Homegrown Music Festival Field Guide 2015
Homegrown Music Festival 2015
Festival Director
Walter Raschick
Assistant Director
Adam Guggemos
Production Director
Jake Larson
Volunteer Coordinator
Melissa La Tour
Board of Directors
Mary Bue, Abe Curran, Pete Dingels, Jesse Hoheisel, Margie Nelson
Steering Committee
Brennan Atchison, Nyanyika Banda, Adam Guggemos, Melissa La Tour, Zoe LaTour, Kelli Latuska, Glenn Maloney, Angela Milinkovich, Thomas Moriarty, Erin Naughton-Garrison, Ryan Nelson
Rick Boo Committee
Todd Gremmels
Field Guide Produced by
Adam Guggemos and Paul Lundgren
Field Guide Advertising Representative
Breanne Marie Tepler
Field Guide Cover Art
Heidi Blunt
Field Guide Contributing Writers
Jenny Ahern, Nyanyika Banda, Brittany Berrens, Amy Clark, Mike Creger, Christine Dean, Chris Godsey, Emily Haavik, Graham Hakala, Kraig James, Rachel Kraft, Mark Lindquist, Paul Lundgren, Israel Malachi, Rick McLean, Margie Nelson, Hollis Norman, Michael Novitzki, Walter Raschick, Brittany Sanford, Abigail Schoenecker, Paige Totten-Hall, Steve Wick
The Homegrown Music Festival, Inc., is a Minnesota nonprofit under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. In banjos we trust.
Homegrown Music Festival
P.O. Box 16505, Duluth MN 55816
duluthhomegrown.com
[email protected]
* * *
Festival Price Guide
Weeklong Pass
All eight days – $25
Single-day Pass
Friday or Saturday – $15
Single-day Weekday Pass
Any weekday – $5
* Shows in the event center at Clyde Iron Works on Wednesday require a weeklong wristband.
During Homegrown shows, admission wristbands can be purchased at any venue that requires them. Advance tickets are available at Electric Fetus stores in Duluth and Minneapolis, and will remain on sale there throughout the week of Homegrown. For more information and schedule updates, check out duluthhomegrown.com.
* * *
Happy 47th birthday, Starfire
Notes from the 2015 Homegrown Steering Committee
This is the 17th annual Homegrown Music Festival, and with each year that passes we get more inclined to presume everyone has been through this before. So we tend to use a lot of scenester jargon, focus on what’s new this year and openly reminisce about things only a few hundred people in town actually witnessed as if everyone who is anyone was there.
On this page, however, we do our best to pull back and remember that many of those who have attended even a dozen or more Homegrowns might not know who Gomez is, haven’t been to Rich’s house for soup and probably missed those Trampled by Turtles shows at Pizza Lucé in 2008 and 2009 because the line to get in curved around the block.
So before we drop any more insider references or blab about what’s new this year, here come the paragraphs where we lay down the basics.
Homegrown is a festival that focuses on local bands. Every act features at least one person who presently or at some point lived in or near Duluth and maintains an involvement in the local arts scene. While there are bigger music festivals in the world than Homegrown, we have yet to hear of another one with an ultra-local focus that has reached similar enormity, so pardon us if we brag.
Homegrown has two general commandments that we repeat every year so we can say we “told you so” and then never forgive those who trespass against us.
First and foremost, we ask that you have fun without being a fuck knuckle and ruining things for other people. Don’t drink and drive. Don’t run out into Superior Street in front of traffic or piss on storefronts. Don’t heckle the bands unless you are in a band and can be heckled back. Don’t crowd surf if you are wearing combat boots. Don’t leave anyone choking on vomit. We’ve got a good thing going, so all you have to do is not be the one who ruins it.
It is a forgivable offense to pay for things with a credit card at Homegrown, but be aware that people will roll their eyes at you. Bring some cash and save everyone the discomfort.
The second commandment is to just be respectful of all the dweebs who make Homegrown happen, from the musicians and other artists to the sponsors and volunteers and sound engineers all the way down to the simple steering committee member. Take, for example, Glenn Maloney. He’s been on the committee for six years. Start showing him some respect.
The “Starfire” mentioned in the headline above is Scott Lunt. He started this festival and built it up into something one man could no longer contain. You shall have no other Starfires before Him. His birthday is May 7. Wish him a happy one, but don’t buy him drinks — he’s been sober for over four years. Tell him he looks good in those jeans; he’ll like that, and it’s true.
* * *
Day One: Opening Ceremonies
Sunday, April 26
Day-to-day stories by Emily Haavik
The eight-day beast begins at Teatro Zuccone with the youngest performers of the week, the World Beat drummers from Myers-Wilkins Elementary School. The kids play a mix of their own compositions and world music. If you are worried about them getting nervous at their big gig … don’t.
“Oh, no. Not this group. These are seasoned musicians,” says Music Specialist and Drum Leader Teri Akervik. “They’ve performed all over the state.”
Down the block at Tycoons, it’s Duluth Mayor Don Ness’ last time presiding over the city during Homegrown before he dives into the world of civilian life in January. After seven years of incredibly witty Mayoral Proclamations, the pressure on him is mounting.
“I’ll definitely have to come up with something creative and special,” he says.
Ness served as Homegrown’s director prior to being demoted to mayor in 2008, so he says the festival has a special place in his heart.
“It’s always my favorite week of the year.”
After his emotional speech, go ahead and drown your tears in a pint of freshly tapped Homegrown Hempen Ale and let the music lift your spirits back to an appropriate festival level.
If you’re desperate to win something you could buy at Dollar General, 9 p.m. is the time to head over to Carmody and try your luck at the Homegrown Pub Quiz. Then at 10 o’ clock, the traditional New Band Showcase kicks off at Pizza Lucé.
Day Two: Ancillary Arts Night
Monday, April 27
Monday starts with the Homegrown Photo Show at the Red Herring, accompanied by an experimental showcase that’s kind of a throwback to an old Homegrown ritual.
“They used to put everybody on a Tuesday who didn’t fit in,” says Christian McShane, who started weekly Experimental Tuesdays at the NorShor Theatre back in 2002, leading Homegrown to take up the notion in 2007. “Then people started saying, ‘I’m not a freak! I don’t want to be on Tuesday!’” Now the segregation has reemerged on Monday, with a block of five acts weirding things up.
Homegrown’s branded Monday theme, however, is “Ancillary Arts Night.” Two staples are the Music Video Festival premiere at Zinema 2 and the Poetry Showcase at the Underground.
Side note: Todd Gremmels plays tonight on his 58th birthday. He says he’s happy to celebrate at Sir Ben’s, where he has memories literally plastered on the walls.
“I went 104 miles an hour on a pair of skis, and one of the skis is in there,” he says. The winner of that race went 114, but still, 104 is fast. How fast? “You’re covering a city block in about two seconds,” Gremmels says.
The rest of the night’s shows are at the Fitger’s Brewery Complex, including Bridget the Brave at the Rex. Bridget won the 2014 Beaner’s songwriter competition by rapping, a cappella, a song about receiving explicit photos via text. She says that one’s “too naughty for this band,” but she does promise some instructional hula hooping.
Day Three: Canal Park Night
Tuesday, April 28
Visitors from Edina and Eden Prairie, beware. Tonight your path from Canal Park Lodge to those 7 p.m. reservations at Bellisio’s Italian Restaurant will be fraught with bedraggled punks.
That’s right, tonight is Canal Park Night. But as with every rule at Homegrown, someone’s breaking it. Non-canal shows will also take place just up the hill at Prøve and Dubh Linn, and out west at Bent Paddle Brewing. Also, if you missed the Music Video Fest the first time, catch the encore at Zinema 2 at 7 p.m.
Canal Park venues are Amazing Grace, Lake Avenue Café and, of course, Grandma’s Sports Garden. This year’s mammoth-stage lineup is Marc Gartman’s Fever Dream, Prince Paul and the Conscious Party, Devil’s Flying Machine and Bratwurst.
“There’s something, literally, for everyone,” says Festival Director Walter Raschick. “You like reggae? You like bluegrass rock stars? You like meat thrown at you? You’re gonna like something at this show.”
This is maybe the biggest stage Bratwurst has ever been scheduled to stain, and the industrial band known for its creative use of raw meat has got something special cooked up. Or, rather, un-cooked.
“The bigger the stage, the more you can do,” says frontman Tyler Scouton. He won’t spill the whole secret, but he says there will be audience participation.
“There are some technical things involved that we’ve never tried before,” he says.
One muttered tidbit might have Grandma’s proprietors concerned: “I have to try to find a welder.”
Day Four: Westside Wednesday
Wednesday, April 29
Wipe that indifferent smirk off your face and stop pretending you don’t care. Trampled by Turtles has returned to its rightful place headlining Clyde Iron Works.
“We’re excited to be back,” says mandolin player Erik Berry. He’s referring to the dark year of 2014, when TBT was unable to play Homegrown for the first time in the band’s 12-year history. “It was a bummer, but it was kind of a choice between playing Homegrown or playing the entire tour we were on.”
Big Wave Dave and the Ripples open up the main stage, followed by the first-ever Homegrown performance from the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra.
“We’re going to be playing a repertoire that’s not necessarily what we usually play,” says Music Director Dirk Meyer. “A more alternative style … than a Mozart or Haydn symphony.”
If you think the DSSO will be out of place here, Meyer plans to change your mind.
“We absolutely try to break down these barriers,” he says.
Meanwhile, over on Central Avenue, Beaner’s hosts Pale in Comparison, Gin Street and Vitamin Death, for what’s basically a basement punk show.
Gabe Naughton, the 18-year-old vocalist and guitarist of Gin Street, says all-ages venues like Beaner’s — and basements — are important because, well, he’s 18.
“It should be all-inclusive,” he says. “And that’s kind of what the punk scene is about, you know, everyone gets a say. Everyone goes and has a good time.”
Other West Duluth venues are Players, Kom-on-Inn, Mr. D’s and the Gopher.
Day Five: Soup Town Thursday
Thursday, April 30
Welcome to Tower Avenue. Carry an e-cig and talk about the Packers a lot; you should be just fine south of the border.
The evening will likely kick off with everybody and their probation officer trying to cram into the Red Mug when the clock chimes 6, so don’t plan on ambling in around 6:01. A half-hour later, sets spill over into the Spirit Room, the new tapas place just upstairs.
Charlie Parr plays his second set of the week — this one a solo show — at Norm’s Beer & Brats, so he’ll likely have one of those sharks in his drink and someone will ask him to take his top off.
The Keep Aways are at the Main Club for what is probably the band’s last Homegrown set. Guitarist Mindy Johnson is moving to the Twin Cities and focusing on her doom metal project, Wolf Blood.
“I would not still be playing music today if it wasn’t for the support of the local music community,” she says. “I basically moved here by accident 15 years ago. I don’t know if it would have worked out the same way anywhere else.”
Other than those venues already mentioned, music will be pounding out of every bar and shanty in Superior, so pretty much just walk your way down Tower or Hammond and you’ll be in good shape.
In Duluth, Chester Creek Wine Bar, Jefferson People’s House and the Reef provide options that are not Superior — but also not inferior.
Day Six: Rawk Night
Friday, May 1
Forty-six bands. Fifteen venues. One bus. If you make a plan it will fail. So lace up your boots, program an emergency contact into your phone and just follow your heart or something.
The Homegrown Trolley will again be providing free shuttle service to the various Downtown Duluth Homegrown venues on Friday and Saturday nights. The fine folks at the Duluth Transit Authority and Greater Downtown Council heroically sponsor this service.
Rick Weme, who drove the trolley last year, says the night was “action-packed,” as one might imagine with this crowd.
In an unprecedented move, trolley music will actually be scheduled this year instead of just whatever eager beaver jumps on board with a guitar. Friday’s acts are Accipiter, Buteo and Lakewalk-troubadour Jeffrey James O’Loughlin.
From here on the best bet is to barrel blindly ahead and not think about what you’re missing. For instance, going to see rising Duluth singer-songwriter Rick McLean? Cool! Too bad you’re missing the loin-cloth-wearing Blasphemists. Checking out Sweat Equity? Awesome! You must not care about Father Hennepin.
On the bill at the Underground is Nordic Angst, a band that plays traditional Norwegian folk music “arranged with a modern ear.” Vocalist and accordionist Arna Rennan says their performance will defy your expectations — if you have any.
“I probably shouldn’t assume that there’s a stereotype out there of what Scandinavian music is,” she says with a laugh.
Rennan says her band’s set will include ballads from the Middle Ages and folktales about trolls on high-mountain plateaus.
Day Seven: Roll Night
Saturday, May 2
Fifty-four acts span 19 venues from Canal Park to Ninth Street. If you just peed a little, so did everyone else.
Start with a mimosa and music at Chester Creek Café. Then lift up your throbbing head, it’s time to run! Seriously, you have to. Al Sparhawk wants you to, so just do it.
“It’s a great way to shake off the dust from Friday night,” Sparhawk says of his Rock ’n’ Run. He promises it will be five miles, tops — as if that is no sweat for drunken musicians.
“You basically just follow Sparhawk wherever he goes,” says Raschick.
Sparhawk says anyone is welcome. “It is not a race.”
“He’s really fast,” says Raschick.
The run starts and ends at Chester Bowl Park, where the Homegrown Kickball Classic then begins. This is the last active thing, promise.
Once you have showered and puked and showered again, head to Sacred Heart for Homegrown’s first-ever classical music showcase. You’ll see everything from opera to a flute ensemble to something called “Basoonation.”
And of course, this is Duluth, so some guy’s playing Bach on a tenor banjo.
“It will be true to the spirit of Bach,” says Tyler Kaiser, who will be performing Cello Suite No. 1. “It will be unusual only in tone and color.”
The rest of the night is anyone’s game, but watch for Electric Witch. Why?
“The vocoder transforms my vocals into a robot voice,” frontwoman Mary Bue says. “So you can barely hear my voice. Because it’s a robot.”
Day Eight: Sunday Brunch and Recovery
Sunday, May 3
You knew this day would come. You knew Sunday would roll around and you would want to give up. You would want to climb back into bed, pull the covers over your head and binge-watch House of Cards.
That’s why you should set some sort of obnoxious alarm on your phone to ring over and over again and remind you that you’re better than this. You can indeed finish what you started. And if nothing else, you have to go find the wallet you lost last night.
So get off your ass and get to Pizza Lucé for a build-your-own-bloody, the soothing sounds of Pushing Chain and Mel Annala, and that feeling of sweet relief that you didn’t wuss out on the last day of the most important week of your life.
Then head to Canal Park Brewing Company for Dance Attic, Feeding LeRoy and the all-ages sensation A Band Called Truman.
And dance. Dance your freaking face off now, because come tomorrow, Homegrown will be the farthest away it ever gets from us in our trip around the sun. And you’ll need to remember this moment.
* * *
Homegrown Music Festival 2015
Sunday, April 26
6pm
World Beat
Teatro Zuccone
Free • All ages
7pm
Mark Anderson Trio
Teatro Zuccone
Free • All ages
7:15pm
Mayor’s Proclamation and Homegrown Hempen Ale Cask Release
Tycoons Alehouse
Free • 21+
7:30pm
The Farsights
Tycoons Alehouse
Free • 21+
8pm
Lyz Jaakola & #theindianheadband
Teatro Zuccone
Free • All ages
8:30pm
Boku Frequency
Tycoons Alehouse
Free • 21+
9pm
Homegrown Pub Quiz
Carmody Irish Pub
Free • 21+
9:30pm
Batteries
Tycoons Alehouse
Free • 21+
10pm
Agassiz Oscillation Ensemble
Pizza Lucé
Free • 21+
11pm
Black Diary
Pizza Lucé
Free • 21+
12am
Purple Hearse
Pizza Lucé
Free • 21+
Monday, April 27
5pm
Opening reception for Homegrown Photo Show
Red Herring Lounge
Free • 21+
5:30pm
Tim Kaiser
Red Herring Lounge
Free • 21+
6pm
Homegrown Music Video Festival
Zinema 2
Wristband required • All ages
6:30pm
Dirty Knobs
Red Herring Lounge
Free • 21+
7:30pm
Homegrown Poetry Showcase
The Underground
Free • All ages
8pm
Kaylee Matuszak
Sir Benedict’s Tavern on the Lake
Free • All ages
8:15pm
Superfly McFlash
Red Herring Lounge
Wristband required • 21+
8:30pm
Curren Effinger
Fitger’s Brewhouse
Free • 21+
9pm
Todd Gremmels
Sir Benedict’s Tavern on the Lake
Free • All ages
9pm
Venus DeMars
Rex Bar
Wristband required • 21+
9:15pm
Lorenzo’s Tractor
Red Herring Lounge
Wristband required • 21+
9:30pm
Woodblind
Fitger’s Brewhouse
Free • 21+
9:30pm
Hot BitKutz
Red Star Lounge
Free • 21+
10pm
Lay Low & Bender
Sir Benedict’s Tavern on the Lake
Free • All ages
10pm
Bridget the Brave
Rex Bar
Wristband required • 21+
10:15pm
I Am the Slow Dancing Umbrella
Red Herring Lounge
Wristband required • 21+
10:30pm
Four Mile Portage
Fitger’s Brewhouse
Free • 21+
10:30pm
Monster Mob
Red Star Lounge
Free • 21+
11pm
The Boomchucks
Rex Bar
Wristband required • 21+
11:30pm
Nopamine
Red Star Lounge
Free • 21+
Tuesday, April 28
6pm
Steve Sola
Bent Paddle Brewing Co.
Free • 21+
6:30pm
Stel
Amazing Grace Bakery & Café
Free • All ages
7pm
Homegrown Music Video Festival (First Encore)
Zinema 2
Wristband required • All ages
7pm
Hanna Cesario
Bent Paddle Brewing Co.
Free • 21+
7:30pm
Hannah McDaniel
Amazing Grace Bakery & Café
Free • All ages
8pm
The Kyle Scherz Band
Bent Paddle Brewing Co.
Free • 21+
8pm
Legitimit
Prøve Gallery
Free • 21+
8:30pm
Wes Hadrich
Amazing Grace Bakery & Café
Free • All ages
8:45pm
Fever Dream
Grandma’s Sports Garden
Wristband required • 21+
9pm
Clover Street Cronies
Prøve Gallery
Free • 21+
9:45pm
Prince Paul and the Conscious Party
Grandma’s Sports Garden
Wristband required • 21+
10pm
LadySlipper
Prøve Gallery
Free • 21+
10pm
Willie Diction
Dubh Linn Irish Pub
Free • 21+
10:45pm
Devil’s Flying Machine
Grandma’s Sports Garden
Wristband required • 21+
11pm
RoofTop Fable
Dubh Linn Irish Pub
Free • 21+
11pm
Adam Sippola
Lake Avenue Restaurant & Bar
Wristband required • 21+
11:45pm
Bratwurst
Grandma’s Sports Garden
Wristband required • 21+
12am
Borderstone
Dubh Linn Irish Pub
Free • 21+
12am
Nur Jehan Chishti
Lake Avenue Restaurant & Bar
Wristband required • 21+
Wednesday, April 29
6pm
Circuit Breakers
Clyde Iron Works – Mezzanine
Free • 21+
7pm
Big Wave Dave and the Ripples
Clyde Iron Works – Main Stage
Wristband required • 21+
7:30pm
Pale in Comparison
Beaner’s Central
Wristband required • All ages
8pm
Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra
Clyde Iron Works – Main Stage
Wristband required • 21+
8:30pm
Gin Street
Beaner’s Central
Wristband required • All ages
9:30pm
Trampled by Turtles
Clyde Iron Works – Main Stage
Wristband required • 21+
9:30pm
Vitamin Death
Beaner’s Central
Wristband required • All ages
10pm
Israel Malachi
Players Sports Bar
Wristband required • 21+
10:15pm
The Ball Slashers
Kom-on-Inn
Wristband required • 21+
10:30pm
Chasm of Czar
Mr. D’s Bar & Grill
Wristband required • 21+
10:45pm
The Brothers Burn Mountain
Clyde Iron Works – Mezzanine
Free • 21+
10:45pm
Dan Dresser
Gopher Restaurant & Lounge
Wristband required • 21+
11pm
Virgil Caine Band
Players Sports Bar
Wristband required • 21+
11:15pm
Markus J. Dandy and the Complete Lack Thereof
Kom-on-Inn
Wristband required • 21+
11:30pm
American Rebels
Mr. D’s Bar & Grill
Wristband required • 21+
11:45pm
Lake Monster
Clyde Iron Works – Mezzanine
Free • 21+
11:45pm
Iron Range Outlaw Brigade
Gopher Restaurant & Lounge
Wristband required • 21+
12am
Todd Eckart
Players Sports Bar
Wristband required • 21+
12:15am
The Aurora Baer Band
Kom-on-Inn
Wristband required • 21+
12:30am
Glitteratti
Mr. D’s Bar & Grill
Wristband required • 21+
12:45am
The JBM Band
Gopher Restaurant & Lounge
Wristband required • 21+
Thursday, April 30
6pm
Bliss
Red Mug Coffeehouse
Free • All ages
6:30pm
Lee Lah Sohn
The Spirit Room
Free • 21+
6:45pm
Gaelynn Lea
Jefferson People’s House
Free • All ages
7pm
Christine Hoberg
Red Mug Coffeehouse
Free • All ages
7:30pm
Starling of Athens
The Spirit Room
Free • 21+
7:45pm
Chris and Mark
Jefferson People’s House
Free • All ages
8pm
Maintenance Free
Red Mug Coffeehouse
Free • All ages
8:30pm
Group Too
The Spirit Room
Free • 21+
9pm
Steve Johnson
Chester Creek Café Wine Bar
Free • 21+
9pm
Dirty Horse
Tower Avenue Tavern
Wristband required • 21+
9:30pm
A Winter Downpour
Norm’s Beer & Brats
Wristband required • 21+
9:45pm
Songs of Shipwreck
Thirsty Pagan Brewing
Wristband required • 21+
10pm
Ann Kathryn Loop
Chester Creek Café Wine Bar
Free • 21+
10pm
Low Forms
Tower Avenue Tavern
Wristband required • 21+
10pm
The People Say Fox
Reef Bar
Wristband required • 21+
10:15pm
Supreme Rokka Hi-Fi
The Main Club
Wristband required • 21+
10:15pm
Mr. Kickass
Superior Flame Nightclub
Free • 21+
10:30pm
Kristy Marie and the Forget Me Nots
Norm’s Beer & Brats
Wristband required • 21+
10:30pm
Horse & Rider
Vintage Italian Pizza
Free • 21+
10:45pm
Bill Flannagan’s Blue Cabooze
Thirsty Pagan Brewing
Wristband required • 21+
11pm
Abe Curran & the Blue Rooster
Tower Avenue Tavern
Wristband required • 21+
11pm
Black River Revue
Reef Bar
Wristband required • 21+
11:15pm
The Keep Aways
The Main Club
Wristband required • 21+
11:15pm
Hannah Rey
Superior Flame Nightclub
Free • 21+
11:30pm
Charlie Parr
Norm’s Beer & Brats
Wristband required • 21+
11:30pm
Gold Star Junkies
Vintage Italian Pizza
Free • 21+
11:45pm
Silverback Colony
Thirsty Pagan Brewing
Wristband required • 21+
12am
The Crunchy Bunch
Reef Bar
Wristband required • 21+
12:15am
The Social Disaster
The Main Club
Wristband required • 21+
12:15am
J.J. Lawrence
Superior Flame Nightclub
Free • 21+
12:30am
The Legendary Hell Puppies
Vintage Italian Pizza
Free • 21+
Friday, May 1
6pm
The Slamming Doors
Beaner’s Central
Wristband required • All ages
6:15pm
Paper Parlor
Amazing Grace Bakery & Café
Free • All ages
6:15pm
Ariane Norrgard, Emma Deaner & Rachel Gobin
Teatro Zuccone
Wristband required • All ages
6:45pm
Holy Hootenanners
The Underground
Wristband required • All ages
7pm
Biochemical Characters
Beaner’s Central
Wristband required • All ages
7:15pm
Potluck Communists
Amazing Grace Bakery & Café
Free • All ages
7:15pm
Portrait of a Drowned Man
Teatro Zuccone
Wristband required • All ages
7:45pm
Sing! A Women’s Chorus
The Underground
Wristband required • All ages
8pm
Ian Alexy and the Deserters
Beaner’s Central
Wristband required • All ages
8pm
Accipiter, Buteo
DTA Trolley
Free • All ages
8:15pm
Heart’s Bane
Amazing Grace Bakery & Café
Free • All ages
8:15pm
The Blasphemists
Teatro Zuccone
Wristband required • All ages
8:30pm
Rick McLean
Legacy Glassworks
Free • All ages
8:30pm
Ryan Van Slooten
Red Herring Lounge
Wristband required • 21+
8:45pm
Nordic Angst
The Underground
Wristband required • All ages
9pm
Jeffrey James O’Loughlin
DTA Trolley
Free • All ages
9pm
Emily Jayne
Sir Benedict’s Tavern
Free • All ages
9:15pm
Teague Alexy & the Ill Contingent
Fitger’s Brewhouse
Free • 21+
9:30pm
The Moon Is Down
Legacy Glassworks
Free • All ages
9:30pm
Fearless Moral Inventory
Red Herring Lounge
Wristband required • 21+
10pm
Déjà vu Drifters
Sir Benedict’s Tavern
Free • All ages
10pm
Timothy Martin & the New Norm
R. T. Quinlan’s Saloon
Wristband required • 21+
10pm
Strictly Hammers
Dubh Linn
Free • 21+
10pm
Duluth Dolls
Rex Bar
Wristband required • 21+
10:15pm
Morrow
Fitger’s Brewhouse
Free • 21+
10:15pm
Reflectivore
Red Star Lounge
Wristband required • 21+
10:30pm
The Fabulous D-Bags
Legacy Glassworks
Free • All ages
10:30pm
Dead End Friends
Red Herring Lounge
Wristband required • 21+
10:30pm
The Good Colonels
Tycoons Alehouse
Wristband required • 21+
10:30pm
Retribution Gospel Choir
Pizza Lucé
Wristband required • 21+
10:45pm
Charity and Good Wills
Lake Avenue Restaurant & Bar
Wristband required • 21+
11pm
The Adjustments
Sir Benedict’s Tavern
Free • All ages
11pm
Father Hennepin
R. T. Quinlan’s Saloon
Wristband required • 21+
11pm
Space Carpet
Dubh Linn
Free • 21+
11pm
Sweat Equity
Rex Bar
Wristband required • 21+
11:15pm
The Fiasco
Fitger’s Brewhouse
Free • 21+
11:15pm
Dead Skull
Red Star Lounge
Wristband required • 21+
11:30pm
The Fontanelles
Tycoons Alehouse
Wristband required • 21+
11:30pm
Mary Bue
Pizza Lucé
Wristband required • 21+
11:45pm
De Se
Lake Avenue Restaurant & Bar
Wristband required • 21+
12am
The Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank
R. T. Quinlan’s Saloon
Wristband required • 21+
12am
Revolution Jones
Dubh Linn
Free • 21+
12am
Southwire
Rex Bar
Wristband required • 21+
12:15am
Ire Wolves
Red Star Lounge
Wristband required • 21+
12:30am
The Silk Sheiks
Tycoons Alehouse
Wristband required • 21+
12:30am
Wolf Blood
Pizza Lucé
Wristband required • 21+
Saturday, May 2
10am
Maddy Siiter
Chester Creek Café Wine Bar
Free • All ages
10:30am
Rock ’n’ Run
Chester Bowl Park
Free • All ages
11am
The Anatomy of …
Chester Creek Café Wine Bar
Free • All ages
12pm
Homegrown Kickball Classic
Chester Bowl Park
Free • All ages
3pm
Classical Music Showcase
Sacred Heart
Wristband required • All ages
6pm
Frances & Luke
Beaner’s Central
Wristband required • All ages
6:15pm
Brian Dack
Amazing Grace Bakery & Café
Free • All ages
6:15pm
Lion or Gazelle
Teatro Zuccone
Wristband required • All ages
6:45pm
Robot Rickshaw
The Underground
Wristband required • All ages
7pm
Sarah Krueger
Beaner’s Central
Wristband required • All ages
7:15pm
Vivielle
Amazing Grace Bakery & Café
Free • All ages
7:15pm
Emily Haavik
Teatro Zuccone
Wristband required • All ages
7:45pm
Big Science
The Underground
Wristband required • All ages
7:45pm
Tribal Alchemie featuring Yabobo Drummers
Minnesota Power Plaza
Free • All ages
8pm
Rich Mattson & The Northstars
Beaner’s Central
Wristband required • All ages
8pm
The Peg Leg Howlers
DTA Trolley
Free • All ages
8:15pm
T. Dack
Amazing Grace Bakery & Café
Free • All ages
8:15pm
Portage
Teatro Zuccone
Wristband required • All ages
8:30pm
Phantom Ship
Legacy Glassworks
Free • All ages
8:45pm
The Murder of Crows
The Underground
Wristband required • All ages
8:45pm
The Spin Collective
Minnesota Power Plaza
Free • All ages
8:45pm
The Bottle Jockeys
Red Herring Lounge
Wristband required • 21+
9pm
Josh Nickila
DTA Trolley
Free • All ages
9pm
Marquis Mark and the Very Mysterious
Sir Benedict’s Tavern
Free • All ages
9:15pm
Al Church
Fitger’s Brewhouse
Free • 21+
9:30pm
Steven Gold
Legacy Glassworks
Free • All ages
9:45pm
DJ Nola
Red Herring Lounge
Wristband required • 21+
9:45pm
Preston Gunderson
Spurs on First
Wristband required • 21+
10pm
Chase Down Blue
Sir Benedict’s Tavern
Free • All ages
10pm
Dad’s Acid
R. T. Quinlan’s Saloon
Wristband required • 21+
10pm
The Formal Age
Rex Bar
Wristband required • 21+
10:15pm
The Gentleman’s Anti-Temperance League
Fitger’s Brewhouse
Free • 21+
10:15pm
Danecdote
Duluth Flame Nightclub
Free • 21+
10:15pm
Attitude Era
Red Star Lounge
Wristband required • 21+
10:30pm
DJ Delgado
Legacy Glassworks
Free • All ages
10:30pm
Breanne Marie & the Front Porch Sinners
Tycoons Alehouse
Wristband required • 21+
10:30pm
Phillip of Nazareth
Pizza Lucé
Wristband required • 21+
10:45pm
Fred Tyson and His Tysonettes
Red Herring Lounge
Wristband required • 21+
10:45pm
Branditos
Spurs on First
Wristband required • 21+
10:45pm
Superior Siren
Lake Avenue Restaurant & Bar
Wristband required • 21+
11pm
Average Mammals
Sir Benedict’s Tavern
Free • All ages
11pm
Man on the Moon
R. T. Quinlan’s Saloon
Wristband required • 21+
11pm
Toby Thomas Churchill
Rex Bar
Wristband required • 21+
11:15pm
Coyote
Fitger’s Brewhouse
Free • 21+
11:15pm
The Horror
Duluth Flame Nightclub
Free • 21+
11:15pm
Timmy Jacks Off
Red Star Lounge
Wristband required • 21+
11:30pm
Two Beat Band
Tycoons Alehouse
Wristband required • 21+
11:30pm
Low-Hi Funk
Pizza Lucé
Wristband required • 21+
11:45pm
Medford
Spurs on First
Wristband required • 21+
11:45pm
Bryan Olds
Lake Avenue Restaurant & Bar
Wristband required • 21+
12am
Tin Can Gin
R. T. Quinlan’s Saloon
Wristband required • 21+
12am
The Black-eyed Snakes
Rex Bar
Wristband required • 21+
12:15am
The Electric Witch
Duluth Flame Nightclub
Free • 21+
12:15am
Jaw Knee Vee
Red Star Lounge
Wristband required • 21+
12:30am
Red Mountain
Tycoons Alehouse
Wristband required • 21+
12:30am
Actual Wolf
Pizza Lucé
Wristband required • 21+
Sunday, May 3
11am
Pushing Chain
Pizza Lucé
Free • All ages
12pm
Mel Annala
Pizza Lucé
Free • All ages
12pm
Homegrown Music Video Festival (Second Encore)
Red Herring Lounge
Free • All ages
1:30pm
Dance Attic
Canal Park Brewing Co.
Free • 21+
2:30pm
Feeding LeRoy
Canal Park Brewing Co.
Free • 21+
3:30pm
A Band Called Truman
Canal Park Brewing Co.
Free • 21+
* * *
Come on and take a free ride
Homegrown is once again offering free shuttle service via a handsome trolley replica bus on Friday and Saturday nights from 7 p.m. until 1 a.m. The generous sponsorship of the Duluth Transit Authority and Greater Downtown Council make this possible.
The Homegrown Trolley will operate in Downtown Duluth on Superior Street between Sixth Avenue West and Eighth Avenue East, serving venue locations every 20 minutes. It will stop at the Fitger’s Brewery Complex, Teatro Zuccone, Tycoons Alehouse, Pizza Lucé, Dubh Linn Irish Pub, R.T. Quinlan’s Saloon and the Underground.
There will be musicians performing on the bus both nights, from 8 to 10 p.m.
* * *
Homegrown Venues
Amazing Grace Bakery & Café
394 S. Lake Ave.
(218) 723-0075
amazinggraceduluth.com
Bakery and café in basement of DeWitt-Seitz Marketplace in Duluth’s Canal Park. All ages permitted; free admission.
Beaner’s Central
324 N. Central Ave.
(218) 624-5957
beanerscentral.com
Coffee shop in West Duluth with beer and wine. All ages permitted; paid admission required.
Bent Paddle Brewing Company
1912 W. Michigan St.
(218) 279-2722
bentpaddlebrewing.com
Brewery and tap room in the Duluth’s friendly West End. Must be 21 or older; free admission.
Canal Park Brewing Co.
300 Canal Park Drive
(218) 464-4790
canalparkbrewery.com
Restaurant and brewery in Duluth’s Canal Park. Must be 21 or older; free admission.
Carmody Irish Pub
308 E. Superior St.
(218) 740-4747
carmodyirishpub.com
Irish-themed brew pub in Downtown Duluth hosting Sunday-night Pub Quiz. Must be 21 or older; free admission.
Chester Bowl Park
1801 E. Skyline Parkway
(218) 724-9832
chesterbowl.org
Homegrown Kickball Classic held on large field at end of roadway through park. If conditions are exceptionally wet, check Homegrown website to make sure game hasn’t been moved to alternate location.
Chester Creek Café Wine Bar
1902 E. Eighth St.
(218) 723-8569
astccc.net
The restaurant inside Taran’s Marketplace in Duluth’s Chester Park neighborhood has a wine bar that hosts Thursday night and Saturday morning shows. Must be 21 or older; admission is free.
Clyde Iron Works
2920 W. Michigan St.
(218) 727-1150
clydeironworks.com
Former hoist-and-crane manufacturing plant in Duluth’s friendly West End; now a restaurant, bar and concert venue. Must be 21 or older; weeklong pass required for shows in main hall, but upstairs mezzanine shows are free.
Dubh Linn Irish Pub
109 W. Superior St.
(218) 727-1559
dubhlinnpub.com
Irish-themed pub in Downtown Duluth. Must be 21 or older; free admission.
Duluth Flame Nightclub
28 N. First Ave. W.
(218) 727-2344
duluthflame.com
GLBT-friendly dance club in Downtown Duluth. Must be 21 or older; free admission.
Duluth Transit Authority Trolley
Cruising Superior Street
(218) 722-7283
duluthtransit.com
The DTA’s trolley replica bus will be providing shuttle service to venues on Friday and Saturday night, with live music on board from 8 to 10 p.m. All ages permitted; free admission.
Fitger’s Brewhouse
600 E. Superior St.
(218) 279-2739
fitgersbrewhouse.com
Award-winning brew pub and restaurant on eastern edge of Downtown Duluth in Fitger’s Brewery Complex. Must be 21 or older; free admission.
Gopher Restaurant & Lounge
402 N. Central Ave.
(218) 624-9793
Spacious bar and restaurant in heart of West Duluth. Must be 21 or older; paid admission required.
Grandma’s Sports Garden
425 S. Lake Ave.
(218) 722-4724
grandmasrestaurants.com
Giant nightclub/restaurant in Canal Park. Must be 21 or older; paid admission required.
Jefferson People’s House
12 S. 15th Ave. E.
(218) 481-7268
jeffersonpeopleshouse.com
Tiny worker-owned cooperative bookstore and café that serves as a progressive-politics meeting site and place to eat toast. All ages permitted; free admission.
Kom-on-Inn
332 N. 57th Ave. W.
(218) 624-3385
West Duluth’s oldest drinking establishment, with the finest ambiance. Must be 21 or older; paid admission required.
Lake Avenue Restaurant and Bar
394 S. Lake Ave.
(218) 722-2355
lakeavenuerestaurantandbar.com
Restaurant and bar in Duluth’s Canal Park. Must be 21 or older; paid admission required.
Legacy Glassworks
32 W. First St.
(218) 720-0747
legacyglassworks.com
Glass-blowing shop in Downtown Duluth. All ages permitted; free admission.
The Main Club
1217 Tower Ave.
(715) 392-1756
mainclubsuperior.com
GLBT club in Superior. Must be 21 or older; paid admission required.
Minnesota Power Plaza
14 W. Superior St.
Also known as “Lake Superior Plaza” or “People’s Power Plaza,” the tiny park at the corner of Lake Avenue and Superior Street in Downtown Duluth is the place to see fire-spinning and belly dancing on Saturday night. All ages permitted; free admission.
Mr. D’s Bar & Grill
5622 Grand Ave.
(218) 624-4178
The unofficial city hall of West Duluth. Must be 21 or older; paid admission required.
Norm’s Beer & Brats
1901 Broadway Street
(715) 394-9689
Music is upstairs at this two-level bar in Superior. Must be 21 or older; paid admission required.
Pizza Lucé
11 E. Superior St.
(218) 727-7400
pizzaluce.com
Restaurant/bar in Duluth Technology Village. Must be 21 or older; paid admission required on Friday and Saturday; Sunday shows are free.
Players Sports Bar
4024 Grand Ave.
(218) 624-7974
Walk into the front door of this West Duluth bar and you will practically be on stage. Must be 21 or older; paid admission required.
Prøve Gallery
21 N. Lake Ave.
(612) 205-6174
provegallery.com
Experimental art gallery in Downtown Duluth. All ages permitted; free admission.
Red Herring Lounge
208 E. First St.
(218) 481-7318
redherringlounge.com
New “artist-friendly” drinking establishment in Downtown Duluth. Must be 21 or older; paid admission required.
Red Mug Coffeehouse
916 Hammond Ave.
(715) 392-2662
redmugcoffee.com
Coffee shop with beer and wine, located in the Trade and Commerce Marketplace in Superior. All ages permitted; free admission.
Red Star Lounge
600 E. Superior St.
(218) 727-7827
redstarclub.us
Nightclub featuring Brewhouse beer and specialty cocktails, located in Fitger’s Brewery Complex. Must be 21 or older; paid admission required for weekend shows, free on Monday.
Reef Bar
2002 London Road
(218) 724-9845
Drinking establishment in eastern Duluth’s Endion neighborhood. Must be 21 or older; paid admission required.
Rex Bar at Fitger’s
600 E. Superior St.
(218) 733-3090
Nightclub in basement of Fitger’s Brewery Complex. Must be 21 or older; paid admission required.
R. T. Quinlan’s Saloon
220 W. Superior St.
(218) 722-3573
Old-school bar across from the Holiday Center in Downtown Duluth. Must be 21 or older; paid admission required.
Sacred Heart Music Center
201 W. Fourth St.
(218) 723-1895
sacredheartmusic.org
Former cathedral in Duluth’s Central Hillside neighborhood; home of Sacred Heart Recording Studio and historic Felgemaker organ. All ages permitted; paid admission required.
Sir Benedict’s Tavern on the Lake
805 E. Superior St.
(218) 728-1192
sirbens.com
Restaurant and bar at the eastern edge of Downtown Duluth. All ages permitted; free admission.
The Spirit Room
1323 Broadway St.
(715) 817-4775
spirit-room.com
New upscale drinking establishment with tapas menu, located in Trade and Commerce Marketplace in Superior. Must be 21 or older; free admission.
Spurs on First
109 W. First St.
(218) 491-7110
Duluth’s only country/western bar. Must be 21 or older; paid admission required.
Superior Flame Nightclub
1612 Tower Ave.
(715) 395-0101
superiorflame.com
Happening little gay bar in Superior. Must be 21 or older; free admission.
Teatro Zuccone
222 E. Superior St.
(218) 336-1414
teatrozuccone.com
Black-box theater in Zeitgeist Arts Building, Downtown Duluth. All ages permitted; paid admission required for weekend shows; free on Sunday.
Thirsty Pagan Brewing
1623 Broadway St.
(715) 394-2500
thirstypaganbrewing.com
Microbrewery and pizza restaurant in Superior. Must be 21 or older; paid admission required.
Tower Avenue Tavern
405 Tower Ave.
(715) 392-0484
Drinking establishment in Superior. Must be 21 or older; paid admission required.
Tycoons Alehouse
132 E. Superior St.
(218) 623-1889
tycoonsalehouse.com
Restaurant and micro-brew outlet serving Fitger’s Brewhouse beer out of Duluth’s former city hall and jail. Must be 21 or older; paid admission required for weekend shows, Sunday night is free.
The Underground
506 W. Michigan St.
(218) 733-7555
duluthunderground.org
Satellite theater of the Duluth Playhouse tucked in basement of Duluth Depot. All ages permitted; paid admission required for Friday and Saturday, Monday poetry reading is free.
Vintage Italian Pizza
1201 Tower Ave.
(715) 392-5555
vintageitalianpizza.com
Pizza joint in the heart of Superior’s North End. Must be 21 or older; free admission.
Zinema 2
222 E. Superior St.
(218) 722-7300
zinema2.com
Two-screen movie house in Zeitgeist Arts Building hosting the Homegrown Music Video Festival on Monday and Tuesday. All ages permitted; paid admission required.
* * *
Sunday, April 26 – Sunday, May 4, 2015
Homegrown Music Festival Band Profiles
Accipiter, Buteo
8pm Fri 5/1 | DTA Trolley
No doubt multi-instrumentalist Raphael Tiller is frequently asked about the name of his indie-rock folk band. Tiller, who had previously performed under the name Cancer Romancer, switched to Accipiter (hawk) Buteo (buzzard) after his father, a bird lover, passed away from cancer. “Accipiters are small and quick, buteos are large and slow, representing the dichotomy of how life (and my mind) work,” he says. Tiller’s been playing music around town since 2003 and spent the better part of 2014 recording his Neil-Young-and-Modest-Mouse-inspired sound in his living room. His four full-length albums are available on Bandcamp.
Actual Wolf
12:30am Sat 5/2 | Pizza Lucé
Actual Wolf, aka the dude with the red glasses, blends the grit and soul of country music with the rhythm of rock and the twang of Americana. Eric Pollard is the actual Actual Wolf, holding down lead vocals and guitar. He’s backed by bassist Steve Garrington, guitarists Jake Hanson and Erik Koskinen, and drummer Jeremy Hanson. Together they perfectly capture the feeling of small-town, dusty gravel road, tattered, down-and-out country rock with longing, soulful lyrics and distinctive guitar for songs that resonate long after they’ve ended.
The Adjustments
11pm Fri 5/1 | Sir Benedict’s
The Adjustments have adjusted well to life as a four-member blues/rock band in the Twin Ports, playing frequently around Duluth and on the Range. Drummer Charles Lattimore and guitar player Tim Nelson support the vocal harmonies of keyboardist Alex Nelson and lead singer Justin Lofquist. Near the end of last summer, they became the first band to play during breaks at Duluth Huskies home games at Wade Stadium. They released their first album, Volume One, in 2013 and have been busy since last fall writing and recording Volume Two, hoping to have it ready in time for Homegrown.
Agassiz Oscillation Ensemble
10pm Sun 4/26 | Pizza Lucé
To call Allen Killian-Moore a drummer/vocalist would be like calling a Long Island iced tea a refreshment; it’s a little more complicated than that. More of a spoken word drone vendor, he guides string instrumentalists Skyler Hawkins, Lee Peterson and Cyrus Pireh though full sets of experimental orchestrated sibilation. And to simply call them guitarists wouldn’t be fair to the sound they create around Killian-Moore’s brush work. Hawkins uses a bow across and electrified banjo like a haunted fiddle, Peterson employs a full box of feedback trickery, and Pireh is an internationally renown musical vanguard.
Ian Alexy and the Deserters
8pm Fri 5/1 | Beaner’s Central
After spending more than a decade releasing solo acoustic albums and playing with his brother Teague in folk-reggae group the Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank, Ian Alexy has put together a new band inspired by the classic 1980s rock he grew up on. Enter the Deserters: Dave Mehling on keys, Mike Cini on drums and Johnnie Timm on bass to accompany Alexy’s worldly vocals and easy guitar work. Taking cues from album-oriented rock artists such as Tom Petty, Neil Young and the Pretenders, this quartet adds a Midnight Special type of groove to Homegrown.
Teague Alexy & the Ill Contingent
9:15pm Fri 5/1 | Fitger’s Brewhouse
Best known for his work in the Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank, Teague Alexy has also performed with a variety of backing bands over the years. The Ill Contingent combines Alexy’s roots-rock guitar, harp and vocals with the veteran musicianship of guitarists Jeremy Ehlert and Jason Wussow, bassist Veikko Lepisto and drummer Tyler Dubla. Parts of the Ill Contingent have backed up, shared gigs and collaborated with Alexy for years, so the songs find a perfect mixture of folk-rock formula and jam-band improvisation. Members Wussow and Lepisto of the ska band Wood Blind worked with Alexy on a seven-inch record released in January, which featured a reworking of Alexy’s “Working Man’s Song.”
American Rebels
11:30pm Wed 4/29 | Mr. D’s
These four musical zealots make up parts of seven other current bands (not to mention dozens of bygone groups). When they get together as American Rebels, the pieces fit like a perfect rock and roll storm. Bob Olson’s electric guitar wizardry slides through, over, under and around Kyle MacLean’s passionate alt-rock vocals and raucous songwriting like an atonal cyclone. It’s the unflinching drums and bass of Scott Millis and Heather Dean, however, that keeps the thing hinged tight. Look for a television appearance on The PlayList around the time of Homegrown and a new album in the summer.
The Anatomy of …
11am Sat 5/2 | Chester Creek Café
Here’s to the magic of open stages. How many cool groups originated on these random nights where amateur performers get 10 minutes to hone their craft in front of small crowds of fellow musicians? This duo is a perfect example. Stand-up bassist Nick Glass approached guitarist/vocalist Dan Smith after such a night in 2011 hoping to combine creative forces. Ensuing jams developed organically with Smith’s poetic lyrics and soft strumming being fleshed-out with Glass’ deep rhythms. Three years later, after a string of shows on stages big and small, they’ve released a beautifully stark 10-song self-titled album.
Mark Anderson Trio
7pm Sun 4/26 | Teatro Zuccone
Hopefully, Homegrown 2015 can give jazz guitarist Mark Anderson a much needed mental break. This past winter his family lost its home to a fire. So if nothing else, festival attendees can show some love by checking out and celebrating this classy, amicable group. Anderson, along with drummer Marvin Pomeroy and John Thorene on bass, have been friendly musical staples in the Twin Ports for the past 30 years. When together as a trio, they’ve brought lively (and sometimes hilarious) jazz interpretations of rock standards and a handful of Latin-music-inspired originals to pub crowds across the region.
Mel Annala
12pm Sun 5/3 | Pizza Lucé
Mel Annala grew up in West Duluth and learned his first chords when his brother Bob received a Stella guitar for Christmas in 1963. Bob didn’t find time to play it, but Mel did, playing casually in a variety of bands over the decades that followed. Since 2006 he’s been traveling the region with his acoustic guitar, playing traditional folk songs, classic country tunes and the occasional rock number.
Attitude Era
10:15pm Sat 5/2 | Red Star Lounge
Guitarist Casey Corcoran and drummer Mike Wilson began casually playing music together a few years ago. Eventually, singer Sonja Clemenson, bassist Josh Swanson and guitarist Gabe Naughton joined forces with them to form the house-punk rock band Attitude Era. Since turning their jam sessions into a legit band last fall, they have played half-a-dozen shows around town and are in the process of recording their first demo.
Average Mammals
11pm Sat 5/2 | Sir Benedict’s
When one high-school garage band, featuring Darnea Olson and Josh Lubovich, joined forces with another high-school garage band, featuring Grant Hagen and Ryan Mulner, the Indie-rock punk group Average Mammals was born. The four-piece has been playing its original experimental brand of music since 2011, starting in Hibbing and expanding to the Twin Ports and across the Midwest. Their latest album, Life Under the Influence, was recorded in Pasadena, Calif., in 2013 and released in 2014.
The Aurora Baer Band
12:15a.m. Wed 4/29 | Kom-on-Inn
Aurora Baer has been frequenting stages around the region for several years now. Her heartfelt songs are soulfully sung to the strumming of a guitar as they cut into you like a Bowie knife soaked in moonshine. Baer brings new dimensions to her Americana music with the accompaniment of upright bassist Mark Glen and electric fiddle virtuoso T. Bruce Bowers. A self-titled six-song EP will be available soon.
The Ball Slashers
10:15 Wed 4/29 | Kom-on-Inn
The Ball Slashers is a no-nonsense punk-rock band — crunchy and noisy, influenced by classic rock, garage rock, hardcore and metal. Guitarist Joe Ulvi and crew work hard to put on a killer show. Pete Biasi thumps the bass, Jason Watt screams the lyrics and Erik Freitag brings the cascading drums from the back. They do it all with a nod to anyone obsessed with stabbing exercise balls for sexual gratification.
A Band Called Truman
3:30pm Sun 5/3 | Canal Park Brewing
A Band Called Truman is an eight-member rock band that plays original music and twisted covers of everything from Joe Cocker to the Cure. Frontman Leon Rohrbaugh is a musical jack-of-all-trades who has deployed any number of musical gizmos during his numerous Homegrown performances over the years. Drums, bass, congas, bongos, kazoos, didgeridoos, schmidgeridoos, beer flutes — if it makes music, Rohrbaugh plays it. So it makes sense his current group incorporates a vast menagerie of styles. This coterie of veteran members includes Tom Wilkowske on bass, Chris Modec-Havlerson on drums and Jim Pospisil on keyboard, with a horn ensemble made up of Jess Olson, Kirby Wood, Dale Schimmin and Mina Hubert.
Batteries
9:30pm Sun 4/26 | Tycoons
Batteries is a group of rather ubiquitous long-time local musicians. The band has recorded two albums — That Great Grandsuck of the Sea, and You’re So Excited. “Our music has some variety to it,” says guitarist Dave Frankenfeld, “from ’50’s-inspired doo-wop garage-pop and Pixies-style alt-rock, to texture-driven shanties from the abyss.” He’s backed by guitarist Greg Cougar Conley, bassist Bryon Gaynor and drummer Scott Millis. Members have been busy this past year on other projects such as Low Forms, American Rebels and Wino WI, so Batteries has kept a relatively low profile of late. Plans for 2015 involve working on a five-song EP and playing “more casino gigs and supper clubs.”
Big Science
7:45pm Sat 5/2 | The Underground
These ambient all-stars sound off as a local who’s-who of experimental music. Twin Ports crowds should be well acquainted with the power tool feedback butchery of Bratwurst’s Tyler Scouton and Chris Modec-Halverson. Tim Kaiser has created musical science since the early 1980s. Aaron Molina and Christian McShane pretty much put Duluth drone music on the map with their early 2000s group If Thousands. Throw them together on a stage full of gadgets, inventions, synthesizers and bass guitars and it’s downright scientific. “We use super science to create cosmic outer space music from space,” says Kaiser.
Big Wave Dave and the Ripples
7pm Wed 4/29 | Clyde Iron Works
Those ready to get on up and shake their moneymakers need look no further than Big Wave Dave and the Ripples. The members of this nine-piece band have brought the soul and funk to Duluth since 2010. Vocalist and trumpet player “Big Wave” Dave Adams, guitarist Peter Knutson, bassist Alex Piazza, drummer Dave Mennes, trumpeter David Rode, tenor saxophonist Steve Rogers, trombonist Alex Nordehn, baritone saxophonist Matt Wasmund and backing vocalist Shannon Kroenke get crowds moving with a mix of songs by James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Eddie Floyd and their own funky beats. A music video for the song “Real Thing” was released in February.
Biochemical Characters
7pm Fri 5/1 | Beaner’s Central
Once described as “the missing link between Sister Rosetta Tharpe and the Rolling Stones,” Biochemical Characters have recently shed their aggressive Americana style to embrace the more optimistic sounds of “boreal spiritual music.” Frontman and bassist Michael Gabler defines the style as being “characterized by driving guitar, vivacious rhythms and hand-holding harmonies that leave the listener singing, dancing and a little more hopeful.” Jay Sandal and Jay Walker maintain the jangly, driving guitar leads and drum beats, respectively, joining with Gabler to incorporate bluegrass-inspired harmonies and lyrics into the band’s new sound. The trio recently completed work on an album of said boreal spirituals. Fun facts: Biochemical Characters are also responsible for the Harbor City Roller Dames theme song and penned the anthem for the One Vegetable, One Community initiative.
Black Diary
11pm Sun 4/26 | Pizza Lucé
Black Diary combines Tasha Turk’s classical training and the folk/pop backgrounds of Sophie Turk and Rachel Phoenix with their collective love for hymns and gospel music to create an eclectic sound with a girl-group aesthetic. Stretched over the skeletal frame of Jesse Hoheisel’s varied guitar styles and tones, Black Diary creates deep, synchronized, three-part harmonies that highlight the poetic lyricism of the collaborators.
The Black-eyed Snakes
12am Sat 5/2 | Rex Bar
Oh sure, these guys play in some pretty fantastic other groups — like Low, the Boomchucks, American Rebels, Prince Paul and the Conscious Party, etc. — but nobody brings it to the table like the the Black-eyed Snakes. Their psychedelic blues style could arguably be held responsible for at least five or six of the most intense, sweaty, out-of-body performances in Homegrown history. And finally, rumors of a long overdue third album featuring guitarists “Chickenbone George” Al Sparhawk, “Big House” Bobby Olson and percussionists “Smokin’” Brad Nelson and Bryan “Lefty” Johnson have begun to surface.
Black River Revue
11pm Thurs 4/30 | Rex Bar
The bluegrass band Black River Revue has stomped all over Wisconsin and Minnesota since the 2014 release of its second album, Spring Thaw. Adam Stariha leads the group on guitar and vocals, pairing up with Nate Hynum on mandolin. Violinist Kailyn Spencer packs a bluegrassy punch along with Tim Leutgeb on banjo. Ian Kvale adds an interesting element to the band’s sound with electric bass, and Joe Berg is the icing on the bluegrass cake with washboard, spoons and other percussion. Black River Revue typically delivers a mix of traditional bluegrass music with its own twist, along with original music from its two albums of material.
The Blasphemists
8:15pm Fri 5/1 | Teatro Zuccone
Despite the fact that all four band members have had babies in the past year and a half, this rock/blues/punk band got kicked out of its former practice space, a re-usable diaper and baby-clothing store. The Blasphemists now practice in guitarist/vocalist Adam Sundberg’s chiropractic clinic, preparing for shows that typically include trashcan-banging and glass-shattering. Sundberg and Joshua Herbert rarely wear shirts while playing guitar and singing at Homegrown. Neither do Anthony Schaefer on bass (rumored to have the best legs in the band) nor vocalist Steve Hamlin on drums. They often invite the crowd in on their antics. Anything could happen.
Bliss
6pm Thurs 4/30 | Red Mug
David Kittelson considers himself to be a professional drifter, having spent most of the past year traveling around the country sleeping in vans, playing shows and promoting his music. He has been performing in the Twin Ports for over 12 years as a hip-hop artist and co-founder of the bands Kritical Kontact and Modern Gentlemen, and as the solo act Bliss. He released an alternative hip-hop, psychedelic, sci-fi, electro-pop record last year, The Most Important Things in Life are Invisible, and is currently building up material for another one. He will be releasing new videos from his 2014 album in the coming year.
Boku Frequency
8:30pm Sunday 4/26 | Tycoons
Not many bands can lay claim to being “house band” at the Red Lion Bar. Still fewer can say they survived that notoriously rough saloon long enough to regularly perform even today. In fact, Boku Frequency might be the only one still intact. And God love ’em for reminding people what those smoky, ill-fated, incredibly fun nights were like before it closed down in 2007. Though they’ve added musical virtuoso Leo “Psycho Capone” to drums, the psychedelic funk and soulful rock music created by guitarist Terry “Redeye Dread” Gums and bassist Thomas “Too Sharp” Harris has thankfully not changed much.
The Boomchucks
11pm Mon 4/27 | Rex Bar
Formed in 2008, the Boomchucks folk-rock stylings are deeply rooted in Duluth’s music scene, making the duo somewhat of a staple to the great Zenith City. Led by songsmith Jamie Ness on guitar and lead vocals, drummer Brad Nelson drives their tunes into a foot-stomping rhythm that pulls people out of their seats and on to the dance floor. They recently finished recording their sophomore album, Antidote, which should hopefully be hot off the press by the time they hit the Homegrown stage.
Borderstone
12am Tues 4/28 | Dubh Linn
Purist fans of low-fi American traditional bluegrass will relate to Borderstone. Hearkening back to a simpler time, when families gathered around the radio on Saturday night to hear the wonders of live music being performed on a stage in Nashville, these five musicians have successfully captured the magic of that sound. Borderstone began in 2012 as a guitar-and-mandolin duo featuring Ryan Morgen and Nicholas Klee. While honing their skills as instrumentalists and singers, they found themselves wanting for a larger ensemble. John Rainwater made the group a trio with his five-string banjo in 2013. They continued their studies of the old styles and traditions and finally brought in Nicholas Glass on bass and Rachel Reichert on fiddle.
The Bottle Jockeys
8:45pm Sat 5/2 | Red Herring
What happens when members of red-letter weirdo bands like Sexhawk, Giljunko, the Acceleratii and the Black Labels get mushed up into a big ball and served to a crowd hungry for a dose of healthy anarchy? The best damn barbershop quintet this side of Milwaukee, that’s what. Just kidding. It’s the brand spanking new rock ’n’ roll demolition derby called the Bottle Jockeys. Frontman Chad Lyons is backed by quintessential local axmen Ben Marsen and Tony Derrick along with an all-star, wildcard rhythm section of Chris Whittier on bass and Scott Millis on drums.
The Branditos
10:45pm Sat 5/2 | Spurs on First
Brandon Swanson’s cowpunk band is a straight-ahead three-piece fun machine. “We play happy, upbeat, high-energy tunes with catchy melodies and clever lyrics,” he says. Swanson handles the guitar and vocal work, backed for the past four years by Jason Wussow on drums and Bruce Rosera on bass. There could be no better Homegrown setting than Spurs on First to shake whatever kind of boots cowpunks wear to a Branditos show.
Bratwurst
11:45pm Tues 4/28 | Grandma’s
Just the name strikes terror into the hearts of venue owners everywhere. Tyler Scouton’s platoon of misfits puts on such a dynamic and meaty show that no band can be scheduled to follow them. It takes too long to clean the stage afterward. Scouton is on the mic and bangs a steel pipe, Jason Ratajek and Ben Tryon make more sounds, Brennan Atchison plays the drums and Chris Modec-Halverson does his part. Is it electronica? Death march canticles? No one is sure, but somewhere in the bloody, loud, rancorous chaos there is some form of music being played. The band is scheduled to never record an album, ever.
Breanne Marie and the Front Porch Sinners
10:30pm Sat 5/2 | Tycoons
This is not the new-wave bro-country that pollutes the air in stuffy county bars and tractor-pulls. This is authentic, heart-felt, pure country — the kind that would bring a smile to the face of George Jones and Tammy Wynette. Breanne Marie and the Front Porch Sinners evolved out of the solo work of Breanne Marie Tepler. She started playing guitar in 2007 and entered the local music scene in 2010. After releasing her debut album in 2013, the Front Porch Sinners were born. The five-piece country outfit includes Breanne Marie on vocals and guitar, Evan Tepler on lead guitar, Glenn Maloney on bass, John LaMar on drums and Johnny “Blaze” Peterson on pedal steel.
Bridget the Brave
10pm Mon 4/27 | Rex Bar
After discovering their mutual love of classic sound, singer-songwriter Bridget Ideker and guitarist Ben Marsen formed the honky-tonk rockabilly band Bridget the Brave. In addition to Marsen, the other members of the Silk Sheiks join Ideker on stage — keyboardist Dan Anderson, bassist Ethan Thompson and drummer Ryan Jazdzewski. Percussionist Bryan “Lefty” Johnson joins them in the mission to take Ideker’s original material and create a vintage sound with a fresh twist. Ideker, by the way, won the 10th annual songwriter competition last fall during Beaner’s One Week Live.
The Brothers Burn Mountain
10:45pm Wed 4/29 | Clyde Iron Works
More than 15 years of playing music together, eight full-length albums and a brotherly bond fuel the soulful duo known as the Brothers Burn Mountain. Ryan and Jesse Dermody lay claim to playing more than 1,000 shows throughout the Twin Ports, Midwest and United States, most recently highlighting the fall 2014 release of A Thread Through the Night. They described their music as “good-ol’ rock ’n’ roll with a very personal and strange twist of bluesy tastes.”
Mary Bue
11:30pm Fri 5/1 | Pizza Lucé
In the past year Mary Bue morphed from piano songstress to pop rocker with the March release of her sixth album, Holy Bones. She fronts her band on guitar, backed by members of the American Rebels — Kyle MacLean on guitar, Heather Millis on bass and Scott Millis on drums — and local electronic musician Zac Bentz on synths. The result is a set of tunes that channels her unique lyrical style in a crunchier, punchier way than her previous, piano-driven work. Bue recently quit her day job to pursue music full time while continuing to teach yoga (one of her other passions) on the side, sometimes fitting in a class before a show while on tour.
Hanna Cesario
7pm Tues 4/28 | Bent Paddle Brewing
After graduating from the University of Minnesota Duluth and kicking around the local music scene for a couple of years, Hanna Cesario moved back to her hometown of Mankato in 2014. The singer and ukelele player has returned to play some of her old Duluth haunts — the Club Saratoga during Saturday jazz, for example — as well as picking up some Twin Cities gigs. Local percussionist Char Erlemeier might join Cesario for her Homegrown set.
Charity and Good Wills
10:45pm Fri 5/1 | Lake Avenue Restaurant
Charity and Good Wills makes their Homegrown debut this year, though there are some very familiar faces in this five-person string band. Born and raised in Duluth, Charity Huot Benedict heads up the group on guitar and vocals and is supported by a lively crew made up of bassist Mark Glenn, lead guitarist Peter Singler, banjo player Dustin Mencel and violinist Denise Braus. Individually, many of these band members have played on local stages for more than a decade. Collectively, Charity and Good Wills deliver a blend of jazz, folk, reggae, bluegrass and pop. Expect a range of styles from slower, singer-songwriter songs to fast, fun and frenetic tunes.
Chase Down Blue
10pm Sat 5/2 | Sir Benedict’s
Led by young artist Micah Tigner, who originally adopted the moniker as a solo project, Chase Down Blue began last fall when bassist Lee Petersen, drummer Sam Williams and temporary vocalist Melissa Borer joined the mix. The band got its start playing for large groups of friends at Jefferson People’s House and the Red Herring Lounge, where it had a residency this past winter. There are plans to record an album.
Chasm of Czar
10:30 p.m. Wed 4/29 | Mr. D’s
Dan Krause and Connor Glenn shared guitar and drum duties for the second coming of metal rockers Xhaust. Through that transformation from four-piece to duo, their sound actually grew deeper and became more melodic while retaining its heavier roots. Now with Krause strictly on axe and Glenn handling the sticks they’ve pushed their sound even further into the crevasses of chaos with a new band: Chasm of Czar. A collection of their newest material featuring aggressive riffs; tight, solid beats, and the sparse dulcet spaces they purposely leave in between, can be heard on Bandcamp.
Chris and Mark
7:45pm Thurs 4/30 | Jefferson People’s House
With a sound they describe as “an earthy blend of funk and acoustic rhythms,” singer/songwriter Chris Clemens and percussionist Mark Macham have performed a regular Tuesday night gig together for the past five years at Thirsty Pagan Brewing in Superior, with Clemens on acoustic guitar and Macham playing djembe. Area native Clemens says he’s been a fan of the local music scene since high school. Both musicians have collaborated with various local artists through the years. Macham currently performs in the Cloquet/Esko-area trio Marquis Mark and the Very Mysterious and in the summer he can be found busking on the Lakewalk.
Al Church
9:15pm Sat 5/2 | Fitger’s Brewhouse
Singer/songwriter Al Church played Homegrown back in 2001 at the historic NorShor Theatre with his high school band the Spoogees. Fast forward 14 years and a few Minneapolis rock ensembles later and this engaging performer has metamorphosed into a pop and R&B man. Mixing the infectious grooves of modern indie-soul music (see the Postal Service) with the recording techniques inspired by the Motown sound (see Otis Redding) has resulted in the funky-fresh new album Next Summer. He will be joined by Evan Fox on bass, Cole Pulice on sax, Levi Stugelmeyer on drums and Matt Sandstedt on keys.
Toby Thomas Churchill
11pm Sat 5/2 | Rex Bar
This Duluth native continued his exploration of pop music as art in 2014 with the release of his second solo album, Where is My Rumspringa Darling? The critically praised disc finds Churchill pushing in more experimental directions musically than 2011’s Death, while lyrically his sharp wit remains at the forefront. Bassist and vocalist Danny Cosgrove, Churchill’s right-hand man since their days in bands Crazy Betty and the Alrights, is still on board, as are more recent collaborators guitarist Ben Durrant, drummer Ryan Lovan and bassist James Everest. In the past year Churchill has also continued to perform solo shows as Starling of Athens, Duluth’s favorite atheist musical project.
Circuit Breakers
6pm Wed 4/29 | Clyde Iron Works
This quintet has been together for five years, touring the Midwest and bringing seasoned blues-rock sets to a long list of venues. The band’s soulful sound comes from the cosmopolitan make-up of members, all of whom share singing duties. Bassist Bill Allen hails from a Chicago blues background. Singer Jessica Mae has roots in the Minneapolis hip-hop scene. Saxophonist Greg Moore honed his rock chops in St. Louis. Greg Berthiaume has drummed for groups locally and as far as Puerto Rico. Vintage guitarist Bob Purdy has played every kind of stage from resort gigs to Bayfront Park.
Clover Street Cronies
9pm Tuesday 4/28 | Prøve Gallery
No longer are the Clover Street Cronies playing the curb, or “outside stage” as they call it, for Homegrown. This year they’re bringing their ragtime tunes to an actual stage. With spoons, a guitar and a banjo, Charlotte Montgomery creates music inspired from the odds-and-ends of music from the 1920s and ’30s. Joined by Kyle Ollah on the guitar and fiddle, the old-time music duo has decided to retire their street performances, play in a heated venue and not freeze their asses off. A video produced by Lakefront Films for their song “Look Up, Look Down That Lonesome Road” was released in December. It was shot at the ruins of the U.S. Lighthouse Station Depot on Park Point.
Coyote
11:15pm Sat 5/2 | Fitger’s Brewhouse
Singer and banjo player Marc Gartman’s description of Coyote matches the experience of listening to All I Feel is Night, the band’s third album. “I’d say our music is pretty and intense and steeped in nostalgia.” In live shows and on recordings, Gartman and guitar player and singer Jerree Small join with stand-up bass player Matt Mobley to craft a moving, unadorned, deep-souled version of folk music that feels substantive and gentle like good dark beer.
The Crunchy Bunch
12am Thurs 4/30 | Reef Bar
The Crunchy Bunch has been making Duluthians dance since 2009. The DJ collective released its first official original material last year on the four-track EP, Nah, I’mma Stay. Chris LeBlanc (aka Privilege) and Dan Branovan (aka Branologic) also scratched on a handful of tracks on Strictly Hammers’ latest album. Each DJ has his own personal style, ranging from hip-hop, rap and funk to future, house and electronic. Along with Jack Hazelton (aka Hazeltron) and Alexis LeBlanc (aka Mr. Ness), the Crunchy Bunch has been focusing less on gigs lately and more on original material and recordings, but they expect to be playing more this spring.
Abe Curran & the Blue Rooster
11pm Thurs 4/30 | Tower Avenue Tavern
Abe Curran leads this easy-going rock / new-folk / psychedelia-jam group with what he calls “guitar, vocals, songwriting, beard, safety glasses, brains.” The “bass, vocals, sex appeal, no beard” come from Eric Bong and “drums, percussion, vocals, second beard, tasteful silliness” are from Pat Bowen. Outside of music, Curran is a tax preparer and Bong is a massage therapist. That yin and yang chills well on stage.
Brian Dack
6:15pm Sat 5/2 | Amazing Grace
Brian Dack describes his music as “original classical folk with the emphasis on melody and interesting guitar arrangements.” He plays occasionally around town and has been a part of Homegrown numerous times. During this past year, Dack performed at out-of-state gigs with his wife, Arne Rennan, who is a fellow member of the Norwegian folk band, Nordic Angst. At Homegrown, Dack will be performing with another musician from Nordic Angst, Doug Greenwood. The pair has played music together since 1969. Dack hopes to document a backlog of unrecorded material in 2015 at Inland Sea Studio.
T. Dack
8:15pm Sat 5/2 | Amazing Grace
Tobin Dack has produced ambient synthesizer music for eleven years. His discography includes over a dozen releases. The latest, Untropic Nothings, plays the role of teaser (outtakes and B sides) for an even newer vinyl release coming later in 2015. Using minimalist, sequenced beats as a blueprint, Dack employs electronic echoes and noise vibrations to create the spaced-out soundtracks that are perfect when peaking at a rave or as background music during a planetarium lecture.
Dad’s Acid
10pm Sat 5/2 | R.T. Quinlan’s
“Dad’s Acid surfs waves on a sea of blood, reverb and fuzzed-out doom,” says the band’s official bio. The genre: devotional-stoner-surf-punk-garage-doom rock. Jacob Paulsrud plays guitar and sings, Nikki Moeller plays bass and Jacob Swanson hits drums. Dad’s Acid’s debut EP First Trip was released one year ago, on April 20. The date may or may not be significant.
Dance Attic
1:30pm Sun 5/3 | Canal Park Brewing
“We don’t have a banjo,” says Dance Attic guitar player and singer Jimi Cooper. “We have an accordion!” The concertina he’s referencing is played by Susan Ludwig of Father Hennepin fame, who also sings in Dance Attic. Their sound, says Cooper, encompasses the classic Duluth rawk and/or roll combination of old-time country, polka, 1920s swing, and march music. Sets include romantic Italian accordion pieces, Norwegian folk, the Monty Python’s Flying Circus and PBS Mystery themes, Hawaiian tunes, “a derangement of a Beatles song,” and “originals that are all over the place.” Cooper also plays in the Fractals and does solo fingerstyle-guitar gigs every other Thursday at the Thirsty Pagan in Superior, in rotation with Dance Attic gigs.
Danecdote
10:15pm Sat 5/2 | Duluth Flame
Electronic music producer and composer Daniel Nelson can no doubt drop a beat. Sometimes it’s a dance-floor friendly mix like “Cardinal,” the first track on his new album Koda Bae. Sometimes it is a much more experimental soundscape like the title track from said album. But his work, solo and collaborative, always brings a professional production edge that separates him from the ever-growing pack of ordinary laptronica noise makers. His discography of work as Danecdote includes six original albums and two full albums of dance remixes.
De Se
11:45pm Fri 5/1 | Lake Avenue Restaurant
Ben Butter has played in a wide variety of musical projects over the years — everything from country to metal and whatever lies in between. When he started performing as a solo artist, he claimed it was “to expunge some clinging dark bits and slime off my soul.” More than a year has passed, and apparently the Bukowski-tinged songwriter still has some scraping off to do because his folk act De Se endures. Maybe not so good for his psyche, but good for small-stage audiences lucky enough to catch him spinning tales about all sorts of trouble and troublemakers.
Dead End Friends
10:30pm Fri 5/1 | Red Herring
“We play loud, catchy rock music,” says Dead End Friends bassist and singer Ben Anderson. The band’s 2014 release, Something for the Kids, proves him correct. If songs by All, Green Day, Cheap Trick, Helmet, Black Sabbath and Queens of the Stone Age were thrown into an audio blender, the resulting concoction might sound a lot like the crunchy, 4/4, fuzzed-out rock-pop-with-guts Anderson plays with guitarists and singers Phil McLoughlin and Joe Warttman and drummer Pete Hannegraf. They’ve been performing local shows for about three years.
Dead Skull
11:15 Fri 5/1 | Red Star Lounge
Dead Skull is comprised of two brothers from Knife River who now operate out of Minneapolis. One writer says drummer Dan Johnson and his brother Brian, who plays guitar and sings, sound like “Fugazi meets Black Sabbath.” Another says he “hears descendants of the Stooges.” On your own you might hear the the MC5 or raw, unhinged White Stripes echos or Bon Scott AC/DC. The first full-length Dead Skull album, Blam!, was released one week before last year’s Homegrown.
Déjà vu Drifters
10pm Fri 5/1 | Sir Benedict’s
Those who savor the taste of 1970s-style ensemble folk music à la the Band or Rolling Thunder Revue will appreciate the Déjà vu Drifters. Rick Olson, Mike Mattson and Steve Johnson played in the late 1970s in the Sawtooth Mountain Boys. Olson and Mattson went on to play electric blues and Johnson took up with numerous local bands. In 2010, the group decided to get back together and added talented singer/songwriter/percussionist Greg Tiburzi to form this acoustic project.
Venus DeMars
9pm Mon 4/27 | Rex Bar
Duluth native Venus DeMars and her art defy most conventional definitions, but here’s a shot: She’s a transsexual woman who’s developed an ardent fan-base as a punk-glam rocker in Minneapolis. She’s best known for her eclectic work with the band All the Pretty Horses. She also plays solo-acoustic shows — she calls it “punk folk” — which is what she’ll do for Homegrown. A new acoustic album, Flesh and Wire, recorded at Sacred Heart Music Center, is set for future release. The three-song 12-inch record Take My Shoulder came out in March.
Devil’s Flying Machine
10:45pm Tues 4/28 | Grandma’s
They don’t play out much, but when they do … look out. Charlie Parr and Christian McShane initially formed Devil’s Flying Machine as a sort of “what if?” duo, wondering what might happen if they merged Parr’s ol’ timey guitar and vocal stylings with McShane’s darker drone creations. Surprised by how quickly audiences sought them out, they soon recruited drummer Dave Frankenfeld and found their slithery folk jams entertaining packed houses. Due to individual touring schedules, the group has performed rarely in recent years.
Dirty Horse
9pm Thurs 4/30 | Tower Avenue Tavern
Guitarist and vocalist Nate Case describes his band’s style as “pontoon rock.” If he means that it creates a just-hanging-out-in-the-sun-having-fun-and-partying-with-friends sort of feeling, then he’s spot on. Songs from the 2011 EP Tarten, which he penned with fellow guitarist Andy Olmstead, sound like excellent out-takes from My Morning Jacket or Twin Peaks Band. Hopefully someday, along with bassist Brian Wells and drummer Jake Paulsrud, they will finally finish the much-anticipated followup. Until then, the occasional gig/soiree at this festival, aboard the Dylan train, or offshore on a party boat will have to satisfy.
Dirty Knobs
6:30pm Mon 4/27 | Red Herring
“Drone can be a bit of a hard sell,” says Zac Bentz of Dirty Knobs. “The cliché is that it’s just one note played over and over, so I try to make my sets as dynamic and melodic as possible, while still keeping it monolithic and imposing.” He says various listeners have complimented the Dirty Knobs experience as “like the sound of a busy highway off in the distance,” “like being crushed by the ocean,” and “like it was recorded in Hell’s deepest skull-silo.” “Really,” he says, “I’m just trying to make as much horrible noise as possible.”
DJ Delgado
10:30pm Saturday 5/2 | Legacy Glassworks
Derek Delgado has played a pivotal role in the the Twin Ports hip-hop scene since the early 2000s when he became involved with Round About Records and started playing with rap group Kritical Kontact. Since then he has toured the country and played locally at nearly every venue in town. He’s been mixing records since the late 1990s and prefers to spin hip hop, electronic dance music and top-40 remixes but will throw in rock, country and reggae when he feels the crowd will enjoy it.
DJ Nola
9:30pm Sat 5/2 | Red Herring
Lake Nebagamon native Nola Wick is known from Duluth to Madeline Island and down into the Twin Cities for her ever-expanding collection of funk, soul, classic disco and rare groove records. She has been using her vast knowledge of the old-school originals to produce eclectic mixes at local music venues and super-secret house parties since 2001.
Dan Dresser
10:45pm Wed 4/29 | Gopher Lounge
His forthcoming full-length album might be called a solo project, but it took a long list of community musicians, producers/engineers and studios to bring it to life. Acoustic guitarist Dan Dresser recorded some basic folk-rock rhythm tracks in May of 2014 and, in the months that ensued, added choirs, back-up vocalists, cellos, violins, pianos, drums, bass and the efforts of both Beaner’s Central and Sacred Heart studios. Look for its much anticipated release around the time of Homegrown.
Duluth Dolls
10pm Fri 5/1 | Rex Bar
The bawdy spectacle of burlesque returned to the Twin Ports in 2012 with the formation of the Duluth Dolls. Combining classic burlesque style with a creative and contemporary edge — sometimes referred to as “neo-burlesque” — these glamorous gals promise “oodles of sass, class, love and laughs” with every performance. Alex Jost serves as the troupe’s host, a sort of circus ringmaster who presents dancers by the stage names Velvet Noir, Aurora Borealis, Veronica Vixen, Khaleesi Khaos, Lilly LaRouge, Madame Touché and Nadia Naromi.
Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra
8pm Wed 4/29 | Clyde Iron Works
No, it won’t be the entire orchestra on stage at Homegrown; it’ll be a select group of roughly 15 members. “It’s like a small chamber orchestra or an ensemble,” says DSSO Conductor Dirk Meyer. Also, the music will not be typical orchestra material, but instead a special set of tunes specifically for the Homegrown audience. Maestro Meyer says the chosen compositions are classical music written for an orchestra, but also embrace pop and rock elements. “At least two of the composers are still living. One is from Australia and one is from Uruguay but he lives in the U.S. now. It’s going to be much more updated music and rock music than we usually do.”
Todd Eckart
12am Wed 4/29 | Players
Todd Eckart started playing Duluth gigs in the mid-1990s, tried out the Los Angeles scene from 2007 to 2012, and now does a lot of local shows, including solo appearances and Rat Pack, Everly Brothers and Elvis Presley tributes. For Homegrown he’s backed up by a tight, fun band that knows its way around Americana, country and rockabilly: Jimi Cooper on guitar, George Ellsworth on bass and Matthew Groom on drums.
Curren Effinger
8:30pm Mon 4/27 | Fitger’s Brewhouse
Though not much older than the Homegrown Music Festival itself, Curren Effinger has already played around the Twin Ports for four-plus years. He describes his music as “shoe gaze,” but don’t let the soft, thoughtful lyrics fool you. His accompanying guitar sound is no drone; it rumbles with blues/rock/jazz riffs whether backed by a drummer or playing solo acoustic sets. Recently, he has added even more zeal to his repertoire by enrolling in the study of building hand-made string instruments.
The Electric Witch
12:15am Sat 5/2 | Duluth Flame
Originally formed by husband and wife Zac and Steph Bentz along with friend Marcus Matthews, the Electric Witch popped up sometime in 2012 and took on the task of introducing the Twin Ports to the mysterious musical sub-genre of synth noir. Much like an 8-bit video game come to life, the band’s performances now feature digital noise from Eric Anderson and robotic vocals by a bedazzled Mary Bue, appearing unrecognizable as a mechanized space alien. This industrial electronica spectacle dominates the sensory and is an unsafe bet for anyone who knows exactly what they like.
Emily Jayne
9pm Fri 5/1 | Sir Benedict’s
Cloquet native Emily Jayne Brissett started playing piano at the age of 14, went to Berklee College of Music, broke into the local scene at Beaner’s Central, released a string of albums — most recently 2011’s Blue Plate Fellas, then drifted off the radar after playing Homegrown in 2012. This past winter she brought her piano-based, alternative, singer-songwriter pop sounds back for a New Year’s Eve gig at Beaner’s, followed by a new single, a few more gigs and her upcoming return to Homegrown.
The Fabulous D-Bags
10:30 Fri 5/1 | Legacy Glassworks
Guitarist and vocalist Vincent Hladilek — better known as Vincent Cadillac — has put together more than a handful of diverse musical projects over the past decade. The most notable would be Poor Howard, which played Homegrowns from 2010 to 2012. Now he teams up with another six-string veteran of Twin Ports musical mayhem, Brandon Eugene, and teenage sensation Tyler Wood on drums to create a punk-rock explosion called the Fabulous D-Bags. Where is the bass player for this three-piece noise machine? The fuzzed out guitar dynamics, cryptic yelps and double-time drum swells do enough damage on their own. There ain’t no room for no stinkin’ bass in this band’s bulwark of sound.
The Farsights
7:30pm Sun 4/26 | Tycoons
The trio of bespectacled rock ’n’ roll musicians known as the Farsights formed in 2011 to blend three distinct musical backgrounds. Frontman Phil Jents’ experience in acoustic folk-rock with a focus on storytelling, bassist Brynn Sias’ training as an accomplished jazz guitarist, and drummer Ryan Nelson’s experience in punk and psych-rock bands came together to form the band’s unique combination of punk beats with folk-song narratives. They unleashed their self-titled debut album in 2013.
Father Hennepin
11pm Fri 5/1 | R.T. Quinlan’s
Duluth’s favorite alt-country-ish band that plays in the key of G celebrates its 17th year together at this year’s Homegrown. Since forming in 1998 to play Homegrown before it was called Homegrown, the band has performed at all but two official Homegrowns — meaning this year makes it 15 of 17; more than any other band. The roster has seen a few minor tweaks over the years, but the basic framework for the vast majority of the Fat Hens’ existence has been Scott Lunt on guitar and vocals, Ted Anderson on guitar and vocals, Susan Ludwig on accordion, Bob Olson on bass and Brad Nelson on drums.
Fearless Moral Inventory
9:30pm Fri 5/1 | Red Herring
Fearless Moral Inventory originated in 2007, with vocalist Andy Stern and guitarist Corey Gice combining to play the open mic circuit. Other members have come and gone since then, but the current lineup includes three names that range from not-so-new to new. Kai Bowen, who joined the band over three years ago, has moved out from behind the drums to take on keyboard, sax, trumpet and guitar duties. Bassist Steve Karels has been with the group for over two years. The recent addition of Jim Mattson on drums has this five-piece exploring new depths of sound and composition while resolving to release a debut album this year.
Feeding LeRoy
2:30pm Sun 5/3 | Canal Park Brewing
Sonja Bjordal and Lee Martin began performing together in Park City, Utah, and eventually brought their act home to Duluth, where in recent years they have performed with various backup musicians as the Mud Puppies, Next of Kin and Sonja and the Reckoning. The new incarnation, Feeding LeRoy, features Adam Staup on upright bass, T. Bruce Bowers on electric violin and Luke Martin on harmonica, producing a sound that is an amalgamation of Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris and the Jayhawks. In January they released an EP of their acoustic, cosmic Americana music titled Love is a Gamble.
Fever Dream
8:45pm Tues 4/28 | Grandma’s
Originally from New York, the enigmatic multi-instrumentalist Marc Gartman has spent more than a decade cutting his teeth on the local folk scene with projects including Coyote, Two Many Banjos, Little Grey House, Marc Gartband and other collaborations with some of the region’s favorite musicians. He threw fans for a psychedelic loop two years ago when he decided to take things in a different direction with Fever Dream. After commissioning the help of friends Alan Sparhawk, Steve Garrington and a rotating group of glowing hula-hoop girls, what started as an introspective electronica experiment has now become a full-blown thing. The second Fever Dream album, Hey, What’s Up? was released on cassette in September.
The Fiasco
11:15pm Fri 5/1 | Fitger’s Brewhouse
For the past year-plus guitarist Andy Lipke has teamed up with bassist John Favell and drummer John Lamar to create the Fiasco. Though they have connections through playing together in other acoustic-oriented groups like Five Pints a’ Rye and the Bryan Olds Band, this particular trio delves into a heavier and more electrified roots-rock sound. They have posted a collection of live jams on Lipke’s Reverbnation page and plan to release an official six-song EP sometime later in 2015.
Bill Flannagan’s Blue Cabooze
10:45pm Thurs 4/30 | Thirsty Pagan
Singer and guitar player Bill Flannagan, who has been playing around Duluth for a long time, calls the Blue Cabooze’s sound “rockin’-honky-tonkin’ blues,” and says it encompasses fast, slow, happy and sad bluegrass, classic country, honky-tonk, blues, and rock ’n’ roll. He prides himself on his band’s ability to go from screaming Chicago blues-style guitars in one song to acoustic flat-picking in the next and have it come out as a cohesive set. Paul Vogel plays harmonica and guitar and sings. Eldo Abrahamson sings, plays bass and might play drums depending on the set list.
The Fontanelles
11:30pm Fri 5/1 | Tycoons
Duluth native Dave Mehling formed the Fontanelles with Darin Rieland after they met at the 400 Bar in Minneapolis and bonded over their shared love of “both kinds of music — country and western.” They took their band in the rock direction, however. After various lineup changes, bassist Beau Jeffrey and drummer Jason McGlone have joined the group and a debut album is expected this year. Expect no Prince covers, per the band.
The Formal Age
10pm Sat 5/2 | Rex Bar
The Formal Age is a six-piece band made up of guitarists Jake Jonker and Ryan Wiisanen, keyboardist Phil McGrath, bassist Jay Rahman and drummer Adam Helbach. They’ve all been part of the local scene for over a decade and are returning this year for their fifth Homegrown under the current lineup. Describing their own sound as the love child of the Pixies and the Cars raised by Bruce Springsteen, the group plays hook-heavy anthemic power-pop with political and scientific lyrical themes. A self-titled debut album was released in June.
Four Mile Portage
10:30pm Mon 4/27 | Fitger’s Brewhouse
Tom Maloney and Brandy Forsman specialize in old-time fiddle-and-banjo dance music. In earlier years, the husband-and-wife duo played at tamarack dances and later branched out beyond dance music to create Four Mile Portage. Of late they have been hosting a twice-monthly square dance at Jefferson People’s House, performing monthly at Amazing Grace Bakery and Café and Bent Paddle Brewing’s tap room, and periodically at the Fitgers’ Brewhouse and Tycoon’s Alehouse during Grog Time. Recently the duo became a trio, with Kyle Ollah joining in on guitar, banjo and fiddle. The band’s new album Can’t Find Home was recorded at Sacred Heart Music Center and released in February.
Frances and Luke
6pm Sat 5/2 | Beaner’s Central
Stephanie Longstreet has been involved in the Duluth music scene for nearly a decade, performing in her former band the Brushstrokes and other projects with Dan Dresser. Her husband, Andrew Longstreet, joins her in Frances and Luke. She provides the sexy and soulful vocals while he brings the face-melting guitar solos. Backed by drummer Chad Erlemeier, the trio plays a show-stopping mix of funk, rhythm and blues.
Gaelyn Lea
6:45pm Thurs 4/30 | Jefferson People’s House
Violinist Gaelyn Lea Tressler has collaborated with numerous musicians over the years — Charlie Parr, Alan Sparhawk, Billy McLaughlin, Ariane Norrgard and Dan Dresser to name a few. Her deep love of traditional Celtic music has led her to exploring these century-old tunes with the aid of a looping pedal. She has also tried her hand at poetry and songwriting in her solo act and is eager to share her fiddle tunes with an audience because, she says, “music is something that ties us together through the ages.”
The Gentlemen’s Anti-Temperance League
10:15pm Sat 5/2 | Fitger’s Brewhouse
Some would call it “old-timey,” while others would argue “timeless.” The unarguable truth is that the Gentlemen’s Anti-Temperance League is a string quartet that honors the sounds of classic Americana, influenced by the gypsy jazz and swing era. The band consists of Daniel Rosen on rhythm guitar, Peter Whiteman on bass, Jonathan Halquist on violin and Alan Peterson on lead guitar. All of them provide vocal harmonies. Their album, Lamp was released on Bandcamp in September. Since then they have been whooping it up prohibition-style at Sir Benedict’s, Beaner’s Central and the Red Herring.
Gin Street
8:30pm Wed 4/29 | Beaner’s Central
“A little bit sad, a little bit angry, very honest and always changing,” is how Gabe Naughton describes the music of his band, Gin Street. “Our songs are like life: unstructured and chaotic, but still resilient and optimistic.” The band started out in the summer of 2013, with its members playing Andrew Jackson Jihad covers in their parents’ basements and smoking too many cigarettes. Eventually they started writing their own material and playings shows regularly. Naughton shares vocal and guitar duty with Jack Wynn, backed by Cedar Flatau on bass and Ned Wynn on drums.
Glitteratti
12:30am Wed 4/29 | Mr. D’s
Glitteratti is a side project of guys who already had side projects. Marc Gartman, of Fever Dream and Coyote fame, used to be in Two Many Banjos with Dave Carroll. Carroll is in Trampled by Turtles with Tim Saxhaug, who is also in Dead Man Winter. Percussionist Kyle Keegan has been keeping the beat for years with various local bands and is currently playing with Gene Ween in Freeman. Together this quartet make up Glitteratti, an acoustic folk-rock group that plays a mix of Gartman originals and cover songs ranging from the Everly Brothers to Pink Floyd.
Gold Star Junkies
11:30pm Thurs 4/30 | Vintage Italian Pizza
Once a year handfuls of local musicians toss their name into a bucket to be randomly thrust into a band at the Rock and Roll Kamikaze event. For many, this is a one-and-done lineup that makes for a fun night of cover songs and curious clothing choices. But for this quintet, something sparked that was worth pushing forward. Filled with the Gold Star-studded cast of guitarist Sheila Wonders, percussionist Kris Carlson, lead guitarist Bob Bursell, bassist Blake Konrad and drummer Jim Hagstrom, the band has been polishing its sound at open-mic nights and is ready to let loose at Homegrown.
Steven Gold
9:30pm Sat 5/2 | Legacy Glassworks
Steven Gold first started writing in the second grade but, so he says, after hitting his head two years later he “couldn’t stop creating things; it became an obsession.” His passion for crafting words has held out strong ever since. Over the past several months Gold has shifted his creative focus to hip-hop and shared the stage with various local acts within the scene. Staying hard at work as both an MC and producer, Gold is keeping the craft going as his booming ambition prepares him to take the world by storm.
The Good Colonels
10:30pm Fri 5/1 | Tycoons
The Good Colonels were formed in 2007 after longtime friends Codie Leseman and Curtis Mattson decided to switch instruments. With Leseman on guitar and Mattson on drums, they infused bassist Joe Conaway into their battalion and have been rocking out as a three-piece ever since. Their sound lands somewhere in the realm of experimental post-punk and gives listeners the feeling of wandering through a park alone on LSD, but in a good way. Predominantly keeping things instrumental, Lesemen and Conaway season in the occasional vocals as their set blasts audiences into outer space and drags them back down to Earth.
Todd Gremmels
9pm Mon 4/27 | Sir Benedict’s
Todd Gremmels has been in the Minnesota music game for quite some time now. How long, you may ask? Quoth Gremmels: “Since before most of the people in the bands in this area were sperm cells!!!” Well, you can’t argue with that. Having dabbled with many genres through many bands, Gremmels brings an eclectic sound to the stage that’s worth triple exclamation points. This year his band mates’ identities remain a mystery but he’s implied that they may or may not be human. When he’s not rocking across the region, Gremmels can be found building kit cars, pondering life’s mysteries and taking punctuation to new extremes.
Group Too
8:30pm Thurs 4/30 | Spirit Room
As a teenager in mid-1960s Duluth, the bands guitarist Bob Flatt played in often had to create their own venues and showcases. Sometimes renting out places like the YMCA or Shrine Auditorium, they’d handle everything from selling tickets to concessions to making fliers, not to mention playing long sets of blues-orientated rock music. Fast forward 50 years and his artistic spirit lives on in Group Too. Joined by Carol Flatt on bass and shared vocals, they usually perform as a folk duo. For Homegrown, however, they plan on delivering a heavier blues set with guitarist Israel Malachi and drummer Todd Gremmels.
Preston Gunderson
9:45pm Sat 5/2 | Spurs on First
On stage, Preston Gunderson exudes the attitude of the all-American guy next door. With earnest songs that blend soul and modern pop and a friendly Iron-Range-born demeanor, Gunderson leaves his audience wanting to just sit down and chill with him over a beer at the bar. After making national buzz and getting close to appearing on a few television singing competitions, Gunderson recorded his 2013 release, Getting Good at Starting Over, with the help of over 300 Kickstarter supporters, and last fall he released a music video for the song “Night,” a duet with Jillian Rae. At Homegrown he will be accompanied on keys by Craig Skalko.
Emily Haavik
7:15pm Sat 5/2 | Teatro Zuccone
Emily Haavik writes gentle folk songs that reflect the cipher of love and life on Lake Superior. Throughout the year she can be found strumming in cozy venues like Beaner’s, Amazing Grace and Teatro Zuccone. To fill out her acoustic pickings and keyboard playing, Haavik will be joined at Homegrown by Beau Walsh on banjo, guitar and vocals, Lisa Wentworth on vocals, Brian Wentworth on guitar and Luke Mirau on the cajón.
Wes Hadrich
8:30pm Tues 4/28 | Amazing Grace
After over a decade of writing and performing in the Duluth/Superior area, Wes Hadrich is no newbie to the Homegrown Music Festival. He describes his music as leaning country, “with a love for Jay Farrar, Ryan Adams and Bruce Springsteen.” Hadrich can commonly be seen performing at Pizza Lucé’s brunch shows on the weekends, playing new songs off his latest album, Naturally Blue, which came out in late 2014.
Hannah Rey
11:15pm Thurs 4/30 | Superior Flame
Always soulful, sometimes playful, Hannah Rey Dunda has made a nice little niche for herself in the eclectic local music scene. Born and bred on the North Shore near Two Harbors, she was introduced to the regional music scene in the band Wildwood and played her first Homegrown gig in 2012. In addition to her solo shows these days she frequently gigs with the cover band South of Superior. Performances of note since last year’s Homegrown include a private party train, a scenic tour boat and a member’s celebration at the Lake Superior Zoo.
Heart’s Bane
8:15pm Friday 5/1 | Amazing Grace
The brainchild of former Godhead and Manhood drummer Phil Roper, Heart’s Bane initially formed in 2009. It took five years for the full band to finally come together, debuting at Pete Fest 2014. Roper now takes on the roll of lead vocals and rhythm guitar, with Kal Howg handling lead guitar and backing vocals. Travis Sayler switched from bass to drums to make way for former Godhead and Manhood bassist Erick Hermanson. With the lineup complete, the band has been working hard to write music and play shows as much as possible. Howg says audiences should expect “good times, laughs, rockin’ melodies, atmospheric leads and a high-energy performance.”
Christine Hoberg
7pm Thurs 4/30 | Red Mug
Christine Hoberg is a vocalist who also loops, warps, arranges and produces her own songs. She began playing music as a child in Superior on a karaoke machine and is now based out of Brooklyn, N.Y. Hoberg is best known for a collaboration project with Flight Facilities on the song “Clair de Lune,” which earned platinum certification on the Australian Recording Industry Association charts. Her most recent album, World Within, an a capella venture, premiered on Spin magazine’s radio program and won her a spot at the South by Southwest festival.
The Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank
12am Fri 5/1 | R.T. Quinlan’s
Brothers Ian and Teague Alexy have been stompin’ around Twin Ports venues as a duo for nearly a dozen years. Both are also solo artists, but together forge a sound born near the train tracks in Holyoke that Atlantic City Weekly has described as “tremendously played roots music.” Local label Chaperone Records will release the fifth Hobo Nephews album, American Shuffle, in 2015. Chaperone re-released 2012’s Number One Contender, which garnered critical acclaim from the Star Tribune.
Holy Hootenanners
6:45pm Fri 5/1 | The Underground
This 10-piece folk ensemble plays “foot-stompin’, hoot ’n’ holler country gospel music and more.” United by a small country church in Mahtowa, the group released its first album, Home of Country Gospel in July. The band also donated all proceeds from sales and shows to renovate the Old Mahtowa School into a community center. The outfit is composed of Colleen Myhre and Zach Langhorst on guitar, Jeff Gilbertson on bass, Luke Lekander on drums, Doug Soukkala on lead guitar, Caleb Anderson on the piano, Brooke Anderson on mandolin, Lyric Lekander on banjo, and Erin Lanhorst and Donita Korpela on vocals.
The Horror
11:15pm Sat 5/2 | Duluth Flame
What would happen if the Syfy and Playboy channels combined forces and decided to make bad movies together? What would the soundtrack to those campy, space adventure, nudie flicks sound like? It would probably sound a lot like the Horror: synthed-out, art-funky-punky instrumentals with an occasional cabalistic gurgle spewing forth from the background. Keyboardist Billy Wagness, guitarist Joe Conway and drummer Anders Lundahl debuted four years ago with the wonderfully weird album Diction. Recently, they have penned and recorded new compositions for what is sure to be one of the more bizarre regional releases of 2015.
Horse & Rider
10:30pm Thurs 4/30 | Vintage Italian Pizza
“We sound like a bunch of bands that no one around here gives a shit about,” says Horse & Rider drummer Mat Milinkovich. It’s the kind of music no one has been giving a shit about since 1999, when Milinkovich and guitar player Matt Osterlund formed Farewell Tour, a band that later added bassist C.J. Keller. In 2007 they took the name Horse & Rider, and at the end of 2013 added a second guitar player, Andy Pletcher. “We’ve written a bunch of songs and are currently recording them for no one’s listening pleasure,” Milinkovich adds. “You’re welcome.”
Hot BitKutz
9:30pm Mon 4/27 | Red Star Lounge
Patrick Hannu, locally known as DJ Path Annu, will be jockeying the stage again this year with well-loved, worn vinyl. He is best known for spinning disco, house and funk music, and participates in the underground disco revival as part of the Disco Devils. A solid presence in the Twin Ports music scene for the past 18 years, Hannu says this year at Homegrown he will be channeling his “Jedi skills” into a performance of samples from his vast collection of gems, “combined with live loops, scratches and vinyl transitions, and perhaps secret live vocals.”
I am the Slow Dancing Umbrella
10:15pm Mon 4/27 | Red Herring
Brian Ring and Jesse Porter return from a seven-year hiatus in this band they view more as an art project focused on found sounds and experimental electronic music. At a Homegrown show roughly 10 years ago they created an “electronic jungle,” complete with field recordings of real animals. This year they have another ambitious set in mind to further their mission of finding new ways to express music in terms of function and form.
Ire Wolves
12:15am Fri 5/1 | Red Star
It has been a year since the trio of guitarist Michael Trepanier, bassist Dustin Fennessey and drummer Tim Simmons released The Ascetic on Bandcamp. The album showcases the band’s ability to uphold the standards of post-metal: gritty, spooky, heavy bass with vocals that rock to the core and provoke the uncontrollable head thrash. They have since received the accolades of not only the Duluth News Tribune and Perfect Duluth Day, but also a handful of online metal webzines. Since last year’s Homegrown the band has been playing shows at R.T. Quinlan’s and the Red Star while working on a second album to be released in the summer of 2015.
Iron Range Outlaw Brigade
11:45pm Wed 4/29 | Gopher Lounge
Some bands like to be portrayed as whiskey-slammin’ outlaw motorheads when, in fact, the members are more likely to have data-entry jobs and college degrees than a police record. And then there’s the Iron Range Outlaw Brigade — a band full of guys with black eyes, missing teeth, broken knuckles and facial scars. Their four albums’ worth of cowpunk songs breathe authenticity, performance-wise and lyrically. Guitarist Kirk Kjenaas trades vocals with bassist Freddy Hanson and drummer Glen Mattson, while John Peterson’s pedal steel adds a bit of country credentials to the donnybrook created by these north woods bandits.
J.J. Lawrence
12:15am Thurs 4/30 | Superior Flame
With help from two Denon S3500 CD turntables and a Numark mixer with effects, Jason Holmes creates the sound of a self-described “bipolar DJ” as J.J. Lawrence. “I will usually change the sound very dramatically,” Holmes says. “I love to change the mood from pretty to powerful within the electronic dance music culture just to see the reaction of the audience.” Holmes says he finds influence in the good things in life, especially his two young daughters and wife. “Because of their inspiration, I have been sober for 14 years now,” he says. With his positive outlook on life, his main objective is to make his audience have a wave of “uplifting prosperity” come over them with music they’ve never heard anywhere else.
Lyz Jaakola & #theindianheadband
8pm Sun 4/26 | Teatro Zuccone
Lyz Jaakola has worked as a Native American artist and musician since the 1990s. Her projects have been featured on Minnesota Public Radio and WDSE-TV, and she was nominated in 2010 for a Native American Music Award for Best Traditional Recording. Her backing group, the Indianhead Band, prefers to render its name in the form of a hashtag and delves musically into a raucous mixture of dancehall, ska, jazz, soul and Ojibwa traditional music. Dave Ripley, Hunter Jaakola and Jackson Ripley all play guitar and various other instruments. Their songs have received airplay on the syndicated radio program Native America Calling and WGZS, the community station of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.
Jaw Knee Vee
12:15am Sat 5/2 | Red Star Lounge
Spawned from the aftermath of radioactive motor oil being spilled on a Robert Johnson record, Jaw Knee Vee (aka Johnny Vichich) is the definition of a one-man-band. Self described as “deep-fried trash blues,” Vichich creates a chaotic, yet hip-shaking, blend of blues and punk that pulls the audience in for a fully immersive experience. His band mates consist of duct-taped microphones, a distorted slide-guitar and a kick drum attached to various things you’d find in a garage — and that’s all he needs to get people dancing as he howls out his reverbed vocals. With three self-released albums out, this is Jaw Knee Vee’s first official Homegrown appearance.
JBM Band
12:45am Wed 4/29 | Gopher Lounge
Former Thunder Brothers members Jason Noe, Bill Berguson and Mark Eskola are respectively the J, B and M of this space-rock and southern-blues trio. Berguson’s squealing guitar work grabs most of the attention, ripping through progressive-rock riffs influenced by Rush, Return to Forever, John Scofield, Jimi Hendrix, Tower of Power, Porcupine Tree and the like. Bassist Eskola holds his self-taught bandmates in check with his music degree and classical orchestra background.
Steve Johnson
9pm Thurs 4/30 | Chester Creek Wine Bar
Steve Johnson, front man of Sight Like December circa 2002 to 2009, made his return to Homegrown in 2014 as a storytelling-style folk/blues acoustic soloist. It’s a drastic departure from the indie-emo sound of his former band, but is marked with the same vulnerable edge. Johnson says his set at Homegrown this year will be “an eclectic mix of sell-your-soul-to-the-devil-era blues, classic country and indie music.”
Tim Kaiser
5:30pm Mon 4/27 | Red Herring
Tim Kaiser is all about creating. He creates his own instruments, which he then uses to create experimental music. His musical approach is “textural,” he says, “building layers of sound and stacking them on top of one another — altering and manipulating them to create sonic environments.” The result is a feeling of being transported to an eerie electronic landscape. Kaiser’s recently successful Indiegogo campaign made it possible for him to release a double EP on vinyl, Inferior Planets. It was created as a double seven-inch with the idea that the audience, like Kaiser, can get together with their friends to play different sides at the same time to create a new experience.
The Keep Aways
11:15pm Thurs 4/30 | Main Club
This year marks the Keep Aways’ 14th consecutive Homegrown, which according to various sources is a record. That being stated, Mindy Johnson, Nikki Moeller and Chris Warne can’t exactly be blamed for spreading rumors this could be their last one. “Time to pass the torch,” says Johnson, who is planning a move to the Twin Cities. Either way, the Keep Aways have been sufficiently kicking the region’s ass over the years with music that’s as heavy as it is catchy. A collection of the punk trio’s best material from the past decade and a half is planned for release on vinyl this year, along with a seven-inch record of new material.
Kristy Marie and the Forget Me Nots
10:30pm Thurs 4/20 | Norm’s
Looking to move her listeners toward a revolution of love, a “lovelution” if you will, Kristy Marie has added a backdrop of prayer and political inspiration to her smooth, harmonious folk sound. She has teamed up with Jim Hall, Ron Koivisto and Bryce Kastning to explore balances between masculinity and femininity, truth and falsity, and freedom and control. Their album, Bears of Men, recorded in Karpeles Manuscript Museum, will be released later this year.
Sarah Krueger
7pm Sat 5/2 | Beaner’s Central
Wisconsin-born, Minnesota-bred Sarah Krueger has been on the Twin Ports music scene since 2005. No stranger to the starving artist side of life, she has waited her fair share of tables while spending the past three years contemplating the lightness and darkness of human nature. The result is her second album, Lustrous, recorded at Erik Koskinen’s Real Phonic Studio and released in December. Her ever-rotating cast of band members includes Steve Garrington, Brian Wells, Nate Case, Jordan Taylor, J.T. Bates, Kyle Keegan and Jeremy Ehlert.
LadySlipper
10pm Tues 4/28 | Prøve Gallery
LadySlipper is an American tribal-style belly-dance and acoustic-music collaboration that mixes in Middle Eastern beats. Denise Hooper created the group in 2013 and doubles as artistic director and dancer. Deanna Erickson will be dancing and playing finger cymbals. During performances, musicians improvise off cues and gestures that the dancers use to communicate while performing. The band includes John Hooper on acoustic guitar and vocals, Elden Lindamood on doumbek and auxiliary percussion, and Adam Metzer on accordion. This year, LadySlipper will also feature special guest dancer Danie Jimenez.
Lake Monster
11:45pm Wed 4/29 | Clyde Iron Works
Lake Monster is a five-piece band with a big sound its members refer to as “desert funk.” Lead vocalist and banjo player Henry Turnquist credits shamanism, a rock painting of a panther and the North Shore among the group’s influences. Max Goldfine plays a homemade cigar box guitar, in addition to adding vocals, trombone and acoustic guitar. Other members include Steve Karels on bass, Joe Anderson on tenor sax and Chad Erlemeier on drums. Their song “Together” was featured on the Arrowhead Story’s second Industry.Peace.Environment. compilation to counter the proposed sulfide mines.
Lay Low & Bender
10pm Mon 4/27 | Sir Benedict’s
This quartet, led by singer-songwriter Keir Gellatly of Proctor, is inspired by the feelgood swing-rock of the 1990s à la Smashmouth and Barenaked Ladies. Gellatly is backed by Ben Anderson on bass, Paul Abear on lead guitar and Ryan Donovan holding down the drums. Their contagious, head-bobbing, finger-snapping and foot-tapping sound could soon available in recorded form. An EP titled Ender has been in the works for about a year.
Lee Lah Sohn
6:30pm Thurs 4/30 | Spirit Room
Influenced by society and day-to-day human interactions, singer-songwriter Haley Lawson brings her introspective folk sound to Homegrown in the form of meditative acoustic guitar. Joined by Logan Amys on bass and Mike Lueck on percussion, the trio forms the year-old band Lee Lah Sohn. Their groove-based take on American folk is written to hone in on themes and feelings common to the human experience. “We would love for people to listen to us and leave feeling inspired to create their own music, art, etc.,” Amys says.
The Legendary Hell Puppies
12:30am Thurs 4/30 | Vintage Italian Pizza
The Legendary Hell Puppies is a quintet of like-minded guys focused on keeping the most danceable music alive. The group has been playing its mixture of rockabilly, blues and rock ’n’ roll — which sounds straight from a 1950’s diner or dive — all around the Twin Ports area for about three years. Vocals and guitar are provided by Marty Hope and Steve “Gomez” Mahlberg. Mike “Rabzilla” Rabideaux lays the groundwork with his bass and vocals. Nathanial “Belch” Belcher keeps things fast paced on the drums, and Keith “Sugarbear” Bower lends his vocals and wails on his saxophone.
Legitimit
8pm Tues 4/28 | Prøve Gallery
Lawrence LeTourneau has been creating hip-hop in Duluth for over a decade. Originally one of the three MCs from Kritical Kontact, he turned his Legitimit persona into a solo side project in 2008. He has toured over half of the United States, bringing upbeat, body-moving mixes and crafty wordplay to each show. His first two albums are 2009’s Up 2 No Good and 2011’s Smile 7up and Lowrtabs. A new work, Stardust Voicemails, is planned for a late 2015 release.
Lion or Gazelle
6:15pm Sat 5/2 | Teatro Zuccone
Guitarist and vocalist Brian Ring mixes his abstract roots with an earthy folk-pop for this particular project. His work here combines dark, cold, but affected-enough arrangements to sound like a futuristic mix of Roger Waters and Conor Oberst. When teamed with Sophie Turk on vocals, it adds an extra dimension to the stark themes presented in the writing. Putting on the finishing touches is Matt Mobley with his bass/cello brushstrokes. Lion or Gazelle has a vinyl album available from Chaperone Records and has appeared on KUMD, the Current, The PlayList, and KBJR.
Ann Kathryn Loop
10pm Thurs 4/30 | Chester Creek Wine Bar
Ann Loop first garnered attention in the local music scene with the band Mayfly and its cover of “It Ain’t Me Babe” on the Duluth Does Dylan compilation back in 2000. By 2004 she was with a similar group, Lookdown Moon, which added drums and lead guitar to flesh out a traditional folk/rock sound for close to a decade. Now she has broken out on her own as a solo artist, mixing her deep soulful vocals with the rich melodies she writes for piano. She plans to record an album of new compositions sometime in 2015.
Lorenzo’s Tractor
9:15pm Mon 4/ 27 | Red Herring
The story of this shoegazer juggernaut begins back in the early 1990s. Twenty-plus years later, Lorenzo’s Tractor is still dropping large doses of tripped out guitar fuzz interwoven through droning soundscapes. Often hosting alternative-venue gigs at his home, Rob Fernquist and fellow guitarists Jim Connor and Harrison Crane distort space and time while Luke Olson and Armond Blackwater add bass and keyboard expressions. A new album titled All You Hear was released in March, and a summer tour is in the works. Bonus tracks can be heard for free on Bandcamp.
Low Forms
10pm Thurs 4/30 | Tower Avenue Tavern
Members of the Low Forms herald themselves as “Duluth’s best punk band by a country mile,” and with their fast-paced, catchy, energetic sound, it’s easy to hear why. For five years, Pete Biasi, Dave Frankenfeld and Jeremy Ehlert — also known as Pete Form, Dave Form and Jer Form — have been bringing their pop-punk sound all around the Midwest and show no sign of slowing down. They released a four-song cassette in June, followed by a seven-inch single in March, and have plans to release another single later this year.
Low-Hi Funk
11:30pm Sat 5/2 | Pizza Lucé
After seeing an inspired performance by Chad Brown as rapper C-Silence, Nick “MidiEvil” Pawlenty felt compelled to join forces. The electronic musician/producer mastermind behind Strickly Hammers shared some ideas and mixes with the baritone lyricist, and within two weeks, a deal was struck. Now, when recording or sharing a stage, they go by the name Low-Hi Funk. The project features hard-hitting yet positive insight on the mic and silvery, melodic beats from behind the tables. This fast developing dyad has released a handful of tracks for its EP The HitchHiker’s Guide to Universal Destiny.
Maintenance Free
8pm Thurs 4/30 | Red Mug
Lifelong Duluthians David Aker and Mark Levings have been performing in the area as Maintenance Free for three years now. The two teamed up to merge decades of individual songwriting and musical performance experience into this folk duo. Originals are their forté, but they have also resurrected centuries-old traditional songs and sprinkle in covers from various iconic artists such as Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Guy Clark. Both Aker and Levings are multi-instrumentalists, so along with guitars they play harmonicas, mandolins, cajons, djembes, strum sticks and maybe even a kazoo or two.
Israel Malachi
10pm Wed 4/29 | Players
Israel Malachi has been a fixture on the Duluth music scene since 2006, often performing as the Tico Three. Now he is billing his band as “Israel Malachi” to avoid the nagging question, “Which one is Tico?” and to account for a dynamic number of bandmates. The one thing that remains consistent is Malachi’s dedication to providing the baddest blues music in the Twin Ports. This year’s special Homegrown lineup has Chris True joining in on the guitar and vocal work, Jesse Gangi and Mark Blom laying the foundation on bass and drums, and flutist Crystal Detlefsen adding spark.
Man on the Moon
11pm Sat 5/2 | R.T. Quinlan’s
Brad Fernholz, the driving force behind the now-defunct band Bradical Boombox, is at it again with fellow boomboxers Brynn Sias and Diane Milinkovich. They added guitarist Tony Derrick and drummer Mat Milinkovich in 2013 to form this powerhouse rock band. While still playing Boombox tunes, they are collaborating on new material and recently recorded with Rich Mattson at Sparta Sound. They hope to release a record later this year.
Markus J. Dandy and the Complete Lack Thereof
11:15pm Wed 4/29 | Kom-on-Inn
The storyteller-style lyrics and acoustic pop/rock guitar of Mark Blom sound reminiscent of college radio favorites the Mountain Goats and Neutral Milk Hotel. Add the creative and tasteful percussion work of Tyler Dubla and you have something very original known as Markus J. Dandy and the Complete Lack Thereof. Though the band name runs long, their songs cover a lot of ground in short work. Blom spins tales by the mouthful while the music changes tempos from melodic finger picking to fast-paced, hand-clapping pop. A collection of fun, homemade videos can be found on YouTube.
Marquis Mark and the Very Mysterious
9pm Sat 5/2 | Sir Benedict’s
Marquis Mark and the Very Mysterious have been making music together since 2009, but the members of the band have been a part of the Twin Ports music scene in one form or another for the past 20 years. This self-described power trio is made up of multi-instrumentalists Mark Macham, Victoria Macham and Theresa Williams. They play originals written by Williams and round out their sets with cover songs.
Rich Mattson and the Northstars
8pm Sat 5/2 | Beaner’s Central
Local music icon Rich Mattson has rocked in and around Duluth for 25 years, before most Homegrown Chicken-lovers were even a twinkle in their daddy’s eyes. Sharing vocals and guitar with him is Chaperone recording artist Germaine Gemberling, who also pens some of the material. The two are joined by violinist Eli Bissonett, upright bassist Russell Bergum and drummer Curtis Mattson to create a dreamy folk-rock vibe. Their single “This Town (Ghost Town)” was released on a seven-inch record last fall and is also available on the Sparta Sound Bandcamp page.
Kaylee Matuszak
8pm Mon 4/27 | Sir Benedict’s
She has only been playing the guitar for two years, but Kaylee Matuszak is well on her way to becoming a bright star in the local scene. Performing in the singer/songwriter tradition, she cites talented female artists such as the Indigo Girls, Tegan and Sara, and personal music inspiration Brandi Carlile as her influences. Matuszak is currently participating in the Music Resource Center, the after-school program that gives kids the opportunity to learn from music professionals, and hopes that with the MRC’s guidance that she’ll have an album of original material ready for release in the coming year.
Hannah McDaniel
7:30pm Tues 4/28 | Amazing Grace
Hannah McDaniel has yet to hit 21, but already has about five years of area performance experience as a soloist. She also drums in the instrumental rock band Lesser Planets. As a singer/songwriter she shares very personal stories and experiences and also mixes in some pleasing, ambient instrumentals on her acoustic guitar. She is able to balance a minimalistic approach with advanced time signatures and chord progressions, and her latest seven-song recording Speak is now available on Bandcamp.
Rick McLean
8:30pm Fri 5/1 | Legacy Glassworks
It doesn’t matter that guitarist Rick McLean probably wasn’t born when the New York anti-folk movement started in the early 1980s or even understands its importance in American music history. What matters is that once an established artistic movement, like the wave of Twin Ports folk and bluegrass acts, begins to take itself too serious, it desperately needs a young acoustic/punk bohemian like McLean to come forth and toss salty grenades at the establishment. Along with bassist Joe Anderson and drummer Mike McClean, this singer/songwriter brings a fresh dose of earnest, heartfelt humor back into this area’s acoustic scene.
Medford
11:45pm Sat 5/2 | Spurs on First
Medford originated in 2004 on an open mic night at Beaner’s Central. Singer/guitarist Chris Kelly and a friend took their rookie songwriting efforts on stage and impressed the owner enough to get regularly booked. Soon after, the duo expanded into a full band with a set list that would frequently build into long electric jams. They released a self-titled album in 2007 and have been on somewhat of a hiatus since 2009. This year marks a reunion of sorts with core members Dan Sauter on drums, Caleb Anderson on keys and Marios Glitsus on bass.
Mr. Kickass
10:45pm Thurs 4/30 | Superior Flame
This old-school punk-rock trio has been shaking the paint off Hillside basement walls for close to 15 years. In the vein of early Hüsker Dü records, Mike Fradenburgh’s bass and vocals pound and yelp over the no nonsense guitar and drum work of Jed Olsen and Jake Daire, respectively. A handful of short originals can be found on SoundCloud, but the demo style of these recordings don’t do justice to the cheap-beer thrills provided during sweaty live sets inside crowded underground venues.
Monster Mob
10:30pm Mon 4/27 | Red Star Lounge
Monster Mob uses campy creature-features and 1980s slasher flicks for inspiration when composing its hardcore noise. Lyrically, versatile singer Cory Jezierski has turned his love for the genre into the general theme for this relatively new group. Joining in on drums is his usual partner in crime, the always dependable Dan Holmi. Well known Twin Ports metal heads Mark Swanson and Garrett Schroeder fill out the quartet on bass and guitar. They announced plans for a debut album sometime in 2015 and hopefully some B-movie-style music videos for fellow horror/punk enthusiasts.
The Moon is Down
9:30pm Fri 5/1 | Legacy Glassworks
Buckle up Duluth, anarchy is alive and well here, delivered at breakneck punk pace by the Moon is Down. Frontman Glenn Maloney formed the project after arriving in Duluth from Milwaukee in 2006. This year is somewhat of a Homegrown reunion show since the group’s last Homegrown as a band was in 2011. Joining Maloney on guitar is Evan Tepler, who also plays with him in Breanne Marie’s backing band, the Front Porch Sinners. Fueling their machine of distorted harmonic energy is John Lamar on drums and Paul Whyte on bass, who is still reeling from making the final out with the bases drunk to end the sloppy Homegrown kickball game of 2013.
Morrow
10:15pm Fri 5/1 | Fitger’s Brewhouse
Husband-and-wife team Heather and Andy Morrow formed this folk band two years ago only to find out it wasn’t a folk band after all. They recruited bassist Mike Weinandt and drummer David Anderson to round what turned out to be an acoustic rock band, with Heather handling the lead vocals and Andy taking care of guitar and backing vocals. They have since played steadily around the Twin Ports with their creative and original songs.
The Murder of Crows
8:45pm Sat 5/2 | The Underground
Gaelynn Lea Tressler and Alan Sparhawk began their foray into macabre folk music in 2011 by playing a live soundtrack during a showing of the dark Lon Chaney classic film The Penalty. Since then they’ve released the seven-song EP Imperfecta. Their shows feature Lea’s gorgeous violin work winding through the always imaginative guitar efforts played by Sparhawk. They share vocal duties and also often share a playful banter between songs that puts audiences at ease. Their song “When We Were Young” was featured on the Sundance Channel drama Retify in 2014.
Josh Nickila
9pm Sat 5/2 | DTA Trolley
He represents, whether he knows it or not, a big part of what the Homegrown Music Festival is all about. Josh Nickila has played blues covers and jams around town for the past year or so. He’s in the process of finding his voice, his original style, a new set list that pays tribute to the great blues artists he’s obviously studied while staying true to what he is discovering about his own artistic development. While getting his old-school Stevie Ray Vaughan chops down during sessions at Carmody Irish Pub he has spent the past few months penning original compositions that should make their debut in 2015.
Nopamine
11:30pm Mpn 4/27 | Red Star Lounge
Like the Beach Boys wrote surf music and never surfed, the members of Nopamine play skate punk and don’t skateboard. They’re too busy working full-time, going to college and playing basement thrash shows to find time to practice 180 kick flips. Guitarists and songwriters Brooks Von Koski and Dan Childs met through mutual friend and bassist Sage Snyder in 2012. They added drummer Aaron Smith last summer and have performed at youth centers, art galleries and house parties. Their set list includes about a dozen originals that may see life as a demo tape sometime later this year.
Nordic Angst
8:45pm Fri 5/1 | The Underground
Nordic Angst has been playing its traditional Norwegian folk music with contemporary arrangements since 1999, when the band opened for Swedish rock band Hoven Droven at the NorShor Theatre. Accordionist Arna Rennan, guitarist Brian Dack, bassist Cathe O’Bey and electric guitar and ukulele player Doug Greenwood perform anything from drinking songs to dance tunes to cow calls. All band members are veterans of the music scene individually as singers and songwriters in different genres. Rennan is currently working on an album of traditional music due out this summer.
Ariane Norrgard, Emma Deaner & Rachel Gobin
6:15pm Fri 5/1 | Teatro Zuccone
Guitarist, vocalist and pianist Ariane Norrgard collaborates with some of the more stately musicians/producers in town, like Gaelynn Lea, Al Sparhawk, Eric Swanson, Sean Elmquist and Jake Larson. Her new album, The Things That Can’t Be Helped, is two years in the making and should be released sometime in 2015. A few outtakes have made the rounds and give a hint of her folkish, alternative string work and her poetic, breathy vocals. Accompanying her since 2014 is drummer, audiophile and KUMD DJ Emma Deaner on drums. Recently, they’ve added the elegant cello work of Rachel Gobin.
Nur Jehan Chishti
12am Tues 4/28 | Lake Avenue Restaurant
Nur Jehan Chishti performs chanting and spiritual meditation music with a twist. Band leader Kristy Marie O’Neill embraces ancient chants from all over the world and incorporates them into contemporary melodies. Backed by Bryce Kastning and Mark Glen, O’Neill’s music is original in composition, yet ancient in the method and theory behind it. The purpose is to use music “as a form of meditation to simplify the mind and brighten the spirit,” she says.
Jeffrey James O’Loughlin
9pm Fri 5/1 | DTA Trolley
If “all the world’s a stage,” as Shakespeare wrote, then Jeffrey James O’Loughlin’s part in the play reads like a lost Coen Brothers manuscript. On the verge of finding a music career in the early 1980s, the young guitarist saw an early version of the Replacements at a bar in Minneapolis. So inspired by the raw energy provided the ’Mats, he abandoned the music biz altogether, joined the Navy, and traveled the world, port-by-port. In 1999, he returned to Minnesota with a renewed Westerberg-like passion for songwriting and Lakewalk busking. His newest album, Black Butterfly, was released in February.
Bryan Olds
11:45pm Sat 5/2 | Lake Avenue Restaurant
This singer/guitarist plays a wide variety of venues. Audiences of his solo folk style might find him on the small stage at a local cantina or coffee shop. Fans of his blues and classic rock repertoire can catch him with accompanying electric performers at more traditional bar-band settings across the region. And who knows what his modus operandi might be when booked at weddings, ski lodges or country club events? For Homegrown though, Olds will break out a slew of original acoustic numbers including a few from his 2012 album Three Summers.
Pale in Comparison
7:30pm Wed 4/29 | Beaner’s Central
Pale in Comparison is a group of young malcontents in Duluth that continues to kick out the hardcore, fast-vocal barrage of lo-fi punk. The band’s early incarnation formed in 2010 with Matt Biggs on guitar and Kyle Lee taking up the bass. Drummer Andrew Olson joined the band in 2012. After shifting through a variety of names, like all good punk bands should, the members eventually landed on Pale in Comparison after no other names seemed to measure up. The group makes regular appearances at a local indoor skate park, which makes a lot of sense, given the indestructible youthfulness that comes out of their old-school sound.
Paper Parlor
6:15pm Fri 5/1 | Amazing Grace
Despite half of the band not being old enough to drink, Paper Parlor has held down an impressive five-year run as a musical project that keeps growing in new directions. The quartet, made up of Kirdan Wenger on guitar and vocals, Mitch Selin on lead guitar and vocals, Wilson Johnson on bass, and Chad Erlemeier on drums, has an overarching resonance of indie folk-rock, dabbling with elements of blues and lending itself to spellbound melodies sprinkled throughout. After several months of recording they’ve just released a new album titled Dreamscreen that was recorded at various locations around Duluth.
Charlie Parr
11:30pm Thurs 4/30 | Norm’s
Charlie Parr describes himself as “just another tired folk singer who won’t go away,” which is good, because no one here wants him to. Although he has no plans to “go away” in the conceptual sense, he is very much a man on the move. While many Duluthians are lucky to catch him in town on a regular basis, Parr has recently been on an extensive tour, stomping boots from coast to coast and everywhere in between. He even has post-Homegrown dates lined up Down Under, following hobbits around the shires of New Zealand. While Parr has the ability to reach those around the world, his dirty-roots folk sound fits right at home here in the Twin Ports.
The Peg Leg Howlers
8pm Sat 5/2 | DTA Trolley
The Peg Leg Howlers is a new project comprised of two familiar faces on the local music scene. Kyle Ollah moves between the fiddle, banjo and guitar, while Matt Ray takes on the other guitar and the other banjo-related duties. The Peg Leg Howlers are perfect for anyone sipping wine from a jug while waiting on that train to come around the bend. It’s fast-paced, high-energy folk and blues, with enough dust on it to hassle any asthma sufferers in the audience.
The People Say Fox
10pm Thurs 4/30 | Reef Bar
Since forming in 2008, the guys behind the People Say Fox have been making a lot happen for themselves. The band has released two full-length albums and one seven-inch record. They have also had the opportunity to share the stage with well-known acts, including the likes of Cloud Cult and Motion City Soundtrack. Their music makes for a slow-rising, mellow, indie sound that eventually erupts into an organized chaos. Nathan Holte holds a guitar and belts out emo-indie vocals, backed up by Zac Roorda on the other guitar. Drummer Rio Daugherty and bassist Michael Billig make up the rhythmic base the whole thing is housed in. Together they create highly textured soundscapes that could easily fit in on college radio playlists across the world.
Phantom Ship
8:30pm Sat 5/2 | Legacy Glassworks
Scott Gusts is the sole crew aboard his haunting electronic experiment, Phantom Ship. A former college radio DJ for KUMD, Gusts has steered his Phantom Ship into the Twin Ports harbor for the previous two Homegrown Music Festivals. “Cables, cords, machines and blinking lights,” are the words Gusts uses to describe his project. His sound is a slow-rising, drone-like-buildup that he says is atmospheric, yet danceable. There are typically no song breaks in a Phantom Ship set. It is a straight-shot trip through space and time with enough aural oddity to keep the hypnotized audience/passengers on their toes.
Phillip of Nazareth
10:30pm Sat 5/2 | Pizza Lucé
If you ever wondered what it would sound like if a punk band started digging through your uncle’s prog-rock collection, then Phillip of Nazareth is well worth checking out. The three-piece outfit, comprised of bassist Andy Pletcher, guitarist Josh Mutchler and drummer Cory Coffman, has been crafting a musical concoction that they’ve now released as their first studio album in several years, Killing Machine. Holding down a live set that seems to get tighter with every performance, their dynamic stage presence delves into unique time signatures, genre shifts, and Mutchler’s remarkable dance moves.
Portage
8:15pm Sat 5/2 | Teatro Zuccone
From the early beginnings in an attic on Duluth’s East Hillside, Portage has made long strides to becoming a crowd favorite in both the Twin Ports and Twin Cities. Painting an indie-rock ambiance around a roots-rock base, guitarist Trent Waterman, guitar and keyboard player Dave Mehling, bassist Jason Hildebrandt and drummer Adam Rosenthal have held true to their musical beginnings while leaving enough room for exploration. Their discography includes 2011’s The Unsalted Sea and 2012’s Landings. A third album is in the works for 2015.
Portrait of a Drowned Man
7:15pm Fri 5/1 | Teatro Zuccone
It’s not often that you’ll find a four-piece band featuring three guitarists, but in the case of Portrait of a Drowned Man it works exceptionally well. Founded in 2003, the band has spent over a decade creating and performing a panorama of post-rock arrangements that almost give the feeling of an instrumental narrative. All moving to the beat of Ken Nyberg’s drum, Paul Connolly and Justin Kervina bring spacey and rhythmic tones to the stage alongside Aaron Richner, who has returned to the band in the wake of long-time guitarist Jesse Hoheisel’s departure. Their third album is due out this year.
The Potluck Communists
7:15 Fri 5/1 | Amazing Grace
If there were local music awards for best new band logo, this year’s winner would be ska group the Potluck Communists. A cartoonish giant soup pot next to a black four-leaf clover next to an imposing Soviet hammer and sickle; pretty heady stuff for young men who haven’t turned 21 yet. Nick Carlson-Becklund handles the vocals and shares guitar work with Jake Vainio. Ian Erickson and Robert McGrady make up the bass/drum rhythm section while Hans Arvidson-Hicks adds trumpet. They’ve played Pete Fest, KBJR-TV, the Ska Skank Redemption show and plan to record sometime in 2015.
Prince Paul and the Conscious Party
9:45pm Tues 4/28 | Grandma’s
There isn’t anything much more infectious than reggae singer “Prince” Paul Robinson’s hearty on-stage laugh. Hailing from Jamaica, he’s become a Twin Port’s fixture of all sorts of musical Rastafarian fun since the Black Label Wednesdays at the Red Lion. His group, the Conscious Party, has released one full-length album and brought plenty of tropical joy to cold northland crowds over the years. The band includes percussionists Bryan “Lefty” Johnson and Nathaniel Beltcher, horn players Jason Minke and Leonardo DeBruce, guitarists Pat Powers and Joe Hauge, bassist Sven Berg, and longtime keyboardist Rob Jones.
Purple Hearse
12am Sun 4/26 | Pizza Lucé
Summer in Duluth is marked by a few telltale signs: the reopening of malt shops, hordes of tourists wandering the Lakewalk and the appearance of an ominous-looking funerary vehicle cruising downtown streets. Much like its namesake automobile, the band Purple Hearse is a complete unknown. Formed via text messages between Tony Bennett and Ian Prince, former bandmates in the Dames, the duo will debut at Homegrown. Prince has drummed with a variety of acts, including Houston, Kid Dakota and Story of the Sea, but given his history with Bennett something along the lines of improvisational noise and sludgedoom can be expected. Think the experimentation of late-period Coltrane mixed with an early Melvins sound.
Pushing Chain
11am Sun 5/3 | Pizza Lucé
While fiddle player Adam Moe and guitarist Boyd Blomberg have been playing together since 1997, the current incarnation of their musical rapport was formed in 2012 under the name Pushing Chain. Playing a variety of traditional and original songs rooted in the realm of Americana music, the duo has kept busy over the past few years performing regularly around the region. With the release of a self-titled album in October the two continue to bring an original experience to every show with a revolving set list, spontaneous guest appearances and a good dose of old-timey soul.
Red Mountain
12:30am Sat 5/2 Tycoons
There is a great deal of spectacle surrounding Red Mountain performances, but the style doesn’t trump the substance. The band’s debut album Scowl Lightly was voted Best Album of 2014 by readers of Perfect Duluth Day, and the record didn’t include fire dancers, aerialists or sequin costumes. Live shows, on the other hand, could include any of those things and more. Anton Jimenez-Koeckl and his Rhodes piano lead this avant-garde bohemian pop band, which has grown over the years to become a roughly 10-piece ensemble. The roster includes Grace Holden on trumpet, Erin Tope on tambourine, “Big Rig” Matt Mobley on bass, Gustaf Ekstrand on drums, Charlotte Montgomery on percussion, Soren Dietzel on clarinet and saxophone, “Gold Tooth” Jeremy Ehlert on bass, Chris LeBlanc on drums and Becca DeBoer on trombone. Intertwined on stage with extra shakers, cow bells, whistling and yelling they create a feel-good dancing extravaganza.
Reflectivore
10:15pm Fri 5/1 | Red Star Lounge
Ryan Rusch and Allen Cragin met when Rusch was in the band Professor Hefner and Cragin was in Circa A.M. They formed Reflectivore in 2010 and in the past year have been recording at the Weight Room, Rusch’s studio in Washburn. Their self-titled debut album is expected to be released before Homegrown. Joining them on stage are bassist Matt Osterlund, guitar player Matthew Cihaski and drummer Tom Anderson.
Retribution Gospel Choir
10:30pm Fri 5/1 | Pizza Lucé
Retribution Gospel Choir gigs have been sparse since the band’s powerful performance at last year’s Homegrown. Guitarist and vocalist Alan Sparhawk and bassist Steve Garrington have busied themselves touring and recording with their other band, Low, as well as pursuing personal projects including Tired Eyes (Sparhawk’s Neil Young tribute band with Rich Mattson) and Garrington’s jazz trio. Drummer Eric Pollard, now based in Nashville, has continued to write and perform his own music under the name Actual Wolf. This versatile trio has tackled everything from sprawling psych rock and dub jams to power pop; whatever they come up with for this year’s Homegrown, it won’t be boring.
Revolution Jones
12am Fri 5/1 | Dubh Linn
Revolution Jones is the more aggressive and technical incarnation of the Bayfront Reggae Festival regular Uprising. Frontman Dexter Baxter enthusiastically entertains with solid vocals. Guitarist Andrew Perfetti, bassist Tal Lindblad and drummer Luke Perry are joined by versatile keyboard player John Heino, who utilizes piano and organ. The band mixes “high-energy reggae, soca and dub rhythms with rock and jazz energy.” They plan to record throughout the year at the Hellfire Studio in Superior. Whether at an outdoor festival, in the spacious basement of R.T. Quinlan’s or squeezed into the narrow hallway of Carmody, Revolution Jones never fails to get its audience dancing.
Robot Rickshaw
6:45pm Sat 5/2 | The Underground
Composer, roboticist, creator and educator Troy Rogers has created “a rapidly deployable, human-driven, two-wheeled cart full of robots that play music, piloted by a lunatic in a hazmat suit + teddy bear.” AMI (Automatic Monochord Instrument), CARI (Cylindrical Aerophone Robotic Instrument), Stemmetje (a vocal robot), MADI (Multi-mallet Automatic Drumming Instrument), RUSTI (Robotic Used Slide Trombone Instrument) and other robots yet to be completed will entertain the crowd with Rogers at the helm. He describes this genre as “robot math folk and early 21st Century Midwestern semi-nomadic robot herder’s music.”
RoofTop Fable
11pm Tues 4/28 | Dubh Linn
The deep and powerful vocals of Suzy Anderson, aka Suzy Q, head up this genre-defying trio. Pennies for a Dime alums Faye Baron and Mikey Trifilette back her up on drums and guitar, respectively. RoofTop Fable’s sound could perhaps be described as a modern blues-pop twist on classic rock. The band has been performing at Amazing Grace Bakery & Café on the last Saturday of every month, and is busy working on its first album, which should be ready by the end of the summer. In the meantime, the video for “Snow,” showcased at last year’s Homegrown Music Video Festival, can be found on YouTube.
The Kyle Scherz Band
8pm Tues 4/28 | Bent Paddle
The Kyle Scherz Band is the solo act of … Kyle Scherz. That’s right, he is the band. While he often plays around town with Josie Taylor as part of the Yeah Scherz duo, for this gig he will use his vocal flexibility, a looper, and acoustic and electric guitars to produce the illusion of a full rock band, layering his voice over the instruments to create unique covers and original songs. Expect some beatboxing as well. Scherz has been working on an EP for future release.
Maddy Siiter
10am Sat 5/2 | Chester Creek Café
As Maddy Siiter sings on her new album, “I’ve been quiet for 15 years of my life — things are stacking up.” Well, the 16-year-old singer-songwriter has plenty to say now, and a lot of people are listening. In the past year she’s expanded her reach past the Twin Ports, playing shows in the Minneapolis area and as far south as Nashville. That’s where she recorded her second full-length album last summer. Siiter went into the studio with a roomful of pro musicians — including Garth Brooks’ guitar player Chris Leuzinger — and put down the 10-track “Runaway.” You can pick up a copy at Electric Fetus or download it on iTunes.
The Silk Sheiks
12:30am Fri 5/1 | Tycoons
The Silk Sheiks intend to “turn people on to the forgotten and under-appreciated late 1960s sound with the classic organ-guitar-bass-drums setup,” says Dan Anderson, who plies the organ and piano. At the previous three Homegrowns they were the soothing Sunday afternoon last-band-of-the-festival tonic for whatever ailed beleaguered concert-goers. This year they will be one of the last band’s to the stage on Friday night. Their musical style blend comes from musicians who have all spent more than 15 years on Duluth music turf, including guitarist Ben Marsen, bassist Ethan Thompson, drummer Ryan Jazdzewski and percussionist Bryan “Lefty” Johnson.
Silverback Colony
11:45pm Thurs 4/30 | Thirsty Pagan
Silverback Colony is — much like the primate species from which it derives its name — big, bearded, loud and aggressive. The band is made up of frontman Gabe Douglas, drummer Kyle Keegan, guitarist Nate Case, bassist Matt Donoghue, John Lehmkuhl on auxiliary percussion, and DJ House playing a spaceship. If spaceships aren’t American enough for you, try this on for size. Douglas describes the formation of the alt-country drone-rock band in the depths of Duluth’s musical soil as “a kinship … the likes of which hadn’t been seen since the 1991 World Champion Minnesota Twins.”
Sing! A Women’s Chorus
7:45pm Friday 5/1 | The Underground
If you skin your knee sprinting from Quinlan’s to the Brewhouse, or wake up with a pounding headache and no aspirin to numb the pain, have no fear — Homegrown’s biggest bunch of mothers is here. “We’re not rock and roll, but we kick ass,” says Mags David, director of Sing! A Women’s Chorus. “We’re pretty good, and we are literally a bunch of mothers. And a bunch of grandmothers, too!” David is the director behind the bunch of 30, sometimes 40 women. They’ve been going strong for 15 years, but she says this year you’ll hear a “sharper, more intense sound,” along with some new music. Look for a mother-themed mashup.
Adam Sippola
11pm Tues 4/28 | Lake Avenue Restaurant
Adam Sippola began his music career playing classical cello at the age of 5. Since then he has expanded his artistry as an actor, singer, poet and vocal soloist. His current focus as a musician is experimental live-looping incorporating didgeridoo, cello, vocals and percussion. He draws some of his inspiration from a diversity of vocal styles including Qawwali, Tuvan throat singing and a variety of chant forms. Together the combination creates soulful, haunting, meditative music. Sippola hopes his musical experience will serve as a “ladder for the soul.” His new album, Rising Point, was released in January.
The Slamming Doors
6pm Fri 5/1 | Beaner’s Central
The Slamming Doors is a group born out of Southern rock, the jam-band movement and six very different people. “It’s a unique blend of musical instruments and personalities,” drummer Matt Johnson says. “It’s not like we were a group of friends that just got together and started jamming in a garage.” The band formed in 2011 when Johnson, bassist Ben Anderson, guitar/banjo player Pat Hawkinson, pedal-steel guitarist Mike Randolph and keyboardist Craig Skalko all rallied behind the songwriting of Adam Herman. Their Road Beneath the Wheel made the Duluth News Tribune’s top five list in 2014, and a new album is set for release later this year.
The Social Disaster
12:15am Thurs 4/30 | Main Club
So many good ingredients go into this spicy étouffée. First and foremost are Rachel Phoenix’s sultry voice and dramatic on-stage performances. The dark disco beats and grooves come from Moog artesian Jake Larson and drummer Ryan Nelson. Guitarists Jesse Hoheisel and Jacob Swanson trade catchy phrasings and power chords depending on the mood of each song. If any band should be rewarded with a laser light show of its own, it’s this one. Singles can be found on Bandcamp and the moody dance track “Choke Cherry” is on the compilation Homegrown Rawk and/or Roll: Christine Dean’s Mix.
Steve Sola
6pm Tues 4/28 | Bent Paddle
Steve Sola is just Steve Sola — something that’s still relatively new for the veteran Twin Ports musician. After over a decade of playing in the company of countless other bands, he has by his own account “embarked upon the mysterious and frequently ill-defined path of the one-man band.” As a one-stop blues shop, Sola accompanies himself with a stripped-down percussion kit, harmonica and either a five- or six-stringed instrument. Audiences will hear “rattles and growls, moans and howls.” And whatever else happens, Sola promises it will surprise.
Songs of Shipwreck
9:45pm Thurs 4/30 | Thirsty Pagan
Songs of Shipwreck delivers much more than its name implies. Guitarists Kent Paulsen and Sean Mahoney take turns with keyboardist Matt Sjelin on lead vocals, singing rock versions of stories about shipwrecks, rolling hills, Velcro shoes and more. This gig will be one of three at Homegrown for bassist Steve Karels, who is also performing with Fearless Moral Inventory and Lake Monster. Davey “Jones” Clark backs them all up on drums. The first album by this two-year old band was recorded at the Weight Room in Washburn over the winter and should be available by Homegrown.
Southwire
12am Fri 5/1 | Rex Bar
One of CBS Minnesota’s “Best Up-And-Coming Bands of 2014,” Southwire has been making its name known in the Minnesota music scene with its unique “heavy folk” style for eight years. The combination of Jerree Small’s sweet and soulful voice and Ben Larson’s sermon-like spoken word with Sean Elmquist’s drumming and Matt Mobley’s bass work has garnered both critical acclaim and packed houses for performances. “Part gospel, part folk, the group evokes basement revivals and post-church, front porch jams” Andrea Swenson wrote for the Local Current Blog following the release of Southwire’s 2013 self-titled debut album on Chaperone Records.
Space Carpet
11pm Fri 5/1 | Dubh Linn
Space Carpet formed two years ago in the cosmos-themed basement of Beaner’s Central as the brainchild of guitarist Rory Isakson and ukulele player Jen West. The five-piece band is rounded out by Steve Isakson on lead guitar, Ken Thiemann on bass and Tyler Dubla on drums. They are fresh off the February release of a self-titled debut album. Duluth News Tribune Music Critic Tony Bennett notes “the band’s freshman foray isn’t easy to classify — it’s got elements of a number of genres, but they’re all interweaved pretty seamlessly, as if the band has digested a lot of influences in equal measure.”
The Spin Collective
8:45pm Sat 5/2 | Minnesota Power Plaza
Known for bringing the heat, this troupe of traveling performers is no circus, but rather a group of artists whose primary medium is fire. Backed by “funky folk music,” the collective choreographs solo and group demonstrations of fire-dancing techniques, which has roots as ancient as the Aztecs and consists of varying levels of difficult moves with flaming props such as poi, hoops and fans. Currently 10 members strong, the performers this year include Sherry Christiansen, Jillian Forte, Denise Hooper, Jayme Hudson, Regina Fitzgerald, Matt Lundberg, Aleasha Hladilek, Tristan Fitzgerald, Amy Kozak and Chris Hogan.
Starling of Athens
7:30pm Thurs 4/30 | Spirit Room
Starling of Athens is Toby Thomas Churchill’s “atheist folk” project from which he dishes out “the truth from Duluth.” Long known for his linguistically sophisticated lyrics (à la the Decemberists) and smart, quirky humor, Churchill of late has split his creative energies in half to give proper showcase to his all-original songs from the atheistic perspective. It’s just one man, one guitar and one freethinking perspective on the subject of faith.
Stel
6:30pm Tues 4/28 | Amazing Grace
Brian Stelmaszweski has been playing in the Twin Ports for 15 years and in that time has been a member of several musical projects including; Déjà Blu, Sweetgrass and a long run with Larry Sandmann as the duo Stel & Lefty. Although this is Stel’s third Homegrown without his musical “partner in crime” he still cranks out favorites new and old with a soulful drive, including a mix of originals, instrumentals and covers ranging from Hank Williams to Jimi Hendrix.
Strictly Hammers
10pm Fri 5/1 | Dubh Linn
A hip-hop duo that hosts frequent freestyle events at the Red Star, Strictly Hammers released its 12th album, The Red Door, in January. Known for their experimental approach to the genre, Nick Pawlenty and Matthew Ihle, going by the stage names MidiEvil and Crimson, have been hashing beats together for the past five years, including before this project was born. They often have visiting and local freestyle artists join them on stage for dynamic, rousing and energetic performances.
Superfly McFlash
8:15pm Mon 4/27 | Red Herring
Holding no documented relation to Curtis Mayfield, Steve Heck plays the role of Superfly McFlash in a solo act that packs a punch with various musical influences. Incorporating the use of a loop station he combines his skills as a beat boxer, guitar player, singer and rapper to build and deliver songs. Sticking to an overarching theme of hip-hop, Heck lets his heavy rock background come through with distorted rhythms and intermittent guitar solos to make for a genre hybrid.
Superior Siren
10:45pm Sat 5/2 | Lake Avenue Restaurant
For the past two years Laura Sellner has been captivating audiences with her alluring and eerie voice. After her 2014 Homegrown debut and the release of her EP Lotus in the Muck last May, this folk guitarist has quickly gained popularity in the Duluth music scene, drawing crowds with her bewitching singing. She’ll be joined at Homegrown by guitarist Andrew Olmstead, bassist Mark Glen, cellist Rachel Gobin and drummer Emma Deaner. A full-length album is in the works.
Supreme Rokka Hi-Fi
10:15pm Thurs 4/30 | Main Club
Duluth natives Brian Tomaino and Kevin Craig provide dancehall and roots reggae vocals with a driving sound system. They’ve been doing reggae since the 1990s and have been together for 10 years with long-term gigs in Minneapolis joints and Duluth’s Red Herring Lounge for three months late last year. But they’ll set up pretty much anywhere: “We have played nightclubs, kitchens, parks, dive bars, basements, gymnasiums and warehouses,” Craig said.
Sweat Equity
11pm Fri 5/1 | Rex Bar
Revivalists of the Minneapolis funk, soul and synth-pop sound, Paul Broman and Kevin Craig created the band Sweat Equity two years ago and have kept it pretty underground. Their only gig was a year and a half ago — but what a debut it was, opening for Har Mar Superstar at Pizza Lucé with opulent candelabras, keytars, turntables and matching suits. They plan to release their debut album on June 13, along with a video for their song “Hot Shower.” Broman says Sweat Equity’s Homegrown performance will be “custom-tailored to the specific tastes of all local proficient funky sexy well-dressed dancers, so come prepared with moves to bust out with.”
Timmy Jacks Off
11:15pm Sat 5/2 | Red Star Lounge
Don’t let the name fool you, this band is really bizarre. Under the creative coxswaining of Harrison Crane, Timmy Jacks Off began as a solo noise project that’s recently branched out into a fuller sound. Amassed around his distorted feedback and angst-ridden vocals — almost reminiscent of a young Iggy Pop — Crane is joined by guitarists Rob Fernquist and Mauro All, drummer Nick Petoletti and bassist Jesse White for an avant-garde spectacle. Spending most of the musical endeavor’s five years in various basements, Timmy Jacks Off climbs to the surface often enough to be known for a loud, expressive and aggressive show.
Timothy Martin & the New Norm
10pm Fri 5/1 | R.T. Quinlan’s
Think of early Genesis tracks to Depeche Mode and then — Timothy Martin Nelson comes into focus on his own with “dance-infused psych rock.” Nelson began his indie-rock journey as the music scene in Duluth began to blossom in the 1990s. He formed several bands and produced compilations, including three Duluth Does Dylan projects. More recently, there was the 500 Million Society before he formed his new project in 2012. He says his new material “swirls those earlier energies together, a bit light-hearted with dark edges that feel cold and alone.” His vocals and guitar will be joined by Peter Knutson on guitar and Russ Sackett on bass and vocals.
Tin Can Gin
12am Sat 5/2 | R.T. Quinlan’s
Tin Can Gin was born and brewed on the shores of Lake Superior by childhood friends. As banjo player Harrison Olk and guitarist Trevor Marrin’s journey continued they added mandolin player Bryan Nelson, fiddle player Nori Perrine and stand-up bassist Neil Krause. Together they create a distinct style of fast-paced, toe-tapping bluegrass fun. In typical bluegrass/folk fashion each song tells a story. Stories about life, relationships, alcohol and the Twin Ports. Since last Homegrown they have toured and played several venues and music festivals. In March they released their second album Coming Home.
Trampled by Turtles
9:30pm Wed 4/29 | Clyde Iron Works
Trampled by Turtles has been on a West- to East-Coast swing since late March, and by the end of May will have put on 29 shows. The band has been incorporating local classical string musicians into sets in the cities they’ve toured over the past year, so don’t be surprised if members of the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra sit in at Homegrown. While everyone got a band-crush with the Turtle’s original speedgrass sound, the quieter arrangements they’ve honed since the release of last year’s Wild Animals — produced by Alan Sparhawk — are haunting and showcase the vocal and instrument talents of Dave Simonett on harmonica and guitar, Tim Saxhaug on bass, Ryan Young on fiddle, Dave Carroll on banjo and Erik Berry on mandolin.
Tribal Alchemie featuring Yabobo African Drum Group
7:45pm Sat 5/2 | Minnesota Power Plaza
Since 2010 this tribal fusion belly-dance troupe, featuring LeeAnn Myers, Pamela Clifton and Wendy Simmons, has regularly made the rounds performing at local festivals and events. Through their body motions they hope to spread the riches of cultural diversity and share the world’s rhythms, Eastern, Western, local, ancient and new. Supplying the beat for their 2015 Homegrown performance is the Yabobo African Drum Group made up of convivial percussionists Janine Olsen, Eldon Lindamood, Tim Stratton, Alisa DeRider and Tamra Anderson.
Two Beat Band
11:30pm Sat 5/2 | Tycoons
Jordan Taylor has slowly brought his songwriting, guitar work and rich vocals out of hiding. After taking time to travel and gain some world experience, his Two Beat Band finally got down to putting 11 new tracks on tape. The result: the gorgeous, smart and Ryan Adams/Wilco-ish 2014 album Weekend Sounds. He recently relocated to St. Paul, which gives his sublime live shows a wider audience as his work’s popularity gathers steam. For Homegrown Taylor has offered a solo performance featuring a set from his 2013 self-titled debut and most recent record.
Fred Tyson and His Tysonettes
10:45pm Sat 5/2 | Red Herring
Fred Tyson knows how to bring the funk. Linked to Duluth at the pelvis, he can round-the-clock party until your beard falls off. Backed as usual by Eldo Abrahamson on drums, Ben Marsen on bass, Dan Anderson on keyboard, Paul Broman on guitar and Ryan Jazdzewski on drums, Freddy will once again do the unpredictable — yet ever-so-predictable — things that “he wants to do.” The lovely Tysonettes will resume their role at sidestage, lending sass as Freddy delivers the soul and funky 1970s beats. He is the star around which all others orbit.
Ryan Van Slooten
8:30pm Fri 5/1 | Red Herring
Ryan Van Slooten has been a part of the local music scene for 15 years. He has spent time in the bands Bone Appetit, the SuperTacks and Rock Brigade, but for the past 10 years has put the bigger focus on his solo material. His music is a blend of acoustic power-pop mixed with alternative rock, yet still maintains that singer/songwriter charm. He has released three albums since 2010 — All But My Soul, The Overhead Low and Victory March — and is working on his fourth, due out later this year. His band consists of Jacob Jonker on guitar, Tom Berrigan on bass and Scott Millis on drums.
Virgil Caine Band
11pm Wed 4/29 | Players
With a fourth album of roots-rock and butt-shakin’ blues complete, the Virgil Caine Band has resumed its heavy schedule of weekend performances at fine watering holes across the region. Lead by the Texas-style guitar sound of Tommy Wotruba and the Chicago-blues harmonica of Mark Hawley — both formerly of the Tom Cats — and backed by the rhythm section of “Big Daddy” Dave Prudhomme on bass and Keith Fredrickson on drums, the band plays more frequently on the Iron Range than Duluth these days, though it once had an eight-year run hosting the Sunday-night Open Jam at the former Twins Bar.
Vitamin Death
9:30pm Wed 4/29 | Beaner’s
These hardcore collaborators joined forces in 2013 to create the heavy-metal blitzkrieg aptly named Vitamin Death. But behind the Cannibal Corpse-like aggression are lyrics with a positive message and instrumentation done with classical precision. Engaging frontman Skylar Lysaker provides the verbal bark while guitarists Kyle Rudd-Pulkinen, Granger Kuberra and Cody Utyro dole out creative distorted bite. Drummer Chad Illikainen and bassist Ryan Carlson frame the blueprint, allowing headbangers to head bang while giving the songs enough breathing room for space heads to space out. Look for their anticipated debut Era of Awakening to drop in 2015.
Vivielle
7:15pm Sat 5/2 | Amazing Grace
For a group with members all under legal drinking age, Vivielle has the musical maturity of a fine wine. The band’s sound features the patience and sparseness of the Velvet Underground mixed with the dark vocal harmonies of the Handsome Family. Nathaniel Harvie’s indie-rock guitar and deep vocal work is often backed by effortless harmonies by Rosalie Uggle. Lino Rauzi and Joe Rauzi fill out the mid-tempo dynamics of bass and percussion. Their debut album,Time Falls Apart came out in August on Chaperone Records.
Willie Diction
10pm Tues 4/28 | Dubh Linn
Willie Winklesky mixes freestyle and well-written rap lyrics for his contribution to the local hip-hop scene, which he has participated in for the past decade. Going by the alias Willie Diction, he often teams up with electronic music makers such as Strictly Hammers and Lo-Hi Funk. His delivery is refreshingly crisp and precise as he doesn’t crowd his words with studio effects or relentless background vocals. He has released a batch of digital singles and radio in-studio performances on his SoundCloud page. MidiEvil (Nick Pawlenty) will provide the backbeats for this year’s Homegrown.
A Winter Downpour
9:30pm Thurs 4/30 | Norm’s
In 2012, this post-modern group released the moody and richly orchestrated album Vandrovec, I Need Help. The seven songs featured singer/guitarist Alberto Serrano Rivera’s writing abilities that combined the starkness of an early Cure album with the echo and depth of a Nick Cave record. Paul Connolly’s signature guitar/feedback work, along with bassist Kevin Zak and drummer Ken Nyberg, subtly completes the gothic noise like soft thunder. A long-awaited new recording is in the works with the finishing touches being put on brand new songs they plan to feature for their Homegrown set.
Wolf Blood
12:30am Fri 5/1 | Pizza Lucé
It’s been another great year for the demonic doom squad Wolf Blood. After signing with Dutch label Roadburn / Burning World Records, the band’s debut cassette-tape-turned-LP has been showing up on heavy metal and stoner rock blogs across the Internet. Bringing an apocalyptic dose of sludgy riffs that dive into thrash like a swift kick to the face are drummer Jake Paulsrud, guitarists Mindy Johnson and Mike “Riff Merchant” Messina, and bassist Brian Wells. They will get your head banging and ears ringing from start to finish. If your neck isn’t sore the next day then you probably did it wrong.
Woodblind
9:30pm Mon 4/27 | Fitger’s Brewhouse
Jason Wussow and Veikko Lepisto launched their acoustic ska band at the end of 2013 and quickly became a local fixture. Gigs at some of the region’s premier events — the Twin Ports Bridge Festival at Bayfront Park, the Grand Minnesota Taste-Together at Grand Casino Hinckley and DuLutsen at Papa Charlie’s — were just part of the duo’s big year since Homegrown 2014. In January they released the seven-inch single “Big Voice,” along with a music video animated by Brian Barber, and also performed on the WDSE-TV program The PlayList.
World Beat
6pm Sun 4/26 | Teatro Zuccone
World Beat is a group of 24 students from Myers-Wilkins Elementary School who create music in the drumming tradition of West Africa and other countries. The drummers are typically in grades 3–5 and meet once a week after school for rehearsals. Performances occur across the state, including gigs at the Minnesota Music Educators Conference, Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra concerts, Bayfield’s Summer (Mostly) Thursdays music series and local community events such as the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration. The drum leaders are music specialist Teri Akervik, second-grade teacher Michelle Bowker and AmeriCorps reading tutor Adam Metzer.
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2015 Homegrown Kickball Classic
Saturday, May 2 | High Noon
Chester Bowl Park, 1800 E. Skyline Parkway
“It was a good game. Then there was a collapse.”
2014 Homegrown Kickball Classic Revisited
By Graham Hakala
As a cold wind blew heavy gusts across Observation Hill, Homegrown musicians representing the Friday-night bands blew their game-long lead, losing the 2014 Homegrown Kickball Classic to the Saturday team in extra innings by a score of 6-4.
That’s one version of the story, at least. By the time it was over, no one seemed to truly understand what happened out there.
For the second year in a row, cruel and unusual weather conditions forced the game away from its traditional location at Chester Bowl Park. The alternate venue, a shabby baseball field at Observation Park, had its fair share of environmental hazards, including a 20-foot-wide, ankle-deep mud puddle in between third base and home plate. If anyone was going to score, they were going to have to pay the price.
Friday took the lead in the bottom of the first, when a pop fly to right field gave Heather Dean the chance to score. By the top of the third, and by sheer force of will, Saturday was able to squeak in a run, tying the game up at 1-1.
Saturday threatened again in the fourth, but Friday pitcher Chad Lyons made a diving catch on a line-drive kick by Nyanyika Banda to end the inning, stranding two Saturday runners and finally putting some mud on Lyons’ bright-white Kenny Powers jersey.
“I told you I’m good at sports,” Lyons yelled.
Friday took the momentum from that clutch play and went up by another run, ending the fourth inning at 2-1.
It was in the eighth when all semblance of order began to break down. In the top of the inning an argument ensued over whether Saturday player Lane Prekker had properly tagged up on a fly ball that advanced him to third base. After the teams exchanged angry words, umpire Rick Boo ruled Prekker was safe. Moments later, Prekker was tagged out at third while scrambling back after failing to tag up following another flyout.
The score remained 2-1 going into the bottom of the eighth. Heated arguments seemed to follow every play from that point on, and it quickly became impossible to tell who was on what base, who was keeping score, and who exactly was in charge of this thing.
Friday scored another run, which was met with more contesting from Saturday. While that argument was being settled, the game continued on in the background. Friday scored again, probably, we think, who knows? By the end of the inning, the official agreement by most on the field was that Friday led 4-1.
It was the top of the ninth, and things were looking bleak for Saturday. It would be the team’s last chance to catch up or accept defeat. They scored one run rather quickly, which put them within two to tie it up.
With runners on base and ready to go, a pop fly was launched into right field. In the melee to get the ball to home plate Saturday scored another run. As errors piled up in the Friday outfield, Saturday’s Jacob Swanson made a break for home and tied the game up at 4-4.
In the top of the 10th, a soft kick to the right side of the infield gave Saturday enough time to get two runs in, giving the team its first lead of the game at 6-4.
Friday would need two more points to get back into a position to win. They would have no such luck in the bottom on the 10th. Three quick outs at first ended the game.
“Karma. Pure karma,” Saturday pitcher Bryan “Lefty” Johnson said of his team’s unlikely win. “This is probably going to be a notorious victory. There were a lot of crappy calls, but you have to have those crappy calls or else it’s not a Homegrown kickball game.”
“It was a good game,” said Lyons. “Then there was a collapse. People started resting on their Laurels and Hardys, and when you do that, sometimes Saturday sneaks one out.”
* * *
Comedy Roast of the Homegrown Music Festival
By Mark Lindquist
Hello. Thanks for inviting me up here to say a few words regarding Homegrown. First, I’d like to begin by acknowledging the people who make this spectacle happen. Without their creativity, organizational skills and passion for success, an event of this magnitude could never run so smoothly. So let’s stand up and give a big round of applause for the hardest-working people in Duluth and Superior show business: Our local pot dealers!
Secondly, I want to congratulate the Twin Ports arts community. The diverse talent this area puts forth year after year never fails to impress. Where else can you go and listen to a hippie-jam jug band followed by a jug-jam hippie band followed by a jamming jug-band hippie? Anytime I see a bearded musician wearing overalls and a painter’s cap I know immediately where I am. I’m either at Homegrown or in a slightly-racist Hee Haw sketch … or in line at the free clinic.
No, but really, there are so many different kinds of groups to enjoy at Homegrown. Rock, hip-hop, metal, punk, blues, etc. I guess the newest style is something called “drone.” Supposedly, it’s part political statement and part artistic expression made by long notes of deafening feedback. The hipster kids absolutely love it. And as an added bonus, these recordings can be used to exterminate bedbugs and relieve constipation.
I’m kidding, of course. I feel a great sense of fellowship with all the incredible artists that come out of this area. I mean, Homegrown has introduced so many energetic and inspiring bands that even the Bayfront Blues Festival is considering booking a living musician under the age of 70 next summer.
The year 2015 will mark the first performance of the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra at Homegrown. Finally, some formal and refined classical music incorporated into the week’s lineup. I know the committee that books and schedules Homegrown will stop at nothing to make these fine, fine instrumentalists feel right at home during their set at Centerfolds Gentleman’s Club between sets by the scream-core groups Ghost Acne and the Cleveland Steamers.
But all jokes aside, let’s face it, this week is really just one big party. Day after day of beer and cocktails and shots and cigarettes and slurring and not remembering how you got home — a seemingly endless communal bender for all types of alcoholics and chemical dependents. Or, as the regulars at the Kozy Bar used to refer to it: daily life.
I’m joking. I do love this festival with all my heart. I’ve seen it grow from just 10 local bands showcased over one weekend to a weeklong extravaganza where all sorts of committees, sound techs, bouncers, writers, graphic designers, bartenders, venues and audiences work together to make sure our favorite local bands and musicians continue to not get paid.
Thank you! Chad Lyons is next.
