Low
Vansplaining, Episode 5: Chelsea Wolfe
In the fifth episode of Vansplaining, Duluth’s Alan Sparhawk drinks peppermint tea and listens to Roy Orbison with gothic rock musician Chelsea Wolfe.
Vansplaining, Episode 4: Mikaela Davis and Southern Star
In the fourth episode of Vansplaining, Duluth’s Alan Sparhawk performs a one-of-a-kind magic trick for Mikaela Davis and her band Southern Star.
Vansplaining, Episode 2: Lord Friday the 13th
In the second episode of Vansplaining, Duluth’s Alan Sparhawk talks with Felix and Sloane of the Austin, Texas-based brother-and-sister band Lord Friday the 13th about meditation, fonts and flying tea.
At the six-minute mark, another Duluth musician makes a cameo. Nathan Amundson of Rivulets tells a car-accident anecdote.
Featured in the next three episodes are Cat Clyde, Mikaela Davis and Southern Star, and Chelsea Wolfe.
Vansplaining, Episode 1: Our Girl
Duluth’s Alan Sparhawk, a musician in various bands, most prominently Low, has a new web series called Vanspaining in which he chats with other musicians while helping them unload and load gear at shows.
In the inaugural episode, Sparhawk talks with the Brighton-by-way-of-London-based band, Our Girl about magnets. Featured in the next four episodes are Lord Friday the 13th, Cat Clyde, Mikaela Davis and Southern Star, and Chelsea Wolfe.
Low Instagram Concerts
Low has been doing Instagram concerts on Fridays during the coronavirus, with tips benefiting charity, too. Because the shows are on Instagram, they seem to vanish within a day. But apparently, they give permission to fans to post to other media platforms. This is the only one I can find. Are they available in other places or through other YouTube users? Help appreciated.
Signed, — A Fan Whose Greatest Disappointment Was That Moving To Duluth In 2005 Did Not Mean Seeing Low Every Weekend
Low – “Always Trying to Work it Out”
Low teams up with director Phil Harder again for this video from the new album “Double Negative.”
The video was shot at the Hillside Whole Foods Co-op.
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Low – “Poor Sucker”
The new Low video is directed by Karlos Rene Ayala. The Duluth band is touring Europe in October in support of its new album Double Negative.
Low – “Rome (Always in the Dark)”
Low‘s new album Double Negative is out today on Sub Pop Records. The new music video, “Rome” is directed by Aaron Anderson and Eric Timothy Carlson.
Low – Double Negative Triptych
Here it is, a Low triple feature — three new music videos for songs from the album Double Negative, scheduled for release Sept. 14 on Sub Pop Records. (more…)
Duluth Drone not Drones
The fifth annual Drone Not Drones event took place Jan. 26-27 at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis. More than 60 acts rotated on and off the stage performing a continuous, uninterrupted, 28-hour drone of unified sound to raise money for Doctors Without Borders.
Now there’s a 28-hour soundtrack on Bandcamp.
It’s broken into segments, so Duluthians interested in listening to sets by Duluth bands can go straight to sets by Low, If Thousands, Timbre Ghost and Modify.
Low on “Fear the Walking Dead”
[arve url=”https://youtu.be/iupa8tqKTOw”]
My heart melts when the softer Low songs play. So when the otherwise mediocre season finale of Fear the Walking Dead included Low’s “Long Way Around the Sea,” I melted.
Starfire-sitting
I saw an article in Slate today about the economic imperative for bands to tour and the need for childcare on the road. I was disappointed that Duluth’s own Scott “Starfire” Lunt was not consulted, let alone mentioned. His duty as nanny on Low’s 2003 tour will serve as more good fodder for an “official, unofficial history of Duluth” on PACT-TV. What Mrs. Doubtfire is to in-home child care, rawk-legend Starfire is to tour-bus child care.
Slate: “The 21st-Century Family Band“
Shakespeare in Motion: Romeo and Juliet
In this remix video, Duluth artist Joellyn Rock collaborates with dancer/choreographer Rebecca Katz Harwood and adds music by Low, while layering in book textures and historical references from the Folger Library’s Shakespeare collection. (more…)
Low Versus the Volcano
It started as a Twitter feud between Mt. St. Helens and Lake Superior, then Duluth band Low got involved. Soon Glacier Peak, Mt. Baker, Cahaba River and the Grand Canyon were in on the action. (more…)
Video Archive: Low – “Happy Christmas (War is Over)”
Ten years ago today — Dec. 21, 2007 — Duluth band Low rehearsed for a holiday concert with choir members Marc Gartman, Greg Cougar Conley, Jerree Small, Jennifer Jones and Amy Abts.
For more archival holiday video joy, check out A Perfect Duluth Christmas: PDD’s Holiday Video Showcase.
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.
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.
Low – “Into You”
New video for a song from the 2015 release Ones and Sixes. Directed by Jim Burns and Beth Chalmers.
The Alan Sparhawk Project
Ten year’s ago, Duluth musician Alan Sparhawk had his name dropped in this little comic (specifically panel three):
Questionable Content is an internet comic strip by Jeph Jacques of Halifax, Nova Scotia. It started in August 2003 and is still in production. The publish date of the comic above is not known, but it was first posted to PDD on Feb. 9, 2006.
Perfect Album of 2015: Low’s Ones and Sixes
The latest evidence of the ubiquity of Alan Sparhawk: Not only did his band Low gain the most votes in PDD’s poll to determine the best local album of 2015 for its release Ones and Sixes, Sparhawk also produced the Social Disaster album Dark Side of the Roller Rink, which finished a close second in the voting.
But that’s kind of what we expect from the icon of Duluth’s music scene.
For Low’s 11th studio album — its fourth on the Seattle-based Sub Pop Records label — the band teamed with producer BJ Burton and recorded at April Base Studios in Eau Claire. As usual, Sparhawk handles the guitar work and shares vocals with his wife, drummer Mimi Parker. It’s their third album with bassist Steve Garrington. (more…)
Low on World Cafe
NPR’s World Cafe has been doing a “Sense of Place Minneapolis” series. Duluth band Low was featured yesterday, Dec. 10.
Low’s “Things We Lost in the Fire” on film
Just stumbled across this dark little film on Netflix and our pals Low provide some of the soundtrack.
Low – “Lies”
From the new album, Ones and Sixes.