Homegrown Music Festival facts for kids

The Homegrown Music Festival is a super cool yearly event in Duluth, Minnesota. It shows off local music from the Arrowhead region, which includes Minnesota's Iron Range and towns along Lake Superior. The festival started small in 1999 with just 10 local bands. Now, it has grown to feature around 200 bands! It happens every year during the first week of May. The 23rd festival was planned for May 2-9, 2021.

Many famous bands have played at the festival, like Low, Trampled by Turtles, Charlie Parr, Retribution Gospel Choir, Gaelynn Lea, the Black Eyed Snakes, and Haley Bonar.

The festival used to be a business, but it became a nonprofit organization in 2006. This means it's run for the community, not for making money. Melissa La Tour is the current festival director.

How Homegrown Music Festival Started

Early Days of Duluth Music

A person from Duluth named Scott Lunt was known as "DJ Starfire." He became important in the Duluth music scene in 1997. He started a small, unofficial radio station called Random Radio. About 40 of his friends helped broadcast shows from his basement. This helped Lunt meet many musicians from Duluth and visiting artists who played live on his radio shows. Lunt also connected with the NorShor Theatre, a local venue.

For Lunt's 30th birthday, he invited five bands to play at a private party. One of these bands was his own, Father Hennepin, playing for the first time. This party is seen as the start of what would become the Homegrown Music Festival.

The First Homegrown Festival in 1999

In February 1999, Scott Lunt was playing a game with friends. He remembered his fun birthday party and decided to hold another music event. This time, it would be open to everyone! He called it the Homegrown Music Festival.

The very first Homegrown festival took place at the NorShor Theatre's Mezzanine Lounge. It lasted two nights and about 1,000 people came. Ten bands performed, including Father Hennepin, Giljunko, and Amy Abts.

Homegrown Music Festival Growth

Expanding the Festival in 2000

The second Homegrown festival in 2000 grew a lot! It featured 22 bands. The main theater at the NorShor opened as a second stage. Acoustic bands also played at Fitger's Brewhouse. A third night was added, called the Starfire Lounge, where DJ Starfire played music by local bands.

This year is remembered for exciting shows by the Black Eyed Snakes and Giljunko. The Giljunko show was so energetic that it even fogged up the mirrors at the NorShor! A reporter wrote that the First Ladies band had a fun, wild performance that spilled off the stage.

This was also the first year for a fun kickball game. Bands playing on Friday played against bands playing on Saturday. The Saturday Rollers won that first game 7-6.

More Venues and Bands in 2001

In its third year, Homegrown continued to grow. It had 38 bands playing at four different places over three nights. Beaner's Central and the Red Lion Lounge were added as new venues. This was the first time Charlie Parr and Low played at the festival. The mayor of Duluth, Gary Doty, even signed a paper saying it was "Homegrown Music Festival Weekend" in the city!

Festival Expands to Eight Venues in 2002

The fourth Homegrown festival in 2002 got even bigger! It included 67 bands playing over four nights at eight venues. A new city rule allowed clubs to stay open later for dancing and live music. This led to a super lively show by the Black-eyed Snakes at Pizza Lucé. People even started crowd surfing at the pizza place!

Five Days of Music in 2003

Homegrown grew to five days in its fifth year, with 77 bands. Some memorable moments included Scott Lunt getting a mohawk haircut and a country singer playing on the sidewalk. A person named AnnMarie O'Malley, who was crowned "Geek Prom Queen," even crowd-surfed with her crown on!

The Homegrown Kickball Classic was played on a softball field this year. It was supposed to be in a big stadium, but plans changed.

A Change in Leadership in 2004

The sixth annual Homegrown in 2004 was the last one organized by Scott Lunt. This year, the number of bands actually went down a little, to 74. It was also the first year that the Twin Ports Music and Arts Collective opened, which was a place where people of all ages could enjoy music.

New Owners for Homegrown in 2005

In 2005, brothers Tim and Brad Nelson, who published a newspaper called Ripsaw, bought Homegrown from Scott Lunt. They helped the festival grow even more, featuring 84 bands.

Becoming a Nonprofit Festival in 2006

In late 2005, the Nelson brothers gave Homegrown to a nonprofit group called Bridge Syndicate. This group created a team to run the festival. Al Sparhawk and Amy Abts were in charge of this team.

Homegrown 2006 had 115 bands over eight days. For the first time, a free trolley bus helped people get from one venue to another on Friday and Saturday nights. A video festival was also added on Monday night.

This was also the first year the Homegrown Field Guide was published. This guide had information about the festival and featured cool cover art by Duluth artist Chris Monroe. In the kickball game, the Saturday bands won for the seventh year in a row!

New Director and First CD in 2007

Don Ness, a Duluth City Councilor, became the festival director in 2007. The number of bands grew to 131.

For the first time ever, the Friday bands finally beat the Saturday bands at kickball, winning 4-3!

Don Ness left his director role after the 2007 festival because he decided to run for mayor. He won and served two terms. Paul Connolly was chosen to be the new director.

The first CD of Homegrown bands was released at the end of 2007. It was called "Homegrown Rawk and/or Roll: Starfire's Mix" and had 15 songs by bands that helped make the festival famous.

Tenth Anniversary in 2008

The tenth annual Homegrown festival in 2008 featured 150 bands playing at 23 different places. Another CD, "Homegrown Rawk and/or Roll: Lindquist's Mix," was released later that year. Paul Connolly continued as director.

Music Video Festival in 2009

The 2009 Homegrown Music Festival had 141 bands at 22 venues. The video festival became the Homegrown Music Video Festival. It had a new idea: videographers would randomly pick songs and then make music videos for them. This was Paul Connolly's last year as festival director.

Band Reunions in 2010

The 2010 Homegrown Music Festival had 149 bands performing at 25 venues.

Some bands that had broken up got back together just for Homegrown 2010! These included the Fromundas and Ballyhoo, who were important to the local music scene in the late 1990s. The Fromundas hadn't played together in 13 years, and Ballyhoo had been apart for eight years.

Shana David-Massett became the new festival director in the fall of 2009.

More Highlights in 2011 and 2012

Homegrown the 13th in 2011 featured 156 bands. A special show at Clyde Iron Works featured Trampled by Turtles. There was also a surprise performance by Kim Bullard and a reunion show by Puddle Wonderful.

The 14th Homegrown in 2012 had 167 bands. Big shows took place at Grandma's Sports Garden and Clyde Iron Works, featuring bands like Father Hennepin and Trampled by Turtles. Walter Raschick became the new festival director.

Fifteenth Anniversary in 2013

The 15th anniversary of Homegrown in 2013 was huge, with 184 acts! This included 173 bands, 10 DJs, and even a fire-spinning group. 2013 also had the first "West Duluth Night," with shows at venues like Beaner's Central.

Almost 200 Bands in 2014

Homegrown featured 199 bands in 2014, just missing 200 because one band canceled. Memorable moments included the Black-eyed Snakes playing with Charlie Parr and a bat flying around during a Low performance at Sacred Heart Music Center.

Reaching 200 Bands in 2015

Homegrown finally reached 200 bands in 2015! This year also included the annual Homegrown Photography Show, Homegrown Music Video Festival, and Homegrown Poetry Showcase. For the first time, members of the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra also performed.

Longest-Serving Director in 2016

The 2016 Homegrown was the last one organized by Walter Raschick. He was Homegrown's longest-serving director during its nonprofit years, holding the position for five years. The 2016 festival had 196 musical acts.

Melissa La Tour Becomes Director in 2017

In January 2017, Melissa La Tour became Homegrown's director. She had been a volunteer coordinator for five years and had volunteered at the very first festival! In 2017, Homegrown featured 199 bands.

Twentieth Anniversary in 2018

The 20th annual Homegrown in 2018 had a surprise performance by Trampled by Turtles. It was their first show after a 19-month break, and their first time playing at Homegrown since 2015.

On Saturday evening, a special show called "Starfire Tonight: A Homegrown Jam" was held at the newly fixed-up NorShor Theater. It started with a funny skit about Homegrown in the year 2073. Many bands played short sets on the main stage, including Father Hennepin and Aby Abts.

After the festival, Homegrown worked with the Greater Downtown Council to bring local music to Duluth's Lake Place Park. These free shows happened on Thursdays in August.

Expanding to New Areas in 2019

In 2019, Homegrown expanded into Duluth’s growing Lincoln Park Craft District. Shows were held at new places like Duluth Cider and Ursa Minor, along with older venues like Clyde Iron Works. The festival schedule included almost 190 bands at more than 40 venues.

Online Festival in 2020

All public events for the 22nd annual Homegrown in 2020 were canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, many musicians performed online during the week. People sometimes called it "StayHomegrown." The yearly photography, poetry, and music video shows were all displayed online.

Future of Homegrown Music Festival

The next Homegrown Music Festival is scheduled for May 2-9.