The North 103.3 gave listeners and viewers to PBS North a preview of the 2024 Duluth Homegrown Music Festival when two bands performing at the festival joined us in the studios of PBS North.
Shane Nelson is a Twin Ports native who's been making music his whole life. The North 103.3's Christine Dean talked with him about his musical background, including his former band Crescent Moon, and about his forthcoming album, The Music Saved My Life. Nelson performed songs from the album backed by the band who worked on it with him, featuring Duluth music scene veterans Maxi Childs, Steve Netzel, Ron Koivisto, and Jerry Siproth.
The Gemstones got their start when Diona Johnson, aka Afrogeode, a rising star on the local music scene, put together a band to perform with her at the Twin Ports Pride Festival. After Johnson died just a month before the 2023 Homegrown Music Festival, the band, which features vocalist and keyboard Courtney Ellian, guitarist Josh Nickila, bassist Manny Eisele, and drummer Ian Hopp, made the difficult decision to carry on. The North 103.3's Katelyn Brinza talked with the band about that decision, carrying on Johnson's legacy, songwriting, and more, and the band performed three songs (plus a bonus jam included on the extended version of the special that aired PBS North that you can check out below).
Coverage of the Duluth Homegrown Music Festival on The North 103.3 is supported by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
