Like the Whos in Whoville, joyously celebrating Christmas even after the Grinch tried to ruin it by stealing all the holiday's trappings, Duluth Homegrown Music Festival fans aren't letting COVID-19 take away the spirit of the canceled festival. The pace picked up on Day 2 of #StayHomegrown2020, with more and occasionally overlapping livestreams.
Charlie Parr started the morning live on Duluth Coffee Company's Instagram. (Today it was Actual Wolf at 9am, and tomorrow you can catch Teague Alexy at noon.)
Two local artists, Teague Alexy and Bill and Kate Isles, turned their regular Monday livestream gigs into Homegrown editions. They'll be back next week at 6:30pm and 7pm respectively.
Zeb or Zeke and the Run Away Screamings, Luke Moravec's one-man-band featuring raucos songs inspired by Scooby Doo, fully embraced the concept of virtual Homegrown, starting at 8:45 (his scheduled slot at Duluth Cider) and playing the requisite 45-minute set. Photographer Aaron Reichow dropped by to take photos (with permission) through the window; it's an ongoing series he's been doing during the pandemic. Watch his Instagram feed, @reichowphoto, to see the results.
Some bands who'd been scheduled for Monday didn't perform, but put out messages on social media in honor of the shows that might have been.
Just as Zeb or Zeke finished, Sonja Martin of Feeding Leroy was doing an impromptu solo livestream from her living room, playing some John Prine covers, originals, and requests. Martin mentioned that her band will be performing from 2104 on Thursday for a virtual #SoupB4Supe set (an unofficial Hoomegrown event that's served as a warm-up for Soup Town night for the last several years), joined by Clancy Ward, Actual Wolf, and Misisipi Mike Wolf. They'll also perform a set from Bent Paddle on Saturday.
Fans of the annual Homegrown Poetry Showcase got a great when a half-hour video version was released right around bedtime.
The schedule is quiet for tonight, but of course, that could change. Tune in to KUMD at 2pm for our Virtual Homegrown Live from Studio A session with One Less Guest. There's a virtual version of the annual Homegrown Music Video Festival happening on Perfect Duluth Day at 7pm, right on schedule.
Homegrown coverage on KUMD is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
