April 2018 Posts

The Brothers Burn Mountain – “Lord of Night”

The Brothers Burn Mountain have recorded a new album at their off-the-grid cabin studio in northern Minnesota. Blue Spruce is slated for release this fall. The single “Lord of Night” features Ryan Young of Trampled by Turtles on fiddle and Colleen Myhre on backing vocals.

Three Videos: Raging Spring, Exploding Waves, Oscillating Ice

Video #1: “A Raging Spring in Duluth, MN” by Abby Smith

PDD Quiz: Duluth Rocks

With Homegrown Music Festival just around the corner, we’re all aware that Duluth rawks. But how much do you know about Duluth rocks? Test your knowledge of local rocks (and rock-related things) in this week’s quiz!

The next PDD Quiz, reviewing the headlines of April 2018, will be published on April 29. Email question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by April 26.

Selective Focus: Gales of April 2018

A post shared by Tyler Godes (@godes_tyler) on

Dere iss somebody yet in Duluth dot vants to see somebody

Once again we feature a “Dutch Kid” pennant postcard, similar to “Duluth vas dere best” and others shown in the recommended links to this post.

Such Magnificent Ghosts

Back in January, Don Ness emailed me something like, “Hey, Anna. I’m hosting a party at the NorShor Theatre on March 3 and I’d like you to tell some stories. Would you do a reading?”

Ness, as you probably know, is the former mayor of Duluth and, as you might not know, a positive master of understatement. I figured he was inviting me to perform at a little reading party. You know, 50 people or so in the NorShor’s mezzanine. And then a friend of mine messaged me a poster for a Low concert in the NorShor’s 632-seat theater. I zoomed in to see the date, to see if I could go, and saw MY NAME ON THE BOTTOM OF THE POSTER — and I, embarrassed and panic stricken that my name had somehow gotten on the bottom of this poster, looked at the date, and was like, “And I can’t even do it then, because I’m gonna be at Don Ness’s party!” Took me like ten seconds to figure out this was the thing Don had invited me to. Lord.

The truth is, when Don asked, I responded that it meant a lot for me to be a part of such an event — and I knew he knew exactly what I meant by that. I was honored to do it. The following is a transcript of what I read to that 632-person crowd.

Selective Focus: Ten Years of Homegrown Music Video Festival

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Homegrown Music Festival and 10 years of the Homegrown Music Video Festival. Participants in the video fest are assigned a random song by a local band and usually have a few weeks to put together a video. Over the past ten years, there have been videos with found footage, lip-synced performances, dolls, puppets, pets, animation, just about anything goes.

How would you like to take a trip over Duluth on the air line?

This picture postcard was mailed 110 years ago today — April 13, 1908 — from Minot, N.D. William Richert had just arrived in Douglas, N.D., presumably after a stay in Duluth, and sent the card to his brother Charles in Sublette, Ill. The card arrived on April 15.

Duluth Band Profile: Timbre Ghost

Dustin Tessier‘s passion for music began to fade into obscurity. With The Ledger, he defines not only his work as Timbre Ghost, but also himself as a person. Click on the image above to hear the podcast.

Upcoming gig:

May 3 at the Main Club during the Homegrown Music Festival

The Lincoln Hotel … your Duluth home

“Located at the edge of the Duluth loop district,” the Lincoln Hotel’s spot on West Second Street was “most advantageous,” according to this old brochure.

Video Archive: Surfers Before the Blizzard, 2008

High-definition videos of people surfing Lake Superior have become a fairly regular thing on Perfect Duluth Day in recent years. The short and fuzzy one above lacks the quality we’re used to these days, but is featured today because it’s ten years old and might be the first Lake Superior surf video published on PDD — or maybe anywhere else. (Prove that assertion wrong and find an older one.)

Barrett Chase posted this clip on April 10, 2008. He noted winds were at 40 m.p.h.

“Check out this short video snippet of some crazies surfing on Lake Insanity near Lester River today just before the onset of the blizzard,” he wrote.

Duluth Band Profile: Eric Cyr

Eric Cyr takes a different approach to sharing music. Instead of open stages and adoring audiences, he focuses his energy as a middle school music teacher. Click on the image above to hear the podcast.

Upcoming gig:

May 4 on the Duluth Transit Authority Trolley during the Homegrown Music Festival

Phenomenal Art Exhibition for Women of Color

Photo by Ivy Vainio.

In continuing a tradition of Duluth “firsts,” the American Indian Community Housing Organization hosted an exhibit last month celebrating artists who identify as women of color. This was the first exhibit to feature only the work of our region’s least represented demographic of artists — Indigenous, Black, Latinx and Asian women. A total of 31 different artists representing a wide range of backgrounds and cultures submitted their work for display in the Dr. Robert Powless Cultural Center, drawing in a crowd of 300 in an opening reception that took place alongside an award ceremony for some of AICHO’s most influential women leaders. As the exhibit comes down this week, here’s a few ideas for reflection … 

Superior’s Empire Coffee to open this month

Evan Meyer and Aryana Buck of Empire Coffee - Photo by Lissa Maki

Evan Meyer and Aryana Buck – Photo by Lissa Maki

A new caffeination hub is set to open in Superior later this month. Empire Coffee will distinguish itself with its sheer variety of brews.

Duluth Drone not Drones

The fifth annual Drone Not Drones event took place Jan. 26-27 at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis. More than 60 acts rotated on and off the stage performing a continuous, uninterrupted, 28-hour drone of unified sound to raise money for Doctors Without Borders.

Now there’s a 28-hour soundtrack on Bandcamp.

It’s broken into segments, so Duluthians interested in listening to sets by Duluth bands can go straight to sets by Low, If Thousands, Timbre Ghost and Modify.

Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site!