Thank You Friends…
By Starfire on May 12, 2010 in Uncategorized
photo via-Sixxjy
Liver check, 1-2-3, check, check.
Thank you Duluth. You continue to amaze me with your support of this crazy festival. I mean seriously, how many towns throw an event like this and receive such amazing support night after night, venue after venue. This is a special place we live in.
I would like to especially thank the organizers that slog away at making it happen, the volunteers that make it work, the bands that make it all possible and finally the fans, without who it wouldn’t happen. The biggest thank you should go out to the venues that let us take over and the under-appreciated janitors that have to sweep and swab up after you slobs.
So here’s till next year. Thank you Homegrown.
-Scott
Photo via-WMS UpNorthMN
You’re welcome. Can’t wait for next year.
Another awesome Homegrown…
…now if only half these folks would support local music the other 356 days of the year.
Agreed — not to spin this post negatively, because it was especially electric this year.
But, I made that comment a bunch of different times. Where is everyone during all the other gigs throughout the year?
Sounds like Homegrown needs to become semi-annual…
I think there are enough creative, other ideas to come, instead of needing to make two Homegrowns a year.
Thank you to everyone who participated, played, worked, volunteered, sang and danced!
Thanks, Starfire, for starting it all on your 30th bday. You are one reason this community is so damn cool. And your show at RT’s rocked!
Hey Starfire its “Austin” Thanks for getting the ball rolling 11 years ago Scott. Any musician that gets into Homegrown is guarantied they’ll have at least one great show every year. This is my 8th (a least) Homegrown and every time it is a packed house and a bunch of smiling people who really let you do your thing…whatever that might be. So many smiling people that I’ve made Louis Armstrong’s “Wonderful World” My Homegrown theme song
“I see friends shaking hands,
saying how do you do
what their really saying is
I love you” Rock on Duluth!
People totally go to shows the rest of the year, but they choose which shows they attend more carefully. A band can’t just rest on its laurels and accolades; just because you are good and I like you, doesn’t mean I’ll go see your band, even if I don’t have anything else to do.
knifey, to me you’re basically saying everyone goes to ANY homegrown show regardless of any deciding factors..or simply BECAUSE its homegrown. the rest of the year, even if you like a certain band, you may or may not go out to said show even if your calendar is empty and you plan on staring at the wall all night.
why respond with anything? why not just poop on your keyboard?
actually, you kind of just confirmed my suspicions.
I was inferring that in order to guarantee people to show up, it has to be a true event, not just another show. Homegrown is an EVENT, and so I will make it a point to attend such event. I still attend other shows, I just want bands to make it more interesting to go to their shows throughout the rest of the year.
/pooping on my keyboard
Knifey, The Surfactants are working hard to make it worth coming out to our shows. I hope you can make it out next time we play in Duluth.
I’ve been thinking about what you said, Mat, and I think that what made it worthwhile for me to come out for Homegrown even though I don’t “support” (with my presence) local music any other night of the year (more like the past 5 years) was knowing that EVERYONE ELSE would be out too. And I was totally right, I got to see a lot of people I love and miss spending time with.
The funny thing is, I had such a great time at Homegrown that I already picked out a June show I plan to see. Is that lame, that I’m trying to go to, like, one show a month? Maybe. But most nights, I’m tending to the future self-indulgent drama queen indie rockers of Duluth. It’s important work, you know.
Doubledutch nailed it, I went to Homegrown b/c everyone else was going. And there were bands playing that only play during Homegrown. I did get turned on to bands that if they are playing around town, I’ll go see them now.
I also think that a lot of bands play in Duluth so much that people are pretty uninterested in going to see them every month. I doubt I would go and see Led Zeppelin play twice a month for years.
But I don’t think it can be disputed that there are one billion times more people out in Duluth on Homegrown weekend than any other weekend for original music.
Greg is dead on. We’ve got really great bands for a city this size, many of them are OLD. Saturday at RTs showcased it. But the nostalgia was running heavy for that night and it worked…for one night a year. But even a band you totally love gets old. If you’ve seen them 3 times, it’s going to take a couple years before the set is pretty new again and you can rediscover why the band is great. Nothing sucks more than to ruin a band you love by overloving them. People will show for a good show; a band with a buzz. But the city is relatively small for supporting this much music all year long, and the once-every-month theme greg hit on becomes like pulling teeth anyway. The spontaneity is gone at those shows of bands that just overplay a single market. Maybe local bands just need to hit the road more? It’s tough, but if you’ve got it, it will work.
I feel very lame, too Double Dutch. I tell myself that I support art and music and community plenty during the day, but nights are hard for me with kids and family concerns. But I still feel lame b/c I know that others are able to keep all of their balls in the air and still go out for live performances regularly, I just haven’t figured out how to do it. In the meantime this is a great modest proposal for getting back into it, one show a month, or even one a week.
Congratulations on another great festival, Starfire. What a great gift to the community.