Music
The Making of “Your Unknown”
In this 10-minute video, director Shane Rock Nelson documents Duluth band Glen’s Neighbor recording its second album, Your Unknown. The album was recorded at Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls in October and released in April.
Glen’s Neighbor plays Saturday night at 11 p.m. at Blacklist Artisan Ales during the Homegrown Music Festival.
Denfeld Lip Dub 2017: “24K Magic”
The fourth annual Denfeld High School lip dub video features the Bruno Mars song “24K Magic,” plus the school fight song and four minutes of credits and bloopers. The video was shot and edited by Nick Olson with additional camera work by Jake Hillton.
“World’s Smallest Record Store” opens in Bovey
Business North reports Tim “Edwards” Verthein, morning host and chief engineer at 1320 AM KOZY radio in Grand Rapids, has opened a new record shop in Bovey, about 80 miles northwest of Duluth. The occasional store opened on April 22 in recognition of Record Store Day.
The Business North story notes Edwards launched his own radio station three years ago and is using the same 8-by-10-foot storefront to retail his collection of 40,000 records. He calls it “The World’s Smallest Record Store” or KEBS Records and Radio.
The Dames – “Head of State”
Here’s another selection from this year’s Homegrown Music Video Festival. The song is from an upcoming release of rarities by the Dames, scheduled to drop with the fall leaves. The video is by Brian Barber.
The Black Labels – “Sex Train”
One of the seven videos in the Homegrown Music Video Festival is this piece featuring archival footage of the Black Labels performing at Duluth’s Red Lion Lounge at least 10 years ago. The bar closed in 2007 and the space was repurposed for the Zeitgeist Arts Café. The video was edited by Emily Norton.
Video Archive: Paul Connolly cuts a 2007 Homegrown promo
Ten years ago the Homegrown Music Festival was in its ninth year — second year as a nonprofit. Don Ness was festival director at the time, but steering committee member Paul Connolly was called on to make an appearance on WDSE-TV’s Almanac North to talk with hosts Julie Zenner and Eric Olson. Connolly went on to serve as festival director for the 2008 and 2009 festivals.
Following the conversation, the band Cars & Trucks performs “Over the Moon.”
Homegrown Music Festival 2017 Primer
If this isn’t your 19th time attending the Homegrown Music Festival, here are some links that might be helpful:
Homegrown website
Homegrown schedule
PDD Chicken App schedule for smartphones
Homegrown Facebook page
Homegrown Twitter page
Seasons 1-4 of Seth Langreck’s Duluth Band Profiles
Admission wristbands are $30 for the full eight days of music, but there are also many free-admission events.
There are 199 bands on the schedule. A 100-page Field Guide is available to help navigate the festival. Pick one up at any Homegrown venue or various random locations.
The hashtag for this year is #hgmf17. The same hashtag applies for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.
This is the first Homegrown in which a ridesharing service is available. The Lyft app has been functioning in Duluth since April 27.
A double dose of the Little Black Books
Former Duluth rawk and/or roller Mark Lindquist has released two new videos — “They’re Never Wrong” and “Fading Captain” — to promote his band the Little Black Books‘ midnight gig on May 5 at Rex Bar during the Homegrown Music Festival. In recent years Lindquist has lived in Crow Wing County, near the geographical center of Minnesota, so Duluth gigs have been rare. He plans to reunite with drummer Jim Hagstrom and guitarist Bob Olson for this year’s Homegrown show.
Duluth Band Profile: Dance Attic
Dance Attic dusts off the antiques from your grandparents’ house. Jimi Cooper and Suzi Ludwig explain how their ablum Cabin Fever creates its own type of magic. Click on the image above to hear the podcast.
Paul McCartney booked to play Duluth … Georgia
Paul McCartney announced a set of U.S. summer tour dates yesterday. According to a City Pages story and comments on paulmccartney.com the press materials for the tour originally stated it “takes Paul to three cities and venues he’s never played before” including a July 13 show “at the Infinity Energy Arena in Duluth MN.” McCartney’s website has since fixed the error, clarifying that the Infinity Energy Arena is in Duluth, Ga. (more…)
Duluth Band Profile: Reflectivore
Allen Cragin and Ryan Rusch of Reflectivore walk the line between life and death. After the loss of Cragin’s wife, their self-titled album doesn’t shy away from the joy and desperation of the healing process. Click on the image above to hear the podcast.
Glen’s Neighbor: Unraveling the Mystery
This is one heckuva story about an amazing band you might never have heard of, but are sure to love. I plumbed the depths on this one by inviting myself to philosopher/frontman Blake Shippee’s home, joined him on his daily six-mile roundtrip walk to work, became an audience at a full rehearsal, and more. Along the way, I lost my mind a bit. The perils of immersive writing… Check out this inspiring story for yourself at Ed’s Big Adventure, and become richer for it.
Duluth Band Profile: Tender Ness
Peter Witrak’s Tender Ness blends lounge, soul, and vocal jazz. When he talks about the process of making Blues and Oranges, he explains how music transcends a sense of self and creates moments of beauty.
Duluth Band Profile: Chase Down Blue
Chase Down Blue creates its own mythos with Red V. The group’s blend of spacey, post-punk links earnest emotions with the feelings of Lake Superior. Click on the image above to hear the podcast.
PDD Quiz: Homegrown Band or Fairy Tale?
In honor of Homegrown Music Festival, which begins on April 30, this month’s quiz features a mix of Homegrown band names and fairy tales from around the world. Can you tell which is which? Take the quiz and see how well you know your field guide!
The next PDD Quiz will cover this month’s notable (and not-so-notable) news and will be published on April 30. E-mail question suggestions to Alison Klawiter at [email protected] by April 27.
Glen’s Neighbor – “Open Road”
Duluth-based bluegrass band Glen’s Neighbor releases its second album, Your Unknown, on April 21. The video for the first single, “Open Road,” was shot in October while the album was recorded at Pachyderm Studios. Shane Rock Nelson directed and edited the video; Dan Huiting handled the cinematography.
The band performs at Blacklist Artisan Ales on May 6 during the Homegrown Music Festival.
Duluth Band Profile: Kaylee Matuszak
Kaylee Matuszak’s aspirations for music began on the playground. With the release of her debut Stirring Skies, she isn’t stopping anytime soon. Click on the image above to hear the podcast.
UMD Profile: Matthew Knudson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ_8fOzkvGs
For a digital storytelling class in the journalism program at the University of Minnesota Duluth, junior Kevin Ott produced this short profile of senior Matthew Knudson.
Knudson is a music education major with an instrumental focus. From arranging his own music to working as a radio DJ at KUMD, het has immersed himself in music.
Ott and Knudson have been singing together in vocal jazz at UMD for two years. Ott selected Knudson as a subject because of his knowledge of music and the visually engaging environment in which he interacts with it.
Gin Street – “High Life”
Duluth band Gin Street released a two-song cassette in February titled Singles. The opening track, “High Life,” is featured in this new music video.
“We made it with an old box television set and no money,” says director Quentin Stille. “Also shouts out the titular beer, High Life, which we are all trying to live.”
Gin Street plays May 6 at Blacklist Artisan Ales during the Homegrown Music Festival and June 11 at Beaner’s Central during Pete Fest.
Duluth Band Profile: Mama’s Stolen Horses
Kristoffer and Abby Jo Robin of Mama’s Stolen Horses steal the stage with their bend of folk and Americana. But, it’s how Abby Jo stole Kristoffer’s heart that keeps this duo alive. Click on the image above to hear the podcast.
Rachael Kilgour in City Pages
Duluth’s Rachel Kilgour plays the Aster Café River Room in Minneapolis on April 8. She shared the story behind her new songs over tea and a light dinner in Uptown with Youa Vang for a story in City Pages:
Rachael Kilgour stands up for herself on ‘Rabbit in the Road’
Spring 2017 Duluth-area Beer Festival Primer
The United States now boasts over 5,000 craft breweries as the thirst for quality beer continues. The Twin Ports are clearly part of the trend. Duluth and Superior are home to eight breweries, with two more planning to launch in 2017. Several others dot the north and south shores of Lake Superior. The great news for beer aficionados: there’s no shortage of local beer and opportunities to taste the latest batches. The next three major swillfests are highlighted here.
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Duluth Band Profile: Jacob Mahon
Jacob Mahon developed his songwriting skills playing bars and backyards across central Minnesota. Since his arrival to Duluth, he’s learned how a single compliment goes a long way. Click on the image above to hear the podcast.
Duluth Band Profile: Pizzaghost
Pizzaghost takes audiences to the ethereal plane of noise and punk rock. Keyboardist Jack Klander and bassist Ben Jacobson explain the anarchy of the group’s live shows.
Help Kaylee Matuszak appear onstage with Brandi Carlile
From Kaylee Matuszak:
Hi everybody! If you know me, you know how much I love Brandi Carlile and what a huge inspiration she is to me. She’s running a contest in which I submitted a cover of one of the songs from her album “The Story.” If my video gets enough votes, I could be chosen to perform the song live onstage with her in L.A.! So if you’d please take a minute to vote for my video and share this around, I would be forever grateful to you. You can vote once a week! Voting ends on April 17th at 9am, so don’t delay! Thank you so much!
Vote at: Brandi Carlile Cover Stories Contest