Music
Woodblind – “Big Voice”
Some Woodblind for your weekend.
Wood Blind featuring Teague Alexy — “Working Man’s Song”
“Working Man’s Song” is the B-side to Wood Blind‘s recent 7-inch single release, “Big Voice.” Teague Alexy composed “Working Man’s Song” roughly 15 years ago; it appeared on the Teague Alexy with Medication album Sun, Moon and Heaven. Alexy provides lead vocals on the Wood Blind version, with Jason Wussow on guitar and Veikko Lepisto on upright bass.
Darkhood – “Destination”
According to the blurb on YouTube, the Duluth band Darkhood recorded this single in the 1960s.
“These lads allegedly recorded this at Chess Studios in Chicago and then subsequently lost most of the copies of this 45 when it melted in one of their cars,” the video description reads. “The flip side is great, too. Fuzz guitar and catchy garage from the Northlands; ain’t nothing better.”
The tune was ripped for YouTube from the original 45 by the Hold Tight DJ crew in St. Paul.
Tin Can Gin – “Duluth” (live on the PlayList)
From season six, episode one of WDSE-TV’s The PlayList, bluegrass band Tin Can Gin performs the song “Duluth.”
Perfect Album of 2014: Red Mountain’s Scowl Lightly
It was actually a late-2013 release, but Red Mountain’s debut album Scowl Lightly captured the most attention in 2014 among voters in Perfect Duluth Day’s poll to name the top local album of the year. Issued on vinyl and compact disc by Duluth’s Chaperone Records, Scowl Lightly brought band leader Anton Jimenez-Kloeckl’s evolving musical project out of the shadows of the weirdo-experimental scene to top billing at local festivals — with enough performance antics to proudly retain the weirdo label. In a review for the independent music website Wordkrapht, Ellen Vaagen writes that Scowl Lightly is “a baroque pop gem spattered with claps, bells, trumpet, and saxophone floating on a clear stream of fancy-free fun” and the band’s live performances “are a fantasia of dancing, face paint, feathers, masks, and flamboyant sequin costumes that encourage crowds to let their freak flags fly.”
Members of Red Mountain accept the PDD Award for Perfect Album of 2014 at the Red Herring Lounge. (Photo by Steve Ash)
Greg Tiburzi – “Perfect Duluth Day”
We feel a little bit silly that we just found this tune this morning. “Perfect Duluth Day,” by Greg Tiburzi, recorded in 2011.
Greg Tiburzi – acoustic guitar, harmonica, vocals, tambourine
Mike Mattson – electric guitar, vocals
Diane Eck – bass guitar
Todd Gremmels – drums
Steve Johnson – violin
Anne Fisk – vocals
Poll: Best Local Album of 2014 (Final Round)
A previous round of voting identified the top three albums by Duluth bands in 2014. Now it’s time to pick the award winner. Ire Wolves’ The Ascetic and Wolf Blood’s self-titled album can be listened to on Bandcamp. Red Mountain’s Scowl Lightly isn’t available for free listening in its entirety, but the single “Home” is on SoundCloud and there are videos for “Forestasia” and “Put Me Through.” Listen up, then pick your favorite.
[poll id=”76″]
This poll is now closed. The results are:
Red Mountain’s Scowl Lightly – 40.6 percent
Wolf Blood’s self titled debut – 34.4 percent
Ire Wolves The Ascetic – 25 percent
Clover Street Cronies – “Look Up, Look Down that Lonesome Road”
Shot by Jacob Swanson on July 5 at the ruins of the U.S. Lighthouse Station Depot.
2014: The Year in Duluth Gig Posters
This is by no means a comprehensive collection of the past year’s gig posters, just 126 of them that caught my eye.
(more…)
Poll: Best Local Album of 2014 (Elimination Round)
Among the 50+ albums released by Duluth-area musicians in the past year, the nominees are in for Best Local Album of 2014. Log in and click away to help us identify the strongest in the field.
[poll id=”75″]
This poll is now closed. The three albums below will advance to the final round of voting:
Ire Wolves – The Ascetic
Red Mountain – Scowl Lightly
Wolf Blood – self titled
Favorite Duluth Albums of 2014
Yes, it’s time once again to get all judgmental about the local music scene and pick the best albums of the year for further breakdown into a fancy PDD poll. There were at least four-dozen albums released by local musicians in 2014, which means few people have listened to them all. So, how do we begin?
Well, it’s fairly simple. In the comments to this post we ask you, the local brain trust, to mention your favorite albums from the past year, then we use that list to generate the nominees for the poll we’ll run a few days from now. It is acceptable, by the way, to nominate an album that came out late in 2013 and maybe didn’t capture much attention until 2014.
With so much local music being produced, of course, it’s hard for even devotees to feel like they have much of a grasp on everything that’s out there, but note that the list of albums linked above contains numerous links to Bandcamp pages where you can listen to many, many tunes for the low, low price of free. So browse, listen, or just spout off about how good the new album by your best friend’s band is and consider yourself an expert. It’s only rawk and/or roll, after all.
Charlie Parr – 30 Minute Music Hour
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtCRyXuYw8E
The self-taught guitarist from Duluth performs his Piedmont-style blues live in the Wisconsin Public Television studios in Madison.
Red Mountain – “Forestasia”
Perfect Duluth Day rendezvoused with Red Mountain on Goat Hill, and put together a little something special to get you in the spirit of hanging with friends and family this holiday season. Thanks to the Homegrown Music Festival for support in putting this together.
Find this video and other short clips of antics celebrating the season by clicking on this highlighted red text to view “A Perfect Duluth Christmas: PDD’s Holiday Video Showcase.”
Southwire on WCCO’s list of up-and-coming Minnesota bands
Duluth band Southwire topped WCCO’s list of the five “Best Up-And-Coming Minnesota Bands of 2014.” The trio performs at the Red Herring Lounge on Friday as part of Sarah Krueger’s album release party.
Southwire debuted eight years ago, so the term “up-and-coming” seems a little odd, but the band’s debut album is not yet three years old and its popularity indeed seems to still be on the rise.
Trampled by Turtles live Pandora private studio performance
Duluth’s own Trampled by Turtles perform songs from their latest album, Wild Animals, for Pandora Live at 25th Street Recording in Oakland, Calif., on Oct. 23.
Video Archive: Puddle Wonderful and Nobody performing at UWS Rothwell Student Center in 1994
UWS Studio II captured these clips from the Puddle Wonderful and Nobody performances at Rothwell Student Center in early 1994. Somewhere deep in the video vault there is also a Puddle Wonderful interview segment. We’ll find it one day.
A big “get well soon” to Puddle drummer Marcus Mathews, who is recovering from a motorcycle accident. “Broken arm, lacerated liver, broken ribs, punctured lung, ligament damage, and a shitpile of cuts and bruises,” he wrote on Facebook. Ouch. Hopefully laughing at this two-minute blast from the past won’t hurt him too much more.
Sarah Krueger – “Better When You Are Around”
Duluth’s Sarah Krueger — along with pianist Jordan Taylor, drummer J.T. Bates, bass guitarist Steve Garrington and guitarists Nate Case and Erik Koskinen perform in the Current studio.
Click here to hear the full three-song set and interview with the Local Show’s host David Campbell.
Tin Can Gin
Video by Kelsey Marrin.
Sarah Krueger – “Nothing Hits Me”
Video directed, shot and edited by Trent Waterman. Song from the forthcoming Sarah Krueger album Lustrous.
Black River Revue – “Spare Change”
Duluth band Black River Revue performs for The White Wall Sessions in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Duluth shout out on Alaska Public Radio
I’ve been talking to a buddy up in Sitka, Alaska, about the Jazz scene in Duluth – as well as across the state. He does a weekly radio show on KCAW and yesterday featured artists that have played at a number of venues throughout Minnesota: The Club Saratoga, Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant, The Riverview, Bayport BBQ and Nashville Hot Wing, and Healdsburg Jazz Festival.
I haven’t listened to the whole show yet, but Duluth gets a nice shout-out about 15 minutes into the program. I think it’s a pretty neat tribute and I wanted to share:
Jesse Ventura – “The Body Rules”
Jesse premieres his music video for “The Body Rules” in 1984. Obnoxious autoplay on the embedded video, so click the Read More button to see the video. (more…)
Music rehearsal space for rent in Duluth?
I play in a five-person garage-rock(ish) band, and unfortunately all of the garages that we know of are not good winter practice spaces. Does anyone know of places actively renting out rehearsal space? We’re courteous, young professionals with rental references, but not quite clean-cut enough to practice, in say, a church basement. This has been a pebble in my shoe for months, so thanks you for any advice!