Volsteadland cover art

Volsteadland

Volsteadland

Written by: Collected Sounds Media
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About this listen

Volsteadland is your passport to the dark, boozy, bullet-riddled backstreets of 1920s–1940s Minneapolis—a city teeming with secrets, speakeasies, and the sinister charm of one of its most infamous figures: Isadore “Kid Cann” Blumenfeld.

Join hosts Amy and Heather as they peel back the curtain on the era when mobsters called the shots, politicians looked the other way, and the Twin Cities were anything but squeaky clean.

From prohibition-fueled mayhem to brazen bank robberies, Volsteadland dives deep into the true crime tales and hidden histories that defined a city’s shadowy past. With painstaking research, vintage newspaper clippings, forgotten books, and even first-hand accounts, this independent Minneapolis-made podcast resurrects the real stories buried beneath decades of dust (and corruption).

Pour yourself a stiff drink and step into Volsteadland—where the gangsters wore fedoras, the cops took bribes, and the truth is always stranger than fiction.

All rights reserved. True Crime World
Episodes
  • Volsteadland Live at the CC Club

    Volsteadland Live at the CC Club
    May 11 2025
    Volsteadland Live at the CC ClubIn this special Volsteadland Live episode, Amy and Heather take the stage at the legendary CC Club in Minneapolis for a raucous, revealing, and sometimes emotional journey into the life and myth of Isadore “Kid Cann” Blumenfeld. Joined by authors, filmmakers, musicians, and descendants of the men who ran the town, we dive into the bullet-riddled underworld of Prohibition-era Minneapolis—and the family lore that still surrounds it.Chapter Markers00:03:53 Ron de Beaulieu00:15:36 Michael Greenberg00:30:13 Paul Maccabee 00:43:49 Marc Percansky01:02:50 Sherwin Linton and Pam LintonHear firsthand stories from:Ron de Beaulieu, author of Minnesota's Most Notorious Mobster, who tried to separate the man from the myth (and ended up in the ghost files).Michael Greenberg, filmmaker behind the short film The Combination, who aims to bring Minneapolis' Jewish mob history to the big screen.Paul Maccabee, author of John Dillinger Slept Here, who shares what finally brought Kid Cann down (spoiler: it wasn’t bullets).Marc Percansky and the extended Percansky family, who tell unforgettable stories about The Flame nightclub, pool cues, gangster funerals, and a glimpse into their grandfather, Abe Percansky.Sherwin and Pam Linton. Sherwin brings country music charm and jaw-dropping memorabilia from his days at The Flame (including bar counters and contracts!).Special guests from the audience, including Rita (with tales of blood oaths and milk bottle bootlegging) and David LaBonne (whose dad managed a prized liquor store), Percansky Cousin Michael, and one of the owners of the CC Club, Steve.Plus: haunted soundboards, backroom politics, a mystery tunnel, and the Italian musician who wrote a haunting tribute to Kid Cann...from Italy.🎧 Featured Song:The Last Prayer for Isadore Blumenfeld by Paolo For Lee (used with permission)📺 Related Links:🎞️ Watch The Combination on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jtY82Ma5A18?si=L0k5uM9CqpIEdYkj 📖 Buy Minnesota's Most Notorious Mobster by Ron de Beaulieu: https://amzn.to/4jQKzGz 📖 Read John Dillinger Slept Here by Paul Maccabee: https://amzn.to/4jQKzGz🎵 Learn more about Paolo For Lee’s Minneapolis project: https://www.youtube.com/@paoloforlee🎤 Find Sherwin & Pam Linton’s tour dates: sherwinlinton.com | pamlinton.com📚 Explore Twin Cities Music Highlights: twincitiesmusichighlights.net Magic Marc Productions: https://www.magicmarcproductions.com/Got to Be Something Here: The Rise of the Minneapolis Sound by Andrea Swensson: https://amzn.to/434j0mtAmazon links are affiliate links and may result in a tiny commission to the podcast at no extra cost to you.This episode was recorded May 3, 2025 at the CC Club in Minneapolis. This version was release May 11, 2025.Volsteadland is a podcast about the seedy underworld of the 1920s and 30s and even beyond, in Minneapolis, with a special interest in Isadore Blumenfield, aka Kid Cann. In each episode, we choose a story from that era to present to you.Credits:Hosts: Amy Lotsberg and Heather CramGuests: Ron de Beaulieu, Michael Greenberg, Paul Maccabee, Marc Percansky, Lisa Percansky Goldwater Romy Percansky, Abe Percansky Segal, Sherwin Linton, Pam Linton, Percansky cousin Michael, David LaBonne, Rita, and Steve Shapiro.Theme Music: "The Last Prayer (to Isadore Blumenfeld)" by Paolo For LeeBackground Music: "The Velvets" (instrumental version) by CannelleProduction, Artwork, and Editing: Amy Lotsberg at Collected Sounds Media, LLC.ContactIf you or your parents, grandparents, etc. have any stories, folklore, or anything really, on the gangster mobster life in Minneapolis in the 1920s through 1960s, please let me know. We’d love to get in touch and chat about it or use your story in the podcast. Anonymous of course, unless you want credit!You can leave a message (voice or text) on the website, https://www.podpage.com/volsteadland Just click on the little microphone at the bottom right of the page. You can also call the Hotline at 612-424-1684 (leave voicemail or text), or Email: Volsteadland@gmail.comWe'd love to hear from you for any reason! Just send us a note to tell us how we're doing! Engage!Our website: http://www.volsteadland.com/ or https://www.podpage.com/volsteadlandPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/volsteadland Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/volstead_land/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VolsteadlandFB Discussion Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/volsteadland/Get your own Volsteadland T-shirt: https://www.zazzle.com/s/volsteadlandWatch the video versions of these episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@volsteadlandSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/volsteadland/donations
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 58 mins
  • Volsteadland Live: Thank You

    Volsteadland Live: Thank You
    May 6 2025

    Here's just a little bonus thank you episode. I'm still working on editing the actual show, and will release it just as soon as it's ready!


    Volsteadland is a podcast about the seedy underworld of the 1920s and 30s and even beyond, in Minneapolis, with a special interest in Isadore Blumenfield, aka Kid Cann. In each episode, we choose a story from that era to present to you.

    Credits:

    Hosts: Amy Lotsberg and Heather Cram

    Theme Music: "The Last Prayer (to Isadore Blumenfeld)" by Paolo For Lee

    Background Music: "The Velvets" (instrumental version) by Cannelle

    Production, Artwork, and Editing: Amy Lotsberg at Collected Sounds Media, LLC.


    If you or your parents, grandparents, etc. have any stories, folklore, or anything really, on the gangster mobster life in Minneapolis in the 1920s through 1960s, please let me know. We’d love to get in touch and chat about it or use your story in the podcast. Anonymous of course, unless you want credit!

    You can leave a message (voice or text) on the website, https://www.podpage.com/volsteadland Just click on the little microphone at the bottom right of the page.

    You can also call the Hotline at 612-424-1684 (leave voicemail or text), or Email: Volsteadland@gmail.com

    We'd love to hear from you for any reason! Just send us a note to tell us how we're doing!

    Engage!

    Our website: http://www.volsteadland.com/ or https://www.podpage.com/volsteadland

    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/volsteadland

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/volstead_land/

    Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Volsteadland

    FB Discussion Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/volsteadland/

    Get your own Volsteadland T-shirt: https://www.zazzle.com/s/volsteadland

    Watch the video versions of these episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@volsteadland


    Contact:

    Send your stories to Volsteadland@gmail.com

    Hotline: 612-424-1684 (you can text too)

    Volsteadland is produced by Amy Lotsberg at Collected Sounds Media and is part of the Collected Sounds Indie Podcast Network.

    Thanks for listening!



    Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/volsteadland/donations
    Show More Show Less
    5 mins
  • Volsteadland LIVE announcement

    Volsteadland LIVE announcement
    Mar 30 2025

    Hello!!! It’s great to see you again!

    We’ve been on hiatus, but wanted to come back and tell you about our LIVE show coming up in May 2025.

    So we’re dusting off our mics and getting back in the game! Then hopefully you can join us at our live show on May 3rd 2025.

    Our guests will be Ron de Beaulieu, Author of Minnesota's Most Notorious Mobster: The Making and Breaking of Kid Cann,

    Filmmaker, Michael Greenberg director of, “The Combination” which is included in this year’s Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival, and

    Paul Maccabee, historian / author and basically the Kid Cann expert.

    We hope to also have time to bring audience members up on ‘stage’ to tell their own stories. So if you have any family lore or history stories about Kid Cann or his cronies, come prepared to tell them. If you want to reach out to me beforehand, please email at volsteadland@gmail.com

    Prepare for engaging interviews, lively discussions, and maybe even a few surprising revelations! This is your chance to hear firsthand from the experts and get your burning questions answered.

    We hope to see you at the CC Club on May 3rd 2025!


    Volsteadland is a podcast about the seedy underworld of the 1920s and 30s and even beyond, in Minneapolis. In each episode, we chose a story from that era to present to you.

    Credits:

    Hosts: Amy and Heather

    Theme Music: "The Last Prayer (to Isadore Blumenfeld)" by Paolo For Lee

    Background Music: "The Velvets" (instrumental version) by Cannelle

    Production, Artwork, and Editing: Amy Lotsberg at Collected Sounds Media, LLC.

    If you or your parents, grandparents, etc. have any stories, folklore, or anything really, on the gangster mobster life in Minneapolis in the 1920s through 1960s, please let me know. We’d love to get in touch and chat about it or use your story in the podcast. Anonymous of course, unless you want credit!

    You can leave a message (voice or text) on the website, https://www.podpage.com/volsteadland Just click on the little microphone at the bottom right of the page.

    You can also call 612-424-1684 (leave voicemail or text), or Email: Volsteadland@gmail.com

    We'd love to hear from you for any reason! Just send us a note to tell us how we're doing!

    Engage!

    Our website: http://www.volsteadland.com/

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/volstead_land/

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Volsteadland

    FB Discussion Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/volsteadland/

    Blog: http://www.volsteadland.com/blog

    Get your own Volsteadland T-shirt: https://www.bonfire.com/store/volsteadland-merch/

    Watch the video versions of these episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@volsteadland

    Volsteadland is produced by me, Amy, at Collected Sounds Media and is part of the Collected Sounds Indie Podcast Network.

    Thanks for listening!



    Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/volsteadland/donations
    Show More Show Less
    3 mins
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