March 2014 Posts

Homegrown Rawk and/or Roll: Eric Swanson’s Mix

Homegrown Rawk and or Roll Eric Swansons MixAvailable 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.

This week: mystery, absurdism and eating

  

Here’s a sampling of what you have to look forward to this week on the PDD Calendar.

Eat Downtown Week (which actually goes for 12 days) starts today with $10 and $20 prix fixe meals at participating restaurants.

You still have time to get your car ready for the Pinewood Derby at Carmody Irish Pub on Tuesday.

Sam Cook is the keynote speaker at the Duluth Parks and Recreation Annual Meeting at Spirit Mountain on Wednesday.

The Hounds of Baskerville is a staged reading of a Sherlock Holmes mystery at Glensheen Mansion Thursday through Saturday.

Endgame, an absurdist play by Samuel Becket, opens at CSS on Friday and runs two weekends.

Drink beer and support the Jaycees at the Gitchee Gumee Brewfest this Saturday at UWS.

So what are you doing this week? Can we tag along? Any upcoming events that you want to promote? Let us know.

Ice Cutter on Lake Superior

Amazing images by Carl Sauer of an ice cutter takin’ care of business on Lake Superior.

Duluth Mystery Photo #11: 1891 Couple

This photo is dated 1891 and is from the studio of Lars N. Liden, 1619 W. Superior St. in Duluth’s West End, a location that is presently a parking lot. That’s all we’ve got to go on. It’s a long shot, but can anyone name these two 19th Century Duluthians? Or at least write some good fan fiction about them?

Images from Diorama-rama 6

Images from the sixth iteration of the Diorama-rama.

Nerd Field Report: Firefly, Nerd Nite, Icebox Radio Theatre, Arts Advocacy

It was a week for several varieties of Nerd for me.

Select Images from East’s 1974 Birch Log

“Moods” was the theme 40 years ago when Duluth East High School published the 1974 edition of its Birch Log, the school’s yearbook. Some of the many moods were captured by student photographers; we share select images here simply because a copy of the book was sitting in a crate at Globe News in Superior with the meager asking price of $8 on it.

Some of the photos have captions, which you can read by hovering over the image. You can also click on the images to see them larger and read captions, then use the left and right arrow keys to view them as a slide show. If the photo had no caption in the book it is simply titled by the page number it appeared on.

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.

Minnesota Workout: Shoveling Snow in Duluth — March 27, 2014

I decided to put on my boots and go out and get a little workout today as only a Minnesotan can. Here is a video of how to workout in Minnesota … with a little Minnesota accentuation.

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.

Submit art for Superior Storm Drain project

Sidewalk areas next to six storm-sewer drains in Superior will be painted by local community artists. To submit a draft design by the April 17 noon deadline go to ci.superior.wi.us/stormdrainart for the entry form and more information. The artists must be residents of Superior, work in Superior, or go to school in Superior and be above 18 years old. Each of the six finalists will receive $200 once the art work is completed in May.

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 Superior Film Festival seeks volunteers

This is a very exciting year for the Duluth Superior Film Festival, as it is our fifth anniversary. We have some excellent films lined up (as usual), and some exciting guests. You might have read about Patty Duke’s planned attendance for our screening of You’ll Like My Mother, which was filmed in Duluth in 1972, as well as a return of Mackenzie Astin (Iron Will and Patty Duke’s son), who is attending this year as a juror. If not, here is the report from the Northland’s NewsCenter: Patty Duke expected at fifth annual Duluth Superior Film Festival

This is a big year for us, and because we value our volunteers tremendously and will be needing all hands on deck, we are excited to be able to provide lifetime film festival passes (and sweet access to special events) as a thank you to this year’s volunteers. We’ll also provide you with a T-shirt. What we ask in return is some of your time, and to pass along our request for volunteers.

The Perilous Inlet (a short film)

Final, scored version of something I’ve released excerpts of over time.

Four harrowing stories from one of Lake Superior’s perilous inlets, as told through the magic of toys.

Open Position: Part-Time Merchandiser

Bimbo Bakeries USA is hiring. There are permanent employment opportunities for merchandisers at the Duluth and Virginia locations. Follow the link or call Robert Hill at 715-571-6981 for details.