Music
Duluth Band Profile: Dad’s Acid
Dad’s Acid mixes the surf-rock of the 1960s with the swagger of the Cramps. Nikki Moeller and Jake Swanson mention how the song “Surf’s Up Minnesota” cornerstones the EP First Trip. Click on the link above to hear the interview and click on the link for the band’s video “Red Surf.”
Duluth Band Profile: Lay Low & Bender
Lay Low & Bender is the musical outlet for Keir Gellatly. He opens up about being a front man and his love for ’90s pop-rock. Click on the image above to hear the interview.
The Electric Witch – We See the Shapes
Duluth’s dark-synth band The Electric Witch has a new album out May 1st! You can listen to a few tracks for free and pre-order now for just $1! (or more if you’re a patron of the arts with a few more bucks to burn).
We’ll be playing Homegrown this year (yes, three live synthesists and a fleshy robot-type singer), Saturday the 3rd at Tycoons (along with Mr. Kickass and Duck Duck Punch. Whoa!) Check out the music now so you’ll know how to properly slam-dance and/or throw shapes.
Duluth Band Profile: Christoph Bruhn
Christoph Bruhn plays American primitive fingerstyle guitar. He mentions how this type of music is meant for listening. His debut album Weekends on the Frontier is set for reissue on Grass Tops Recording. Click on the image above to hear the interview.
Slow down for Snow Covered Roads
Part PSA, part self promotion, a new song from the Formal Age.
Duluth Band Profile: American Rebels
Americans Rebels mixes feedback and smooth rock on The EP. Kyle Maclean and Scott Millis talk about the band’s forthcoming album. Click on the image above to hear the interview.
Soundcloud Accumulator for Duluth Music
If I left this thread open for a few days, and promised to alphabetize into a master list the SoundCloud pages of musicians who posted their SoundCloud links here, would anyone do that? Would it be interested?
I ask because I was posting about Tim Kaiser on FB, and noted that there were two Tim Kaisers on SoundCloud, and I wondered: what if there were a master list?
Duluth Band Profile: Saint Anyway
Saint Anyway delivers driving stompgrass. Tony Petersen talks about how the band is in the process of changing its sound. Click on the image above to hear the interview.
Trampled by Turtles – Wild Animals – Drops July 15
Trampled by Turtles are releasing their new album, Wild Animals, on July 15. The album was produced by Duluth’s own Alan Sparhawk of Low and recorded at Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls. Check out the first single, “Are You Behind the Shining Star?,” below. TBT will be missed at Homegrown this year.
Duluth Band Profile: Maddy Siiter
Maddy Sitter adds a youthful approach to song writing. She explains how music has aided her in addressing issues that few young adults address. Click on the image above to hear her interview.
2014 Duluth Homegrown Field Guide
Read the 2014 Duluth Homegrown Field Guide online as a flip-through magazine. Band profiles, full schedule and lots of choice Homegrown deets.
2014 Duluth Homegrown Field Guide
Homegrown Field Guide 2014 is out!
The Homegrown Music Festival Field Guide 2014 is lukewarm off the presses. Most of them are in stacks of boxes at the Chicken Shack, 207 E. Superior St., and will be distributed around town in the coming days. As of 2:30 p.m. Friday there was one box at the Electric Fetus, so you might be able to grab a copy there at this very moment.
Duluth Band Profile: Wino, WI
Wino, WI drives hard rock back into Duluth. Greg Conley and Scott Millis explain how the band started as a reaction to folk. Click on the image above to hear the interview.
Homegrown Documentary
I’m working on a Homegrown Music Festival documentary I started a few years back. I’m looking at getting some additional footage this year, including live performances and interviews. Anyone interested in being interviewed should let me know. Also does anyone have any pics from previous Homegrowns that I could use for this? Peace and happy Homegrown! Contact me at dandresser @ hotmail.com or Dan Dresser on Facebook.
Duluth Band Profile: Hanna Cesario
Hanna Cesario uses the ukulele to play jazz standards. In this clip she plays a live version of “Heavenly,” a track from her forthcoming album. Click on the image above to hear the interview.
Homegrown Rawk and/or Roll: Eric Swanson’s Mix
Available now for free download on Bandcamp, 106 megabytes of rawk and/or roll selected by Duluth soundman extraordinaire Eric Swanson, brought to you by the Homegrown Music Festival. (more…)
Duluth Band Profile: Duck Duck Punch
Duck Duck Punch uses infectious synthpop on its debut album Human Chemistry. Member Bryan Rudell opens up about the band’s forthcoming EP Take it Like a Man. Click on the image above to hear the interview.
Bliss – “The Most Important Things in Life are Invisible”
Video by Duluth rapper Bliss for a song from his new album, The Most Important Things in Life are Invisible, which will be released May 17.
Homegrown flashback through one lens
Photographer Rich Narum strung together all of his 2013 Homegrown Music Festival photos — the good, the bad and the out of focus — for this silent video. Running time is well over an hour, so grab a beverage.
Duluth Band Profile: The Formal Age
The Formal Ages adds surf riffs with synth keyboards to deliver its forthcoming album, 1923-2319. Jake Jonker talks about story behind the band. Click on the image above to hear the interview.
Duluth Band Profile: Timmy Jacks Off
Harrison Crane uses the pseudonym Timmy Jacks Off to release noise rock. In this interview, he elaborates about his process of stream-of-consciousness songwriting. Crane is currently releasing music freely to the public through Bandcamp. Click on the image above to hear the interview.
Portage – Columns
The band Portage was formed in Duluth, but is now located in Minneapolis. Band member Trent Waterman shot and directed this video. Portage plays at Amazing Grace Bakery & Cafe on May 2 during the Homegrown Music Festival.
When the Dames opened for Melvins
On March 19 and 20, 2004, a little Duluth band called the Dames opened for Melvins at Grumpy’s Bar & Grill in Coon Rapids. Unlike a lot of old, abandoned blogs, Tony Bennett’s Journal is still parked on the web with the story of his brush with the influential punk metal band.
They’re my heroes, you know. They’re my band. Just like there are tons of rockers out there with old Metallica or Kiss or Led Zeppelin fixations (me included), the Melvins are up there just like that. They’re an obsession for me. So it’s a little weird suddenly standing there with all three of them, shaking hands and having Buzz say “Yeah, I remember you guys from last year; you were good.” And then following that up with “Did you cut your hair?”
Yes, king Buzzo asked me about my hair. Does it get weirder than that for a Melvins nut from Duluth? I don’t know.
Homegrown 2014 schedule released
The schedule for the 2014 Homegrown Music Festival, April 27 to May 4, is now available on the Homegrown website. PDD’s Homegrown Chick App also has the schedule formatted for easy viewing on smartphones. There are 200 acts in this year’s festival. Plot your future bar hopping, and rest up for now.
Duluth Band Profile: Red Mountain
Red Mountain surrounds listeners with an eclectic blend of sounds and rhythms. In this interview, band members talk about how the song “Chad” began as a friend’s dream. Red Mountain is working on a follow up to its debut album Scowl Lightly. Click on the image above to listen.