Homegrown Music Festival Field Guide 2012
Happy 44th birthday, Starfire
Notes from the 2012 Homegrown Steering Committee
Although the annual Homegrown Music Festival continues to grow each year to more ridiculous proportions, there are still scores of Duluthians who have no idea the event exists. That’s probably for the better, because if some of those people found out they might try to wreck it.
For the uninitiated who have stumbled upon this Field Guide, however, all the secrets are freely relinquished, for better or worse. The further you read, the more intricately and explicitly the local music scene’s incestuous and hedonistic inner workings are revealed. On this page, we lay out the simple and bare essentials that Homegrown veterans have read over and over again, year after year. Let us begin.
The Homegrown Music Festival is Duluth’s eight-day celebration of local music. Other art forms are complacently accepted into the fold as well, in order to keep sensitive painters and poets from crying.
Homegrown was founded by Scott “Starfire” Lunt in 1999, when he booked 10 bands to play the NorShor Theatre in a weekend event that was somehow considered to be kind of a big deal at the time.
This year there are 167 bands on the Homegrown schedule, not counting all the DJs, photographers, snake handlers, belly dancers, stilt walkers, fire jugglers and ass fondlers. As if all the official shenanigans aren’t enough, there are a bunch of bands poised to perform unsanctioned shows at basement parties, street corners and perhaps even some reputable business establishments that don’t see it coming.
Starfire, by the way, was masochistic enough to stick with leading the organization of Homegrown for seven years, finally relinquishing control before the 2005 festival. Since then, no one has managed to last more than two years at the helm. Walter Raschick is the new meat; this year is his first as Homegrown director. Everyone should coddle him and maybe he’ll stick around for three years.
The nonprofit Bridge Syndicate is Homegrown’s fiscal agent. The average person on Homegrown’s steering committee doesn’t actually know what a “fiscal agent” is, but we respect it and know it’s important.
Things to keep in mind while attending the festival:
1) Don’t blow your whole load by Tuesday. This is an eight-day festival. Only the strong will survive. Oh, and by “load” we mean your glitter load. You are planning on glitter bombing your favorite banjo player’s beard, aren’t you?
2. Don’t wreck things for everyone else. We all get a bit carried away, but if you start a fight, drive drunk or piss on a sound engineer you are the kind of person we wish would have never known about Homegrown, which was going good until you came along.
3. We repeat the bit about not driving drunk because it’s important and because there is no excuse for it. There are plenty of buses, cabs and conspicuously sober drivers available to service you.
4. Remember the bands, the sponsors and the volunteers – and keep them holy.
Above all, have a happy Homegrown and enjoy the rawk and/or roll devil music. There will be miracles all around you if your heart is open to them.
Day One: Sunday, April 29
Day-to-day stories by Ben Torgerson
There’s nowhere to run. The 14th annual Homegrown Music Festival is about to touch down on the very ground beneath us, and we will certainly be forced to assimilate. In order to survive and prosper while existing in this bizarre Homegrown world, we first must learn to adapt to a new way of life. Ideally this breakdown of each individual day will guide us to a new understanding of Homegrown and its ways, although you’re still likely to be eaten alive. That’s a risk we’re all willing to take, so keep reading and take note.
Since the “calm before the storm” is for procrastinators, we skip it entirely this year and get right into the thick of it. At 5 p.m. the Duluth Art Institute will hold its opening reception for the Homegrown: Visual Arts Edition exhibit. The collection will be focused on the visual arts ephemera related to Homegrown music – album art, gig posters, flyers, oh my! A little chicken even told us there might be an antique wristband from the very first Homegrown on display.
Krista Suchy, the exhibit’s curator, will speak on her efforts in putting the work together. As with any good speech, beer, wine and cheese will follow. Tim Kaiser will begin blowing our minds playing his space-age machines in the same space starting at 6 p.m., with Brian Barber’s artwork acting as the backdrop.
After getting full on beer, cheese and experimental music, Homegrowners will have a chance to test their I.Q. at Carmody Irish Pub come 9 p.m. The “high stakes” Homegrown Pub Quiz will be complete with prizes that are sure to astound. “I like to refer to them as fantastic,” says Carmody bartender Devin McKinnon, who will be doing his best to stump us all. Make sure to brush the cobwebs off those dusty Homegrown memories, as questions will all be based on the festival past and present.
While crafting your buzz don’t forget about the fresh batch of Homegrown Hempen Ale that will be flowing like a waterfall inside Tycoons Alehouse at 7 p.m. Mayor Don Ness will be in the house to say a few words, followed by music and Hempen Ales to your heart’s content.
Day Two: Monday, April 30
The Monday formerly known as Ancillary Arts Night is still heavy on the ancillary fun. It begins with a flash in the Zeitgeist Building Atrium, with the opening reception for the Homegrown Photo Show: Rent Money! Come to the lobby at 4 p.m. to gaze at photography inspired by this monster of a local music scene, including artists’ depictions of night life in the Twin Ports (sweat/beer-soaked beards optional).
Dave Moreira, a.k.a. SkatRadioh, will be showcasing his art at the exhibit, consisting mostly of poster work done for local house shows.
“When I moved to Duluth I surrounded myself with artists and musicians,” Moreira says. “Creating poster art for the house-venue circuit is a very unique, intimate place to share ideas and feelings with the people who see it. I’m not a musical performer, but the art gives me a chance to share the stage with many of my friends and musicians that I respect.”
Other artists in the show include Andrew Perfetti, Matt Stengl, Tommy Kronquist and Jason Kokal.
For another Homegrown take on photography get to the Duluth Photography Institute at 5 p.m. for its show, Local Walk . Photos here will take you on a visual stroll through Duluth, with local artists’ lenses standing in as your pictorial pupils. Staring is inevitable with work from Ryan Tischer, Jeremiah Brown, Gage Salyards, Christina Micheletti and Anne Woster.
The Homegrown Music Video Festival begins when random renegade filmmakers are randomly-assigned a random song submitted from a random Homegrown band. The randomly resulting music videos will be screened for the first time at Zinema 2 at 6 p.m. Before you start throwing elbows to get to the front of the ticket line, know there are encores throughout the rest of the week.
Bring out your inner beatnik by coming to Teatro Zuccone at 7:30 p.m. for the Homegrown Poetry Showcase, complete with musical accompaniment by Jesse Hoheisel, Kathy McTavish, and Richie Townsend. Poets dropping rhymes and knowledge include Sheila Packa, Gary Boelhower, Yvonne Rutford, Liz Minette, Trevor Kaldor, Parnell Thill, Paul Lundgren, Mary Bue, Jen Derrick, Tera Freese, Jasmine Baumgart, Devin McKinnon, Nathan Ness, Bob Monahan and Kyle Elden. The event is coordinated by Elden, who is board chair of the Lake Superior Writers, a group that supports writers and fosters the area’s vibrant literary community.
Day Three: Tuesday, May 1
Get your May Day baskets delivered early, especially if you missed the Homegrown Music Video Festival on Monday. The first encore will be showing at Teatro Zuccone at 5:30 p.m., and will be followed by a showcase of young bands that are learning their craft at Duluth’s Music Resource Center.
The Music Resource Center Duluth is a pilot program modeled after similar programs in Charlottesville, Va. and Cincinnati, Ohio. Sessions are held at Sacred Heart Music Center, where kids in grades 6-12 have the opportunity to attend after school, getting mentored by local artists, sound engineers and industry professionals such as Alan Sparhawk of Low fame and Eric “Swansonian Institute” Swanson.
Students learn every aspect of the music industry while writing songs, learning instruments, recording, performing live, and even developing a stage presence. Crystal Pelkey leads this progressive program and has big plans for its future.
“These kids get a chance to work with and be mentored by some of the most respected professional musicians in the area,” says Pelkey. “They get to learn everything there is to know. I wish this was around when I was a kid.”
Students in this real-life school of rock go through an eight-week stint, meeting three times a week.
Three standout bands from the program will be showcased this Homegrown Tuesday in an effort to shed light on their hard work and hard rawk. And for all you little ones plucking away at your dad’s five-stringed acoustic guitar in the basement, the Music Resource Center is already accepting rockers for the next phase of the program, starting on April 2.
You thought that was it? Silly chicken, the beat goes on with music on the Hillside at Sacred Heart Music Center and Twins Bar, and in Canal Park at Lake Avenue Café and Grandma’s Sports Garden. Study the schedule and particularly take note of the lineup at the Sports Garden; this may be the most power-packed Tuesday night in Duluth music history.
Day Four: Wednesday, May 2
Wednesday marks a few firsts for the Homegrown Music Festival. This year, Homegrowners must buy a full-week wristband in order to gain access to the Wednesday night show that features Trampled by Turtles. Before you turn into Homegroaners, just think of it as a buy-one-band-get-166-free sale.
The upper-level of Clyde Iron Works will be used for Homegrown for the very first time, with an interesting mix of artists sharing the stage for late-night shows. Turtleheads should be sure to stick around, as the upstairs shows start just after TBT finishes up. Across town, R.T. Quinlan’s Saloon will be hosting an uncharacteristic weekday show, while the Red Star Lounge keeps the martini glasses rattling with endless DJ’d beats.
Not ready to end your hump-day yet? Festival director Walter Raschick wants to remind everyone that he and Homegrown’s steering committee openly encourage the unofficial happenings going on throughout the week – basement shows, mime troops, preserved-duck-egg eating contests and whatever other weirdo shenanigans ensue.
“People are not done partying at 1:30 when the music stops,” Raschick says. “We fully endorse any artist getting involved in whatever ways they can think of.”
Just don’t confuse the word “endorse” with the phrase “accept legal responsibility for.”
Day Five: Thursday, May 3
Cross the bridge if you dare and experience the appropriately-titled Soup Town show at the Red Mug Coffeehouse in Superior at 6 p.m. Artists who are working, living, studying and creating across the harbor will showcase just what they’ve been up to over in that strange foreign land. The goal of the exhibit is to show the broad, unique spectrum of visual artistic talent the city of Superior has to offer.
“This show consists of a wide variety of artists and styles all displaying their talents and inspiration,” says Jeredt Runions, who is coordinating the various art shows for Homegrown. Artists with work on display include Anndrea Ploeger, Molly Martin, Letisha Rice, Tiffany Wang and Kaoru Midorikawa.
Stick around Soup Town until 9 p.m. for music at Bev’s Jook Joint, Norm’s Beer and Brats, the Main Club, and Thirsty Pagan Brewing until way past your bedtime. Also, don’t forget to clone yourself in order to attend shows going down at the very same time back in Duluth at Chester Creek Wine Bar and Burrito Union. Just make sure your evil twin doesn’t end up taking over Homegrown in order to create a dystopian musical hell.
Day Six: Friday, May 4
Things start getting pretty abstract and obscured on Friday, ushered in by a joint art show called Abstract Obscure at Beaner’s Central starting at 5 p.m. and the Ochre Ghost Gallery starting at 6 p.m.
“The world of art is so open and full of ideas that sometimes artists can’t decide what to paint first,” says Jeredt Runions, who is organizing the shows. Local artists Susan Loonsk, Tonya Borgeson and Dusty Keliin will be showcasing their own abstract styles of art. Music is to follow at Beaner’s Central, starting at 6:15 p.m. Both venues are open throughout the rest of the night.
Now that you’ve appreciated your fair share of fine art for the day, you must press on and keep music on the mind. And there’s plenty to be had tonight, with shows spread like a rash all over downtown Duluth’s Homegrown hotspots. Venues range in nature from Harbor City Int’l School Theater to Legacy Glassworks, so surely you can find the best of all worlds.
If the cloning thing doesn’t work out, remember to mark your Homegrown treasure maps with three Xs over the Fitger’s Brewing Complex that night, as shows will be happening at Rex Bar, Fitger’s Brewhouse and Red Star Lounge. If you don’t care to see the famous Crew Jones banjones-ing at the Rex in the wee hours of the morning you have ice water running through your veins.
Day Seven: Saturday, May 5
On Saturday all hell breaks loose. Keep your pinkies out and pretend you’re fancy with bloodshot eyes at the Chester Creek Café for the Pre-Kickball Mimosa party at 10 a.m. Stay for music until it’s time to start stretching for the Homegrown Kickball Classic at high noon. Watch the Friday and Saturday night bands fight ’til the drunk on the hallowed ground of the field at Chester Bowl Park.
After you take a mimosa nap, break-dance over to the Prøve Gallery for the opening reception of the art show Saturday Morning Cartoons. Artists and enthusiasts will be celebrating the urban side of art, including street stenciling, graffiti and cartooning, starting at 7 p.m. DJ J. J. Lawrence will be on the ones and twos, spinning jams to add to the overall atmosphere inside the gallery. Jeredt Runions is organizing this exhibit in hopes to “highlight the area’s vibrant youth street culture.”
With nearly 50 bands performing throughout the day, Saturday is traditionally Homegrown’s most thorough endurance test. Walter Raschick, the festival’s director, worked hard with the steering committee to put together exciting, nontraditional sets, fitting bands together like a giant Homegrown jigsaw puzzle.
“I do my best to put bands that make sense, but don’t usually play together, at the same venue,” Raschick says.
That much is clear when looking at the set for the Rex Bar at Fitger’s – a calculated progression that starts off with dub music, on to Retribution Gospel Choir, followed by reggae and finishing with Teague Alexy. This was no accident.
Day Eight: Sunday, May 6
The day after. Just when it seemed that everyone was safe, there’s one more day of Homegrown bliss. You can start by going to Pizza Lucé for some brunch, music and a bloody Mary if you’re in need of sustenance.
For those who missed the encore to the encore, Chester Creek Café will be screening the Homegrown Music Video Festival one last time in its basement theater at 2 p.m.
Meanwhile the only officially family-friendly set of the entire Homegrown Music Festival will be well underway. The little ones are sure to appreciate Mary Bue’s set at noon; she agreed to write a set full of children’s songs just for this gig. At 2 p.m. Taste the Feeling closes out the Sacred Heart show with Homegrown’s youngest performer. The trio’s piano and guitar player, Anika Fernholz, is 7 years old.
The light at the end of the tunnel appears when Club Saratoga opens its famous doors to the Homegrown festival for the very first time in history. It’s being done up right with an avant-garde set that will guarantee maximum weirdness. We’re told Todd Gremmels will debut part of the rock opera he’s working on. Then the jazz beats of Strange Meeting lead the way to the final act of Homegrown – the Silk Sheiks.
“All three bands are different, and they’ll all make the stage their own,” festival director Walter Raschick says of the ‘Toga show. “That’s kind of what Homegrown is all about.”
Ben Torgerson is a Duluth-based writer, pizza slinger and rapper who writes by day and conquers Homegrown by night. Catch him at your local disc golf course.
Too much, the magic bus
Homegrown is once again offering free shuttle service via the magic trolley replica bus on Friday and Saturday nights from 7 p.m. until 1 a.m., thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Duluth Transit Authority and Greater Downtown Council.
The Homegrown Trolley will operate in Downtown Duluth on Superior Street between Fourth Avenue West and Eighth Avenue East, serving venue locations every 20 minutes.
The trolley will stop at the Fitger’s Brewery Complex, Carmody Irish Pub, Teatro Zuccone, Tycoons Alehouse, Pizza Lucé, R.T. Quinlan’s Saloon, Roscoe’s Pioneer Bar and Harbor City International School.
Homegrown Price Guide
Weeklong Pass
All eight days – $25
Single-day Pass
Friday or Saturday – $15
Single-day Weekday Pass
Any weekday – $5 *
* The Trampled by Turtles exception: The $5 single weekday pass does not include the Wednesday night show at Clyde Iron Works. To attend that show you must have a weeklong pass, which will be available at the door. There will be limited space at this event because, this just in: Trampled by Turtles is a popular band. So arrive early, the TBT show will be first come, first serve.
There are no advance ticket sales for this year’s Homegrown. During events, admission wristbands can be purchased at any venue that requires them. For more information and schedule updates, check out duluthhomegrown.com.
Homegrown Venues
Amazing Grace Bakery & Café
394 S. Lake Ave.
(218) 723-0075
amazinggracebakery.com
Bakery and café in basement of DeWitt-Seitz Marketplace in Duluth’s Canal Park. All ages permitted; free admission.
Beaner’s Central
324 N. Central Ave.
(218) 624-5957
beanerscentral.com
Coffee shop in West Duluth with beer and wine. All ages permitted; paid admission required.
Bev’s Jook Joint
820 Tower Ave.
(715) 392-3580
Drinking establishment in Superior. Must be 21 or older; paid admission required.
Burrito Union
1332 E. Fourth St.
(218) 728-4414
burritounion.com
Burrito joint in Duluth’s East Hillside with award-winning Fitger’s Brewhouse beer. All ages permitted; free admission.
Carmody Irish Pub
308 E. Superior St.
(218) 740-4747
carmodyirishpub.com
Irish-themed brew pub in Downtown Duluth. Must be 21 or older; paid admission required for weekend events, free admission on Sunday and Monday.
Chester Bowl Park
1801 Skyline Parkway
(218) 724-9832
chesterbowl.org
Homegrown Kickball Classic held on large field at end of roadway through park.
Chester Creek Café
1902 E. Eighth St.
(218) 723-8569
astccc.net
Restaurant inside Taran’s Marketplace in Duluth’s Chester Park neighborhood. Hosts Thursday night show in its Wine Bar for people 21 or older. Saturday morning’s show in the restaurant and Sunday’s encore screening of the Homegrown Music Video Festival in a conference room/theater in the basement are both open to all ages. Admission is free.
Club Saratoga
331 Canal Park Drive
(218) 722-5577
clubsaratoga.com
Jazz bar in Canal Park. Must be 21 or older; free admission.
Clyde Iron Works
2920 W. Michigan St.
(218) 727-1150
clydeparkduluth.com
Former hoist-and-crane manufacturing plant in Duluth’s friendly West End; now a restaurant, bar and concert venue. Must be 21 or older; paid admission required.
Duluth Art Institute
506 W. Michigan St.
(218) 733-7560
duluthartinstitute.org
Located in St. Louis County Heritage and Arts Center (a.k.a. “The Depot”). Hosts its first Homegrown art exhibit this year, as well as music by Tim Kaiser in its Morrison Gallery. All ages permitted; free admission.
Duluth Photography Institute
405 E. Superior St., Suite 140
218-393-2468
duluthphotographyinstitute.com
Downtown space created for photographers of all levels to exhibit work. All ages permitted; free admission.
Fitger’s Brewhouse
600 E. Superior St.
(218) 279-2739
brewhouse.net
Award-winning brew pub and restaurant on eastern edge of Downtown Duluth in Fitger’s Brewery Complex. Must be 21 or older; free admission.
Grandma’s Sports Garden
425 S. Lake Ave.
(218) 722-4724
grandmasrestaurants.com
Giant nightclub/restaurant in Canal Park. Must be 21 or older; paid admission required.
Harbor City International School Theater
332 W. Michigan St.
(218) 722-7574
harborcityschool.org
Located in Duluth Plumbing Supplies Building in Downtown Duluth. All ages permitted; paid admission required.
Lake Avenue Café
394 Lake Ave. S.
(218) 722-2355
lakeavenuecafe.com
Restaurant and bar in Duluth’s Canal Park. All ages permitted; paid admission required.
Legacy Glassworks
30 W. First St.
(218) 720-0747
legacyglassworks.com
Glass-blowing shop in Downtown Duluth. All ages permitted; paid admission required.
The Main Club
1217 Tower Ave.
(715) 392-1756
mainclubsuperior.com
Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, allied, queer intersex club in Superior. Must be 21 or older; paid admission required.
Norm’s Beer & Brats
1901 Broadway Street
(715) 394-9689
normsbeerandbrats.net
Music is upstairs at this two-level bar in Superior. Must be 21 or older; paid admission required.
Ochre Ghost Gallery
22 N. Second Ave. E.
715.817.2212
Duluth’s smallest art gallery. All ages permitted; free admission.
Pizza Lucé
11 E. Superior St.
(218) 727-7400
pizzaluce.com
Restaurant/bar in Duluth Technology Village. Must be 21 or older; paid admission required on Friday and Saturday; Sunday shows are free.
Prøve Gallery
21 N. Lake Ave.
Duluth’s newest art gallery, located below Norway Hall. All ages permitted; free admission.
Red Mug Coffeehouse
916 Hammond Ave.
(715) 392-2662
redmugcoffee.com
Coffee shop with beer and wine, located in the Trade and Commerce Marketplace in Superior. All ages permitted; free admission.
Red Star Lounge
600 E. Superior St.
(218) 727-7827
redstarclub.us
Martini bar located in Fitger’s Brewery Complex. Must be 21 or older; free admission.
Rex Bar at Fitger’s
600 E. Superior St.
(218) 733-3090
rexbarduluth.com
Nightclub in basement of Fitger’s Brewery Complex. Must be 21 or older; paid admission required.
Roscoe’s Pioneer Bar
323 W. First St.
(218) 722-7100
Drinking establishment in Downtown Duluth. Must be 21 or older; paid admission required.
R.T. Quinlan’s Saloon
220 W. Superior St.
(218) 722-3573
Drinking establishment in Downtown Duluth. Must be 21 or older; paid admission required.
Sacred Heart Music Center
201 W. Fourth St.
(218) 723-1895
sacredheartmusic.org
Former cathedral built in 1896 on Duluth’s Hillside; home of Sacred Heart Recording Studio and historic Felgemaker organ. All ages permitted; paid admission required on Tuesday and Saturday; free admission on Sunday.
Sir Benedict’s Tavern on the Lake
805 E. Superior St.
(218) 728-1192
sirbens.com
Restaurant and bar at the eastern edge of Downtown Duluth. Must be 21 or older; free admission.
Teatro Zuccone
222 E. Superior St.
(218) 336-1414
teatrozuccone.com
Black-box theater in Zeitgeist Arts Building, Downtown Duluth. All ages permitted; paid admission required.
Thirsty Pagan Brewing
1623 Broadway St.
(715) 394-2500
thirstypaganbrewing.com
Micro brewery and restaurant in Superior. Must be 21 or older; paid admission required.
Twins Bar
501 E. Fourth St.
(218) 727-3871
Drinking establishment in Duluth’s Central Hillside. Must be 21 or older; paid admission required.
Zinema 2
222 E. Superior St.
(218) 722-7300
zinema2.com
Two-screen movie house in Zeitgeist Arts Building, Downtown Duluth. All ages permitted; paid admission required.
Homegrown the Apocalypse
Band Biographies
The Acceleratti
12:30am Fri 5/4 | Pizza Lucé
Singer Chad “Bo Bandit” Lyons says the Acceleratii sound is a “mish-mash of rockabilly, psycho-billy, country, ’60s garage rock, the Reverend Horton Heat and Jerry Reed.” His abbreviated version of all that is “police-chase raunchabilly.” Acceleratii shows are neither calm nor sober affairs. Swimming with Lyons in the sea of empty beer cans are guitarist Steve Mahlberg (call him Gomez), bassist Ben Marsen and drummer Scott Millis. The band released its self-titled debut album prior to last year’s Homegrown.
Actual Wolf
8pm Sat 5/5 | Amazing Grace
For Eric Pollard’s solo endeavor Actual Wolf, the process is the project. Using song ideas he’s stored up over the past five years, he began honing them into shape since returning from extended duty touring with Retribution Gospel Choir. The rawboned-folk demos are recorded quickly and openly shared with the public, offering a unique view into Pollard’s inspired method of performance, revision and recording. Expect to hear the final results soon on the forthcoming debut album Lightening and the Wolf. Also look for Actual Wolf to expand from a solo act into a full-on band sometime shortly after Homegrown.
The Adjustments
10:15pm Tues 5/1 | Lake Avenue Café
Though Alex Nelson, Justin Lofquist and Tim Nelson have played music together for over a decade, their band is a relative newcomer to the Twin Ports. Upon arriving in the area from the Iron Range a couple of years ago, these folk-rock bluesmen hooked up with bassist Ian Kvale and went to work playing just about any place that has a stage and serves beer (stage optional). Lately, between being the regular Thursday night house band at the Twins Bar and gigging all over on weekends, the boys have begun to record their debut album with the apt title Music For Everyone.
Ian Thomas Alexy and the Deserters
10pm Fri 5/4 | Lake Avenue Café
Singer/guitarist Ian Alexy returns to Duluth for Homegrown with his band of Richard Medic on drums and Carrie Deans on bass. Though he has lived away from Duluth in recent years, Alexy still performs regularly in the city where he formed his other Homegrown band, the Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank, with his brother Teague Alexy. Ian’s bluesy folk reveals the grit and road-tested refinement of a seasoned performer, and he isn’t afraid to rock out a bit when the moment calls for it. He has released two full-length albums and the 2010 EP Are You Listening as a solo artist, and is working on another solo record with a Hallows-eve theme, as well as another Hobo Nephews record.
Teague Alexy
12:30am Sat 5/5 | Rex Bar
For a laid-back gentleman, folk musician Teague Alexy sure keeps a busy day-planner. For starters, he’s the co-founder and co-captain of the widely popular roots-rock group the Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank. When the man isn’t winning songwriting awards, touring across the country with his brother Ian, or recording, he’s working on promoting his own record label, Call it Correspondence. Somehow he found time to put forth a new solo album called This Dance. He will be backed by an ace rhythm section made up of Eric Pollard, Steve Garrington and Marc Gartman.
The Alrights
11:30pm Sat 5/5 | Pizza Lucé
This year’s Homegrown marks the final performance of the Alrights, a band that has played the festival nine straight years (not a record, but close). The combination of Toby Churchill’s thoughtful pop music backed by one of the area’s elite rhythm sections in Dan Cosgrove and Chavo Amborn will be sorely missed. When lists are made of the best local albums of the past 20 years, toward the top of that list should sit High School and Meeting of the St. Louis County League of Volunteer Astronauts: Excerpts from the Keynote Address.. Diverse, original, danceable and lyrically brilliant, the Alrights have been one of Duluth’s finest for a decade.
American Rebels
9:30pm Tues 5/1 | Twins Bar
American Rebels is a hardworking, hard-rocking band that thrives on feedback-fueled guitar, driving bass and drums, teenage angst, lost love, politics, Lake Superior, race equality, freedom, rebellion and so on. The original trio of guitarist Kyle Maclean, bassist Heather Dean and drummer Scott Millis has expanded to include the “righteously endowed” (with certain inalienable rights, that is) Bob Olson on guitar. The band is hard at work on a debut album, crafting and completing songs at Sacred Heart Music Center with Eric Pollard and Jake Larson.
Atlas Mts.
10pm Sat 5/5 | Lake Avenue Café
Atlas Mts. is a mostly instrumental indie-rock trio made up of musicians you may already know from other bands. Bassist Jason Kokal and guitarist/singer Jesse Hoheisel also play with Equal Xchange. Drummer Chris Barnholdt also plays with A Winter Downpour. On record, Atlas Mts. focus on textured sounds with occasional dabbling into electronic noises, but on stage the focus is on rock, and on playing loud.
Aurora and Her Good Intentions
8pm Sat 5/5 | Teatro Zuccone
Aurora Baer moved back to Duluth in 2009 and quickly found a regular gig at Carmody Irish Pub as a solo blues artist. Now she has a band playing her original songs, which have strayed a bit from blues to alternative country. The new group, which Baer says is “a mishmash of old friends,” is made up of Mark Glen, Derek Rolando and Bill Meier.
Auruphis
11:30pm Fri 5/4 | Rex Bar
Songwriter Brian Ring used to paint sonic landscapes for his former band I Am the Slow Dancing Umbrella that would go from beautifully mesmerizing to completely disturbing in the course of three minutes. He used his next band, Lion or Gazelle, to play up to his indie-pop sensibilities. Now with his solo electronica project, Auruphis, he simply wants audience members to shake their butts. Every third Tuesday, Ring shape-shifts into club deejay mode, bringing a new set of beats to the Red Star Lounge for a wildly popular Back to Bassix dance party he shares with hip-hoppers Crew Jones. He has also released a handful of online-only singles that can be found on SoundCloud.
A Band Called Truman
11pm Mon 4/30 | Carmody
A Band Called Truman is the evolution of Chris Modec-Halvorson and Leon Rorbaugh’s former band, Sloe Loris. Teaming up with drummer Kelly Lussier and guitar player Tom Wilkowske, they have shifted away from their alt-country sound to what Modec-Halvorson describes as “a sound rooted more in 1970s rock and ’80s post-punk pop.” He says the music slips from straight-ahead rockers to free-form jazz/funk, and everything in between. “It’s no-frills, no-attitude music from four guys who have been in the scene for over 50 years combined. Fifty years!”
Batteries
12am Wed 5/2 | R.T. Quinlan’s
Dave Frankenfeld has been busy in the local music scene for some time. He’s drumming for Low Forms, Hattie Peterson and Mary Bue at this year’s Homegrown, so his duties as singer/guitarist for Batteries are a definite change of pace. With an often-changing lineup, Frankenfeld persists as Batteries’ primary songwriter, maintaining a 1990s alt-rock orientation that somehow incorporates a 1960s pop feel. Greg Cougar Conley has moved from the organ over to (the more familiar) second guitar. Renowned bass player Matt Mobley is now on bass duties, while Scott Millis (American Rebels and the Acceleratii) is on drums.
Big Wave Dave and the Ripples
11:30pm Tues 5/1 | Grandma’s
Make space for Big Wave Dave and the Ripples – they need it. The dynamic eight-member group includes a four-piece horn section that brings a classic soul sound. Spirited front man Dave Adams and his mates perform a popular weekly gig as Rex Bar’s Thursday night regulars. Dave Mennes, Peter Knutson, and Alex Piazza provide the Ripples with a solid rhythm section of drums, guitar and bass while the horn section includes Steve Rogers, Matt Wasmund, Pat Sunderland and Alex Nordehn.
Billy Southern
10:15pm Sun 4/29 | Carmody
William Soderlind has been a folk-roots-Americana fixture on the Duluth music scene for many years. He began playing guitar and singing while stationed abroad as a U.S. Marine in the 1990s. The latest incarnation of his band includes Greg Tiburzi on the drums, the fabulous fingers of Andrew Lipke on guitar and the steady upright bass playing of Karl Anderson. Soderlind’s songs convey simple stories and ideals of a world that revels in the charming rural simplicities of days gone by. Some songs to listen for are “Old Tom Redd” and “Billy Don’t Look Now.”
Biochemical Characters
11:30pm Thurs 5/3 | Burrito Union
Biochemical Characters is a three-piece band focused on pioneering the music genre of aggressive Americana and the practice of wearing winter hats indoors. In February, they recorded a polka in drummer Jay “Phat Phingers” Walker’s kitchen, which is available for the world to see and hear on YouTube. Bassist Michael “Mr. Soul Train” Gabler and guitar player Jay “Sanchez Borealis” Sandal are not afraid to announce what they need and when they need it, and clearly what they need is “a polka” and when they need it is “right now.”
Bird by Bird
11pm Fri 5/4 | Lake Avenue Café
What started off as a recording project for singer/songwriters Kristy Marie and Emily Heart culminated in the very first show for Bird by Bird shortly after last year’s Homegrown. Joined by stand-up bassist Mark Glen and multi-instrumentalist Waabi Furo, the group finished recording its project at Beaner’s Studio while adding the finishing touches at Sacred Heart Studio. They released the album Are We Amish Yet last fall. The songs offer refreshing positive messages through soft harmonies and airy melodies. Bird by Bird has been featured on KUMD and WWJC radio stations.
The Bitter Spills
8:15pm Fri 5/4 | Beaner’s Central
The Bitter Spills just “wanna make some people smile when they sing.” This mission began in 2006 when Grant Johnson and Rich Mattson took their Minnesota rock-scene experience to far folkier pastures. Since then, they have picked and twanged their way around the Duluth scene as the Bitter Spills, settling at places like the Carmody Irish Pub for regular gigs. The duo has hundreds of songs in its live catalogue, and has released five albums to date, so crowds can expect a mix of traditional, original and even some rawk and/or roll.
The Blasphemists
12am Fri 5/4 | Lake Avenue Café
Are they a Cramps version of Tom Waits, or are they a Tom Waits version of the Cramps? Either way, Adam “Doc Slide” Sundberg, Joshua “Mohawk Schekel” Herbert and Steve “Zeeter” Hamlin know how to have fun with just a guitar, drum set and trashcan. With an all-too-serious scene taking over the Twin Ports these days, thank goodness for the Blasphemists. They walk the fine line of playing smart acoustic punk while dishing out healthy doses of ridiculousness. For every bottle they smash during their set, they insert an equal amount of catchy satire. If their MP3 download “They Don’t Cross Mesaba” doesn’t joyfully confuse a music fan, nothing will.
Bliss & Sitter
6:30pm Fri 5/4 | Harbor City
Kyle Sitter lays down live drum, guitar, bass and auxiliary percussion loops for vocalist David “Bliss” Kittelson in the experimental rock, reggae and hip-hop project Bliss & Sitter. Both have been performing at almost every venue in the Duluth area for over a decade. Their latest release, titled Reincarnation, is available for sale online. Make sure to give some room for the fire dancers, belly dancers, choreographed dancers, glow sticks, fog machines, lasers and black lights to get the full Bliss & Sitter experience.
Boku Frequency
10:45pm Sat 5/5 | Carmody
Mixing funk, psychedelic, rock and soul, Boku Frequency is a trio of local music veterans who have frequented venues such as the Twins Bar and the long-lost Red Lion over the span of their eight-year career. Terry “Red-eye Dread” Gums is on lead guitar and is originally from Minneapolis. Thomas “Too Sharp” Harris plays bass, dances and hails from Chicago, while drummer Tony “the Stick Specialist” Dashiel brings his skills to the Duluth music scene all the way from Maryland.
The Boomchucks
10:30pm Tues 5/1 | Grandma’s
The Boomchucks play the music of train beats and heartaches. Brad Nelson drums for the Black-eyed Snakes and played in the Devil’s Flying Machine with Charlie Parr. Jamie Ness has had a well-known solo career as well as success in bands such as A.T.F. and Taconite. In 2008 they came together and released a record in 2009. Currently they are wrapping up a record of Bob Dylan covers as the Freewheelers, to be released in May during the Duluth Dylan Fest.
Bradical Boombox
10:30pm Sun 4/28 | Tycoons
Brad Fernholz is a farmer of organic vegetables, strawberries and free-range livestock and writer of free-range, indie rock songs. Ryan Nelson and Brynn Sias have become stalwarts in Fernholz’s live performances over the years, but he also likes to showcase his talented sister, Diane Fernholz, and other friends (Tony Derrick, Marshal Tofte, Sean Beaverson) and the side projects he has going with them. “It all becomes some a sort of live radio broadcast blaring out of this radical boombox,” Fernholz says. The music is well rounded, with echoes of punk, post-punk, a little touch of the Flight of the Conchords and general lo-fi monkey business.
The Branditos
12am Fri 5/4 | Fitger’s Brewhouse
The Branditos proudly (and often) proclaim they are the fastest growing cow-punk band this side of 8th Street Video. Well, if that’s true, Brandon Swanson, Jason Wussow and Bruce Rosera, then answer these questions for us: What side of 8th Street Video do you inhabit, and what about it makes it such fertile ground for the ever-expanding cow-punk scene? And why is 8th Street Video actually located on 9th Street? Mysteries indeed. What we do know is that the Branditos’ sardonic rockabilly is as intelligent as it is catchy, no matter what part of the East Hillside they call home.
Bratwurst
12am Sat 5/5 | R.T. Quinlan’s
Tyler Scouton, Ben Tryon and Jason Ratajek have put together a very smart, tight industrial band that crosses the blurry line between self-indulgent, never-ending electronica and fun party music and lands well inside the realm of fun party music. High-energy and bopping, these beatsters have captured the essence of light-hearted modern music. This is music as far removed from snobby electronic pioneers such as the Nice and Klaus Schulze as the Black Keys are from Dream Theater. “The Wedding Feast” is a song to listen for, layered and multi-dimensional, but by midnight, one might be in a state where it is more of an experience than a recital.
Breanne Marie with Evan Tepler
10:45pm Sat 5/5 | Sir Benedict’s
Duluth native Breanne Marie DeFoe made her first big splash during the Duluth Does the Grand Ole Opry concert at Sacred Heart in 2010, performing the Dolly Parton sobber “Coat of Many Colors.” Several months later, after appearing at Sacred Heart again to perform “Wild Horses” with Derek Holznagel, she embarked on a series of shows around the Twin Ports. Along the way, she began collaborating with Evan Tepler, a Minneapolis native who has written and arranged songs for Watching Iris, Drift Effect and the Attley Project.
The Brothers Burn Mountain
11:30pm Sun 4/29 | Tycoons
Ryan and Jesse Dermody share a musical brotherhood as well as one by blood. The two-piece guitar and drum act zigzags across a fast-paced blues-style playbook, but doesn’t necessarily paint by numbers. If the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion wiped away its New York hipster shtick, it may have sounded more like the Brothers Burn Mountain, with members wearing tuques instead of make-up. These guys take their writing seriously, but are smart enough to let it come out organically. Their fifth album, Emancipation Blues, was released in January.
Brown Eye Blue Eye
7pm Tues 5/1 | Teatro Zuccone
Brown Eye Blue Eye is a young a-cappella trio that also incorporates piano. The Hatten sisters are the senior members of the group; Dylan is 13 years old and Jesse is 11. Galalee Wright is 10. They have been honing their skills in recent months at Duluth’s Music Resource Center and with regular gigs at Amazing Grace Bakery and Café. Though they are new to Homegrown, the Duluth music scene is in their blood. Galalee is the daughter of Adeline Wright, who is wife and backup singer to Rachael Kilgour. Jesse and Dylan are daughters of the late Doug Hatten, who sang with Tangier 57. The Hatten sisters also recorded “Apple Tree” with their father in 2006 as My Sister’s Moon for the compilation Treasure Chest.
Mary Bue
12pm Sun 5/6 | Sacred Heart
Lake Superior has a hold on Mary Bue. The 2003 UMD psychology graduate has made forays to Florida, Rhode Island and Minneapolis, but always finds her way back to the shores of the big lake. Most recently she studied yoga in Seattle before returning to Duluth in 2011 to teach the practice. Her yoga studies pulled her focus away from music for a while, but now she’s back to regularly performing her moody, piano-based pop. Recently she’s been recording her fourth album, Apple in the Ocean, at Sacred Heart Music Center; it’s due out in August. Bue will perform at Homegrown backed by Matt Mobley and Dave Frankenfeld.
Bull Feathers
12am Sun 4/29 | Pizza Lucé
Bull Feathers is a new synthsoul band composed of Greg Cougar Conley and Marcus Matthews. The Superior natives have been in numerous bands together since the early 1990s, but nothing quite like this. They describe the sound as a mix of “1980s synth pop with ’70s fuck music to form a hybrid of sorts, bringing pleasure equally to the ear and the ass.” Did they mean “funk” music? Does it matter? They finished an album in January and released the single “Shake” online. Look for the full product soon.
The Cancer Romancer’s Quivering Liver
7:30pm Fri 5/4 | Harbor City
Raphael Tiller grew up in the Upper Peninsula playing violin. Like many people, things changed when he started listening to Bob Dylan and moved to Duluth. While the influence always remains, Tiller has certainly come into his own style, breaking guitar strings all over Duluth in the process. He aims to write songs that “help explain the mysteries beyond our normal consciousness.” It seems to be working out just fine with lyrics like, “maybe freedom isn’t free, but I think you’re over-charging me.”
Cars & Trucks
12:15am Thurs 5/3 | Main Club
This trio of Twin Ports natives has been rocking the local music scene for years in bands including the Dames and Farewell Tour. Together singer/guitarist Tony Bennett, bassist Matt Osterlund and drummer Mat Milinkovich deliver loud, hooky rock and roll that takes cues from 1960s Brit rock. Making their Homegrown debut in 2006, Cars & Trucks released their first album the next year. They’ll follow up their 2009 sophomore recording, Mere Mortals, with a new album tentatively scheduled for a May release.
Toby Thomas Churchill
11pm Fri 5/4 | Fitger’s Brewhouse
Toby Thomas Churchill, of longtime Duluth mainstay the Alrights, released his first solo album in 2011. Death was recorded with Minneapolis engineer Ben Durrant, who has worked with Andrew Bird and Dosh. Durrant, along with James Everest and Ryan Lovan, all of the now-defunct popular Minneapolis group Roma di Luna, have joined up with Churchill as his rhythm section. Fellow Alright Danny Cosgrove and the occasional guest round out the group. Toby is a Duluth native and has been an active local/regional artist for 17 years, performing in every Homegrown to date.
Circa A.M.
12:15am Fri 5/4 | Pioneer Bar
This long-running Twin Ports trio is back after sitting out last year’s Homegrown. Guitarist and programmer Allen Cragin, bassist Don Lisdahl and trumpeter Joshua Stern draw from a multitude of influences-including their jazz and classical backgrounds – to create a hardcore mix of industrial and experimental rock. Circa A.M has released four full-length albums and has had several songs featured on compilations.
Cowards
10pm Fri 5/4 | R.T. Quinlan’s
As the old saying goes, “Cowards are everywhere.” In this case, we are referring to the band, not the un-brave. These speedcore noise vultures may have unofficially disbanded in 2010, but not before they went from Duluth to Minneapolis to all over Canada and back. In that time they released two albums, toured, and, according bassist Kyle Potter, “pissed lots of people off with a wall of noise.” All that in just two years of existence. Now, moving forward to 2012, Potter and his band mates, drummer Kyle O’Brien and guitarist Kighle Olla, have found the courage to reunite Cowards for Homegrown.
Coyote
10pm Mon 4/30 | Carmody
In four years together as Coyote, Jerree Small and Marc Gartman have put together a solid catalogue of hypnotic acoustic folk. On top of two studio albums, they released Live at Sacred Heart in October and covered “Auld Lang Syne” on the compilation album Hog Damage Collective Xmas Vol. II: Christmas at the Clubhouse, released in December. Now they’re at work on a third studio album. “We’ve got about half the tunes written,” say Gartman. “They’re moody and spooky and, hopefully, a step forward in songwriting.” They are often backed by Matt Mobley on standup bass.
Crew Jones
12:30am Fri 5/4 | Rex Bar
Hip-hop act Crew Jones made its way from Grand Marais to Duluth in 2002, quickly building a following with the release of the 2003 album Who’s Beach. Founding members Sean Elmquist and Ben Larson, playing under the stage names Mic Trout and Burly Burlesque, have seen a handful of band members come and go in the past 10 years, but they remain the dynamic duo that makes the Crew Jones hip-hop magic happen. Larson notes that he and Elmquist are “donating” their performance at Homegrown in “recompense for any and all Socratic darkness” their distinctive shows over the years may have “stirred in the dew-eyed drink-waters of Duluth,” promising this time to “seduce moms and dads, along with the usual art girls and their boyfriends.”
The Cutthroats
11:15 Thurs 5/3 | Main Club
Last year, members of this self-described “sad bastard alt-country” band played Homegrown in front of 1,200 people at Clyde Iron Works. Old Knify and the Cutthroats used the event the same way the Band used “The Last Waltz” concert, inviting different musicians to perform with them. It worked out just as well; after wowing the crowd, Old Knify and the Cutthroats came to a similar end as the Band – they broke up. But now, Adam “Old Knifey” Depre, Chris Kelly and Ben Berg are back, with new member Mark Glen on bass.
Danecdote
11pm Wed 5/2 | Red Star
A self-proclaimed “Audio Ninja,” Daniel Nelson has been practicing his musical martial arts at shows in the Duluth area for about two years now. The “Back 2 Bassix” shows at Red Star have been his main showcase, offering remixes that vary from Nate Dogg to Duluth act I Am the Slow Dancing Umbrella. The first Danecdote EP, Attention Debt, was released last summer, followed in the fall by a full-length debut album, Mise en Place. Collaboration with Paul Broman in January produced the Internet single “Let’s Make Babies.”
Dead Guys
9pm Mon 4/30 | Carmody
Living and subsequently dying in Duluth, three dead guys recently formed a blues-rock trio (stylistically akin to the White Stripes and the Black Keys) that haunts Duluth to this day. Imagine Dan Auerbach with an accordion and you get what Dead Guys are about. Sans drum set, Jake Scott is left to beat his kick drum while wailing on his crunchy electric guitar, picking his smoky blues-bar banjo, or squeezing the life out of his mournful pearl accordion. Zac Roorda, formerly of Loup-Garou, sinks his tasty hooks into the mix as Josiah Early beats his bass like a rented mule. Their first songs were recorded in Scott’s living room and are available for download online.
Déjà vu Drifters
9:30pm Wed 5/2 | Fitger’s Brewhouse
The resurging newgrass/alt-country scene could probably take a history lesson from the Déjà vu Drifters. Three of its musicians – Steve Johnson, Mike Mattson and Rick Olson – played in one of the area’s original bluegrass bands over 30 years ago called the Sawtooth Mountain Boys. Back then, instead of selling out hipster music clubs and playing festivals, these guys brought their acoustic instruments wherever they could find a gig; from rural three-two beer juke joints to guest spots on the iconic Chmielewski Fun Time television program. After decades of drifting, they’ve reunited – adding Greg Tiburzi on guitar – to form an upbeat, Americana-inspired ensemble.
Diet Folk
11:45pm Fri 5/4 | Sir Benedict’s
Consisting of UMD students Dedric Clark (guitar), Boyd Smith (drums) and Cloquet native Tony Petersen (banjo), this young band can most readily be described as a pop-folk cover band with a few original tunes. Imagine Amos Lee leading Old Crow Medicine Show, Ray LaMontagne sharing a stage with the Avett Brothers, or Bon Iver and the Del McCoury band birthing a wild Americana/bluegrass love child. It’s not quite folk, just a diet amount.
Dirty Horse
11:15pm Sat 5/5 | Pioneer Bar
This Duluth band features the timeless rock-and-roll lineup of two guitarists (Andrew Olmstead and Nate Case, who also handles vocals), bassist (Brian Wells) and drummer (Jake Palsrud, taking over for founding member Kyle Keegan). Formed in 2010 by members of Heavy J and the Fantastics and Brothers Band, Dirty Horse’s laid-back rock groove brings to mind Neil Young and My Morning Jacket. The band has released one EP, Tartan. Case and Wells will also play with Sarah Krueger at this year’s Homegrown.
Don’t Sweat September
9:30pm Thurs 5/3 | Norm’s
In one year, songstress Jessica Myshack has gone from an acoustic, shaky-voiced solo artist to an engaging, electric-guitar-wielding front woman of a four-piece blues-rock band. Her cathartic and emotional lyrics seem a perfect match when paired with the punchy rhythm section of bassist Amber Johnson and drummer Jason Wussow. Lead guitarist Paul Duray adds timely brushstrokes to the group’s organic sound. After playing live on the celebrated WDSE-TV program The PlayList and gigging all over the Twin Ports, Don’t Sweat September’s sound and fan base has grown remarkably.
The DTs
11:15pm Fri 5/4 | Pioneer Bar
This Duluth-based punk band began 15 years ago in Willmar, but moved to Duluth in 2000 and began thrashing through Homegrown sets in 2003. Founding members Jedd Olson (guitar) and Seth Gronli (drums) have been playing a game of musical bassists over the years, with the role being filled by Ryan Nielson since summer 2010. The trio delivers a brand of broad punk reminiscent of the Clash and Stiff Little Fingers. Even the slower jams inspire people to throw an elbow or two. The band is working on a new album that might be out in time for Homegrown. The previous DTs release is 2004’s Never Could Say Goodbye.
Electric Graveyard Afterlife
9pm Sat 5/5 | R.T. Quinlan’s
Only one band from the Twin Ports is qualified to play a scream-core version of the Northland’s catchiest and most annoying commercial jingle. Electric Graveyard Afterlife’s ingredients include a drummer with no hands (Ryan “Stubbs” Kastel), a bassist with a beard (Nick Deluca) and a singer with a loud guitar (Paul Whyte). And why not throw in some keyboards while we’re at it (Tina Anne)? This may look like a formula for disaster, but when it comes to trash rock, much like quantum mechanics, they make it work without anyone really knowing how. Speaking of mechanics … Arrowhead Auto Body, don’t just go to anybody.
Emily Jayne
9pm Fri 5/4 | Teatro Zuccone
Emily Jayne Brissett-White is a songstress and piano player with a soft, breathy voice that evokes ivy-covered woodland paths and romantic shadows, while keeping heads nodding with buoyant jazz beats. Her latest album, Blue Plate Fellas, was recorded at her home in Cloquet, and features numerous local musicians. Her complex piano chops and Berklee music background will be backed at Homegrown with the jazz/alternative rock trio of Travis Crotteau on guitar, Mark Glen on bass and Luke Perry on drums.
Equal Xchange
7pm Wed 5/2 | Clyde Iron Works
Equal Xchange is a live hip-hop band that borrows its sound from rock and funk influences, as well as from classic, old-school rap. Scene veteran Rain Elfvin (ex of Crew Jones) handles vocals and spits out rhymes about swimming in Lake Superior and working at the Whole Foods Co-op. Rounding out the band are Jesse Hoheisel on guitar, Jason Kokal on bass and Mat Milinkovich on drums. Equal Xchange recently broke a two-year hiatus, which followed the release of the band’s debut album, recorded in honor of their original drummer, Brad Rozman, who passed away in 2009.
Excuse Me, Princess
8pm Tues 5/1 | Teatro Zuccone
It’s the third Homegrown for these talented-beyond-their-years teen rockers (who’ll fit in a festival performance around studying for the SATs). Co-founder and guitarist Jack Campbell has been writing songs inspired by girls and cartoons since fifth grade. He formed Excuse Me, Princess with bassist Sam Wattrus in 2009 after the demise of a punk band they were in together, and they added violinist Greta Konkler shortly after. Drummer Ben Oullette came along later, and after Konkler’s move to college, the group brought in Kallie Gunsolus on synth. The band’s infectious indie pop-rock tunes caught the ears of Minneapolis’ SO-TP records, which released the band’s second album, Stop the Flow, in 2011.
Father Hennepin
8pm Wed 5/2 | Clyde Iron Works
Homegrown is one of the rare times local music fans can hear renditions of the two songs that many consider the mantras for the festival. “I Like it in Duluth” and “Homegrown” are both cover songs, but when sung by the festival’s founder, “Starfire” Scott Lunt, they transcend the originals. The songwriting of Starfire and fellow singer/guitarist Ted Anderson has also produced a number of favorites, all with an alt-country sound brought together with Bob Olson on bass, Brad Nelson on drums and Susan Ludwig on accordion and keyboard.
Fearless Moral Inventory
10:15 Thurs 5/3 | Main Club
Fearless Moral Inventory’s humble beginnings as a duo in the Twin Ports’ open mic circuit are far behind them. The band is now a crunchy quartet causing mayhem in its old stomping grounds. Andrew Stern handles the vocals and guitar, which can transform from a growl to a squawk in no time flat. Corey Gice pitches in on guitar and pedals, while Christopher Berg’s low-rider bass lines keep things catchy. Kai Bowen handles the drums in what looks and sounds to be a head-on collision of Sublime, the Black Keys and Modest Mouse. Fearless Moral Inventory is working on new material and ritually graces the interweb with fresh songs.
First Class Failure
9pm Fri 5/4 | Amazing Grace
First Class Failure needs a name change, and not because this pop-acoustic duo doesn’t come across as “first class.” Grant Murray and Zac Abukhodair’s emotionally charged vocals and syncopated guitar work definitely warrant top-flight status. What doesn’t fit is the “failure” part. Going on tours of the Midwest and releasing a self-titled online album while working as producers and promoters in the area’s youth music scene is anything but a lemon. Here’s wishing the band’s forthcoming second album results in first-class success.
Five Pints a’ Rye
11:15pm Sun 4/29 | Carmody
If you want a real-life education in music, try your hand playing the eclectic Bev’s Jook Joint every Thursday. Performing a weekly set of originals for a random collection of uppity music-history nerds, Soup-Town stumblers and rowdy college kids can’t be easy. But the Americana-music students in Five Pints a’ Rye are definitely making their bones. The ace backline of Andy Bergstrom, Jeremy Calvosa, John Lamar and Nate Hynum is led by Adam Stariha on guitar/vocals. They host their regular gig like a mini-Austin City Limits by inviting guest musicians to share the stage while honing their own classic 1970s rock-inspired style.
Bill Flannagan
12am Sat 5/5 | Fitger’s Brewhouse
Making his 10th Homegrown appearance in his 15+ years playing the Twin Ports, Bill Flannagan has branded himself as the area’s foremost purveyor of rockin’ honky tonkin’ blues. “I play mostly solo acousto-electric-roots rockin’ kind of stuff,” Flannagan says. “It is solo acoustic, but it is not folky humming and strumming. It is rock and roll – and loud when it ought to be.”
The Fontanelles
12:15am Sat 5/5 | Pioneer Bar
Native Duluthian David Mehling founded this four-piece rock group with fellow guitar player Darin Rieland after moving to the Twin Cities a few years ago. The lineup has gone through a number of changes, and now features Jason McGlone on drums and Beau Jeffrey on bass. “We are mostly energetic and entertaining, although sometimes somber and moody,” Mehling says. Last year the band’s cover of Bob Dylan’s “Not Dark Yet” was featured on the compilation album Another Side of Duluth Does Dylan.
The Formal Age
9:45pm Fri 5/4 | Twins Bar
“We like melody, we like hooks and we like guitar solos – and we’re not afraid to admit it,” says Jacob Jonker, lead guitarist of the Formal Age. The band made its debut at last year’s Homegrown under the name A Team / B Team, and adopted its current moniker shortly afterward. Bassist Jason Rahman is a veteran of the local punk band the Undesirables, while keyboardist Phil McGrath, drummer Adam Helbach and rhythm guitar player Ryan Wiisanen are all Northwestern High School alums who were in the bands Weasel and the Casey Dagans during the late 1990s and early 2000s. The Formal Age crafts fist-pumping power pop, working-class anthems and hard-driving rock, with stop-on-a-dime breakdowns and fast keyboard arpeggios. A collection of live demos recorded at Beaner’s Central and Thirsty Pagan Brewing were released in January on Bandcamp.
Four Mile Portage
12pm Sun 5/6 | Pizza Luce
Tom Maloney and Brandy Forsman are a husband-and-wife duo whose old-timey banjo/fiddle songs have found a home as background music at the Duluth Farmers Market for over five years now. Expect plaintive harmonies, fast picking and a danceable beat. You can also hear them guest on Charlie Parr’s latest album, Keep Your Hands on the Plow.
Fours
9:15pm Sat 5/5 | Legacy Glassworks
When these rock and roll slappies performed as Viv two years ago, it was all about fun, rocking out, basement parties, forgetting the words, more fun, fooling around and then remembering the words. Yes, in that order. Then one of the songwriters moved to Norway and major changes ensued. Viv changed its name to Fours and remaining members Ned Netzel, Chris LeBlanc and Jason Hildebrandt teamed up with new guitar player Derek Brochu and completely restructured their priorities. These days, coming off of a West Coast tour and a new album, American Breakfast, it’s all about fun, fooling around, remembering the words, rocking out, more fun, basement parties and then forgetting the words.
Aaron Gall and the Likely Story
9pm Tues 5/1 | Sacred Heart
Can we coin the phrase “after-bar party music” to describe Aaron Gall and his merry band of misfits? Don’t blame them for the randomness of style; their formation was basically (and quite literally) plucked from a bunch of names in a hat. Front man Gall and drummer Ryan Nelson were randomly teamed at the 2010 Rock and Roll Kamikaze event, which they won. As Paul Westerberg used to say, “Smart things come in stupid packages.” Beyond Gall and Nelson, the rest of the band’s lineup has fluctuated, presently melding garage-rock vets Patrick Nelson and Brad Fernholz with Alex Bauer, Jerree Small, Ian Koivisto, Amy Kozak, Brandon Helberg and any number of other people who might wander up and cause problems on stage.
Gallus
10pm Wed 5/2 | Clyde Iron Works
Drummer Ben Berg describes the beginnings of his band as a Homegrown Miracle. The ramblings of himself, guitarist Chris Kelly and bassist Steve Karels after a rich 2011 night of the festival gave birth to this new musical project. The rest, as they say, is Homegrown history. The additions of guitarist Zach Kerola and horn-specialist Sean Mahoney rounded out a sound Karels describes as “rawk and roll, Scottish Highland folk, jam denial.” The group performed 40 shows in a four-month stretch this past fall/winter, and is pushing to release an album before its Homegrown debut.
Marc Gartman’s Fever Dream
8:30pm Sat 5/5 | Sacred Heart
Despite his reputation, Marc Gartman “doesn’t just play the banjo all the damn time.” In a 180-degree turn from his bluegrass past, he serves up Marc Gartman’s Fever Dream. A drum machine leads the audience into tunes reminiscent of 1980s electronica and perhaps the best drug trip of a five-or-more-year battle with college. Gartman is joined in this endeavor by Steve Garrington, best known for playing bass in Low. The duo has pledged to have a yet untitled album for sale in time for Homegrown.
The Ghosts of Swinetown
7:15pm Fri 5/4 | Beaner’s Central
Members of Ghosts of Swinetown describe their genre as “screwgrass,” an apt label for tunes that shift from reggae to mournful blues to toe-tapping bluegrass. From humble beginnings at the storied open mic nights at the Northwestern Lounge & Bar in Rhinelander, the band has spread its territory north to Duluth and south to Madison. The five-piece is made up of Phyl Wickham, Bob Weigandt, Mike Hill, Scott Kirby and Ellen Thomes. They released their first album in 2009, Hotel Fenlon (named for the historic downtown Rhinelander landmark) and followed up with Ghosts of Swinetown Suck in 2010 (a tribute to a bit of graffiti found on the bathroom wall of a bar).
The Good Colonels
11pm Wed 5/2 | R.T. Quinlan’s
The Good Colonels are looking forward to releasing their sophomore album. Guitarist Codie Leseman alludes to an exciting Homegrown set as the experimental rock band plans to unleash these new tunes created in a “hidden stronghold underneath the ore docks.” Leseman is joined by bassist Joe Conaway (who can also be seen performing with the Horror) and drummer Curtis Mattson. The trio plans to fill this year’s festival with “dancey buildups and epic climaxes.”
Good Knight
10:45 Sat 5/5 | Twins Bar
Duluth native Alex Knight has moved to Minneapolis, but the hip-hop artist remains connected to the Duluth music scene, working such stages as Beaner’s Central and Grandma’s Sports Garden in the past year. His song “Duluth Minnesnowta” boasts over 10,000 listens on YouTube. Having already released two albums (Northern Exposure and 40 oz. Below Zero), the man with the “unique rhyme delivery and classic golden age hip-hop style” is in the process of finishing his third full-length album, Northern Exposure: Volume II. He’ll be joined on stage by David Kellner, a.k.a. Killuh Beats.
Todd Gremmels
1:30pm Sun 5/6 | Club Saratoga
To use his own words, Todd Gremmels is “deeply entrenched in the fungus of the Duluth music scene.” From his days with a group called Matrix in 1977 to sharing the stage these days with the Tico Three, Rocking Hot Dogs, the Temporary Service and Jason Wussow and Friends, the guy continues to get around. For Homegrown 2012 he will be performing the overture to his indie opera Giaha. To showcase this piece, Gremmels calls on talents as diverse as Israel Malachi, Deborah Collins, Mark Glen, Aleasha Mellesmoen, someone called “the Shark,” assorted UMD musicians and choral members and the American Legion Post 71 Drum and Bugle Corps.
Group Too
11:45pm Fri 5/4 | Carmody
Beginning as a duo, Bob and Carol Flatt’s blues/Americana act expanded four years ago with the addition of Greg Tiburzi on drums and then again two years ago with the addition of Israel Malachi on lead guitar. “We have performed in coffee houses, bistros, casinos, various eating establishments, bars and outdoor festivals,” says Bob Flatt. “Our music has ’60s and ’70s flavor.”
Emily Haavik
9pm Thurs 5/3 | Chester Creek Café
Born and raised in Duluth, Emily Haavik broke into the music scene last year, releasing a couple songs on the Internet and playing her first Homegrown. Since then she’s stepped up her performance schedule, which included a female acoustic showcase at Teatro Zuccone in March benefiting Life House, an agency that helps at-risk homeless kids become healthy, positive adults. The singer/keyboardist has been playing with a number of supporting musicians, and expects fellow UMD student Jordan Meyers will join her on guitar at Homegrown, with Jason Noe and Luke Hirsch potentially joining in.
The Half Hearts
12:30 a.m. Thurs 5/3 | Norm’s
The Half Hearts would be the perfect house band in a sort of masquerade dream attended by Stevie Nicks, Freddie Mercury and Robert Smith. The band’s very existence proves all things work out for a reason, as the group was formed after its members dealt with heartache, floods, recession and campaign politics. Each member of the group contributes vocals to its cabaret of a sound, with Flip Arkulary’s crunchy guitar riffs, Robert Cox’s driving bass and Mitch Miller’s succinct drums. When Kay Stresman and Theo Brown’s keyboards are peppered in, the result has been dramatic, catchy and sometimes even eerie. The band’s debut album Uptown Sound was released in August.
Jim Hall
7pm Sat 5/5 | Amazing Grace
Perhaps best known for his work with Azure du Jour, Duluth native Jim Hall was also a member of several other now-defunct local bands such as Wet Dog, Spotted Mule and Lo-Fi. He has been playing folk and blues in the area for four and a half decades and, having played every Homegrown except the first one, shows no sign of quitting any time soon. He may very well be the most printed name in the Transistor’s weekly event calendar, usually strumming in a corner at Carmody Irish Pub or Sir Benedict’s Tavern on weeknights.
Hard Feelings
10:30pm Thurs 5/3 | Bev’s Jook Joint
From the hardcore ashes of their former band Nordic Waste, guitarist Pat Laney and drummer Mike Wilson put together a new group that sounds more upbeat and catchier. Not much more upbeat though; thankfully, they kept the snot-nosed punk vibe. They’ve also slowed it down (a little), stripped it down and moved away from the repetitious double-time tempos to make way for a bit of country-trash thump and slap. Seth Borovsky, who also plays with Laney in the Undesirables, has been the steady bassist for well over a year, replacing Trevor Peterson. Hard Feelings released a tape in 2010 and recently recorded new songs for a 10-inch vinyl split EP.
Hattie and Her Man Band
9:30pm Tues 4/30 | Grandma’s
Matt Mobley, bassist for Hattie and Her Man Band, describes the group’s music as “pre-apocalyptic Swedish hair-ballads.” Hattie Petersen sings and writes the songs. She’s played around town for over 15 years – sometimes solo, sometimes with her other band, the Black Frames. Her songs are spare and sad, and she sings them in a voice full of soul, but coated in ice – as if Etta James had been Scandinavian and from Duluth. Dave Frankenfeld joins Mobley in the rhythm section on drums. The group hopes to have its debut album out in time for Homegrown.
The Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank
12:30 Tues 5/1 | Grandma’s
Teague Alexy and Ian Thomas Alexy make up this back-porch foot-stomp band. Since releasing their third full-length album, Traveling Show, the Hobo Nephews have toured from New York City to Key West to San Diego to Seattle. This summer they plan to host their second annual Northern Train Music Festival – on their back porch in Holyoke, 30 miles south of Duluth. A fourth album is in the works.
The Horror
10:30pm Fri 5/4 | Rex Bar
“No one, including ourselves, is quite sure how to describe the music we play,” says drummer Anders Lundahl of the Horror. “Someone said ‘Star-Wars-Core’ at one of our first shows. I’m not sure how descriptive that actually is, but I’ll take any Star Wars association I can get.” Lundhal is joined by bassist Joe Conaway and guitarist Billy Wagness. The trio is prepared “to weird out random show-goers and get loud with a unique sound.”
Humanoid
7:30pm Thurs 5/3 | Red Mug
Kyle Alan Maclean is an indie rock/pop songwriter who works guitar, vocals, sampler and radio. He started Humanoid a decade ago as an acoustic solo act, but it evolved into a four-piece rock band. By 2010, Maclean had de-evolved, though, and brought Humanoid back to its solo-act status. “Think of the love-child of Nick Drake and Hank Williams, with Bob Dylan as the Godparent,” Maclean says in describing the intimate and melodic mood he creates in Humanoid. “Subject matters include love, death, peace and the pursuit of the American dream.” Making a guest appearance with Humanoid at Homegrown will be Mary Bue.
Charity Huot and the Summit Hill Band
12am Wed 5/2 | Clyde Iron Works
Even though Charity Huot’s music may fit right in on a hot summer night in Austin, Texas, this singer/songwriter from the north is purely Minnesotan. Having played around the upper Midwest and beyond for years, Charity has developed her chops in the alternative folk scene. Her soulful vocals blended with her own musical style make for an irresistible combination for folk, jazz and rock enthusiasts alike. Armed with her recently released second album, A New Beginning, and a rotating cast of backing players, Charity is ready to make this year’s Homegrown a memorable one.
I, the Sky
9:15pm Tues 5/1 | Lake Avenue Café
Ashton George (formerly of Blue Water Dance) and Leif Hinkle (formerly of Lions and Creators) formed this acoustic duo last summer. “Two guys, two acoustics, singing and such,” is how George describes it. Videos for four of their new songs were recently produced by Mason Lehto and Max Caven. I, the Sky is poised to record its debut album this year.
Iron Range Outlaw Brigade
12:15am Fri 5/4 |Tycoons
The YouTube video for the title track from the 2011 studio record Shootin’ Shells & Raisin’ Hell seems to sum up Iron Range Outlaw Brigade pretty well: burly men in flannel, denim and facial hair; an aggressive two-step beat set off by pedal-steel guitar; lyrics like, “I got a gun in one hand and a bottle in the other”; many shots of firearms, beers and sweaty honky tonkin’. Founding outlaw Kirk Michael, who plays acoustic guitar and sings, says the band, formed in 2008, plays cow punk or dirty country – “Good-time drinking music. Tales and ballads of growing up on the old Iron Range and in the north woods.” He’s backed by “The Gentleman” John Peterson on pedal steel, Dustin Savela on bass and Jay Benson on guitar. Various guys fill in on drums. In addition to their full-length album, they have also released a live split album with Wyatt Famous, recorded at Beaner’s Central.
James & Younger
9:30pm Fri 5/4 | Pizza Lucé
Indie-pop outfit James & Younger returns to Homegrown with a new album and a new drummer, still focused on Rochelle Luoma and Nate Mattson’s founding philosophy of making music they like. Jeremie Olson is the new man on the sticks, keeping things steady for bassist Ethan Thompson and keyboardist George Elsworth. The band released the digital album Sleep in the Sea in February.
Jaze with DJ Delgado
10:15pm Sat 5/5 | Tycoons
Jesse “Jaze” Unger and DJ Derek Delgado, one-half of local hip-hop powerhouse Kritical Kontact, have been rocking shows since 2003. Kritical Kontact has been on a bit of a break in recent years, but this duo has been handling the house-party rocking workload. Unger says he and Delgado are planning for a busy 2012 with their label, Blaze it Records, recording more local talent such as Strictly Hammers.
Phil Jents and the Farsights
9:30pm Sat 5/5 | Pizza Lucé
Phil Jents and the Farsights began as a humble, folky duo, with Phil Jents on acoustic guitar and Ryan Nelson on drums. Their style fit right into their month-long residency at Fitger’s Brewhouse, but when bassist Brynn Sias approached the duo to jam, the Farsights went electric. Since plugging in and turning it up, the trio has been playing a sort of electric folk/punk combination that could shatter a Brewhouse pint, with fast-driven hooks that make audiences want to scream along.
Junkboat
11:30pm Thurs 5/3 | Norm’s
Members of the rock band Junkboat paid their dues in the late 1980s and early ’90s during the height of Minneapolis’ burgeoning music scene with iconic groups like the Glenrustles, Smut and Urban Guerillas. Now older and more mature, they’ve traded in faux-ripped jeans and faded T-shirts for real-life Iron Range Carhartts and flannels. Their dedication to quality songwriting has also matured. Germaine Gemberling’s country-fried vocals/lyrics lead the way for Rich Mattson, David Loy and Al Schroeter to hammer in a sundry of musical nails. They released a self-titled album in 2011 and have been featured on WDSE-TV’s The Playlist and KUMD.
Tim Kaiser
6pm Sun 2/29 | Duluth Art Institute
Tim Kaiser must work out of the laboratory of a mad scientist. More of an artistic inventor than straight-up musician, his videos, recordings, conceptual performances and atmospheric creations have brought him from the Twin Ports to Hong Kong and just about everywhere in between. If Frank Black had studied rocket science (or owned a junkyard) instead of starting the Pixies you’d end up with something like Kaiser’s latest album Number’s Station. He once said that he is making folk rock from the future. It sounds like our fates are about to get a lot more interesting.
The Keep Aways
12am Fri 5/4 | R.T. Quinlan’s
Is it punk? Is it metal? Is it awesome? Yes, yes and more yes. The Keep Aways have been a staple in the Duluth rock scene for over a decade. Guitarist and lead vocalist Mindy Johnson and bass player Nikki Moeller have established themselves as premier rawkers in this town, and with the addition of drummer Chris “Dubz” Warne seven years ago, have easily become one of the most consistently solid acts around. If you enjoy hard riffs, wicked screams and a pounding back beat, this band is for you.
KeyPortal
11pm Fri 5/4 | R.T. Quinlan’s
Guitarist Chuc Grammond and vocalist Phil Casper started their black metal experiment in 2008. Aiming to reach beyond the trappings of the underground hardcore genre, KeyPortal pushed the sound into dark and unorthodox corners. Wanting to expand even further, the duo sought out and landed “the best metal drummer around” in Chris Beber. Beber, in turn, brought along his longtime bassist Phil Haglund, which transformed the group in to a finely sharpened blade of provocative noise. They have two albums worth of worked out material they plan on officially releasing in the future. For the time being, four demos can be found on reverbnation.com.
Kritical Kontact
9:15 Fri 5/4 | Legacy Glassworks
The trio of Jesse “Jaze” Unger, Lawrence “Legitimit” Letourneau and David “Bliss” Kittelson have not been performing around town as often as they used to, but these cross-country traveling hip-hoppers haven’t given up. They all have splintered off into side projects but the promise of a special occasion is apparent, as they are uniting for their seventh consecutive Homegrown. A new recording of the group is in the works, and with that, the possibility of this unrelenting hip-hop group playing more shows in the future alongside their solo endeavors.
Sarah Krueger
10:30pm Wed 5/2 | Fitger’s Brewhouse
A native of Eau Claire, Sarah Krueger has lived and performed music in Duluth for roughly seven years. Though still an acoustic, solo performer at heart, Krueger’s soulful folk-rock is often amplified in the live setting by former members of the Cutthroats (Caleb Anderson, Kyle Keegan and Nate Case) and Brothers Band (Brian Wells), and current members of Retribution Gospel Choir and Low (Steve Garrington and Eric Pollard) – depending on who’s around. Krueger has several live performances scheduled for 2012 (which included a SXSW spot in March) with more to be announced in support of her latest full-length release Dancing with Phantoms.
Legitimit
11pm Wed 5/2 | Clyde Iron Works
Lawrence LeTourneau’s self-created hip-hop machine has been up and running for over a decade. In that time he has played about every venue in the Twin Ports, gone on two nationwide tours, released two albums, and helped raise thousands of charitable dollars for the American Cancer Society and Salvation Army. His conscientious lyrics can also be heard on three albums he recorded with his crew Kritical Kontact. For his solo gigs he not only spills forth intelligent poetry, he backs it up himself with homemade beats and smooth-as-silk samples.
Lion or Gazelle
8pm Tues 5/1 | Sacred Heart
For years Brian Ring built up a reputation in Duluth for being unpredictable, experimental and perhaps aloof. With his latest band, Lion or Gazelle, Ring has clearly decided to move in a different direction, writing songs that are catchy, moody and accessible. Teaming up with Jake Willis, Matt Mobley and Antone, Lion or Gazelle is more of a pop project built around familiar instruments (drums and acoustic guitars) while keeping with his roots in electronics. Another thing about Brian Ring: He likes to put out lots of recordings. Currently, there are 10 Lion or Gazelle EPs for free download on BandCamp.
Lions & Creators
7:15 Sat 5/5 | Beaner’s Central
The release of the EP Growing in October brought the indie, ambient, post-rock band Lions & Creators favorable attention. Tight guitar and pounding drums combine well with lyrics centered on a theme of home in the band’s six-song recording. Lead singer and guitarist Tanner Groehler started the band two years ago, with bassist Blake Pekkala joining within the first year and drummer Nate Adelson entering the lineup in the second year. The trio has found its niche, playing multiple venues in the Minneapolis area as well as having a recent review on the AbsolutePunk website.
LongHammer
11:45pm Fri 5/4 | Twins Bar
Here’s introducing the first Twin Ports party band since Bone Appetit that doesn’t waste time meandering through art-school noise or roots-rock self importance. LongHammer pretty much sticks to the best parts of juvenile rock and roll: eyeliner, hot riffs, loose chicks, tight pants, big anthems, pounding drums, spiked wristbands and more hot riffs. Seemingly too young to really care about anything more than rocking out, front man Nate Michaels’ Bon Scott-like vocals have put all the Twin Ports shoe-gazers and nature-boy fakers on official notice. The new deputy in town is joined by Matt Golke on guitar, Orion Jackson on bass and Jesse Lee Graphton on skins.
Lookdown Moon
11:45pm Sat 5/5 | Sir Benedict’s
Ann and Jason Loop are playing their eighth Homegrown as Lookdown Moon – not counting their gigs under the band names Twilight Fair (2002) and Mayfly (2001), which add up to technically make this their 10th Homegrown. The husband-and-wife duo has been performing in Duluth since 1999, joined for most of the past decade by Dan Westholm on drums and, in resent years, by Steve Isakson on lead/slide guitar. Their acoustic sound has been described as an eclectic mix of genres powered by soulful vocals and guitar-driven melodies.
Low Forms
10:30pm Sat 5/5 | Pizza Lucé
The members of this power-pop three-piece would like to think of themselves as nondescript, but there’s more to Pete Biasi, Dave Frankenfeld and Jeremy Ehlert than that. With no real plans of recording an album, Low Forms instead goes out on anonymous D.I.Y. tours of the Midwest, usually finding opening slots for other cities’ local favorites. Over the past two years, the band has built up a solid set of 15 or so original tunes. Adding a bit to the mystery is that the members of such a structured band with simple punk songs also play in different groups with atypical formats like Total Freedom Rock and Strange Meeting.
Malec
8:15 Sat 5/5 | Beaner’s Central
Hard-rock quintet Malec plays a melodic variety of heavy music augmented by the vocal harmonies of Sam Burr, guitarist Josh White and bassist Kevin Malec. Along with guitarist Shawn Burr and drummer Will Stensby filling out the sound, Malec is preparing new material for live performances and continuing work on a new full-length album a few years in the making.
Malibu High
9:30pm Thurs 5/3 | Burrito Union
After experiencing over two decades of Duluth winters, clever wordsmith Keith Ambrose Nelson had enough and decided to turn the bleak season on its head. Enter his solo project, ironically titled Malibu High. Trying to capture the absurd juxtaposition of his own cold weather existence with that of the mindless/shirtless California youth culture, Nelson has put together a collection of quick-witted, and at times hilarious, songs. He moves easily between the intelligence-infused numbers like “Horatio to Hamlet” to bouncier tracks like “Contract Void.” If you’ve ever worn wrist sweatbands to a bar, chances are you are the subject of a song by Malibu High.
Manheat
10:15pm Fri 5/4 | Pioneer Bar
It wouldn’t feel like Homegrown without Duluth’s premier “post-slop” trio somewhere in the mix. Jay Whitcomb (bass and vocals), Brennan Atchison (drums) and Jake Larson (guitar) draw on early hardcore influences and slurred post-punk riffs resulting in a tremendously loud, fast yet tuneful presence. Manheat, on the heels of the 2011 release Hotel Suicide, is recording new material with Eric Pollard (of Retribution Gospel Choir) on board as producer.
Markus J. Dandy & the Complete Lack Thereof
9:45pm Sat 5/5 | Carmody
With a dynamic composition of sounds such as acoustic punk, angry Americana, folk, even obsessive compulsive disorder rock, Markus J. Dandy & the Complete Lack Thereof possess a unique sound all their own. Singer/songwriter/lead guitarist Mark Blom, formerly of Shapht and the Best Banned Ever has performed in the Duluth area since the mid 1990s. Developed in style and lyrical quality, Blom has placed second twice and third once in Beaner’s annual songwriter’s competition as a solo artist. Mark Glen (bass) and Tyler Dubla (drums) joined in September 2011. Each member’s individual talents blend together well and the band plans to release an EP by the end of Summer 2012.
Kathy McTavish
8:30pm Fri 5/4 | Legacy Glassworks
Cellist/multimedia artist Kathy McTavish has spent recent years contributing her music to film, theater and art installations at several Duluth venues including Teatro Zuccone, Sacred Heart Music Center and the Duluth Art Institute. In addition to her collaborations, McTavish’s solo performances and compositions have transitioned over time from classical to free-improvisational cello. Her dynamic, experimental live performances explore the coming together of sound and performance space resulting in unique, ambient exhibitions. McTavish will also be backing this year’s Homegrown Poetry Showcase.
Robi Meyerson
7pm Fri 5/4 | Amazing Grace
Richfield native Robi Meyerson has made Duluth her home for a dozen years now, recording five folk albums and two children’s collections. “I keep a busy schedule singing out in the community at senior homes, resorts going up the shore, restaurants, children’s events, fundraisers, coffee shops and special party events,” says Meyerson. “Although my passion is in my own songwriting, I also love to do sing-a-longs with folks of all ages, doing songs they love to sing.” She has worked with a number of local musicians, including Les Hazelton and Timothy Soden-Groves.
Modern Gentlemen
9:45pm Sat 5/5 | Twins Bar
MCs David Kittelson (a.k.a. Bliss) and Cory Jezierski (a.k.a. MC1980), and DJ Mike Gross (a.k.a. Dr. Mantis Toboggan) have been busy building their Modern Gentlemen résumé, writing, recording, playing shows, touring and working with such indie hip-hop artists as Mac Lethal, Eyedea and members of Doomtree, among others. Modern Gentleman’s rapping covers topics such as smoking weed, drinking, hanging at the clubs and picking up girls. But don’t let that fool you. These guys are hard-working and serious about their art, and are currently working on a new album and videos to hit the road with.
DJ Bob Monahan and MC Auntie Flow
7:15pm Fri 5/4 | Legacy Glassworks
From years ago, people who used to frequent the NorShor Theatre’s 1990s resurrection may recall a young curly blonde mop-top who acted as Duluth’s unofficial poet laureate. Bob Monahan has spewed out freaky verse for over 10 years, but for his transcendental noise project that goes by Auntieflow on Soundcloud.com, he replaces ink on paper with rhythms inside reverberations, and the words disappear into a vast expanse of meaningless over numerousness. Or … he just gets weird at home with a mic and Pro Tools. Either way, it makes for some healthy chaos and musical entropy.
The Moon is Down
10pm Sat 5/5 | R.T. Quinlan’s
Glenn Maloney says his voice has been compared to “broken glass on gravel,” which is probably perfect for anachro-folk-punk or murderfolk (Maloney’s descriptions) songs by a band whose name was inspired by a John Steinbeck novel that, Maloney says, is partially about a country whose peasants respond to Nazi takeover by intentionally self-destructing. Cody Paulson, Ben Butter and Rock Bokusky are also in the band, which has included many other Duluth musicians, and which released an EP called This Machine, in 2011.
Mr. Kickass
7:15pm Sat 5/5 | Legacy Glassworks
Mike Fradenburgh and Jedd Olson met at the Red Lion bar during Homegrown 2001, decided to join forces, and started a punk band called the Lovers. The name Mr. Kickass would come later. Fradenburgh and Olson have led various incarnations of the band to stage over the years, but it has been a trio of late, with Jake Daire on drums.
The Murder of Crows
6:30pm Sat 5/5 | Sacred Heart
The Murder of Crows is the new duo of Gaelynn Lea and Alan Sparhawk, which formed when they created a live soundtrack to the 1920 silent film The Penalty in October. Neither are strangers to the local music scene. Lea is formerly of the duo Gabel and Gaelynn (which featured Andy Gabel) and also plays in another new duo, Snöbarn (with Ariane Norrgard). Sparhawk is known for three popular bands – Low, Retribution Gospel Choir and the Black-eyed Snakes. Their violin/guitar duo plays long, winding, hypnotic instrumentals that seek to create a kind of mental journey they refer to as “ideal bird-watching music.” A few vocal songs are thrown in for good measure.
Colleen Myhre
7pm Fri 5/4 | Teatro Zuccone
Part Lucinda Williams and part Charlie Parr, Colleen Myhre’s gritty songwriting is as rawhide tough as it is genuine. She has released two albums worth of acoustic storytelling and is often joined by multi-instrumentalist Tony Petersen. Her first, Rivers Run Dry, was appropriately recorded in her living room deep in the Mahtowa woods. For her newest effort, Ride of My Life, Myhre traveled to Sparta Sound to record with award-winning producer Rich Mattson. On stage, her rustic persona can entertain both a honky-tonk’s hardboiled regulars and tranquil coffee-house crowds alike.
Next of Kin
10:45pm Fri 5/4 | Sir Benedict’s
Over the past year, Next of Kin has been getting its sound down to sweet science. Often starting with guitarist and vocalist Sonja Bjordal’s acoustic song structures, the backing three-piece will jam out the balance resulting in what the band refers to as psychedelic folk music. Lee Martin on slide, Marios Glitsos on bass and Walter Wedan on drums each take turns with solos for most of the band’s dozen or so originals. For their weekly Wednesday gig at Carmody Irish Pub, they go by the moniker of the Mud Puppies, though the sound remains similar. They have recently started recording a debut EP at Sparta Sound.
Bryan Olds Band
10:30pm Thurs 5/3 | Burrito Union
These funky folksters began writing together a mere two years ago when rhythm guitarist and vocalist Bryan Olds and lead guitarist Tarek Makky first traded harmonies together. From there, they quickly added bassist Eric Berggren and drummer Ethan Skelton to provide a solid backbeat to their developing style of heartfelt lyrics and earthy structure. James McKeown adds the finishing touches on keyboards. After performing at local college hangouts with a mixture of classic covers and originals, they worked out their songs for a debut full-length album to be released before Homegrown.
Peer Precious
8:15pm Sat 5/5 | Legacy Glassworks
This trio has not been afraid to drop it all, hit the road and export its punk-rock sound across the country. In just over two years as a band, the group has toured the southern states twice and spent time this past fall performing up and down the west coast. The group includes Connor Lynch on bass, Kyle O’Leary on drums, and local catalyst Mike Wilson on guitar and vocals. They recently released a 12-inch record, Bless This Mess, split between two labels – Dirt Cult Records and Anti Civ Records.
The People Say Fox
12am Sat 5/5 | Lake Avenue Café
Nate Adelson – one of the Duluth East High School grads who started the People Say Fox in 2008 – describes the band’s sound as “indie rock along the lines of Copeland, Mew, Death Cab For Cutie and Coldplay, focusing most on dynamics, energy and emotion.” Adelson plays guitar and piano. Mike Billig also plays guitar, as does singer Nate Holte. Rio Daugherty drums. They’ve shared stages with Motion City Soundtrack, Cloud Cult, Quietdrive and Farewell Confidential. If their new record isn’t out by now, it should be very soon. Their entire self-titled first album can be streamed at thepeoplesayfox.com.
Phillip of Nazareth
9:30pm Thurs 5/3 | Bev’s Jook Joint
Philip of Nazareth plays speedy, sloppy punk songs with titles like “Alien Ass Farm.” Bassist Andy Pletcher describes his band as “a bunch of apathetically determined dweebs who spend more time getting messed up than focusing their talents on finishing songs.” Perhaps that gets to the heart of their messy, joyful sound. Eric Busker and Josh Mutchler trade the guitar solos, and Cory Coffman’s drumming keeps things from flying apart. They are working on the follow up to their debut EP About Fucking Time.
Planemo
11pm Sun 4/29 | Pizza Lucé
Historically, indie-rockers play music to get out of working. For Planemo, playing music was something that happened while working. Matt Donoghue, Jacob Swanson and Zach Anderson met at their former place of employment and found they shared a deep side-interest in thoughtful music. From there, they began writing, rehearsing and playing shows at the Twins Bar in Duluth and Thirsty Pagan Brewing in Superior. Their Bandcamp.com demo is startlingly polished for a simple living-room recording by a group that has existed for barely a year. Expect even bigger things from these newcomers if they can find time to be lazy musicians.
Poor Howard
10:45pm Fri 5/4 | Carmody
In just four years of existence, blues-rock band Poor Howard has gone through eight drummers. That’s two percussionists every 12 months or a new one every 26 weeks. Veteran guitarists Vincent Cadillac and Howlin’ Andy Hound must wear them out with their fast-paced, foot-stomp style inspired by ol’ school country-bluesmen like John Lee Hooker and Lightnin’ Hopkins. And it can’t help matters having the prolific angry wordsmith Patrick McKinnon on the microphone. They have a debut album out on Children of Devol Records and hopefully can kidnap a drummer in time for Homegrown.
Portage
9:45pm Thurs 5/3 | Thirsty Pagan
When starting a somber, acoustic-guitar duo in Duluth, it makes sense to record an album in the attic of an old mansion overlooking Lake Superior. Titling the album The Unsalted Sea and naming the band Portage – a solemn term describing the labor of hauling water transport over land – completes the motif. Trent Waterman and Adam Rosenthal started writing songs together after graduating from college in 2011 with art degrees. As their project progressed, it grew louder and began to incorporate elements of rhythm and blues, much to their own surprise. Since releasing their debut album, they’ve added Jason Hildebrandt on bass and Dave Mehling on guitar and keys.
Portrait of a Drowned Man
11:30pm Fri 5/4 | Pizza Lucé
Portrait of a Drowned Man has created moody soundtracks in the Twin Ports for close to a decade. Starting in 2003, the band worked to perfect no-wave orchestrations that can go from uncomfortably quiet to roaring tempest in a heartbeat. Paul Connolly, Justin Kervina and Jesse Hoheisel’s guitar attacks are now backed by Krist Whelan on drums, who replaced former member Mat Milinkovich this past winter. Before taking a brief hiatus in 2006, the group released a self-titled album and performed live extensively to support it. In October another collection of sleepy symphonies was released – Great Grey.
Presently Skyward
9pm Tues 5/1 | Teatro Zuccone
Curren Effinger and Hannah McDaniel may not have graduated from high school yet, but their two-piece indie-blues band has some old-fashioned soul to it. Effinger’s vocals and left-handed Stratocaster hums and purrs along with McDaniel’s punch-down drum beats. The shared songwriting duties and developed stage presence go well beyond their teenage years. Bands like this don’t come around very often and the hype is usually short lived when they do. Thankfully, Presently Skyward seems in no rush to make its rock-and-roll bones.
Prince Paul & the Conscious Party
11:30pm Sat 5/5 | Rex Bar
This eight-piece roots-reggae ensemble brings big, low grooves, conceptual lyrics and ripping horns. Front man “Prince” Paul Robinson resonates energy-filled, soulful lyrics, with the heavy backbeat created by Dave Johnson on drums and Dave Mennes on percussion. With Rob Jones on keyboard, Pat Powers on guitar, Sthen Burg on bass, and the horn section of Psycho Capone and Matt Livingston the musical talent is brimming. The band has recorded two albums – Live at the Nomad World (2005) and One Drop in the Water (2008).
Matt Ray and Those Damn Horses
8:30pm Thurs 5/3 | Bev’s Jook Joint
Get ready to stomp your feet, clap your hands, and howl to the moon as Matt Ray and Those Damn Horses once again bring their “forget-what-troubles-ya” Americana to the Homegrown stage. Banjo? Check. Fiddle? Check. Jug? Check. Harmonica? Check. This band has all the ingredients to make you jump out of your skin and forget you’re just two hours from the Canadian border. Add a little (or a lot) of whiskey and you may as well be in the foothills of Kentucky under a blanket of stars. Matt Ray works banjo and guitar, Eric Krenz handles guitar and jug, “Trapper” Al Ranfranz blows harmonica, David “Flea” Tech saws the fiddle, Aaron Kaercher beats the drums and Kyle Westrick pokes the bass guitar.
Bill Reichelt
7pm Tues 5/1 | Sacred Heart
After 28 years of dividing his time between playing in bands like Dog Pookah and conducting sound experiments, Bill Reichelt now devotes most of his time to designing electronic instruments and music applications. He recently developed an iPad app that functions as an FM synthesizer. His goal is to make the creation of electronic music a tactile experience, which, with the technology available today, is as easy as “x = sin(y + z*sin(w))” according to him. Reichelt will be performing “a nice, quiet, pastoral kind of music” at this year’s Homegrown using his custom app.
Remote Viewfinder
9:30pm Fri 5/4 | Rex Bar
Travis Hendershot, Tobin Deck and Noa Daniels of Remote Viewfinder hold an official Duluth record of sorts for longest street performance. They once played an impromptu three-hour free show next to the water fountain on the corner of Superior Street and Lake Avenue. It broke the previous busking record set by a quartet of synthetic potheads who “free-style rapped” while standing outside the Last Place on Earth for two hours and 47 minutes in November 2010. Street performing aside, for over five years these dynamic noise artists have created scores of great trancelike soundtracks for avant-garde movies yet to be made.
The Resonance
11:45pm Sat 5/5 | Twins Bar
In the early aughts, Dan Munthe and his alternative heavies were an institution in town, playing all Twin Ports’ music spots and releasing a five-song EP. Though they have not performed out as often since then, the original lineup remains intact. Cliff LaVingne joins Munthe on classic grunge guitar while bassist Charlie Milkey and drummer Al DeTray provide the quiet/loud, quiet/loud backbeats. While on hiatus, they have kept their chops while playing in their popular side project Blue Horse and recently began re-mastering some older tracks to be released for their upcoming 10-year reunion celebration.
Retribution Gospel Choir
10:30pm Sat 5/5 | Rex Bar
Clearly, the people who refer to Retribution Gospel Choir as a “Low side-project” don’t know what they’re talking about. From the onset, Al Sparhawk accomplished the task of making this band’s songs and style stand out as much as his acclaimed work for his other iconic group. With help from bassist Steve Garrington and percussionist Eric Pollard, any performance can go from 1970s psychedelics to red-light district dub-bass to slow, haunting harmonies and back to total anthem rock in a heartbeat. And, when the audience is lucky, the well-dressed boys might just seriously freak out for few moments of chaotic, sweaty fun. They released The Revolution EP in January.
Hannah Rey
8pm Mon 4/30 | Carmody
An active member of the Wildwood Band, Hannah Rey Dunda is branching out into the solo scene for her first Homegrown performance. She writes her own songs in the vein of strong female indie-folk singers, with creative lyrics and mellow guitar tunes. Her first full-length album is planned for release this spring, and she has developed a fan base that reportedly includes none other than Two Harbors Mayor Randy Bolen.
Rosebud Social
6:15pm Sat 5/5 | Beaner’s Central
These songsters from Grand Rapids have been the poster boys of musical consistency. But now, after two decades, four albums, endless set lists and hundreds of flannel shirts, Rosebud Social has made a slight change. New member Brian Kislea steps in to help guitarist Tom Keteri and drummer Patrik Olds belt out their honest-to-goodness, heart-in-their-hands rock and roll.
Roxie Magistrate
11:30pm Mon 4/30 | R.T. Quinlan’s
After playing Pizza Luce at last year’s Homegrown New Band Night, Iron Range folk-rock band Roxie Magistrate is back with its 1970s folk-rock jams. Originally formed by Sela Oveson of the Gypsy Prophets and Derek Lee of the Tisdales in 2010, the band has expanded to include Erik Krenz of Matt Ray and Those Damn Horses on guitar, Josh Palmi of Lost Children on bass and Brian Tekautz on drums. Their first album, Matchstick Hearts, is in the works.
Sexhawk
10:30pm Thurs 5/3 | Norm’s
Cory “Hotrod” Ahlm and Aaron Ashley of the now-defunct band Bone Appetit return with their new outfit backed by guitarists Jeff Foline and Chris Whittier and drummer Ryan “Kid” Koivisto. Describing their sound as “power-metal meets Sunset Strip sleaze,” Ashley says the band is “mine and Hotrod’s attempt to ride the glory years of Bone Appetit well past the expiration date of good taste. The Keep Aways once claimed their music was for kids who failed shop class, and Sexhawk lowers that standard by showing up for school hung over …” Mr. Ashley’s comment continued from there to describe something best left out of this publication.
The Silk Sheiks
3:30pm Sun 5/6 | Club Saratoga
Now nearly three years running, the Silk Sheiks are the Twin Ports masters of funky instrumentals. They play the songs that have you asking your friends “what movie is this from again?” Dan Anderson leads the band with his keyboard surfing skills, riding waves of Hammond organ glissando. Local pros Ben Marsen on guitar and Ethan Thompson on bass add to Anderson’s melodic structure while Ryan Jazdzewski backs them all up on drums. They have hinted at adding some singing into their repertoire. On top of that, there may be a live recording in the works.
Sing! A Women’s Chorus
8:30pm Fri 5/4 | Harbor City
Sing! was founded in 1999 by director Mags David to develop a non-traditional style of choral singing, provide musical experience for community women, and to serve as a vehicle for David’s original compositions and arrangements. The ensemble, open to all interested women, meets through the Duluth Public Schools Community Education program. Its music includes folk songs, traditional music from West Africa and originals. The sound is full-voiced and natural, delivered with animation and joy. The singers include Bev Berntson, Britt Jones, Cherie Hamilton, Cyndy Klinksiek, Debbie Renier, Diane Daniels, Emme Sjoberg, Georgann Petrich, Jeanne Filiatrault Laine, Jessica Roskoski, JoAnn Stanley, Joyce Parker, Judy Ilse, Kathy Maki, Mary Beth Nevers, Mia Johnson, Nancy Aldridge, Sally Grames, Sue Doering, Susan Koschak, Theresa Neo and Vicki Sanville.
Adam Sippola
11am Sun 5/6 | Pizza Lucé
Adam Sippola brings his improvisational, experimental sound back to the stage at Homegrown this year. Also a member of the bands Cold Current and Hidden Roots, Sippola showcases his unique method of live-looping to create improvised and composed pieces with a rich vocal foundation, highlighted by didgeridoo and percussion. This musical experience crosses genres and cultures in order to serve as a “ladder for the soul.”
Snöbarn
10:30pm Fri 5/4 | Pizza Lucé
Snöbarn means “snow children” in Swedish, which is fitting enough for a young Minnesota indie-folk duo. Ariane Norrgard and Gaelynn Lea have been playing together for over a year now, combining their vocal skills with (mostly) uplifting lyrics, intricate instrumentation and pleasing harmonies. Norrgard, a Cloquet native who broke into the Duluth music scene six years ago, plays guitar. Lea is from Duluth and plays violin and bells.
Soma
10pm Wed 5/2 | R.T. Quinlan’s
Michael Trepanier and Tim Simmons of Bury the Sun started this progressive, post-metal band last fall. After recruiting former Pennies for a Dime and Portraits for Judith bassist Dustin Fennessey, they set about writing music Trepanier says is “not easily stereotyped by the conventional confines of a genre.” Instead, he says the band members seek “to break through creative boundaries by pushing their musicianship to different avenues of sound.”
Somewhere But Who
9:45 Sat 5/5 | Sir Benedict’s
The musicians in Somewhere But Who are almost finished with their debut album, a three-year recording project at Clubhouse Studio. Bryce Willet heads this rock trio on guitar and vocals, with Guy Merolle on drums and Andy Lipke on lead guitar. They utilize their combination of acoustic and electric guitars to create tunes steeped in folk, blues, jazz and soul music.
Southwire
10:15pm Friday 5/4 | Tycoons
Southwire offers audiences a deal – inspiration and understanding for the price of your attention. The intoxicating tone of Jerree Small’s voice united with the family Jones makes for a performance that feels like a campfire sing-along, but one where everyone is too enchanted to even think about singing along (nor dare question how they got that piano out to the beach). Ben Larson slows down his soulful spoken word observations and punctuates the tales spun by Small while they trade turns on piano and acoustic guitar. Keeping them both in time is drummer Sean Elmquist who pounds out the arithmetic keeping this equation balanced.
So Close
10:30am Sat 5/5 | Chester Creek Café
So Close is a three-piece acoustic folk trio featuring Logan Amys, Sarah Glitsos and Haley Lawson. The band formed in early 2008 and recorded its first full-length album, Adolescence, in the summer of 2010 with Eric Swanson at Sacred Heart Music Studio. In his review of the album for the Duluth News Tribune, John Ziegler wrote that So Close has “a folk-based sound that centers on acoustic guitar rhythms and fiddle ornamentation, with vocals that have an appealing earnestness.”
Stel and Lefty
8pm Fri 5/4 | Amazing Grace
Larry “Lefty” Sandmann and Brian Stelmaszewski have been playing the area for the past dozen years or so as an acoustic duo. Their musical style consists of original tunes, covers and instrumentals, usually heard at Thirsty Pagan Brewing in Superior, where they play every second and fourth Friday of the month. Artists they cover include Bob Dylan, Marshall Tucker and Neil Young, as well as a variety of blues and folk-style tunes. Stel & Lefty played on the Blues Train during the Bayfront Blues Festival last fall, and have played as part of Grandma’s Marathon as well. Music fans may recognize Lefty from his bass work with the Fractals and Prince Paul and the Conscious Party.
Strange Meeting
2:30pm Sun 5/6 | Club Saratoga
While this “space jazz” crew began performing in its current trio setting around the Duluth area just recently, members have collaborated in various ensembles for many years, as each player is a degreed alumni of the UMD music department. Harnessing a diverse repertoire, the group will do its take on songs by Bill Frisell, Queen, Gillian Welch, the Beatles and Dave Holland, as well as original compositions. Jeremy Ehlert provides atmospheric, effects-laden guitar work while Matt Mobley swings for the fences on the upright bass and Matt Wasmund dishes out a hefty serving of saxophone.
Strictly Hammers
11:30pm Tues 5/1 | Twins Bar
This experimental hip-hop group takes some cues from other Minnesota hip-hop bands, yet mixes it up with guitar instrumentals juxtaposing the pumping bass. Emcees Crimson (Matt Ihle) and AvanteGato (Matt Brutger) handle the rhymes, with Nemo (Rob Plourde) on guitar and Midi_Vil (Nick Pawlenty) turning the tricks as DJ/producer. “We are not your average hip-hop group,” Pawlenty says. “We are trying to push the envelope in the message and the sound that derives from it. Every show is something fun, new and different.”
The Surfactants
11pm Sat 5/5 | R.T. Quinlan’s
The Surfactants play dark, new-wave electro-rock that combines a love for old-school metal with a fascination for modern saw-tooth rhythms. Formed in 2005, the band has forged a style all its own, with heavy guitars (Brett Molitor and Greg Conley), stuttering beats (Zac Bentz), screaming synths (Steph Bentz) and pounding bass (Eric Anderson). Unique front-man Marcus Mathews works the stage like a young Bill Batson, prowling the audience like a hyped-up jackhammer of emotion. The Surfactants released a new album, Our Dead Bodies, last fall.
Suzy Q
6:30pm Thurs 5/3 | Red Mug
Performing originals such as “Stupid in Love” and “Dang,” Suzy Anderson mixes her melodies between hip-hop sounds, jazzy rock and blues. Her vocals are deep and enchanting one moment, then upbeat and moving the next. “My music is a little dash of everything,” she says. “From pretty piano to upbeat songs that make you wanna boogie, to base-bumping tracks with flute melodies and classic hip-hop undertones.” Her powerhouse sound is reminiscent of Latin pop star Shakira and comparable to the Dresden Dolls of hip hop. The debut Suzy Q album, Cupcakes and Battle Axes, was released in March.
Sweetgrass
10pm Sat 5/5 | Fitger’s Brewhouse
Sweetgrass plays everything from rock to bluegrass, originals and covers, old standards to new favorites. All Sweetgrass band members share the vocal performance, with Anne Fisk performing rhythm guitar and percussion, rallying the crowd with sweet ballads and hardcore blues. Singer/songwriter Greg Tiburzi pounds out drums and percussion. John “Otis” Engstrom plays lead guitar. Diane Eck is the sparkplug of the group on bass guitar, and is also “The Queen of West End.” Steve “Chief” Johnson plays mandolin and fiddle.
Tangier 57
9:45pm Fri 5/4 | Carmody
Someday in the future, when psychedelic lounge music is all the rage, we will be able to say, “Tangier 57? Oh yeah, we were totally into those guys like 10 years ago!” If Lawrence Welk conducted Captain Beefheart performing They Might Be Giants’ greatest hits, you’d get something close the beautiful, nerdy sounds created by Darin Bergsven, Brian Barber, David Syring, Paul Wartman, and Chris Bacigalupo. Their new album This is People! was released in August, and the music video for “There is a World” is perhaps Duluth’s most delicious piece of visual art ever created (at least the nacho-cheesiest).
Taste the Feeling
2pm Sun 4/29 | Sacred Heart
Brad Fernholz has played in bands with the aging hipsters that rocked the first Homegrown, and also with his sister, so the next logical step is to rock out with his kids. Anika Fernholz (age 7) plays piano and guitar, and Gavin Fernholz (age 10) plays drums and guitar. Both sing, but Anika brings the rock-star diva attitude. Poppa Brad plays whatever the kids tell him to as the family band brings youth folk rock to the Homegrown stage.
The 13th Choir
10pm Sun 4/29 | Pizza Lucé
Describing themselves as “hard rock, except when we’re not,” members of the 13th Choir have a wealth of Homegrown experience. Amy Ugstad (formerly of Eeriearq) and Tommy Pearson (formerly of Malec) are the senior members of the band. Andy Morrow and the favorite nephew of Greg Cougar Conley, Joel Conley, round out the lineup, mixing grunge, blues, metal and anything that attracts attention. Their credo: “To ascend, to rock, and to break the spheres wide open.”
This is Now
10:30pm Tues 5/1 | Twins Bar
Founding members Dan Holmi, Jesse Johnson and Garrett Schroeder have played the Twin Ports for over a decade with different hard rock projects. When they formed This is Now three years ago, they decided to skip over the hardcore genre’s stereotypes and fill the gaps with good ol’ fashioned head bangin’ metal music. Filling out the line-up with Jeremy Malecki’s guitar work and the enigmatic Richie Redbeard on vocals, the band has released a self-titled album and plays the region regularly. It also might be the only band in town that includes dog tags among its merchandise, so fans can show they are “T.I.N. Soldiers.”
Three Song Sunday
8pm Fri 5/4 | Teatro Zuccone
These former members of the Brushstrokes have evolved from a moody acoustic-guitar duo into a dynamic electric-pop group. While still possessing the soft/sweet musical back-n-forth between Dan Dressers’ strumming and Stephanie Longstreet’s harmonica, this group has now tastefully added drums, bass and fuzz pedals. They will release their first full-length album Don’t Be Sad on Me this spring, and hope to present their new songs with a full band for this year’s festival.
Thunder Brothers
9pm Sat 5/5 | Teatro Zuccone
Thunder Brothers has been playing the Duluth area for over a decade. With roots in blues and rock, the band is composed of Bill Berguson and Walt Beier on guitar, Mark Eskola on bass and Jason Noe on drums. Noe comments on each member: “The bassist has a degree in music and teaches orchestra and is musically smarter than most first chairs in the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra. The lead guitarist is self-taught from a blues and rock background with an innate ability to understand it all. The second guitarist is from an orchestra and progressive rock background with an ability to create beautiful order in madness. The drummer, however, is an idiot.”
Greg Tiburzi
6:15pm Fri 5/4 | Beaner’s Central
Greg Tiburzi is one local musician and songwriter who is involved in no shortage of projects. He draws from influences including rock from the Chuck Berry era on out, pop, folk and world music to compose his songs on guitar and harmonica. He believes in music’s power to heal, as well as its ability to connect us to others and to ourselves. His latest project, Bridged Again is a collection of songs about the Twin Ports. Tiburzi also plays guitar for Déjà vu Drifters and drums for Sweetgrass, Timber and Steel, Group Too, Billy Southern and Wes Hadrich.
The Tico Three
10pm Thurs 5/3 | Chester Creek Café
For close to seven years, Israel Malachi has put elements of rock, blues and electronica in a blender and pressed the button marked “smooth.” His instrumental creations would fit perfectly inside the soundtrack for any south-of-the-border road-trip movie. As the lone producer/guitarist/vocalist for the Tico Three, it is hard to fathom that Malachi has released 40 (yes, 40!) albums, performs in the area over 100 times a year, and still finds time to play in three other bands.
Timber and Steel
11pm Sat 5/5 | Fitger’s Brewhouse
Timber and Steel is a country-folk band influenced by the likes of Townes Van Zandt, John Prine and Kris Kristofferson. Local songwriter Eric Rhame brought together a group of musicians in 2008 to record his album Timber and Steel. They kept the album’s title as a band name and continued playing together. Timber and Steel is composed of Rhame on guitar and vocals, Steve “Chief” Johnson on fiddle and mandolin, John Erickson on upright bass and Greg Tiburzi on percussion. Their Homegrown performance will include new songs from Rhame and Tiburzi, along with songs from their previous recordings.
The Tisdales
12:15pm Sat 5/5 | Tycoons
The Tisdales formed out of singer/guitarists Rich Mattson and Tony Derrick’s previous projects – Ol’ Yeller and the Hotel Coral Essex, respectively. Once the microphone feedback and guitar distortion cleared, the strange brew grew more potent with Jason Kokal’s bass and Derek Lee’s drums added into the mix. With rolling bass lines under their garage guitar-driven hooks, these Northland rock vets released their third album, Supercaldera, in March.
Trampled by Turtles
9pm Wed 5/2 | Clyde Iron Works
Besides a career that has found the group opening for Willie Nelson, debuting at #1 on Billboard’s bluegrass chart, performing at this year’s South by Southwest and Bonnaroo music festivals, the boys in TBT also gave the proceeds of a sold-out local concert to Duluth Public Schools and donated the sales from a recent single (a cover of the Pixies’ “Where is My Mind”) to WhyHunger. Tim Saxhaug plays bass, Dave Carroll is on banjo duty, Ryan Young saws away on the fiddle, Eric Berry musters a melody or two on his mandolin, while ring leader Dave Simonett provides most lead vocals and all acoustic guitar. The group’s sixth album, Stars and Satellites, comes out in late April.
Triplekoin
10:15 Sat 5/5 | Pioneer Bar
Triplekoin was formed in Duluth in 2002 and has been a regular fixture in the Twin Ports music scene since releasing the album Undecided in 2005. Fronted by the guitars and vocals of brothers Cody and Brandon Behrends, the bluesy punk-rock group features bassist John Cox and drummer Brett Sundgaard. They can typically be found jamming with any and all of the other local bands that frequently haunt R.T. Quinlan’s Saloon. Their sets usually consist of mostly original tunes smattered with a few popular covers.
Two Many Banjos
12:30am Sat 5/5 | Pizza Lucé
While maybe not always playing a banjo, Marc Gartman leads this folk group through many classic styles of traditional music. He also wields a bouzouki, an Irish instrument, though the implication of “two” in the band’s name sticks. Dave Carroll is the other banjo player in the group, and Nick Klee, a 21-year-old mandolin player, has been added for more stringy goodness. Matt Mobley lays it down on bass and Bryan “Lefty” Johnson is the percussive element. Homegrown will be Two Many Banjos’ final Duluth performance for a while; Gartman is calling it a “pre-hiatus show.”
Ty Cobb
9pm Fri 5/4 | R.T. Quinlan’s
Tattooed thrashers Cody Paulson, Ben Butter, Jay Benson and Mike Ferrin have played the past five Homegrowns in other regional metal groups like Bear Garden, Lament of Aporia, Voyages, Books on Tape, Wyatt Famous, the Moon is Down and so on. Joined together under the name of baseball’s famous anti-hero, the band Ty Cobb extols the virtues of beer, bud, whiskey and maybe a skate park with some Slurpees. The release of the forthcoming album Gang Violence has been postponed due to some hang-ups, but is still a work in progress.
The Fred Tyson Funk Tsunami
11:15pm Sat 5/5 | Tycoons
Fred Tyson knows how to bring the funk. Linked to Duluth at the pelvis, he can round-the-clock party until your beard falls off. Tyson will be backed this year by Eldo Abrahamson on drums, Ethan Thompson rocking the bass, Ben Marsen on guitar, Dan Anderson on keys and some yet-to-be-determined special guests. Freddy delivers the soul and funky ’70s beat during his always-memorable Homegrown performances.
Ultra Day
9pm Sat 5/5 | Amazing Grace
Formed in Solon Springs in 2008 by triplet siblings Cody, Caleb and Corey Utyro, punk rock group Ultra Day was originally a Decemberists cover band. The trio began writing its own music in the summer of 2010, and shortly thereafter added hometown friend Kyle Rudd on keyboard and guitar. They are now being produced by Aaron Armstrong of Wisconsin’s Deep Water Music record label and released their new album Stay Put or Carry On in January.
Uncle Kenny
9:45 Fri 5/4 | Sir Benedict’s
Uncle Kenny is a one-man outfit featuring the man himself, Kenny Kalligher. He plays original songs on his acoustic and electric guitars. A born, bred and buttered Duluthian, with his deep, gravelly baritone and reflective lyrics, Kalligher sings about his experiences growing up in the Zenith City. Hey, he saw Grand Funk Railroad play the Duluth Arena in 1974.
The Underwriters
9:30pm Sun 4/29 | Tycoons
Led by songwriter Lee Martin from Next of Kin, the Underwriters is an original alt-country/rock group from Duluth. Martin is backed by Wally Wedan (also from Next of Kin), Adam Staupe, Mike Miller and Russ Sackett. The band has been playing around the Twin Ports under different monikers for the past three years. Though shows by this particular outfit are few and far between, all the members have been a part of the Duluth music scene for the better part of the past decade.
The Undesirables
10:30pm Mon 4/30 | R.T. Quinlan’s
This self-proclaimed “country-punk” group was born about 10 years ago in a home on the Duluth Hillside. Featuring Pat Laney, Seth Brovsky, Jay Rahman and Shanna Willie, the band has been known to play such exotic places as Thunder Bay while pulling shenanigans like staying up past 10 p.m. on a weeknight. They believe Minnesota is more trendsetting but Wisconsin is way more hipster; the two compliment each other nicely. Their favorite color is blue. They like sports. Between the four of them they have one wife, a couple of kids, a roommate, a cat, a dog, three houses, four sisters, three brothers, and 20 years in college. They like the weekends and would rather be at the cabin. But in the meantime they look forward to yet another Homegrown.
Uprising
11:15pm Fri 5/4 | Tycoons
As unlikely as it may seem, the Arrowhead region of northern Minnesota plays host to authentic Caribbean reggae music. Lead vocalist Dexter Baxter hails from the island nation where the genre was born and naturally uses it to pass along his positive messages. Andrew Perfetti’s guitar work safely incorporates blues and rock riffs into the carefree sound created by bassist Tal Lindblad and drummer Luke Perry. Janna Dreher provides nuance with keyboards. If a large-scale party has happened in the Twin Ports recently, chances are Uprising played. Performances include the Dragon Boat Festival, Bayfront Reggae and World Music Festival, Northwoods Music Festival and the Duluth-Superior Pride Festival.
Ryan Van Slooten
11:45 Thurs 5/3 | Thirsty Pagan
An old hat to Homegrown, Ryan Van Slooten has been playing in the area since the second Homegrown in 2000, having stints with local bands Bone Appetit, Rock Brigade, the SuperTacks, Glass Elevator, Bradical Boombox, Phil Jents and the Farsights, etc. In recent years, Van Slooten has effectively stepped out of the shadow of his hard rock past, defining himself as a singer-songwriter. His songs are full of chiming guitars, lush vocals, and always from the heart, as evidenced on his first two solo albums. His latest release, The Overhead Low, was released last fall and showcases the maturation of an emerging talent.
Vintage Val
10pm Fri 5/4 | Fitger’s Brewhouse
Val Turcotte is a retired Esko resident who spends much of his spare time performing with his guitar at local nursing homes. His bailiwick is generally Johnny Cash and other classic country, but he often performs rich, soulful versions of ageless classics such as “Down in the Valley” and “You Are My Sunshine.”
Matt Wahl
1pm Sun 5/6 | Sacred Heart
Matt Wahl and his family are relatively new to the area, having moved to Duluth in 2010. Calling his music “the fun side of life,” he introduces the ukulele on top of his typical guitar/harmonica sound. “It’s about having fun and enjoying yourself as much as possible,” he says. “It’s about staying a kid at heart, laughing a lot and making it a point to look at the world in a way that feels good. As strange as this may sound, it’s like Jimmy Buffett meets Tony Robbins (the self-help guy)! You’re feeling great with a fun, sunny attitude but you didn’t have to run off to Key West to get that way!”
The What Four
10:45 Thurs 5/3 | Thirsty Pagan
That What Four describe themselves on Facebook as “four musicians on the prowl, making each young lady melt, one peekachoo at a time.” The prowlers – Paul Newberg, Tom Berrigan, Andy Hauswirth, and Luke Perry – have been rocking the Duluth-Superior area for several years and were recently named one of the top five local bands by the radio station Mix 108. The group specializes in rock and performs several original songs, along with a never-ending variety of covers.
A Winter Downpour
7pm Sat 5/5 | Teatro Zuccone
After a long winter of hard drinking and passing out to his favorite Songs Ohia records, Alberto Serrano Rivera decided to step away from fronting punk rock bands and pick up an acoustic guitar. He taught himself how to play it and began writing and performing as A Winter Downpour with longtime friend and bassist Chris Barnholdt. After a move from St. Cloud to Duluth he added Paul Connolly of Portrait of a Drowned Man on second guitar. Recently, former Turbo Rathvon drummer Ken Nyberg was added the line-up.
Words to a Film Score
11pm Sat 5/4 | Lake Avenue Café
Two parts of Farewell Tour (Mat Milinkovich and Matt Osterlund) and two parts Man in Water (Nic Patullo and Tim Curtis) teamed up in 2002 and formed Words to a Film Score. Self described as emo rock, they toured the Midwest extensively with the likes of the Swiss Army, the Black-eyed Snakes and Low before disbanding in 2005. But just because they’ve started other acts (Cars & Trucks) and businesses (New Vintage Amplifiers), it didn’t stop them from finally releasing a much anticipated full-length album in 2008 and performing a handful of reunion shows.
Jason Wussow and Friends
11:45 Sat 5/5 | Carmody
“Bring your dancing shoes and leave your winter depression behind,” says local band namesake and Beaner’s Central coffee-shop owner Jason Wussow. His band of friends has had a somewhat rotating cast of players since forming about a year and a half ago. Bassist Mark Glen holds seniority over drummer Tyler Dubla, but it’s unknown exactly who else might take the stage with them at Homegrown, as Wussow notes that “guests are common and smiles are frequent.” The group plays dance music that crosses boundaries from fast shuffles to 1920s Charleston rhythms to obscure ska covers – a bit of a throwback to Wussow’s first band, Fluxskapacitor, which took its sound around the country during the 1990s.
Wyatt Famous
9:30pm Mon 4/30 | R.T. Quinlan’s
There was a time when Wyatt Famous treaded the line between folk-punk and cutesy folk-rock. While this division still exists, it has become less apparent since the members decided playing slow songs was “effin’ boring.” After a brief hiatus with no practice space, Anders Lundahl, Alexandra Evens, Dave Mold and Ben Butter, have returned for their third Homegrown with plenty of high-energy barn burners and cowboy boots to spare. This will be your last chance to catch Wyatt Famous in action as the band will be parting to seek other punk ventures.
Xhaust
10:45pm Fri 5/4 | Twins Bar
The hard-rocking quartet of Xhaust returns to Homegrown after a break and some lineup changes. Lead singer and guitarist Dan Krause and his band mates play loud, thrashy, original rock. With longtime drummer Jake Alvar, Zhaust has been one of the Twin Ports hardest working bands, and this looks to be a return to form. Guitar player Conor Glenn and bassist Aaron Androsky are new to the band.
Yester
7:30pm Sat 5/5 | Sacred Heart
Yester may sound like the Fleet Foxes and some other really hip bands, but they really just like to sing together. Started just over a year ago, the group has already completed an EP, a tour of the West Coast, and has begun work on a second EP. All members contribute to the elegantly layered vocals, creating a sound that would fit in at any point in the past hundred years. Kyle Ollah plays guitar over Chris LeBlanc’s sweeping drums to create a backdrop for the group’s powerful vocals. Derek Brochu also picks the guitar and pitches in on clarinet when appropriate. Matt Mobley plays bass in Yester on nights when he’s not busy playing with every other band in Duluth.
2012 Homegrown Kickball Classic
Saturday, May 5 | High Noon
Chester Bowl Park, 1800 E. Skyline Parkway
Friday is the Gomez of kickball
2011 Homegrown Kickball Classic Revisited
By Paul Lundgren
Last year’s kickball game might be the least memorable Homegrown event of all time, because it was so awesome no one seems to recall much of what happened. According to the surviving scorecards, the Friday Rawkers defeated the Saturday Rollers by the measure of 6-3.
The first play of the game was indicative of the entire afternoon. Friday’s Chris “Dubz” Warne booted the ball at Saturday’s Adam “Old Knifey” Depre, who let it bounce off his chest. It was the first of 13 errors that would plague the Saturday team.
The Friday team committed its own share of errors – six; and not a single run was scored by either team that wasn’t the result of an error. So the old axiom that big games are won and lost by defense rings true, even though in this case it refers to an elementary-school game played by drunk and out-of-shape adult dirtbags.
Jay Benson was named the Least Valuable Player of the game for his continued failure to do anything but screw up from the beginning of the game all the way through to the bitter end.
Cory Ahlm walked away with the Most Valuable Player award when he decided that he was entitled to it even though Ryan Nelson and Ryan Van Slooten had better games. No one is quite sure how the award committee came to agree, or who is really on that committee, or if there ever actually was a decision. The prevailing theory is that Ahlm was chosen out of spite, because Nelson and Van Slooten were vehemently lobbying for the honor and it was considered funny to let spite be the determining factor.
There was a DJ playing reggae music throughout the game, which drowned out a lot of Friday pitcher Chad Lyons’ smack talk. This was considered both a blessing and a serious disappointment.
A Saturday player who claimed he was “Jesus” was never really proven to be in a band, but played anyway and did really well. Alex Roslansky had a Sharpie mustache drawn on his nipple, and then a few months later he actually decided to get a real tattoo of a mustache on his nipple. Some guy played the game in purple pajamas. Such is the influence of Homegrown.
Jason Cork served as umpire because Rick Boo failed to show up. That, of course, had no impact on the game whatsoever.
When it was all over and the crowd dispersed, the irresponsible louts that partook in this abomination to athletics left a tremendous amount of garbage behind. Chad Lyons was among the last to leave, and he picked up after everyone because he was concerned about the environment.
Paul Lundgren is the manager of the Saturday kickball team and clearly an unreliable source of information on exactly what happened during the game.
Homegrown Band Etiquette: Dos and Don’ts
By Mark Lindquist
1. Do make sure to wear a suit and tie or an evening gown for your performance. I mean, it is the 8 p.m. slot at Roscoe’s Pioneer Bar, after all.
2. Don’t start off new band night by screaming, “This goes out to all the mutha’ f#@&in’ playa’ haters out there!” and then cover the theme from Northern Exposure.
3. If you see a local celebrity at your show, afterward do keep asking how much he/she liked your set. Then keep asking if he/she really, really, really liked it, or just really liked it. This is the only proper way to gauge artistic criticism.
4. Don’t improvise. Everyone is already familiar with your songs since you posted that coffee-house performance on MySpace. Even the smallest change will cause large portions of the audience to leave.
5. When registering for Homegrown, do use lots of exclamation points after each sentence. For example: “We play soul, funk and blues!!!” Also, assign each band member’s name a different emoticon. This will surely persuade the booking committee to slot you in as headliners for Saturday night :o.
6. Don’t learn to cover Rebecca Black’s pop hit “Friday” unless you’re scheduled to play on Saturday. This is called irony, and audiences will find you mysterious for using it. If they don’t get it, immediately follow with “Ironic” by Alanis Morissette. Now they totally get it!
7. Between songs do tell the audience something personal about yourself so everyone will feel like they know you better. This will help them identify with your music and provide an explanation for why every song is about the fear of lice.
8. Don’t waste time tuning your guitars on stage. Ask the sound guys or bartenders to do it for you since they don’t look very busy right now.
9. Do keep the phone number of the venue you’re playing on your cell-phone speed dial. That way, if you’re having a bad set, you can quickly call in a fake bomb threat and people will have something else to remember your show by. (Note: Don’t use a real bomb.)
10. Don’t cancel the show just because you forgot your drummer has to work in Minneapolis that night. Simply show up the next night at the same time and pretend like nothing happened. Those Homegrown potheads won’t notice.
11. If you want to support yourself playing music, do treat your band like a business. Like any other business you’ll have to stop reading Bob Dylan’s biography and start studying up on U.S. Taxation Code Title 11, focusing specifically on Chapters 7 through 11 (also known as “Bankruptcy Law”).
Homegrown Music Festival 2012
Festival Director
Walter Raschick
Assistant Director
Jake Larson
Volunteer Coordinator
Melissa La Tour
Venue/Sponsor Coordinator
Adam Guggemos
Steering Committee
Brennan Atchison, Mary Bue, Adam Depre, Jesse Gangi, Todd Gremmels, Adam Guggemos, Jesse Hoheisel, Henry Jenkins, Jake Larson, Jonathan Lee, Glenn Maloney, Jessica Myshack
Rick Boo Committee
Rick Boo
Field Guide produced by
Adam Guggemos and Paul Lundgren
Cover art
Adam Swanson
Trolley map
Josh Mirra
Contributing writers
Christine Dean, Tony Derrick, Carina Mikulich Ellis, David Frankenfeld, Tyler Gilbertson, Chris Godsey, Emily Haavik, Richard Hackler, Jesse Hoheisel, Joe Iannazzo, Rose James, Mark Lindquist, Paul Lundgren, Stephanie Lundgren, Israel Malachi, Bridgit Maruska, Margi Nelson, Jamie Ness, Michael Novitzki, Kyle Pietari, Walter Raschick, Abigail Schoenecker, Ben Torgerson, Mike Wilson
The Homegrown Music Festival operates under the fiscal management of the Bridge Syndicate, a Minnesota nonprofit under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Homegrown Music Festival
P.O. Box 16505, Duluth MN 55816
www.duluthhomegrown.com
[email protected]
