April 2016 Posts

PDD Pronunciation Guide: Teatro Zuccone

In episode two of Perfect Duluth Day’s Pronunciation Guide series Andy Bennett, Zeitgeist Arts creative director, demonstrates the proper pronunciation of “Teatro Zuccone.”

The Boomchucks – “Antidote”

Boomchuck BirdYes, another video for this song was released a year ago, but hey, the Boomchucks like to make videos. In fact, The Boomchucks Home Movie premieres Friday night at the Red Herring.

The new “Antidote” video was shot at the Red Herring, outside the Zeitgeist Arts Building and at Carmody Irish Pub. It contains almost as many birds as a certain pair of videos from the PDD Archive.

Duluth Band Profile: Gaelynn Lea

Gaelynn Lea ventures into her own with All Roads Lead Us Home. She reminds us, struggling musician or frustrated listener alike, that endearment isn’t perfection; it’s knowing how to be perfect on your own terms. Click on the image above to hear the interview.

Portage – “Hold On”

Portage released this gorgeous video shot in Iceland from their upcoming album Creatures, due out May 28.

Upcoming gig:
May 5 at the Reef Bar

Commerce on the River: Willard Munger Inn

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OneRiverMN-Logo-FC-BadgeIt all started when Willard Munger opened the Willard Munger Inn in 1954, before the Interstate Highway System and I-35 existed, when State Highway 23 was the main road into Duluth. Over time, proximity to the St. Louis River has come to mean more and more to the business as the health of the waterway has improved and outdoor tourism has grown.

Jeff Munger, grandson of the founder and current manager of the motel, recalls how his grandfather lived at the inn and woke up early every morning to tend to his guests until 1991, when his son Willard Jr. took over managing the operations. The inn has since expanded, employing eight people in the high season of summer.

Woodblind & Big Wave Dave and the Ripples – “Kom-on-Inn”

 
Kom on InnWoodblind joins forces with Big Wave Dave and the Ripples on the new song “Kom-on-Inn.”  With the help of Myke Dixon and crew, the hospitality of the Kom-on-Inn staff and the participation from friends and fans this video was created. It was shot on Jan. 17, and after a few months of editing it was released on April 5 with performances by both bands and video premiere at the Kom-on-Inn.

PDD Pronunciation Guide: Vikre

In episode one of Perfect Duluth Day’s Pronunciation Guide series, Emily Vikre, Vikre Distillary co-owner, demonstrates the proper pronunciation of “Vikre.”

Sketch Bomb with John Hoban at UMD

Local artist John Hoban organized a Sketch Bomb at UMD.

Local artist John Hoban organized a Sketch Bomb at UMD.

John Hoban, creator of Captain Artichoke, Apocalypse City, and Night of the Smurfing Dead, lead a Sketch Bomb at UMD on Monday. The event was planned by Pat Maus of the Archives and Special Collections area of UMD’s Martin Library.

Kip’s Memory Card Dump #6

Duluth photo-raconteur Kip Praslowicz has published another memory-card dump video, this one covering December 2015 to March 2016, including the Duluth Art Institute’s Annual Membership Show, the Bernie Sanders rally and on and on.

Commerce on the River: Loll Designs

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OneRiverMN-Logo-FC-BadgeIn a manufacturing facility a few hundred feet from Stryker Bay in West Duluth, Greg Benson leads a company dedicated to making outdoor furniture “for the modern lollygagger.” Before launching Loll Designs, however, Benson built skateboard ramps. He started out in his neighbor’s garage and eventually worked with municipalities to design and implement custom skate parks. The excess materials turned out to make attractive and durable Adirondack-style chairs, and a new business was born.

“A lot of people assume that I must have been a skater, but really I enjoy hiking, kayaking, camping and being outdoors much more,” Benson says. He and his brother Dave, both University of Minnesota Duluth graduates, along with Tony Ciardelli , founded both Loll and Epicurean, a company that makes cutting boards and other kitchen products. They sold TrueRide in 2008 to a California company and took what they had learned and ran with it.

2015-2016 Duluth Shred

A somewhat lengthy montage of face-planting, ball-busting, spine-scratching ski and snowboard stunts from the past winter, compiled by Will Smyth.

Duluth Band Profile: Emily Haavik

Emily Haavik looks like any other person you could see on the street. But when she’s on the stage, you hear something larger than life. Click on the image above to hear the interview.

Homegrown Banner Submissions

We’re looking for Homegrown-related banners for that funky horizontal space at the top of the page. The image must be 1135 pixels wide by 197 pixels high.

To submit a banner photo, e-mail your JPEG file to: banners @ perfectduluthday.com

We’ll run the banners during the Homegrown Festival next week.

Postcards from the Swinging Bridge at Jay Cooke State Park

Swinging Bridge Over St Louis River

OneRiverMN-Logo-FC-BadgeThe text on the back of old-school Swinging Bridge postcards tends to read the same no matter what the image: “This unique Swing Bridge spans the St. Louis River in Jay Cooke State Park, 4,000 acres of rugged picturesque beauty along the rapids of the St. Louis River, extending from Carlton, Minn., to Fond du Lac, a suburb of Duluth.”

This just in: It’s windy

It kind of looks like the Superior Entry Breakwater Lighthouse is going to blow over in this video via Richard Hoeg’s 365 Days of Birds.