones eye for design is going to be different which is why I always suggest collaborating and bouncing ideas off of eachother.”

What projects are you working on now?

The Sioux Falls Commerce Center, located on the corner of Phillips Avenue and 8th Street, is home to several local nonprofit organizations, including Experience Sioux Falls, the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, the Sioux Falls Sports Authority, and the Sioux Empire Housing Partnership. This historic office building has been part of Downtown Sioux Falls for the past 30 years, and is where Joshua gets to spend his work day.

10 | Discover LOCAL | Joshua Thompson

“Project 2026. So in 2026, we are hoping to do a complete rebrand for the city of Sioux Falls.

That’s everything from font, color choice, and print advertisements.

Also working on the Sioux Falls visitor guide, whether it’s working on photography, or the front cover and thinking how it will look on a magazine stand. We print 125,00 copies of those so it’s kind of a big deal. A lot of people will see this guide. Also making sure all our banner ads across our website are current.

I’ve been completely wiping content from this Summer as we transition into Fall.”

In your opinion, what are some must have qualities a designer should have?

“Humility for sure. You have to have drive, and to love what you do. You have to be humble, and want to be in it. You can’t half-ass when you’re designing. Long story short, you need to be humble, and you need to be driven.”

About The Author

Caleb Smith, born and raised in Sioux Falls, has an eye for transforming his passion into design. With a background in both drawing and painting, Caleb uses his strengths to develop strong layouts, logos, and advertisements. During his free time, Caleb enjoys listening to and contributing to his music collection, relaxing with his cats, and spending time outdoors.

2025 OFFICIAL SIOUX FALLS

You have to have drive, and to love what you do.

You have to be humble, and want to be in it.

What is something you wish you would have done differently when first starting in design?

“I wish I would have went after it sooner to be honest. I wish I would’ve had the courage to say you know, this is what I’m meant to be doing.”

Experience

ARTS | FAMILY FUN | FOODIE FAVORITES | LIVE ENTERTAINMENT | SHOPPING

The 2025 Official Sioux Falls Visitor Guide written, photographed, and designed by staff at Expierece Sioux Falls. This yearly magazine features travel tips and tricks, local reccomendations, and businesses you don’t want to miss!

Pictured is the exterior of the Sioux Falls Commerence Center, home to Experience Sioux Falls. Experts such as Joshua Thompson, work hard to ensure that every visitor has the best trip possible. Their mission is to “market Sioux Falls as a one-of-a-kind destination and provide an energized visitor expierence to enhance economic impact.”

Joshua Thompson | Discover LOCAL | 11

Spinning D

Local

an Nissen, owner of Total Drag Records, and I gather together on a chilly October morning. With an hour until the store opens, I walk in on Dan hustling to gather this week’s supply of releases ready to be shelfed for display. A mix of new and used vinyl stacked high and ready for purchase. I watch as a wave of Downtown traffic and commuters pass by the shop, going about their day. Total Drag Records is situated on the corner of 2nd Avenue and 12th Street, drawing in downtown visitors of all ages. Dan owns and operates the shop with his wife, Liz, who together have created a staple in the Downtown Sioux Falls community for over 10 years.

Serving more than just a record store, this “hole in the wall” record store is rooted in community. The shop functions as the primary concert venue for small and independent artists, allowing people of all ages to attend shows. Dan’s love and appreciation for music started early, as he was taught piano by his mother. “I feel like growing up in the music scene, playing music myself, and just being around it, most of my life was extremely necessary for what I’m doing now.”

with

Dan Nissen

Owner of Total Drag Records

Business owner Dan Nissen standing infront of his shop, Total Drag Records, located on 12th street in Downtown Sioux Falls.

Both Dan and Liz grew up going to local shows in the area and felt and independent that we were ingrained within the music com- able to get through here, but it was munity. Opening up their own mainly the all-ages thing. So many community for mukids who definitely sic felt like the right weren’t 21 yet startI feel that at step to take. “Openthat time, the ed bands, and they ing something that we really revitalized the thought we needed was city of Sioux music scene. Giving really, really great”, states Falls really them a place to play Nissan. Nissan’s primary needed an and saying, hey, you focus when opening his can do this was defiall-age music shop back in 2014 was to nitely an important supply live music to the venue. part.” Surprisingly, public, with no age limthe selling of vinyl it. “I feel that at that time, the city records came second. “Initially, of Sioux Falls really needed an the record shop side of it was just all-ages music venue” Nissan ex- to pay any bills because we never presses. “There are make money off any of the shows. just so many All the door money goes straight to bands on all the band. So, at the beginning, that levels of indie was purely just a way to pay rent.”

Dan states that community involvement was far more importA selection of vintage 45’s for sale at Total Drag ant to him than profit. Dan and Records. This staple for Liz never could have imagined vinyl collectors features

two songs. One single on side A, and the other on side B.

the success their little shop would bring them. In fact, Dan had only ever planned for the record store to be a part-time gig, alongside his second job. But as time progressed, it became too much to try and balance running a business and having a second job. Dan was able to focus his complete attention on the shop due to the record store’s influx of traffic throughout the Sioux Falls community.

The Challenge of Owning Local It wasn’t always smooth sailing for Dan and Liz. Opening a small business has an array of obstacles you must learn to overcome. Dan states that the first few years of owning Total Drag presented the most challenges. “You know, we didn’t have much money to start to begin with. And then it was just kind of a very delicate process of ordering things and making sure they sold.

But I mean, there are all sorts of little challenges and bigger challenges along the way. But they’re all solvable,” states Nissan. “When we opened the shop, we had so little money that we kind of raided our own collection and parted with some things that we’d had for a long time. So, we used some of our personal collection to start the shop. Most of those, the ones that I really miss, I’ve replaced. Or maybe we had an original copy that could go real far and pay the rent that month, and it’s since been reissued, and I’ve never been a real

stickler about that. If it sounds good, I just don’t really care too much.”

The Evolution of Vinyl Culture Over time, Dan and Liz discovered that the demand for vinyl records was increasing, and people continued to show up. A fresh stack of records at Total Drag, updated every Friday to include I asked Dan how the new releases, re-issues, as well as some of Dan’s picks of the week. culture around vinyl it shut down shows, of course. For has changed over the years due to about a year or so. I just had to piva recent spike in interest in physot a little bit and sell records kind of ical media, and if it has one by one through Instagram and affected the age deFacebook mainly.” I ask if It’s a very mographic of those he ever did curbside pickwho come into the loving up, as many other busishop. “We opened in community. nesses were doing. “Oh 2014, and on day one, yeah. And I delivered mythere were a lot of kids A lot of love, self! If they were local, we who came through, support, and would just coordinate and a lot of those kids Inclusion. that pickup because I were the same kids was still here a lot, keepwho started their own ing up with my business on social bands. So, they were already very media.” This goes to show the pasmusically inclined and digging sion and dedication that Dan has into the lesser-known stuff, which for his shop. I ask what it means to is what we focused on carrying. be a part of the Downtown Sioux The whole time we’ve been here, Falls community. “It’s a very loving the past 11 years, it’s just expanded community. A lot of love, support, into more of the mainstream. Esand Inclusion.” Exclaims Nissen. “I pecially through the 90s and the mean, the further that we get away early 2000s, independent music from downtown, the less at home and of propped up the vinyl scene I feel. So many rad human beings and kept at least a handful of the opened up their own rad little spots pressing plants. open and working. just like we have. It’s so fulfilling.”

But now, I mean, we’re seeing tons I go on to ask him what else is fulmore pressing plants open.” One of filling as a business owner. “Just the most significant challenges that being able to share music with a small business owners faced was lot of people. In a live sense, with the COVID 19 pandemic of 2020. I bands coming through here or just ask Dan how on vinyl, because I just think it’s so this affectimportant. That’s really the biggest ed his busithing.” ness. “Well,

Offering more than just vinyl records, cassette tapes both new and used from all decades are still proven to be a hit.

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