Fargo, N.D. has one more claim to fame than a movie. The town can also claim to be the hometown of Brenda Weiler.

The folksy pop-rock singer and songwriter from Fargo is on a mission to make it. At only 25 years old, she is well on her way.

“Cold Weather,” Weiler’s fifth album, is her first to be nationally distributed. She says it’s the best work she has done so far.

Weiler will return to the Maintenance Shop to promote her newest release. She says she looks forward to playing the club so much, it has even made her top five favorite venues list.

“The hotel room is right there, that’s pretty sweet,” Weiler says. “The crowds are always great, too.”

Weiler’s love of music began at a very young age — birth. Her father’s doctorate in music had a huge impact on each of his eight children.

“In pretty much every memory of growing up, there is something musical going on,” Weiler says. “We were super saturated from the beginning.”

Weiler says most of her musical influences are female singer/songwriters. She also has a love for musicians who play acoustic music. But it wasn’t until after high school that Weiler learned to play guitar and began writing songs.

“I can remember getting a Tracy Chapman album in fourth grade and being like ‘Wow,'” Weiler says.

Weiler says the songs on “Cold Weather” are more subtle than her previous albums; it’s not so obvious what she is talking about. Weiler says the audience will have to listen more to the music to understand where it’s coming from.

“The songwriting on this album is moodier, darker lyrically,” Weiler says. “The music is more complex and spontaneous.”

Weiler says the title of “Cold Weather” sums up the album’s theme fairly well.

“The album is all about where you’re from and missing that, about loneliness and that cold feeling you get,” Weiler says.

Since her first release in 1998, Weiler feels she has developed, especially in her song writing.

“When I was 18, 19, 20 years old, it was all autobiographical,” Weiler says. “The natural maturity is evident in my song writing.”

Weiler says she loves the freedom touring as an independent artist gives her.

“I find it pretty liberating being able to drive to a show by myself and know when I pull up that I booked the show by myself,” Weiler says.

Other than some occasional loneliness on the road, Weiler says she enjoys her career and lifestyle.

“I’m doing it for the right reasons,” Weiler says. “It feels good knowing it’s just me playing the shows and connecting with the audience. I don’t have to deal with a bunch of crap.”

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Who: Brenda Weiler, Ben Connelly

Where: Maintenance Shop

When: 8 p.m., Saturday

Cost: $8 students, $10 public

Where: Borders Bookstore, 1200 South Duff Ave.

When: 2 p.m., Saturday

Cost: Free