Community Calendar

Experience a one-of-a-kind evening of live music, sound healing, dance, and projected visual art at Ancestral: A Transformational Sound Healing Concert Experience on Saturday, September 5 at Spirit of the Lake Community Arts in Duluth.

Created by Peruvian artist Luz Maria Ampuero and collaborators, this immersive multimedia performance draws inspiration from Peruvian ancestral traditions, weaving together live singing, electronic music, traditional chants, expressive dance, and stunning projected artwork. Audiences are invited to experience the performance in whatever way feels most comfortable—seated or lying down—as the music and visuals create a space for reflection, rest, and connection.

Following the performance, stay for a Q&A with the artists to learn more about the creative process and the cultural traditions that inspired the work.

Guests are welcome to bring a yoga mat, blanket, or cushion if they wish to experience the performance lying down. Recommended for adults, teens, and older children who are able to remain quiet throughout the experience.

Doors open at 6:00 PM. Performance begins at 6:30 PM.

An outdoor summer music series on The Rugged Spruce Long Iron stage.

8:00 PM Show

Jodi Jones is a multi-instrumentalist folk artist, songwriter, and activist rooted in the working-class traditions of western Pennsylvania. Drawing on Appalachian balladry and the storytelling lineage of Woody Guthrie, her songs are spare, poetic portraits of post‑industrial life—river valleys, fractured towns, and the people who remain. A self‑taught musician, Jones performs on banjo, guitar, fiddle, and dulcimer; her debut record, Rust Belt Refugee (December 2022), was famously recorded in a home closet and channels old‑school mountain sounds into pointed contemporary social commentary.

Ross Thorn is a Duluth-based folk and country singer-songwriter whose music celebrates Midwestern life and working-class resilience. Ross has a way of speaking directly to the pain and heartaches we carry. His songs blend warmth, humor, and soul while exploring empathy, human character, and hope. With musical storytelling reminiscent of John Prine, his 2025 album Fitting In, much like his debut album Hugo, delivers witty, heartfelt songs that linger like a conversation with an old friend. Raised in northern Wisconsin, Ross regularly performs around the Twin Ports and collaborates with local artists, crafting memorable music that speaks truth to power and strengthens the Twin Ports’ vibrant artistic community.

The Cedar Lounge

7:00 PM Show

Dandelion Delivery Service is a genre-blending folk band from Wisconsin, led by singer-songwriter and fiddler Sheilagh Dandy Lyon. They are known for performing "feral faerie space-rock" and original Balkan honky-tonk, featuring intergalactic rock and roll fiddle tunes, star-struck harmonies, and whimsically nightmarish storytelling.

A seasoned songwriter, performer, and multi-instrumentalist. Clayton Ryan's work has appeared in TV and film, including NASCAR, Walker, NFL Sunday Night Football, and The Outdoor Channel, and he has shared stages with artists such as John Michael Montgomery, Jo Dee Messina, Collin Raye, Flatland Cavalry, and Liam St. John.

Rory Van James is a Duluth-based singer-songwriter and festival creator, blending psychedelic textures with country storytelling. A former professional baseball player, James found his musical voice through years of travel and performance. His debut album, The Passage, was written in the solitude of Alaska and recorded in Seattle, followed by the ambitious double-vinyl Sewn Silhouettes, recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London and Sage Arts Studio in Washington.

Earth Rider Fest Field

7:00 PM Show

MATT HECKLER is a solo multi-instrumentalist that barely fits into any ordinary musical category. He tends to keep to the darker side of Appalachian mountain music and early bluegrass but listen long enough and you’ll soon be transported to the mountains of Eastern Europe or a dimly lit bar in Ireland where they honor those who have passed with a gently swaying a cappella ballad.

After touring almost nonstop for years in support of bands like Devil Makes Three, Lost Dog Street Band, Flogging Molly, and others, HECKLER, like the rest of us, got sidelined by the ongoing global pandemic. With the newfound time off, he set to pushing creative boundaries in his home recording studio as far as his mind would allow. Each fiddle, banjo, and guitar track carefully put in place all the while retaining the grit and energy reflected in his live shows. Paired perfectly as the sequel to After The Flood, the Blood, Water, Coal album is a defining release in his career.

The Cedar Lounge