Music
Ingeborg von Agassiz – “Jolly Old St. Nick”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ0ut8AIkSE
A reharmonization and altered melody for the traditional holiday classic “Jolly Old St. Nicholas” by Duluth’s Ingeborg von Agassiz.
PDD Quiz: Christmas City, Wonderful City
You’ve been hearing it. You’ve been humming it. You probably know it by heart. Or do you? How much do you know about Duluth’s official Christmas song? Let’s find out!
Homegrown band registration ends Christmas night
Duluth-area musicians interested in performing in the 2017 Homegrown Music Festival must make their intentions known by filling out a registration form at duluthhomegrown.org. The deadline is Dec. 25 at midnight. The eight-day festival runs April 30 to May 7.
Superior record store announces closing, huge inventory for sale
Vinyl Cave owners Tom Johnson, left, and Tom Unterberger will close the Superior record store Dec. 31. They hope to sell the store inventory to a single buyer.
The largest used record store in the region will go out of business this month after owners struggled to meet the demands of younger music lovers buying and selling collectible vinyl on the Internet.
The Vinyl Cave, 1717 Belknap Street in Superior, will close its doors Dec. 31. Owners Tom Unterberger and Tom Johnson hope to find a single buyer for an inventory that includes more than 10,000 albums, 300,000 singles, rock memorabilia and vintage stereo equipment. (more…)
Forget the Nobel Prize ceremony, this place is more important
Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan’s parents, Beatrice and Abram Zimmerman, are buried at Tifereth Israel Cemetery in Duluth.
I didn’t get an invitation to the Nobel Prize award ceremony for Bob Dylan in Sweden yesterday. Instead, I visited a memorial to the most important people in his life: His parents.
Abram and Beatrice Zimmerman are both buried in Duluth; the same city they brought Bob Dylan into this world more than 75 years ago. The same city where I live.
So on a bright blue, wonderfully cold day, I stepped into my pick-up truck, dropped a Duane Eddy CD into the player and drove 15 minutes to Tifereth Israel Cemetery. Somehow it seemed more important than anything happening in Stockholm.
Read all about it here.
Doomtree – “Fresh New Trash”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhR_cvLscJY
PDD alum Kahla Statema directs this unofficial video for “Fresh New Trash” from Doomtree’s 2011 album No Kings. Rapper Andrew Sims is currently on tour, with stops planned at Papa Charlie’s in Lutsen on Feb. 4 and the Red Herring Lounge in Duluth on March 10.
Dance Attic – “Startin’ a Fire with You”
[arve url=”https://youtu.be/x-KIkeajnXs” thumbnail=”146333″]
Happy holidays! Jimi Cooper and Suzi Ludwig of Dance Attic bring the holiday cheer for this year’s PDD Christmas video. The song is from the band’s first album, tentatively scheduled for release in April.
A big thank you to the Homegrown Music Festival for sponsoring the video. Band registration is happening now, the Homegrown Winter Fiasco is Jan. 13, and the full-on eight-day extravaganza happens April 30 to May 7.
A big tip of the western hat also goes out to Darryn Wallace, who made Dance Attic’s snappy outfits.
Visit the PDD Holiday Video Showcase to view a collection of clips featuring the ghosts of Christmas’ past.
Sarah Krueger – Northern Air 5-track EP
Duluth musician Sarah Krueger “holed up for a couple evenings in St. Paul” in November with her “good homie Jordan Taylor to record some holiday songs.” The result is the five-song EP Northern Air. Listen here for free, or name your price to download from Bandcamp.
Emily Haavik – “New Beginning Girl”
Duluth native Emily Haavik returns home from the Twin Cities next weekend to release her debut album You Were the City. The CD release party is Dec. 11 at Beaner’s Central.
The album was recorded last winter by Jason Wussow in the basement recording studio at Beaner’s. According to Haavik, the song “New Beginning Girl” is the “catchy” one.
The Little Black Books – “Barstool Christmas”
Directed by Kirk Kjenaas.
Low – “Some Hearts (at Christmas Time)”
Duluth band Low released a new Christmas song today. The band is touring the United Kingdom during the first half of December.
To friends who have moved away and friends who have passed on this year. To one and all, especially those who are alone, we wish you a Merry Christmas and new hope for the new year. May we all find ways to lift each other. — With love, Mimi, Alan and Steve
The digital single is available from Sub Pop Records.
Dead Man Winter – “Destroyer”
Trampled by Turtles frontman Dave Simonett will release a new album with his side project, Dead Man Winter, on Jan. 27. The album is titled Furnace and the first single, “Destroyer,” is embedded above.
“Destroyer is about … well … destroying,” Simonett told American Songwriter magazine. “I wrote it while confronting the feeling that every time I get some stability in my life, career, relationship, artistic, my tendency is to fully tear it apart. I should really stop doing that. Sometimes it honestly feels like I’m allergic to happiness. Or maybe chaos is where I am ultimately most comfortable. Though, to be honest, I’d hesitate to ever call myself comfortable. Life’s a funny little devil, ain’t it?”
Dead Man Winter will perform in Duluth on Feb. 18 at Pizza Lucé.
Video: Low Remixing Shakespeare
This collaborative performance and art installation at Karpeles Manuscript Museum took place Oct. 22. Performing the music in this clip is Low; the projections are the work of media artist Joellyn Rock. The event was held to mark the arrival of Shakespeare’s First Folio at UMD’s Tweed Museum. The video is by Blue Boat Films.
Ian Alexy – “Misfits in Love”
A song from Ian Alexy‘s new album Deserters, scheduled for release Dec. 16.
Listen: Gaelynn Lea’s Deepest Darkness, Brightest Dawn
Classically trained violinist and songwriter Gaelynn Lea‘s holiday album Deepest Darkness, Brightest Dawn will be released Friday, Nov. 11, and she performs Saturday at Beaner’s Central with the Brothers Burn Mountain. Click above to hear the full album. (more…)
Experienced piano teacher bouncing with new ideas looking for students
I’m a piano teacher with more than 20 years experience teaching students of all ages and all abilities on the hunt for students! I spent last year getting an MA in Community Music in Ireland, and while that was happening I lost a lot of students (which makes me sad).
That MA is changing so much about the way that I approach my teaching and music making, I decided that I might as well present myself to the world as a brand new teacher, and to do that, I made a brand new website: emilymoepianostudio.com. (more…)
Celtic Thunder on the St. Louis River
The Irish singing group Celtic Thunder was in Duluth on Sept. 27 for a performance at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center‘s Symphony Hall. While in town, members of the ensemble spent a little time on the St. Louis River with help from Swiftwaters Adventures, which offers guided rafting and kayaking trips.
Rich Mattson and the Northstars – “Trip to a Flame”
Video by Reggie Pype from the Northstars new album, Starmaps.
Video Archive: Ted Nugent 1991 Backstage Interview in Duluth
Prior to the Feb. 27, 1991, Damn Yankees concert at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center Arena, KBJR-TV had a quick chat with Ted Nugent, Jack Blades and Tommy Shaw. In the clip, the “Motor City Madman” discusses his band’s mission to boost the morale of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia.
GinStrings from Minneapolis at the Gunflint Tavern
GinStrings killed it last night at Gunflint Tavern in Grand Marais. (more…)
Matt Ray launches Kickstarter campaign
Matt Ray has launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the release of his upcoming album, Minnesota Moon, produced by Ian Alexy of Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank and recorded/engineered by Ryan Young of Trampled by Turtles.
Haley Bonar Tiny Desk Concert
Former Duluthian Haley Bonar is MPR’s featured Tiny Desk Concert performer today. She sings three new songs — “Hometown,” “Jealous Girls” and “Called You Queen” — from her album Impossible Dream.
Charlie Parr – “I Ain’t Dead Yet” (live on KUMD)
Charlie Parr performing in KUMD’s Studio A on Sept. 20.
Jeff Morris – “The BPMs”
Steppenwolf meets Spinal Tap in this video for the greatest song since “Fighting for Duluth.”
According to bpmmc.com, the Minnesota Chapter of B.P.M. formed in the early 1960s and presently has chapters in Duluth, the Iron Range, St. Cloud, Anoka and New Prague. Although, as noted at the end of the video, this song does not “reflect any of the sentiments, attitudes or views of any of the members of the BPMs.”
Rural Recording Studio Suggestions?
Musical artist Zola Jesus made this request on Twitter today. Any suggestions? Tweet back to @ZOLAJESUS.
I replied with Sacred Heart but there must be more.