Music
Perfect Duluth Day Outdoor Summer Concert Primer 2023
Musicians gather around the fire pit at Girl Scout Point in Billings Park for the first concert of the 2023 Superior Porchfest season.
Outdoor music saw a boom during the pandemic out of necessity, but on warm summer days the preferred concert venues have always been those with free-flowing air. With the Duluth-area music scene continuing to flourish and touring artists on the move, the season has music to soothe all souls with genres spanning the realms of rock, pop, hip hop, folk and more.
From porches, patios and piers to amphitheaters, big tents and city parks, the outdoor summer concert options are numerous. Below is Perfect Duluth’s Day’s annual guide to al fresco music in 2023. (more…)
Rachael Kilgour – “Dad Worked Hard”
Duluth native Rachael Kilgour has a new album, My Father Loved Me, scheduled for release in September. The video for the first single, “Dad Worked Hard,” is a live performance shot by Brian Lazarus in a damp basement workshop in New York City.
Hyper Glaze
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LSl2g5N4PU
John Holden and Matt Norby warn that their latest video contains hyper-glazed data poisoning. “Do not upload it to sites that train modules on user submissions,” the YouTube video description notes. “It will degrade the overall system and cause generated output to be less stable and less accurate. You don’t want to be the one to ruin AI content for everybody.”
Beyondbliss with Lyla Abukhodair – “Dance Without Somebody”
Born Deaf, the new album from Beyondbliss, is scheduled for release June 30. The second single, “Dance Without Somebody,” features Lyla Abukhodair. The video was created by an artificial intelligence art program.
Marty Marflow and the Melody Makers (featuring the Calhoun Sisters) – “Duluth St. Paul & Winona”
There are a few songs on Perfect Duluth Day’s list of songs with “Duluth” in the lyrics or title that are not available online. The one we highlight here is “Duluth St. Paul & Winona” by Marty Marflow and the Melody Makers (featuring the Calhoun Sisters), which was released 20 years ago. (more…)
Iron Range Outlaw Brigade – “The Ballad of Jimmy the Outlaw”
Iron Range Outlaw Brigade is working on a new EP, but singer/guitarist Kirk Kjenaas has compiled the nostalgic video embedded above, which features a smattering of band photos from the past 15 years.
The song is from the band’s 2011 debut album Shootin’ Shells & Raisin’ Hell, but this version was recorded live in 2014 by Andrew Lambert at Yo’r Mudders Place, which is now the Ore House, in Gilbert.
EmbalmingEva – “RBMK”
Duluth synth act EmbalmingEva‘s debut video is directed and edited by Marcel Hones with creative direction and styling by Catherine Karakas.
MN Moder – “Love Letter”
The new video from Duluth-based hip-hop artist Zachary Moder, aka MN Moder, is a love letter to music with visuals by Montclair Media.
MN Moder performs at Wussow’s Concert Cafe on June 7 as part of the weeklong Pete Fest.
Miller Music Company: Photos from the Estate of Ben B. Miller
One century ago the Miller Brothers opened Miller Music Company at 8 W. First St. in Duluth’s Spina Building. According to the Kathryn A. Martin Library’s Archives & Special Collections at the University of Minnesota Duluth, “Abe Miller was a violinist and the manager of the Duluth Symphony for 37 years beginning in 1932. Ben was an assistant manager of Northern Drug prior to launching the music store in 1922.” (more…)
One Less Guest – “The Fruit”
The jazz/rock outfit One Less Guest has a new album on the way and a new music video. The song “The Fruit” appears on Viewfinder, scheduled for release June 9. The video was shot and edited by Patrick Parkhill and Jay Reiss.
The band formed in Duluth in 2018 and moved to Anaheim, Calif., in 2021, but returns home every summer for a show. This year’s gig at at Earth Rider Brewery is July 22.
Homegrown Music Festival 2023 Photo Slideshow
The 25th annual Homegrown Music Festival featured 171 acts. I made it to 57 — which is a lot, but also only one-third of the available options. The scope of the festival makes each experience unique, so obviously one person’s photo collection will vary significantly from another’s. (more…)
Duluth Album Releases in 2023
Dirty Knobs
666666SuperSatan
(Jan. 6)
Available on Bandcamp
God’s Holy Blood
Self titled
(Jan. 20)
Available on Bandcamp
Ill Fortune
Ill Ol’ Me
(Jan. 28)
Available on various platforms
Selective Focus: Homegrown 2023 Recovery Beer Lunch
Select Instagram images from the closing event of the Homegrown Music Festival — the Recovery Beer Lunch at Canal Park Brewing Company with the final three bands. (more…)
Selective Focus: Homegrown 2023 Roll Night
Select Instagram images from day seven of the Homegrown Music Festival. (more…)
Rawkers crush Rollers in Homegrown Kickball Classic 2023
Rohrbaugh’s Rawkers piled on five runs in the seventh inning and four more in the eighth to easily top Vaagen’s Rollers 13-4 in the 2023 Homegrown Kickball Classic at Chester Bowl. The Rawkers now lead the overall series with 12 wins in 23 games. (more…)
Selective Focus: Homegrown 2023: Rawk Night
Select Instagram images from day six of the Homegrown Music Festival. (more…)
Selective Focus: Homegrown 2023 Soup Town Night
Select Instagram images from day five of the Homegrown Music Festival. (more…)
Selective Focus: Homegrown 2023 Westside Wednesday
Select Instagram images from day four of the Homegrown Music Festival. (more…)
Selective Focus: Homegrown 2023 Canal Park Night
Select Instagram images from day three of the Homegrown Music Festival. (more…)
Berserk Blondes! – “Hips Don’t Lie”
Live at Bent Paddle Brewing during the 2023 Homegrown Music Festival, Steve Solkela and Kaylee Matuszak perform their take on the 2006 hit song “Hips Don’t Lie,” written and originally performed by Shakira and Wyclef Jean.
MN Moder – “Indecisive”
The new music video from Duluth-based hip-hop artist Zachary Moder, aka MN Moder features several familiar local scenes. Joining in on the track are Cole Oksa, aka NorthWood, and Scott Vezina, aka NonFic.
MN Moder performs May 5, 8:15 p.m., at Legacy Glassworks as part of the Homegrown Music Festival.
Selective Focus: Homegrown 2023 Craft District Night
Select Instagram images from day two of the Homegrown Music Festival. (more…)
Selective Focus: Homegrown 2023 Opening Ceremonies
Select Instagram images from opening day of the Homegrown Music Festival. (more…)
Homegrown Music Festival 2023 Primer
The 25th annual Homegrown Music Festival is upon us. All the specifics are in a 116-page Field Guide available around town or online as a PDF. The most accurate version of the schedule is always at duluthhomegrown.org/schedule. And this here primer consists of the random last-minute bulletins that always spring up. (more…)
Every Single Homegrown 1999 Photo Available
Members of Ballyhoo performing at the inaugural Homegrown Music Festival in 1999. (Photo courtesy Leon Rohrbaugh; photographer unknown)
On the eve of the 25th annual Homegrown Music Festival we take a look at every single locatable image from the first Homegrown in 1999. It was a few years before digital photography became a common thing, a few years before social media existed, and a few years before Homegrown became one of the most photographed events in Duluth. (more…)