Duluth on Chalamet’s lips

Duluth keeps getting mentioned in the publicity tour for the Bob Dylan movie A Complete Unknown. At the 6:53 mark in the clip above Timothée Chalamet says, regarding singing live-to-camera in the film, “The worst thing we could have done with a Bob Dylan biopic is sanitize it, to make it sound clean … This is a man from iron ore country, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Hibbing, Duluth.” Not that Minneapolis is so dirty, but OK.

Alan Sparhawk, et. al. – “Vaster Than Empires”

Vaster Than Empires,” the new Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross track featuring Duluth’s Alan Sparhawk, appears in the recently released film Queer. The version embedded here is an alternate cut.

How should I feel about “A Solid Brass Christmas”?

I snagged a ton of cassettes at Gabriel’s Used Bookstore. I wanted them because they were uniform in their design. They were, in other words, a “collection,” and I love being able to look over a collection.

Finding Minnesota: Enger Tower

WCCO-TV‘s John Lauritsen talks with Duluth historian Tony Dierckins about Enger Tower.

More Duluth Show Case Company ads from the 1920s

The advertisement above is from a 1920 issue of Hardware World magazine. Apparently hardware stores were tucking a lot of merchandise into boxes and drawers back then instead of displaying as much of it as possible, so the Duluth Show Case Company emerged as an innovator in retail-store cabinet manufacturing.

EmbalmingEva – “Unclean”

West Duluth is ground zero for the latest EmbalmingEva music video, shot at the Jade Fountain and under the bright lights of the Korner Store.

The Slice: Utility Box Art in Duluth

The Utility Cabinet Artwork Program is a Duluth Public Arts Commission project that seeks to beautify the city’s utility boxes.

In its series The Slice, PBS North presents short “slices of life” that capture the events and experiences that bring people together and speak to what it means to live up north.

Indecent Proposal – “Glow”

The latest video from Duluth band Indecent Proposal was shot an Enger Tower and other nearby locations. It stars Rylee Kuberra and features the video work of Capture Chaos Productions.

Chalamet in Minnesota on Dylan Film

Duluth comes up throughout.

Video History of the Duluth Armory

From local architecture enthusiast channel Arches and Columns, pulling from local sources including Duluth Urbex.

North magazine expanding in 2025

Duluth real estate agent Tracy Ramsay published the premiere issue of North at the start of 2024. The lifestyle magazine will increase its territory beyond the Duluth area in 2025 to include northwest Wisconsin, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and parts of North Dakota.

Duluth realtor-turned-publisher Tracy Ramsay and her team are preparing to release the second issue of North magazine. The new lifestyle publication premiered in January, featuring articles about homes in the north country, local culture and more.

Steve Solkela & Party Marty – “Carol of the Bells”

Accordionist Steve Solkela performs the popular Christmas song “Carol of the Bells” with Party Marty working the guitar and wine glasses.

Torment – “Die Alone”

Duluth band Torment is releasing a new EP, The Pain, on New Year’s Eve at Pizza Lucé. The “Die Alone” video was recorded and edited by Adam Tucker at Signaturetone Recording in Minneapolis.

Selective Focus: Swerty’s Visual Art

Behind the scenes putting together the layout of Duluth-based zines and poetry collections is a visual artist creating works in several mediums. Sabrina Wertman, or Swerty, has paintings and other artwork available at Alt Creative, The Loch Cafe and Games, and recently had a display up at Wussow’s Concert Cafe. They created the poster for the 2024 Boubville event, where attendees can interact with a new art installation they’re curating. Their visual art can continuously be found in issues of On the Record, a local arts zine that they contribute comics and complete the layout process for. Photos of their artwork and an interview with Swerty can be found below.

Duluth deserves better than a mismanaged tourism marketing contract

Canal Park image with wrong AI

The city of Duluth is at a crossroads with its tourism marketing. After years of underwhelming performance from an out-of-town marketing firm, city leaders promised a better process and outcome this time.

City mismanagement, however, undermined that commitment. A poorly-planned and hastily-executed request-for-proposal process, confusing guidance and unnecessary delays have left Duluth with a troubling outcome: A recommendation to hire another out-of-town agency with no knowledge of the city’s tourism industry and significant client conflicts to lead Duluth tourism marketing for the next two years.