Ian Alexy – “Move Like Water”
Duluth’s Ian Alexy has a new album on the way. The Tao of Ian is set for a Dec. 9 release.
An alternate version of the “Move Like Water” video, centered on a dance performance by Annika Danielson, previously appeared on Perfect Duluth Day. The new version adds footage of Alexy and beach scenes from Wisconsin Point.
Ripped at the Saloon in 2000
[Editor’s note: For this week’s essay we’ve once again pulled out a relic from the archive of Slim Goodbuzz, who served as Duluth’s “booze connoisseur” from 1999 to 2009. Twenty-five years ago the Sultan of Sot paid a visit to the Saloon, 1807 N. 11th St., in Superior, and composed this article for the Nov. 1, 2000 edition of the Ripsaw newspaper. The Saloon later became Temple Bar and then Mike’s Place.]
I was just about ready to sit down to a drink a six-pack of Old Peculiar, devour a carton of grade-D chop suey and watch the USA cable network movie, when it happened. Now, I’m no psychic, but I could feel — I just knew — someone in this town was giving away beer. You can’t just ignore a feeling like that. I stuck my untouched food and drink in the fridge, jammed a tape in the VCR to record the Addams Family double-feature and headed off into the night to seek my destiny.
I remembered that the Bayfront Blues Saloon had recently closed and reopened as, simply, the Saloon. The blues version of the saloon was always a mediocre experience waiting to happen, so I thought I’d check out the new and improved action. (more…)
Breanne Marie & the Front Porch Sinners – “Shelf”
Two Trees, the new album from Duluth’s Breanne Marie & the Front Porch Sinners, is out today and the album release show is Nov. 15 at Sir Benedict’s Tavern on the Lake with The Yeah Scherz opening.
The video for “Shelf” is directed by Breanne Marie and Anya Tepler.
Duluth-born author co-writes FX show, has new novel
Duluth native and crime novelist David Tromblay has had a string of interesting Tuesdays. From Sept. 23 to Nov. 4, he got to watch The Lowdown on FX, a TV show he was a writing consultant for. On Nov. 11, he released his fourth book Coydog, a Western crime thriller. (more…)
Gas Freighter Elvina
The November 1910 issue of Power Boating magazine included a photo from the Duluth Ship Canal.
The caption reads:
Elvina, a 53-foot gasoline freighter, “beating it” out of Duluth harbor on her way to Cornucopia, 40 miles across Lake Superior, which she makes back and forth every day in the season. With 40 tons of freight and passengers, as shown in the photo, she makes ten miles an hour. Her power plant equipment is a four-cylinder, Campbell, 40-horsepower machine.
Jorma Kaukonen has Duluth tour stop in April
I just looked at Jorma Kaukonen’s tour schedule and discovered that he’s coming to the West Theatre in Duluth on April 23. The co-founder of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna is a guitarist, lyricist, singer and biker, and runs Fur Peace Ranch, a guitar camp in Ohio. Get a copy of his autobiography, Been So Long from Zenith Bookstore, across the street from the West. It’s a great read. At 85, he’s a stalwart. Duluthians, please give him a warm welcome!
JamesG – “So Long”
Former Duluthian James Geisler, aka JamesG, points out life is short in his latest music video, “but at times, it’s so long.”
PDD Gift Guide 2025
Make your list and check it twice. This year’s Perfect Duluth Day Gift Guide features 16 items from local artists and manufacturers that will jingle all your gift-giving bells this holly-jolly season. It’s the year of the collab, with three items on the list produced by two entities working together on a single product. (more…)
Northeastern Minnesota Book Award Winners for 2025
Eight books in four categories have been recognized for this year’s Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards, which celebrate books that substantially represent the history, culture, heritage or lifestyle of northeastern Minnesota. (more…)
United in Service: Military History from America’s Northland
From the courageous Native American Code Talkers of World War II to the dedicated members of the 148th Fighter Wing, the PBS North documentary United in Service offers a poignant exploration of what it means to serve. This compelling documentary shines a light on the diverse experiences of individuals who have answered the call to duty, preserving their invaluable stories for generations to come.
Music Making History: The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
One of Gordon Lightfoot’s most important works was “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” Written shortly after the shipwreck of the same name, the song comforted many, became a chart-topping success at the time, and nearly 50 years later it has found a place in popular culture and social media. The song also served as the inspiration for former Split Rock Lighthouse keeper Lee Radzak to start the annual beacon lighting to honor the crew.
This episode of the Minnesota Historical Society’s series Music Making History reflects on Lightfoot’s work, the way he responded to the families of the crew, and how the song has centered community gatherings honoring those lost at sea.
PDD Quiz: Remembering the Edmund Fitzgerald
This edition of the PDD Quiz explores how the region has commemorated the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald.
A review of this month’s headlines comes your way on Nov. 30. Please submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by Nov. 27. (more…)
Postcard from Spirit Lake in Duluth
This postcard might have been mailed 100 years ago today. The year on the postmark has worn out over time, but is clearly from the 1920s and seems most likely to be 1925. The date is Nov. 8. The image shows a view of Spirit Lake on the St. Louis River from the shores of Duluth in the Morgan Park neighborhood. (more…)
Unpaid air traffic controller sending all planes to Duluth
An article on The Babylon Bee satirical news website reports that an air traffic controller who works out of Los Angeles International Airport “reportedly coped with his missing paycheck as a result of the government shutdown by deliberately sending planes to Duluth, Minnesota, for laughs.” (more…)
Video Archive: Crazy Betty – “Days of Easy”
Take a quick dip in the lake and do some flips off the dock. It’s been 25 years since Duluth band Crazy Betty released the music video “Days of Easy,” shot on Park Point and other Duluth locations in late summer 2000. And yes, the whole thing is very, very 2000.
The video was directed by Nicholas Kapanke.
Selective Focus: November Aurora in the City
Northern lights were visible throughout the region last night, including areas in Duluth where excessive artificial light normally wash out the low-intensity glow of the aurora. Collected here are a few Instagram posts highlighting scenes from the night sky. (more…)
Ian Alexy – “Move Like Water” (Dance Version)
The new music video from Ian Alexy features a dance performance by Annika Danielson.
Rafe Carlson – “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”
The legend lives on with Hermantown native Rafe Carlson‘s cover of Gordon Lightfoot’s “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”
Carlson is releasing his new music on Nov. 12 at Duluth Whiskey Project.
Duluth 2025 General Election Results
With all precincts reporting, here are the unofficial results for Duluth municipal and school district races. (more…)
War Bonnet – “Crazy Horse”
Hoka hey! Hoka hey! The latest from Iron Range-area band War Bonnet draws inspiration from the Oglala Lakota war leader Crazy Horse. The song is the second track off the band’s Mesabi album, released in September. The video was created by Chaz Wagner.
Dirty Knobs – “Squid Crow Pro”
Dirty Knobs, a music project of Duluth’s Zac Bentz, part of The Electric Witch and The Surfactants, released the new album Scorcher on Halloween. On Youtube the tracks come with psychedelic visualizers as above for “Squid Crow Pro,” a track I have on repeat. I would loosely characterize the album as a collection of ambient electronica soundscapes, textured and chewy. These tracks are going to get me through winter.
Duluth Deep Dive #10: The Life, Work and Legacy of Edwin Samuel Radcliffe, Early Duluth Architect
A blog post on the history of Keller Row in St. Paul notes that not much is known about its architect, Edwin S. Radcliffe, who spent most of his career in Duluth. This Duluth Deep Dive counters that assertion by providing the most complete record of his life and works available online. It uses articles from the Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub, reports by the Duluth Heritage Preservation Commission, and Tony Dierckins and Maryanne C. Norton’s book Duluth’s Grand Old Architecture to not only look at the buildings he created, but how his life and work intersected with important, surprising and trivial events in Duluth and Minnesota history. It includes stories of churches, schools, department stores, an Indigenous boarding school, a saloon and a brothel, along with an interactive map of all his known buildings. It also recounts the known events from Radcliffe’s life, including his participation in the Blueberry War of 1872, his patent on a device to make bathrooms less smelly, and the massive community card games held in his Park Point home. (more…)
Deep Connections: UMD Art & Design Faculty Biennial
The University of Minnesota Duluth’s Art & Design Faculty Biennial opened Oct. 28 and remains on display through Feb. 27 in the Tweed Museum of Art. The exhibit highlights shared human experiences and shared creative experiences.
The biennial’s intention is to foster connections and build community and camaraderie. The works include painting, drawing, sculpture, digital media, printmaking and graphic design. (more…)
The True Story of the 1963 Duluth Third Place Little League World Series Champions
The 1963 Little League World Series was played Aug. 24 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, at the Howard J. Lamade Stadium to 10,000 spectators. The series has since been given a cover story by the deep state, including the first-ever little league television footage, which was faked to keep America calm. The true story of the Duluth All-Stars is so explosive that it could not be told until now, more than half a century later.
A Midwest ring of Soviet spies developed a signaling mechanism invisible to the CIA, or so they thought. Eschewing radio and microfilm dead drops as vulnerable to interception, the Russians infiltrated the global little league ecosystem, and used manipulated game statistics to convey coded messages to agents in the field. One or two closet communist coaches in prime positions, a handful of greedy assistant coaches tactically placed, and a blackmailed umpire were enough to communicate covert instructions to sleeper assassins from Missouri to Manitoba, printed in every regional paper in the local sports stats. (more…)
Chrissie Hynde Featuring Alan Sparhawk – “County Line”
Chrissie Hynde, famed lead singer of The Pretenders, has released a new album of duets featuring K. D. Lang, Cat Power, Debbie Harry and a number of other artists, including Duluth’s Alan Sparhawk. The album is titled Duets Special. Sparhawk sings with Hynde on a cover of the Cass McCombs song “County Line.” (more…)