Trampled by Turtles and Elizabeth Cook – “Old Shoes”

Trampled by Turtles were joined by country singer Elizabeth Cook for a cover of Tom Waits‘ “Old Shoes (& Picture Postcards)” on March 26 during a concert at GLC Live at 20 Monroe, a concert hall in Grand Rapids, Mich.

The video was shot by Justin Razmus, Heather Kanig and Cooper Baumgartner, and edited by 616 Media. The sound was mixed by Adam Krinsky.

It’s LTD Duluth!

This Twin Cities Public Television documentary, broadcast circa 1980, has a brief but kind-of-sexy Duluth moment. A clip from a Northland Ford commercial at the 12:12 mark of the video shows actors playing a Duluth couple standing in front of the Ford product chosen to represent the Zenith City — an LTD Country Squire station wagon with simulated woodgrain siding.

MMA Squirrel Fighting: Rat Face Ricky vs. Scum Bag Mac

Another mixed martial arts backyard battle in Duluth. In this edition Rat Face Ricky and Scum Bag Mac show off some of their Kung Fu moves. Video by Brian Luoma of Wild Cam North.

The Slice: Breaking Ice

This episode of The Slice was shot on the Coast Guard’s new ice-breaking vessel Hollyhock.

In its series The Slice, WDSE-TV 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.

Nelson Family Music

This documentary about the musical Nelson family was produced at the end of 2021 as part of the North by North Film School‘s Documentary Film Production class. It was directed by Carolyn Nelson-Kavajecz

Thoughts about the new ad campaign

The new campaign to increase tourism for Duluth had, I guess, a “soft open” this week, covered in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and on Fox 21.

Ripped at Shooter’s Saloon in 2002

[Editor’s note: For this week’s essay we’ve once again pulled out a relic from the archive of Slim Goodbuzz, who served as Duluth’s “booze connoisseur” from 1999 to 2009. The Sultan of Sot visited Shooter’s Saloon, 624 Tower Ave. in Superior, and composed this article for the April 3, 2002 issue of the Ripsaw newspaper. Shooter’s went out of business circa 2009.]

Shooter’s Saloon is a really nice place. The people who work there are efficient and friendly. The drinks are reasonably priced. The room is large and there are pool tables and a video hunting game with a big orange shotgun. Every time I go to Shooter’s, a live band is performing for no cover charge. Yet, it’s still the kind of a scene a judgmental guy like me looks at and says to himself, “How can I wreck this by weaponizing my prejudice?”

See, Shooter’s is a country-western line-dancing bar, and country-western line-dancing people love to go there. This is the one, only and perfectly acceptable reason why I’m bothered by Shooter’s and want to wreck it. I want to go up to any of the ridiculous posers there and say, “Howdy pardner. Nice belt buckle. You look like Nick Bockwinkel. Is that the AWA belt or World Class? Say, I have a question for you. I was just thinking about how Halloween was five months ago, yet you are still dressed up like you’re in a gay bar in Nashville, which got me to wondering, have you ever once milked, roped or gutted anything? Have you even shot a BB gun at a beer can? I mean, come on Hoss, we’re on the boozebelt of Superior, Wis. Who are you kidding?”

Seeking information on late local musician Lew Orsoni

I recently opened up an old binder of burned CDs and came across a much loved recording I had forgotten about attributed to Lew Orsoni. It sounds like a live recording. Wonderful ballad about Lake Superior, among other great tunes. I believe I got it from Lew’s son, who used to bartend at the old Twin Ports Brewing Company (predecessor of Thirty Pagan) 20 years ago. I recall Lew had passed away recently at that time. Just looking for info on the CD, Lew Orsoni’s music, and if others have memories of his performances around here.

Postcard from the Opening of Navigation Season

This undated postcard shows a freighter entering the Duluth Shipping Canal at some point in the early 1900s.

Sydney Hansen – “Somebody’s Nobody”

Duluth’s Sydney Hansen released this music video today, shot at Spurs on First and directed by Bo Allen of Bopro Video. Hansen cowrote the song with Nashville’s Bill DiLuigi.

Lake Superior College Wolf Fair

I attended the wolf event at Lake Superior College.  It was awesome, a blending of art, science, and indigenous cultures, with representatives from the International Wolf Center, the Wildlife Science Center, Timber Wolf Alliance, Wildwoods, and the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission.

Graffiti Graveyard

The video by Shawn Donovan that previously was embedded here is no longer available.

Mystery Photos: Wide Awake and Green Dragon Studios

The three gentlemen in the photos above appear to be the same guys in different positions in front of different backgrounds with different cowboy outfits. They also are at two different Duluth photo studios, according to the ink stamps on the back. The first is from the Green Dragon Studio at 18 E. Superior St., and the second is from the Wide Awake Studio at 10 E. Superior St.

A look at the two-level infill house in West Duluth

Enter, a digital biweekly publication from the creators of Architecture MN magazine, takes a look at “a new prototype for building affordable houses on narrow lots in Duluth.”

Cry on Cue – “Sweetheart Like You”

The video for the first release from the fifth album in the Duluth Does Dylan series — Free Wheelin’ Duluth Does Dylan — is by Cry on Cue, featuring Bernie Larsen on vocals and various instruments, Alan Sparhawk on “big guitar” and Erik Koskinen on drums. The video is directed by Larsen and features Cassidy Linder.

Freewheelin’ Duluth Does Dylan will be released by Spinout Records on May 26 during the Duluth Dylan Fest.