This Week: chakras, snowballs, ha-ha’s and more
Here’s a bit of what you’ll find on this week’s PDD Calendar:
The holidays are in the rear-view mirror, and so things are back to something resembling normal in the Twin Ports. For those looking to hit the ground running in 2015, there’s a lot out there to do. Take in an art opening at the Zeitgeist Arts Building, learn about MNsure and ARAC, see a locally-made film and head up to Lutsen for the Snowball Festival.
Over the weekend, check out some punk rock at the Red Star, learn about your Chakras, get a jazz fix from Maxi Childs and company, have a few ha-ha’s at Dubh Linn and celebrate those on the outskirts of things at the Fringe Festival.
Plenty to do, and, best of all, your chances of hearing a tinny version of “Jingle Bells” coming out of a speaker somewhere are virtually nil.
Superior Curling Club was fun
I spent Saturday afternoon watching friends play at the Superior Curling Club.
According to its website, the current club location was built “during the late 1980s.” “A modern new four sheet club was built at the Head of the Lakes Fairgrounds. Superior curlers worked out an agreement with the city and county on the funding of the club. The county and city contributed two dollars for every club dollar, and the curlers put in many thousands of hours in the actual construction of the new club.”
It’s a nifty facility, but it’s an even niftier sport to watch on a cold afternoon.
Well, Duluth, it’s been great!
I’m sad, so sad, to have to leave my adopted home of the past 3 and a half years. With Cliffs closing the Duluth office, I need to move where the work is, so on Monday I start my transition to the Eau Claire area.
Duluth is truly a special place and one that I will hold in my heart. (I so want to stay that I’m even keeping the house I bought in Kenwood and will have a family member reside there.)
To those like minded folks that love Duluth as I do, I don’t have to list the reasons why. To those haters out there, you will never understand the attraction the the place. I have endured five corporate relocations in the 29 years my wife and I have been married. I have lived in the South, the West, and the Northeast, but nothing beats the Upper Midwest.
Farewell, Duluth, Bon Chance!
Cable Natural History Museum Naturalist/Curator Job Opening
The Cable Natural History Museum’s naturalist/curator position requires curiosity, active engagement with projects, professionalism, independent initiative, effective communication skills with children and adults, and a desire to work with animals. (more…)
Found: The Elusive West Duluth Snowy Owl
If you’ve followed Perfect Duluth Day closely for more than a year, you might know that my wife and I are the world’s laziest and lousiest birders. We have cheap binoculars and cameras, and basically just try to keep an eye out while we are engaged in an activity like cross-country skiing. Last year, during an owl irruption in the Duluth area, we saw zero owls. The only snowy owls we had seen in our lives, before today, were in captivity at the Lake Superior Zoo and the World Bird Sanctuary in Missouri.
We had a few failed missions last year, seeking the elusive snowy at Rice’s Point and the Bong Airport. After hearing reports of sightings near Duluth Business University and Wade Stadium this year, we decided to give it another try. We saw a bald eagle at Grassy Point within minutes, and figured that was a good sign. We knew from reading Sparky Stensaas’ blog post about Superior Snowy Owls that it’s generally easier to find them in a stupid place, like on a football scoreboard (in his case) or a piece of industrial equipment (in our case) than in a beautiful wilderness environment, so we were only moderately surprised to find our gal at Erie Pier in West Duluth, perched on a bulldozer.
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
Selective Focus: Resolve
Erika Fryklepak, untitled
With “resolve” I’d asked for images of what you’d like to leave behind in the new year — vices, habits, excess, etc. — as well as things you hope to carry forward and to cultivate — whether those are things as tangible as a garden, or more ephemeral- like say, gratitude, mindfulness, or empathy. (more…)
Perfect Duluth Day’s Best Videos of 2014
It was a big year for Internet videos, with over 200 Duluth-related segments posted to Perfect Duluth Day. Combing through and picking our favorites was arduous, but we nailed down the top 17 and gave up trying to cut the list at that point. (more…)
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…)
Where in Duluth?
Time for another installment of Perfect Duluth Day’s ultra-thrilling photo-trivia sensation. Where in Duluth was this shot taken?
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
Year In Review: Artist Interviews 2014 — July to December
New work by Elizabeth Kuth
All-in-all it has been an exciting year in the local Twin Ports art scene. I was able to interview and share the work of more than 25 artists again this year. My blog post today links to 15 of those interviews that were shared at Ennyman’s Territory from July through December.
This Week: Old Man 2014 meets Baby 2015 and more
Here’s a bit of what you’ll find on this week’s PDD Calendar:
We’re in the home stretch of the holiday season. This week, there’s New Year’s Eve, and there’s everything else. First, the everything else — lots of concerts taking place: Dedric Clark and the Social Animals, Aurora Baer, Wolf Blood and Mary Cutrufello are all treading the boards at local venues.
Learn about the food you eat at the Zinema, see some Legos and play some Legos at the Library, skate on some open ice at the Heritage Center, get Fringe-y at Teatro Zuccone and enjoy some Ethiopian coffee and food at Jefferson People’s House.
Next, New Year’s Eve. Click right HERE to see the entire night’s menu of entertainment choices. Still growing at press time, there’s bound to be something for any reveler of any reveling style. From “subdued gathering” to “drunken blowout,” it’s all there.
Balloon View of Duluth/Superior Harbor
This postcard, captioned “Balloon View Harbor, River and Natural Breakwater; Duluth to Left, Superior to Right” raises a few questions. Perhaps the most important one is, how did that tree on the left edge get so tall? (more…)
Interviews with Local Artists
End of the year means summing up what’s been happening in 2014 so we can turn forward and face the new year. This morning I posted links to many of the interviews with local artists that I had the privilege of sharing from January through June. This was another great year for arts happenings here in the Twin Ports. Here are some of the people who make it happen.
Work by Karen Owlsley Nease who has recently transplanted to the North Country from Kansas City.
North Shore Camping Adventure
A late-summer camping adventure — with scenes from Duluth to Grand Portage — shot by Shun Matsuhashi. The song is “Swansea” by Bombay Bicycle Club.
Selective Focus: Light
Marissa Murdy, untitled
Given the perpetual greige skies of Duluth this late-December, looking at last week’s light-themed photos was a necessary pleasure. And, as I can see no reason now to stop being seasonally appropriate, our theme next week will be “resolve.” Again, here’s a word that is capable of many possible valencies: tenacity, commitment, coming into view, and more. (more…)
Peaceful Duluth Day
This is a fun little project I’ve been thinking about for a while. I thought today is as good of a day as any to post. Did I miss any?
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.
Chester Bowl Freestyle Cadet’s-eye View
Last year, Chester Bowl added “Freestyle Cadet” to the list of active groups at the ski hill. These kids build and groom the jumps, rails and other stuff located toward the top of the hill. For those who don’t get to the top of the hill, here’s a cadet’s-eye view from James Holak.
Artificial trailer and Indiegogo campaign
My name is Lance Karasti and my team and I are working on a new project that will be filmed in Duluth over the next year. Artificial is about a young photographer who meets a mysterious visionary with plans to create a sentient program. We’ve already shot the prologue of the movie which features the photographer traveling around town and capturing some of the Duluth’s most iconic scenes.
For $10 you can get a copy of the film and your name in the end credits. Please consider supporting local filmmaking by donating and sharing the link. Thank you for your past and current support.
One Chill Ride
Keegan Burckhard compares various transportation modes for his commute to the University of Minnesota Duluth.