Earth Rider Brewing
Flutes & Low with Lu Starr and Wetland Willows
Flutes & Low is the folk duo project of Ben Pichler and Cambria Haen. Since meeting and playing music together in Duluth, they have put their musical talents together to create lush sounds and memorable melodies. They are joined by Lu Starr and Wetland Willows
Rich Mattson & Germaine Gemberling with Becky Kapell & Paul Bergen
Hailed by Iron Range native and folk singer Paul Metsa as the “Johnny and June of Northern Minnesota,” this acoustic duo has been performing in and around the state since 2010. Well-known for their vocal harmonies, their repertoire consists of country/folk/rock classics mixed in with original compositions inspired by the north country.
Martha Scanlan & Jon Neufeld
Martha Scanlan is an award-winning songwriter based in western Montana. Her writing comes out of some of the deepest roots of Americana, winding between the mountains of East Tennessee and some of Montana’s most remote landscapes including a 120-year-old cattle ranch where she spent years living and working. She appeared on T Bone Burnett’s Cold Mountain soundtrack with former bandmates, Reeltime Travelers. Her songs have been covered by Sarah Jarosz, Andrew Marlin, Amy Helm and Solas and have found their way into books by authors Rick Bass and Joyce Carol Oates.
Jon Neufeld lives in Portland, Oregon and plays with a variety of musicians there including longtime bands Jackstraw (bluegrass) and The Kung Pow Chickens (Django jazz). Well-known for his innovative guitar playing, he is also a multi-intrumentalist, producer and mastering engineer. He has appeared on The Tonight Show and NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert with his former band Black Prairie and toured Europe in an impossibly small rental car with famed Portland Indie band Dolorean.
Fellow Travelers
The Milwaukee-based Americana/indie/country group performs. Ross Thorn and Death Valley Yacht Club open.
Blue Valentine
Blue Valentine is a Tom Waits tribute group based out of Duluth. Instead of a traditional, slow-burning jazz approach, the trio takes songs from Waits’ massive catalog of junkyard tunes and turns them into up-tempo, punk-influenced numbers.
Thomas Sticha
The country/folk musician performs.
Freak Show Circus
“Come one, come all sinners and spectacle seekers, where freaks awaken and the strange is beautiful,” say the hosts from Cryptic Veil Oddities Studio and Gallery. This event features performances by Zenith City Horror. Organizers encourage attendees to dress in their best “freak show” attire while visiting the circus.
Gates open at 6:30 p.m.
Oktoberfest with the Polkarobics
Polka music by Duluth’s very own The Polkarobics and an afternoon of Oktoberfest games with Game Meister Shawn Fennesey.
Tombstone Chapel
Tombstone Chapel are taking over the taproom stage, bringing their signature blend of high-energy Southern rock, outlaw country and classic rock hits. Show at 7:00 p.m.
Entheos Enclave and Peat Boggs
Entheos Enclave is a Duluth based band fronted by Inga Weis. This Nordic fusion of indie/crossover prog and world music comes from both deep love and deep grief, while embracing the joy of artistry.
They will be joined by groove, jazz and folk quartet Peat Boggs.
Tickets can be purchased at eventbrite.com.
Pieta Brown & The Taken feat. Erik Koskinen
Pieta Brown first came to international prominence with the release of her self-titled debut in 2002. Since then, she has released multiple critically acclaimed albums, EPs and singles, with much attention being paid not only to her distinct sound and style, but also the power of her singing and songwriting.
She will be joined by Americana and folk artist Erik Koshinen.
Tickets can be purchased at eventbrite.com.
Ani Mari and Flutes & Low
Ani Mari is an alt-Americana singer-songwriter from the Northwoods of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula, whose songs weave complex chord progressions into heart-wrenching stories and melodies. Her 2023 debut album, Girlfriend, fights for grace and connection amidst the anxieties, desires and heartbreaks of being young in America’s heartland. Her sophomore album is set for release in August.
Old Love, Sonja Bjordal and Idle Rose
Old Love’s songwriting is equal parts clever and sincere. At their shows the audience can hear anything from stripped down finger-picked storytelling, to vibey builds driven by drums and bass. Sonja Martin and Idle Rose will also play folk music.
Matt Heckler
The bluegrass multi-instrumentalist performs. Folk duo Pine & Fire opens.
The4onTheFloor
The high-octane rock’n’roll band performs.
Earth Rider lands gold at 2025 World Beer Cup
Superior’s Earth Rider Brewery won a gold medal in the oatmeal stout category at the World Beer Cup, held May 1 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. North Tower Stout, an ale with malty accents of chocolate, coffee and dark fruit balanced with a restrained hop presence, earned the award. The beer has now won three medals in its category at the World Beer Cup, having previously won a gold medal in 2022 and a bronze medal in 2018. (more…)
Sonofmel at Earth Rider after the Rhizomes and Poliça
It was a busy weekend in Duluth, despite the rain that postponed the Fourth of July events.
Saturday I missed the Rhizomes, who played in Two Harbors. Crankily, I have decided that I will only be indoors in places with cavernous, flowing air, until the pandemic has subsided. (For more information about the pandemic that is still going on, no matter how many people you see walking around without masks, visit the Minnesota Dashboard. We’re doing okay — COVID hospitalizations are definitely flat, but variants are increasingly resistant to the vaccine.) (more…)
Twin Ports breweries nab three medals at World Beer Cup
Representatives of Bent Paddle (left) and Earth Rider (right) accepted medals at the 2022 World Beer Cup.
Bent Paddle in Duluth and Earth Rider in Superior each won gold medals at the World Beer Cup on May 5. It’s the first time more than one medal was won by the region’s breweries at the competition. Bent Paddle also took home a bronze medal. (more…)
Monday Night Trivia at Earth Rider
So I’m looking for outdoor activities during the pandemic, and while Souptown is in Wisconsin, it is host to some of the coolest events. (more…)
Earth Rider Fest 2020
The pandemic being what it is, live music has been rare in 2020 and festivals have been rarer. On Sept. 12, Earth Rider Brewery in Superior held its third anniversary event on its spacious festival grounds with limited admission, a few masks here and there, and a bit of distancing. (Originally this post featured a recap video, but it has since been removed from YouTube.)
Duluth Coffee Pale Ale wins GABF gold medal
Earth Rider Brewery was awarded a gold medal at the 2019 Great American Beer Festival, the world’s largest commercial beer competition. The Superior brewery was recognized in the Coffee Beer category for its Duluth Coffee Pale Ale, a mildly hopped pale crafted using single-farm sourced beans roasted by Duluth Coffee Company.
Ursa Minor Brewing of Duluth also brought home a medal. Its Thistle Dew won the bronze medal in the Scottish-Style Ale category. (more…)
Earth Rider expansion will nearly double brewing capacity
Earth Rider Brewery is located at 1617 N. Third St. in the working waterfront of Superior, Wis.
A Superior brewery will dramatically increase beer production and expand its public event facilities amidst the city’s working waterfront.
Earth Rider Brewery founder Tim Nelson said last week the business will almost double brewing capacity with the installation of new cellaring tanks in July. The company also plans a Cedar Lounge tap room addition and a bigger outdoor entertainment area uniting its campus across a vacated street. (more…)
Selective Focus: Nick Wroblewski
Nick Wroblewski gets beautiful layers of color and detail from his woodcut printing process. You may have seen his work in local galleries and shops, and you might also be seeing it in your refrigerator on 6-packs of Earth Rider beer. Simpler, limited-color versions of his art are being used on the Earth Rider packaging. Be sure to check out the video at the end of the post to see how he builds up the layers of color for some stunning effects. He will be talking about the work for Earth Rider tonight (Friday, 5/18) at the Cedar Lounge, and doing a demonstration tomorrow (Saturday, May 19) at Zeitgeist Art’s “Spirit of the Times” event.
NW: The medium I am working in is called woodcut printmaking, and it’s been my primary medium for about 15 years. All the images that I make are printed from the inked surface of a carved block of wood. This technique is an ancient method used to create multiples of a single image. I was first drawn to this technique because of the way that it combined elements of drawing and painting with sculpture and woodworking. (more…)
North Tower Stout wins bronze at World Beer Cup
The beards were polished and groomed at Music City Center in Nashville, Tenn. last week. Earth Rider Brewery of Superior claimed a bronze award in the 2018 World Beer Cup, a global beer competition that evaluates beers from around the world.
Awards were given in 101 beer-style categories. Earth Rider award was in the Oatmeal Stout category for its North Tower Stout, an ale with malty accents of chocolate, coffee and dark fruit balanced with a restrained hop presence. (more…)
Earth Rider expands brewing capacity
Earth Rider Brewery in Superior is expanding its production capacity. Tomorrow morning two more large vessels, a 40BBL fermenter and 40BBL brite tank, will be installed. Another expansion is planned for late 2018. Earth Rider began brewing operations in September and intends to expand distribution to Two Harbors this week.