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Homegrown Music Festival 2019: Day 5

Band standing in front of a grey wall performing
Christine Dean for KUMD
Actual Wolf with Feeding Leroy
Woman kneeling and playing guitar
Credit Maija Jenson for KUMD
AMY HZL

    Thursday gave fans a chance to catch a handful of acts who, for whatever reason, didn’t make it onto the official Homegrown schedule. Amy Hzl did a one-woman set at the early evening SoupB4Supe gathering at 2104 with an electric guitar, some beats, and lyrics that struck a chord: “I fixed the bike that I rode when I loved you and I gave it back / I fixed the bike that I rode when you loved me and I gave it back.” Apparently at some point Raw Space performed in an old A & W or barber shop or both, we’re not quite sure. We didn’t get the memo in time to check it out, but we’re glad it happened.

In the morning, Feeding Leroy played with Actual Wolf at Duluth Coffee Company with Clancy Ward of Sugar on the Roof on fiddle and Teague Alexy on harmonica. Charlie Parr was tucked in a back corner looking on, Alan Sparhawk (who’d thrashed with the Black-eyed Snakes till after 2am) walked in mid-set, and several other Homegrown musicians were in the audience. It made for a warm, Duluthy morning, a perfect start to Day 5.

Band standing in front of a red wall performing
Credit Christine Dean for KUMD
One Less Guest

  Soup Town night started at a new Homegrown venue, Empire Coffee, with the members of Nur Jehan Chishti performing a set of East Indian devotional music while seated on the floor. One Less Guest was next, and, despite having a fiddle front and center,  “We’re obviously not an Americana band like the guide says,’ they told us, proving the point with a rousing cover of Ray Charles’ “I Don’t Need No Doctor” and a mesmerizing version of the Alabama Shakes’ “Gimme All Your Love.” It was their very first Homegrown, and they firmly established themselves as a band to keep an eye out for.

The Spirit Room was packed full for Sonofmel & the Sliderman. Clad in an exotic, full-length embroidered robe, John Adler (aka Sonofmel) spun spoken-word tales over a groove  provided by a slide guitarist and drummer. Even more people attempted to squeeze into the small performance area for the next act, Me-n-Her, a duo combining soulful beats, raps, and activism.

Band sitting down performing on the bench of a trolley
Credit Christine Dean for KUMD
Jacob Mahon and friends on the trolley

  Jacob Mahon’s set on the trolley (which was brand new, with less than 200 miles on it according to the DTA) proved to be almost as legendary as Al Church’s the year before, kicking off with a rousing cover of “Up Above My Head” with brother Owen on drums, Lauren Cooper of One Less Guest on fiddle, and Camille Marsten singing along. The rowdy crowd sang and danced along, with many staying aboard for multiple trolley loops. (Video here.)

 

The Formal Age created a wall of energy and volume at the Main Club as they performed cuts from their 1923-2319 album as well as new tunes. While the group has been performing as a 6-piece for a while now, guitarist Ryan Wiisenan noted that it was the first time the entire lineup had performed at Homegrown; he missed last year because his wife was giving birth at show time. Thanking the audience at the end, they said they’d never sounded so good and declared it a Homegrown miracle!

Man singing into a microphone with another man behind him
Credit Kevin Stanke for KUMD
LowHiFunk

Next up at the Main, LowHiFunk was working the audience, with MC C-Silence testing out a wireless mic that enabled him to venture into the crowd for high fives and a group hug.

Two men on stage playing guitars
Credit Maija Jenson for KUMD
Father Hennepin

It’s always fun to catch Homegrown founding father Starfire’s band, Father Hennepin, but not everyone was able to get into the at-capacity Cedar Lounge. Modeling the new jumpsuit he sewed himself, complete with rhinestones and a big Homegrown chicken on the back, Starfire led the band through some old favorites and introduced a new, “autibiographical-ish” tune.

Band on stage performing
Credit Christine Dean for KUMD
Bottle Jockeys

  Meanwhile, over at Izzy’s The Bottle Jockeys, (Chad Lyons backed by a who’s who of veteran Homegrown musicians), ripped through a set of danceable retro-rock, covering everyone from The Animals to Deep Purple. Lyons can always be counted on to interject his own particular brand of humor between songs, a more “drunk uncle” version of dad jokes.

Next up, Prairie Fyre drew comparisons to Tool with their intense rock performance that featured an electric viola. It was an appropriate lead-in to Bratwurst, whose noise metal/performance art sets have become a legendary Homegrown tradition. As expected, the inflatable mallard originally brought onstage by Mallards way back on day 1 met its demise at the hands of some vicious stabbing from frontman Tyler Scouton.

The evening ended back in Duluth with shows at the Reef Bar. Fearless Moral Inventory spread some good vibes into the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd with an energetic performence than ended with lead singer Andrew Stern roaming into the middle of the crowd to make sure the back half of the room was having as much fun as the front half.

Man playing electric guitar using a drum stick to play
Credit Christine Dean for KUMD
Bryan James Gatten using a drumstick on his guitar

  After Fearless Moral Inventory, the crowd began to thin out. When an unassuming guy in jeans and a black t-shirt reading “I Love Rock” took the stage with just an electric guitar, at first it looked as if the the stragglers were going to continue their conversations and pay him no mind. Then Bryan James Gatten started to play, setting up some looped rhythms and, fingers flying on extended, virtuousic jams, getting everyone’s attention. Audience members moved closer as he tore through instrumental originals and covers including Prince’s “Purple Rain,” which ended his set.  When the now enthusiastic audience hollered for an encore, he followed up with one more, a frenzied “Let’s Go Crazy,” capping off night 5 of Homegrown on a high note.

 

Tonight, Sing! A Woman's Chorus will be performing what could be their last Homegrown set ever as they prepare to call it quits in June. Gaelynn Lea's set at Sacred Heart Music Center will be a Getarounds set with Dan Dresser.

 

Actual Wolf's last remaining Duluth Coffee Company set happens on Saturday from 10am to noon with special guest Al Church.

 

Connect with us on social media and stay up-to-date on all the Homegrown action. Find us on: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

This Homegrown Week on KUMD is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

Man with his back to the camera wearing a light blue jump suit with a picture of a chicken on the back
Credit Maija Jenson for KUMD
Starfire of Father Hennepin shows off the jumpsuit he made for Homegrown

Man with a bloody face holding a teddy bear and singing into a microphone
Credit Andrew Reinhardt for KUMD
Bratwurst

Black and white photo of a band performing
Credit Stevie Twining for KUMD
Group Too

Lee and Adam of Feeding Leroy

Woman singing into a microphone as a man playing guitar looks on
Credit Kevin Stanke for KUMD
The Formal Age

 

Christine is The North 103.3's Music Director, a host of Music Through the Day, and the producer of Live from Studio A. One of her favorite things about her job is the opportunity to share music from the Twin Ports’ many talented local artists. In her spare time she takes full of advantage of Duluth’s outdoors opportunities.
Former Program Director, Maija Jenson teaches journalism in the Department of Communication at UMD and was a part of KUMD 2008-2019. She hosted a weekly arts program "Radio Gallery." She shares a lifetime of public radio listening, degrees in journalism and art and 20 years of public radio experience with KFAI, WHA, WSUM and KUMD.
Kevin works to form partnerships with local organizations to spread word of events to the KUMD audience. He began volunteering with KUMD in 2016, spinning tunes for The Local and The Lounge as "Marvin Themix". He enjoys finding new music, playing guitar, pick-up basketball, enjoying Duluth's outdoor activities and time with his family.
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