Music Posts

“Duh-looth”

Thanks to howtopronounce.org we now have this clip to use as a sample in electronic instrumentals. Who would like to be the first?

(It’s all about that) Duluth Bass Player Adam Booker

adam-booker-contrabass

Woot for the local artist, internationally recognized. In the Contrabass Conversations podcast from Prague, Duluth bassist Adam Booker is interviewed about …

  • traditional jazz bass lines and what notes were really being played
  • confessions from a former string neurotic
  • what surprised Adam the most about academia
  • Stefon Harris and his description of scales as a collection of emotions
  • hanging up on Milt Hinton … and then watching Jeopardy! with him
  • not just creating great bassists, but creating great people

 

Paul Metsa – “Christmas at Molly’s”

This video slideshow, produced by Andy Watson of ANDVD Media, was released just before Christmas. It features a song written by Paul Metsa in 1990 as a loving tribute to Molly O’Kash Muench Spaun, proprietor of Molly’s Bar in Superior. Spaun died in 2013 at the age of 99. Molly’s Bar closed in 2005 and became Tower Avenue Tavern.

2016: The Year in Duluth Gig Posters

gig-posters-2017

By no means is this a comprehensive collection, nor is it a carefully curated archive of the best. It’s just a bunch of 2016 concert posters the PDD crew was alert enough to toss in a folder for use in this feature. Enjoy.

Big Wave Dave and the Ripples – “Snow Pants”

soul-brothersBig Wave Dave and the Ripples are the subject of a WDSE-TV documentary titled Soul Brothers, which first aired in November. The video above is a clip from the documentary featuring the nine-piece funk-and-soul band in action.

Merry Christmas from Fred Tyson

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Ingeborg von Agassiz – “Jolly Old St. Nick”

A reharmonization and altered melody for the traditional holiday classic “Jolly Old St. Nicholas” by Duluth’s Ingeborg von Agassiz.

PDD Quiz: Christmas City, Wonderful City

christmas-city-merv-griffinYou’ve been hearing it. You’ve been humming it. You probably know it by heart. Or do you? How much do you know about Duluth’s official Christmas song? Let’s find out!

Homegrown band registration ends Christmas night

homegrown-band-registration-2017Duluth-area musicians interested in performing in the 2017 Homegrown Music Festival must make their intentions known by filling out a registration form at duluthhomegrown.org. The deadline is Dec. 25 at midnight. The eight-day festival runs April 30 to May 7.

Superior record store announces closing, huge inventory for sale

Vinyl Cave owners Tom Johnson, left, and Tom Unterberger will close the Superior record store Dec. 31. They hope to sell the store inventory to a single buyer.

Vinyl Cave owners Tom Johnson, left, and Tom Unterberger will close the Superior record store Dec. 31. They hope to sell the store inventory to a single buyer.

The largest used record store in the region will go out of business this month after owners struggled to meet the demands of younger music lovers buying and selling collectible vinyl on the Internet.

The Vinyl Cave, 1717 Belknap Street in Superior, will close its doors Dec. 31. Owners Tom Unterberger and Tom Johnson hope to find a single buyer for an inventory that includes more than 10,000 albums, 300,000 singles, rock memorabilia and vintage stereo equipment.

Forget the Nobel Prize ceremony, this place is more important

Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan’s parents, Beatrice and Abram Zimmerman, are buried at Tifereth Israel Cemetery in Duluth.

Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan’s parents, Beatrice and Abram Zimmerman, are buried at Tifereth Israel Cemetery in Duluth.

I didn’t get an invitation to the Nobel Prize award ceremony for Bob Dylan in Sweden yesterday. Instead, I visited a memorial to the most important people in his life: His parents.

Abram and Beatrice Zimmerman are both buried in Duluth; the same city they brought Bob Dylan into this world more than 75 years ago. The same city where I live.

So on a bright blue, wonderfully cold day, I stepped into my pick-up truck, dropped a Duane Eddy CD into the player and drove 15 minutes to Tifereth Israel Cemetery. Somehow it seemed more important than anything happening in Stockholm.

Read all about it here.

Doomtree – “Fresh New Trash”

PDD alum Kahla Statema directs this unofficial video for “Fresh New Trash” from Doomtree’s 2011 album No Kings. Rapper Andrew Sims is currently on tour, with stops planned at Papa Charlie’s in Lutsen on Feb. 4 and the Red Herring Lounge in Duluth on March 10.

Dance Attic – “Startin’ a Fire with You”

Happy holidays! Jimi Cooper and Suzi Ludwig of Dance Attic bring the holiday cheer for this year’s PDD Christmas video. The song is from the band’s first album, tentatively scheduled for release in April.

A big thank you to the Homegrown Music Festival for sponsoring the video. Band registration is happening now, the Homegrown Winter Fiasco is Jan. 13, and the full-on eight-day extravaganza happens April 30 to May 7.

A big tip of the western hat also goes out to Darryn Wallace, who made Dance Attic’s snappy outfits.

Visit the PDD Holiday Video Showcase to view a collection of clips featuring the ghosts of Christmas’ past.

Sarah Krueger – Northern Air 5-track EP

Duluth musician Sarah Krueger “holed up for a couple evenings in St. Paul” in November with her “good homie Jordan Taylor to record some holiday songs.” The result is the five-song EP Northern Air. Listen here for free, or name your price to download from Bandcamp.

Emily Haavik – “New Beginning Girl”

emily-haavik-2016-photo-by-brandon-wagnerDuluth native Emily Haavik returns home from the Twin Cities next weekend to release her debut album You Were the City. The CD release party is Dec. 11 at Beaner’s Central.

The album was recorded last winter by Jason Wussow in the basement recording studio at Beaner’s. According to Haavik, the song “New Beginning Girl” is the “catchy” one.