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The Duluth Local Show tracks six degrees of Duluth music

The Current mural near the entrance to Damage Boardshop in Duluth, 2018. (Jay Gabler/MPR)
The Current mural near the entrance to Damage Boardshop in Duluth, 2018. (Jay Gabler/MPR)

by Brittany Lind

October 25, 2020

There is this kind of joke in the Duluth music scene that if a musician is in one band, they are actually in five, with many of those bands crossing genres as musicians collaborate with each other. This week on the Duluth Local Show, I map out just some of the ways that Duluth music is connected in the second installment of an occasional series: "Six Degrees of Duluth Music."

In the first set of Sunday’s show you'll find just some of the bands that feature local artist Jacob Swanson; bands like Dad’s Acid, Rick McLean, and Jacob’s solo work...as well as the Social Disaster, where you will not only find Jacob, but also our second artist of the night, Jesse Hoheisel.

Although Jesse’s set doesn’t even come close to representing all of the bands he’s in, you will hear a song from Equal Xchange, which also features bandmate Rain Elfvin, who he shares with the local hip hop group Crew Jones. From Crew Jones we get Ben “Burly Burlesque” Larson, who brings his hip hop influences with him in his collaboration with folk artist Jerree Small in Southwire. Small is known not only for her lead vocals in Southwire and her solo work, but she is also featured in the trio Coyote, along with...Marc Gartman.

Although tonight's show also doesn’t close to giving you examples of all of Gartman’s bands, you will hear songs from Two Many Banjos, Fever Dream, and Glitteratti – where Gartman shares the stage with Dave Carroll and Tim Saxhaug of Trampled by Turtles. And that is how you get from Dad’s Acid to Trampled by Turtles!

The Current Duluth Local Show playlist: Sunday, Oct. 25, 8-9 p.m. on The Current

First Set: Jacob Swanson

Dad's Acid - "Red Surf" with Jacob on guitar

Jacob Swanson - "Missed Connections," Jacob on vocals and guitar

Rick McLean - "Tonight's Top Story," Jacob on bass and backup vocals

Second Set: Jesse Hoheisel

The Social Disaster - "Gold," Jesse and Jacob on guitar

Portrait of a Drowned Man - "Twenty Years to Midnight," Jesse on guitar

Equal Xchange - "Be Myself," Jesse on guitar and Rain Elfvin on vocals

Third Set: Ben Larson / Jerree Small

Crew Jones - "Banjones" Rain "Ray Wolf" Elfvin and Ben "Burly Burlesque" Larson on vocals

Southwire - "Brother" Ben Larson on vocals and Jerree Small on vocals and keyboard

Jerree Small - "Minnesota" Jerree on guitar and vocals

Coyote - "Someone Else's Love Song" Jerree and Marc Gartman on vocals

Fourth Set: Marc Gartman

Two Many Banjos - "She Perished in the Snow," Gartman on banjo and vocals

Fever Dream - "It's a Dream," Gartman on keyboard and vocals

Glitteratti - "Plans," Gartman on Vocals and guitar

Fifth Set: Dave Simonett

Trampled by Turtles - "Winners," Dave on vocals and guitar

Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment
This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.