Music
Duluth Band Profile: Nudecolors
Nudecolors uses tight harmonies with catchy melodies on Paradise. Yet, Steve Hamlin and Nic Hanson explain the deceptive nature of the record. Click on the image above to hear the podcast.
Upcoming gig:
May 3 at Rex Bar at Fitger’s during Homegrown Music Festival
Gaelynn Lea – “Breathe, You are Alive!”
This is the official music video for Gaelynn Lea‘s original poem, “Breathe, You are Alive!” from her 2016 EP The Songs We Sing Along the Way. The video was shot in 2018 and was released earlier this week.
Duluth Band Profile: Attom
Kyle Stern’s first show wasn’t at a VFW or an empty coffeehouse. It just happened to be Bonnaroo Music Festival. Under the moniker Attom, Kyle explains how he fits into the changing world of electronic music. Click on the image above to hear the podcast.
Upcoming gig:
May 3 at Rex Bar at Fitger’s during Homegrown Music Festival
Duluth Band Profile: Prone
Prone dabbles in the realms of hip-hop and electro-funk. Chris LeBlanc explains how the group started out of necessity. Click on the image above to hear the podcast.
Upcoming gig:
May 4 at R.T. Quinlan’s Saloon during the Homegrown Music Festival
Joan Osborne to perform Dylan tribute in his native Duluth
Grammy-nominated singer Joan Osborne will perform a special Bob Dylan tribute concert on the eve of his 78th birthday at Sacred Heart Music Center, just blocks from where the legendary songwriter was born in Duluth. (more…)
Five years after it opened, Red Herring Lounge slated to close
Red Herring Lounge owner Bob Monahan posted on Facebook today that “barring some sort of wildly unforeseen circumstance” his music club in Downtown Duluth “will close its doors permanently on June 10.” (more…)
Homegrown Music Festival Field Guide 2019 has arrived
The 21st annual Homegrown Music Festival is just a month away. The 100-page Field Guide, with all the who/what/when/where/why was trucked in from the printer this morning and will be available at local bars, restaurants and other businesses over the course of the next few days.
This year’s Homegrown will feature about 190 musical acts at more than 40 venues in Duluth and Superior. The festival runs April 28 to May 5. An updated schedule is on the Homegrown website at duluthhomegrown.org/schedule. (more…)
Frankie Yankovic and His Yanks – “Duluth Polka”
Frankie Yankovic and His Yanks released “Duluth Polka” in 1954 as a 7-inch 45-RPM single and as a 10-inch 78-RPM “promotion record” on the Columbia label (as seen in the video above). (more…)
Jacob Mahon & the Salty Dogs – “Dazed and Confused” and “Whole Lotta Love”
[This post originally contained an embedded video that is no longer available at its source.]
New video by Illy Killy featuring footage of Jacob Mahon & the Salty Dogs from last fall’s Duluth Does Zeppelin concert at Sacred Heart Music Center.
Six Versions of ‘I Like it in Duluth’
The original version of the local anthem “I Like it in Duluth” appears on the 1976 self-titled album by the Moose Wallow Ramblers. The late John Berquist penned the song. Joining him in the band were Greg and Charlotte Ham. Numerous versions of the song have been recorded by other acts over the years; a few are presented below. (more…)
Brittany Lind is new host of “The Duluth Local Show”
The Duluth Local Show has a new host. Brittany Lind recently took the helm of the Sunday night radio program that features music by Duluth-area musicians. Her first broadcast was March 3.
Lind replaces Mike Novitzki, who hosted the show from May 2016 to December 2018. Andrea Swensson served as interim host.
The one-hour show on St. Paul-based Minnesota Public Radio’s the Current is broadcast on Sundays from 8 to 9 p.m. on three Duluth satellite stations — 90.9, 94.1 and 104.3 FM. It does not air in the Twin Cities market, but is on the Local Current stream on Mondays at 2 p.m. and archived at thecurrent.org. (more…)
People’s Free Skate Rink
Tomas Soderberg’s video scrapbook from the People’s Free Skate Rink on Saturday. This event was the culmination of a rolling 7-day spontaneous party on foot-thick ice over 40-foot-deep water. Featuring DJ Kevin Craig, in a set he shared with Pete Biasi / Raw Space. Footage includes the snowy owl that buzzed us in the final frames.
Jenny Lewis – “Heads Gonna Roll”
Singer-songwriter Jenny Lewis mentions Duluth in the song “Heads Gonna Roll” from the new album On the Line, scheduled for release on March 22. (more…)
The Decemberists – “Traveling On”
Portland, Ore.-based indie rock band the Decemberists refer to Duluth in the song “Traveling On,” released in November on an EP of the same name. (more…)
Breanne Marie & the Front Porch Sinners – “Salt in the Snow”
New music video from Duluth’s Breanne Marie & the Front Porch Sinners, shot at Ely’s Peak and Clyde Iron Works with Kevin Jacobsen.
The band plays Feb. 16 at Klockow Brewing Company in Grand Rapids and March 8 at Blacklist Artisan Ales in Duluth.
Duluth Album Releases in 2019
Coyote
A Different Path
(Jan. 8)
Available on Bandcamp
T. Dack
Entropic Blue
(Jan. 17)
Available on Bandcamp
Station Ident
Volume One
Xero Music (Jan. 15)
Available on Bandcamp
Selective Focus: Max Mileski
Selective Focus has been a series mostly about visual arts, but there is an undeniable link between music and visuals. This week Max Mileski talks about making music, creating a band and the work that goes into building the sound and the aesthetic that goes with it.
MM: My name is Max Mileski, I work under the nom de plume – Sadkin. I merrily toil with contemporary music as a multi-instrumentalist who writes and records songs in a self contained, d.i.y. manner. Two years ago I released the first collected works of Sadkin, Élan Vital. In speaking more specifically with regards to style, the music is categorized first as Alternative. Within that, there are certainly some subdivisions which help describe the sound ~ Artpop, New Wave, New Romantic, Synthrevival. Most recently and with the help of 4 other inspired souls in Duluth, I’ve been able to take Sadkin to the stage as a live show. The performances have been unquestionably invigorating and has more recently pushed Sadkin into new arenas, exploring deliberate visual components closely tied to the music.
(more…)
Rachael Kilgour – “Game Changer”
The second single from Duluth native Rachael Kilgour‘s new EP, Game Changer.
The Slamming Doors – “Clover”
Duluth-based roots-rock band the Slamming Doors perform the song “Clover” for The White Wall Sessions in Sioux Falls, S.D.
The band has Duluth gigs coming up Feb. 13 at Teatro Zuccone during TED at Teatro, Feb. 23 at Blush, and March 15 at Ursa Minor.
Tim Kaiser – “Organelle”
Tim Kaiser appears to be reorganizing his recordings on SoundCloud, and so this gem appears on my feed. (more…)
Shinobi – “Risk Zone”
Duluth rapper Shinobi shouts out to his city in this video shot and edited by Daniel Weiser.
Video Archive: Tim Kaiser on PBS’ “Make”
It was ten years ago — January 2009 — when Duluth musician Tim Kaiser was featured on the public television program Make.
2018: The Year in Duluth Gig Posters
Here it is, the annual gallery o’ rock posters. As usual, by no means is this a comprehensive collection, nor is it a carefully curated archive of the best. It’s just a bunch of random 2018 concert posters. (more…)
Interim host keeps the Current’s Duluth music show rolling
Andrea Swensson is serving as guest host of The Duluth Local Show on the Current. (Photo by Leslie Plesser)
The Duluth Local Show, a weekly one-hour radio program featuring music by Duluth-area musicians, will close out 2018 in a transition phase. Mike Novitzki, who had hosted the show since May 2016, announced his resignation in October and his farewell episode aired Dec. 2.
Andrea Swensson, a Moose Lake native who has been an on-air personality and writer at St. Paul-based Minnesota Public Radio’s the Current since 2005, has served as guest host of The Duluth Local Show since Novitzki’s departure. She is also the regular host of an all-Minnesota music show with a similar title, The Local Show. (more…)
Onyx Ashanti and Robot Rickshaw on Bloodfeast
The Cartoon Network’s “Adult Swim” online programming includes a show called Bloodfeast, in which the New York Times crossword puzzle is solved while hosts Dave Bonowits and Max Simonet banter and strange musicians go about their business. Duluth’s Robot Rickshaw appeared on the Dec. 18 episode with frequent collaborator Onyx Ashanti. (more…)