PDDTV Posts

Cloud Cult – “I Am a Force Field”

Cloud Cult has returned with a new single, “I Am a Force Field.” The video was directed by Jeff D. Johnson of Motion 117 Productions.

The Slice: Naming ZOZATRAS

Luke Moravec explains how his one-man band, Zeb or Zeke and the Run Away Screamings, was named.

In its series The Slice, PBS North presents short “slices of life” that capture the events and experiences that bring people together and speak to what it means to live up north.

Charlie Parr – “Boombox”

In the past two weeks a pair of videos have been released for the Charlie Parr song “Boombox.” Above is the “official” version, directed and animated by Kev Craven. Below is an alternate version, shot and edited by Adam Jones and starring William Silbey. The song is from Parr’s recently released
18th album, Little Sun.

Dirty Knobs – “Older than Bones”

The second release from the new Dirty Knobs album, Songs About Everything Dying Around Us, Including Us is the track “Older than Bones.”

Austin Castle – “Patient”

Austin Castle, with Ashe Berton on bass, performs “Patient” at Lakeview Park in Two Harbors.

Harley Race proposed to third wife on a drive to Duluth

[This post originally contained an embedded video that is no longer available at its source.]

Season five, episode five, of the Vice-TV documentary series The Dark Side of the Ring delves into “The Life and Legends of Harley Race,” a world champion professional wrestler whose early career included a run in the Minneapolis-based American Wrestling Association. At the 13-minute mark in the episode, Race’s third wife, Evonna Hedbávný, tells the story of Race proposing marriage on a trip from Minneapolis to Duluth in the early 1960s.

Apparently, even the toughest guy in the rasslin’ business can’t resist the romance of Duluth.

Postcards: Steve Solkela

Steve Solkela is a comedian, and the only member of his one-man band, which includes accordion and cymbals among other instruments. Solkela finds joy in his music and his heritage, showcasing his talent and sense of humor to audiences all over the world.

This video is a segment from the southwestern Minnesota Pioneer PBS series Postcards. The May 2 episode focused on Finnish musician and artists. The Solkela segment is edited by Mike Scholtz.

The Slice: Pelicans!

Every spring pelicans flock to Chambers Grove Park in Duluth’s Fond du Lac neighborhood.

In its series The Slice, PBS North presents short “slices of life” that capture the events and experiences that bring people together and speak to what it means to live up north.

Dirty Knobs – “Sticks on Skins”

Duluth’s auditory atmospherist Zac Bentz has a new Dirty Knobs album, Songs About Everything Dying Around Us, Including Us, set for release on May 31. The first visualizer is for the track “Sticks on Skins.” Bentz says the “hypnotic, looping visuals are meant as an aid to clear the mind, at least for a few moments, even if the music conjures visions of doom.”

Big Into – “Good as Gold”

From the shores of the Mississippi River, Iron Range natives Curtis Kraft Mattson and Jozef Conaway ask, “If a journey’s reward is the journey itself … then who pays?” Their band Big Into is releasing a music video every month for each new track off their upcoming EP. “Good as Gold” is the sixth in the series.

Video Archive: KBJR Northland’s NewsCenter 2004 Newscast

Through the advanced technology of consumer-level analog video we take a look back 20 years to KBJR-TV’s 10 p.m. news telecast from April 13, 2004.

Sadkin – “Saints of Catalina”

The new video for Sadkin‘s “Saints of Catalina” is a collaborative endeavor helmed by Henriette Blade, who conscripted a group of Duluth artists from a myriad of arts disciplines — actors, visual artists, ballet dancers and, of course, members of the band.

With this small legion of creators she directed, edited and produced a concept video loosely based on the classic dance performance and film Ballet of the Red Shoes, swathing it loosely to the song’s lyrics, which deal with unseen consciousness, the human experience and a struggling social morality all-but begging for a guiding light.

Emerging Artist Showcase: Nolen Sellwood

The Current’s Emerging Artists Showcase at the Duluth Masonic Temple in January brought together musicians from communities across the region to showcase and develop the next generation of songwriters and performers.

On the bill was folk musician Nolen Sellwood, a student at the University of Minnesota Duluth. His full performance is in the embedded video above.

Nolen Sellwood – “Lavender”

Nolen Sellwood‘s 2024 NPR Tiny Desk Contest submission is a video for the song “Lavender,” a track from his upcoming album Cadence to the Flame, scheduled for release June 7. The video was shot by Tanner Miller.

The Slice: KEBS Records

Tim “Edwards” Verthein and his daughter Stacia Rom operate what is believed to be the smallest record store in the world. KEBS Radio and Records is located at 311 Second St. in Bovey, about 80 miles northwest of Duluth. It opened in 2017.

In its series The Slice, PBS North presents short “slices of life” that capture the events and experiences that bring people together and speak to what it means to live up north.