David Beard Posts

Duluth Central High School Jazz Ensemble

The 1977 album Project Two features music by various high school jazz groups, including a track from the Duluth Central High School Jazz Ensemble, directed by James Stellmaker. The tune “All God’s Children” was composed by Dominic Spera.

Philip Blackburn’s Ghostly Psalms

I hadn’t heard of Philip Blackburn until I found this recording online. Blackburn “was born in Cambridge, England, and studied music there as a Choral Scholar at Clare College (BA, MA). He earned his Ph.D. in Composition from the University of Iowa.” At some point, he relocated to Minnesota.

Celebrating the 9 o’clock Meltdown

I don’t know Crystal Abernethy well, though I am filled with a deep respect and admiration for her work and her commitment to making a thing. The 9 o’clock Meltdown was a good companion when I was a radio listener. I missed it when it went away, briefly, without realizing that it moved online. There, it’s still a great companion.

See a just-published interview with Crystal on Voyage Minnesota for more.

Duluth in MUFON

I found a reference to Duluth in the Mutual UFO Network newsletter. The Minnesota MUFON chapter is still alive and well.

Loaves and Fishes Zine

Last semester, my students did a research project on Loaves and Fishes. Now, a semester too late, I find this electronic archive of quarterly newsletters from 2010 to 2017.

Telling the Stories of Coming to Duluth at LSC

So I sat around a table in the Intercultural Center at Lake Superior College, filling my belly with food from Zhong Hua and filling my heart with stories of people coming to Duluth. It was all part of “We are here. Hear us.”

Def Leppard at the DECC Arena in 1999

In 1999 I was living in Minneapolis, listening to the Legendary Pink Dots. In Duluth, Def Leppard was playing. The audio is available on the Internet Archive.

OMG, that’s a lot of smoke in this video

I’m plunking about in the Archive.org site, and this video shows the Duluth harbor as a dystopian nightmare of smoke at about 2:30.

What an amazing transformation how we fuel our ships and how we imagine our port.

Dick Anthony: Basement Popcorn Entrepreneur of Duluth

Dick Anthony of Duluth made popcorn in his basement circa 1952 for distribution to local stores, where it was sold in dispensers. The video clip is from the television series “Industry on Parade,” which was created by the National Association of Manufacturers and ran from 1950 to 1960.

‘The bridge between Duluth and Superior’

“The bridge between Duluth and Superior” appears at just after the 1-minute mark in the circa-1957 short film Al-Can Trailer Trek, which promotes trailer traveling. After the quick bridge shot, zoom, it’s straight to International Falls.

This bridge is the Duluth/Superior Interstate Bridge, which was replaced when the Blatnik Bridge opened in 1961. Parts of the Interstate Bridge still exist as a fishing pier on Rice’s Point.

Northeastern Minnesota Book Award Winners for 2022

Ojibwe homesteads, shipwrecks and working class haunts provide just some of the backdrops for works honored by this year’s Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards.

Low Concerts on the Internet Archive

There are an array of Low concerts available on the Internet archive. Joy joy joy while also vaguely restful.

The master list of recordings is at archive.org/details/lowmusic.

Youth for Socialist Action of Duluth on the Internet Archive

The Youth 4 Socialist Action Membership Handbook is available on the Internet Archive. It’s part of a collection of several documents.

I’d bet there are readers of Perfect Duluth Day who know something of this organization. Maybe tell me what it was all about below?

Congrats ARAC Grant Recipients

The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council has announced its grant recipients from June to August. The full list of project descriptions is at aracouncil.org.

Riding a Train to Duluth on YouTube

I love trains. So when this showed up in my YouTube feed, I was excited.