Month: January 2025
Great Lakes Now: A Different Perspective on the Fur Trade
Great Lakes Now interviews artist/historian Carl Gawboy about his book Fur Trade Nation: An Ojibwe’s Graphic History.
Perfect Duluth Day’s 20,000th Blog Post
After more than 21 years as “Duluth’s Duluthiest website,” Perfect Duluth Day today randomly hits the milestone of publishing its 20,000th blog post. (more…)
Big Into – “Lucy’s Dope Lil Spare Bedroom”
The latest video from Iron Range nerd-rockers Big Into is for those who’ve got the feeling they’re being watched.
Rob on Bikes: Dreamland at Spirit Mountain
Dreamland mountain bike trail opened at Spirit Mountain last fall. Two minutes into his October ride, Rob of Rob on Bikes crashed and scratched his GoPro lens, but persevered to pull together a segment with only slightly obscured footage.
Plans for Arrowhead Bridge emerge in 1925
One hundred years ago plans were emerging to build what would later be called the Arrowhead Bridge, which spanned the St. Louis River from Grassy Point in West Duluth to Billings Park in Superior. Construction of the bridge was completed in 1927. It was dismantled in 1985 after the opening of the Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge. (more…)
Beloved Lakeside book store may be lost to building demolition
St. Michael’s Catholic Church plans to close and demolish its Lakeside Professional Building this summer. Gabriel’s Used Bookstore, located in the building’s basement, will close this spring if it cannot find a new location. (Photo by Mark Nicklawske)
Plans to demolish a business center housed in a historic Lakeside school building will displace several organizations, including a beloved bargain book store, this spring.
St. Michael’s Catholic Church announced in December the Lakeside Professional Building, 4915 E. Superior St., has been deemed structurally deficient and will be demolished later this year. The project means the church will close its volunteer-run Gabriel’s Used Bookstore, which has been located in the building basement since 1994. (more…)
Jo Koy tours Downtown Duluth
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFQ6j7HSeFi/?igsh=ZjI4azJ4MzRmNHdq
On Saturday, Jan. 25, comedian Jo Koy performed at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center. He seems to have used the opportunity of the booking to explore the city a bit and make some content for his Instagram channel.
PDD Quiz: January 2025
Test your memory of this month’s headlines with the first PDD Quiz of 2025!
A Valentine’s-themed quiz comes your way on Feb. 9. Please submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at alisonlinnaemoffat @ gmail.com by Feb 6. (more…)
Gang of Thieves
Every time he comes into the public library, Marv is mumbling to himself, engaged in an angry conversation with the assholes who live inside his head. Six feet tall, hard faced, his vibe is intimidating, but when he speaks to library staff, Marv’s hissed swearing ceases; unfailingly, he is respectful. Mostly, he’s there to use the computers, and once he’s settled inside the massive downtown building, Marv stays, sometimes spending more than half a day in the climate-controlled, well-lit shelter that is the main library in Duluth, Minnesota. At closing time, he’ll bid workers “Good night!” before he and His Mumbles head outside to unlock whatever bike he’s riding that week.
When Marv leaves the building, he’s accompanied by a library technician, someone who will unfasten and remove the eight-pound chain and small u-lock that protect his bike from theft during his long hours of poking around the internet. Marv doesn’t own a lock. Likely, he doesn’t own the bike. But it’s his for as long as he’s got it, and checking out a library lock assures he’ll have a means of getting to whatever passes as “home” at day’s end. (more…)
BBC: Duluth as climate refuge
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g334eppm7o
The spotlight is on Duluth in this BBC article on “climate havens.”
Duluth and the Solar Eclipse of 1925
Duluth was in the path of totality for a solar eclipse 100 years ago. Unfortunately, it was cloudy in the city on Jan. 24, 1925. (more…)
Zenith Basecamp set to open ‘indoor glamping’ travel hub
Zenith Basecamp, at 27th Avenue West and Superior Street, features a hostel, retail store and cocktail bar. Free Air Life Co opens its outdoor store Saturday, Jan. 25. (Photos by Mark Nicklawske).
The adventure begins this week as a new travel center featuring an adventure hostel, outdoor clothing retailer and cocktail bar opens in a historic Lincoln Park office building.
Zenith Basecamp, 2631 W. Superior St., will see Free Air Life Co. welcome customers to its ground floor retail shop Saturday, making it the first business to open inside the renovated property. The second floor hostel started taking reservations last week and will greet its first guests in March. Meanwhile, workers are completing construction on a new interior space that will house Altitude Cocktails and Wine Bar. (more…)
Video of bull moose sparring in northern Minnesota
From a snowy forest in Voyageurs National Park, about 100 miles north of Duluth, trail camera footage from two weeks ago of two bull moose locking antlers, with a third bull eventually joining in. The video is from the Voyageurs Wolf Project, which is focused on understanding the ecology of wolves in the park.
Steve Solkela – “Riittääkö Sisu? (Gotta Have Sisu)”
The latest from Steve “Sisu” Solkela is an ode to tenacity, grit, resilience and old-fashioned stoicism and hardiness. The song is from the recently released album Jenkkihymy: Finnish Fun with Steve Solkela.
Grant Glad showcases ‘middle ground’ with compilation album
Grant Glad, host of the music podcast Glad You’re Here, is trying to highlight a particular tier of local artists.
“I’ve been trying to find the artists that some people know and other people might not know and try to shine a spotlight on them. And then not have that spotlight be useless because you’re shining it on everybody,” Glad said. (more…)
PDD Geoguessr #34: Alan Sparhawk on Tour
Alan Sparkhawk and son Cyrus at a performance in Amsterdam on March 3, 2025 (Photo by Matthew James)
Alan Sparhawk is on tour again this week, and this post briefly discusses his new album, including Geoguessr challenges looking at the five locations where he is scheduled to play over the next seven days and another looking at the upcoming European leg of his tour.
(more…)
The Grateful Dead vs. The Velvet Underground
The 2024 death of Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh reminded me: I discovered the Grateful Dead and the Velvet Underground at the same time. The bands still exist as a unity in my mind, even after I figured out they were polar opposites.
My 1980s high school girlfriend was from the Northeast around Connecticut and New York City. She fused goth, punk, and hippie vibes. When we were 18, we took acid in her Austin, Texas shack. That’s where she DJ’d for me, on vinyl, the Grateful Dead and the Velvet Underground.
I’d heard the bands but never listened. She played the 1970 Dead tune “Box of Rain,” written by Lesh about the death of his father. Then we listened to “Rock & Roll,” the 1970 VU tune by Lou Reed about music as refuge, with Sterling Morrison on lead guitar. It all sounded like sheer Americana to me.
In the 1990s I became more of a Velvet Underground guy, from the band’s proto-punk stuff. But then I dated a Deadhead in Berkeley, and she took me to some Dead shows. That’s when I really got what the Dead fuss was about. I enjoyed my first show plenty, just for the carnival atmosphere, not having a deep knowledge of their discography. But then they covered “Johnny B. Goode” and the top of my skull lifted off. The secret of Dead shows is they piled crescendo on crescendo until you hit peak bliss, then they kept climbing. Yes I was on mescaline. (more…)
Maria Bamford displaced by L.A. fires
Sincere apologies for any inconvenience, but due to being displaced from the California fires, I need to cancel these upcoming dates.
If you have tickets, you will be contacted by the venue about rescheduling dates, or you can get info from https://t.co/mUIj4kbaRN.
❤️Thank you pic.twitter.com/87DwWuVIeC
— Maria Bamford (@mariabamfoo) January 17, 2025
According to several social media posts today, Duluth native Maria Bamford has canceled four upcoming comedy shows on the East Coast due to being displaced by the wildfires in Los Angeles, where she has been a longtime resident. Her website lists the tour resuming on Jan. 31 with a string of shows in California.
Cloud Cult – “Vision in a Field”
The fifth video release from Cloud Cult‘s new album Alchemy Creek is for the song “Vision in a Field.” The concept, visuals and editing are the work of Patrick Riggle.
Postcard from Tugs Breaking Ice for Steamer Ireland
This undated postcard, circa 1903 to 1913, shows a tugboat next to the Steamer R. L. Ireland, which the caption indicates is “going to winter quarters, Duluth, Minn.” The Great Lakes bulk freighter was built and launched in 1903. According to the website Great Lakes Vessel History, it was twice renamed — Sirius in 1913 and Ontadoc in 1926 — and sold for scrap in 1970.
Torment – “I Am the Problem” (Live at Pizza Lucé)
Duluth band Torment performs “I Am the Problem” on New Year’s Eve at Pizza Lucé. The song is from the band’s new EP, The Pain. The video was shot and edited by Kayden Emantsal and Lane Peterson.
PDD Quiz: 2025 Coming Attractions
The first PDD Quiz of 2025 previews events, establishments and shenanigans coming to the Twin Ports this year.
A quiz reviewing the month’s headlines and happenings will be published on Jan. 26. Please email question suggestions to Alison Moffat at alisonlinnaemoffat @ gmail.com by Jan. 23. (more…)
Sugar on the Roof – “Over the Great Saltless Sea”
Sugar on the Roof has a new self-titled album out on Philville Records. The track “Over the Great Saltless Sea” is highlighted here as the latest addition to Perfect Duluth Day’s list of more than 100 songs with “Duluth” in the lyrics or title.
Duluth Salvation Army building has hit century mark
A small feature in the Jan. 10, 1925 Duluth Herald mentions the opening of the “new” Salvation Army at 118 N. Third Ave. W. The building still stands, now serving as an annex to Hostel du Nord. (more…)
New book of interest if you have friends at UMD
I love talking about the literary writing world here, but I rarely talk about academic writing. I’d like to, this time, because I just finished c0-editing a freshly published book with articles by some of your neighbors. They were intentionally written to be accessible to a broad readership. (more…)