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Duluth Homegrown Music Festival collection

 Collection
Identifier: U6180

Scope and Contents

The collection contains publications, posters, ephemera, and sound recordings. Publications include the yearly program or Field Guide, 2006-present; and digital copies of the Homegrown Mix Recordings featuring music selected by Scott “Starfire” Lunt, Mark Lindquist, Don Ness, Alan Sparhawk, Jerree Small, Eric Swanson, Christine Dean, and Jason Wussow, 2007, 2008, 2011-2016. Ephemera includes band access passes and landyards, notices to bands and volunteers from the Homegrown organization, stickers, coasters, and coupons from local businesses. Posters include official Homegrown posters, and those produced for Homegrown shows by music venues.

Digital material in this collection: Homegrown Field Guide PDFs, 2012-2015 Homegrown Mix Recordings, 2007-2008, 2011-2017

Dates

  • 1999-2023

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Open for use in the Kathryn A. Martin Library, Archives and Special Collections.

Conditions Governing Use:

Archives’ staff cannot provide copies of Mix Recordings due to copyright. Recordings are available for downloading at http://duluthhomegrown.bandcamp.com/

Conditions Governing Use

This collection may be protected by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code). It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and to obtain all necessary permissions prior to the reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials. Researchers may quote from the collection under the fair use provision of the copyright law.

Biographical / Historical

The Homegrown Music Festival was originated in Duluth, Minnesota by Scott “Starfire” Lunt. In 1998 Lunt lined up bands to play at his 30th birthday party. The five bands that played at that event were Lunt’s new band Father Hennepin, Jon Olson, Amy Abts, Mark Lindquist, and Gild.

In 1999 Lunt combined forces with Brad Nelson and Cord Carbert (aka ©rd R. Dada), publishers of a new (then monthly) newspaper the Ripsaw and Tim Nelson owner of Duluth brewpub the Brewhouse. The group was specifically interested in building a local music scene in Duluth.

Using Lunt’s idea to turn his birthday party into an annual music festival during the first week of May, the first Homegrown Music Festival was held over two nights at the NorShor Theatre in 1999. The bands who performed at this first festival were Amy Abts, the Black Labels, Giljunko, and Father Hennepin on the first night; and First Ladies, 2 Sleepy People, Ballyhoo, Crazy Betty, and Gild on the second night. The bands represented musical styles from rock, to hip hop, jazz, and lounge music. This first festival drew about 700 people.

Homegrown expanded with each year, increasing the number of venues and acts. In 2001 Duluth cartoonist Chris Monroe drew the Homegrown’s chicken mascot for the cover of the Ripsaw; Monroe’s drawing became the iconic logo of Homegrown.

In 2004 Scott Lunt organized the festival for the last time, in collaboration with the Ripsaw and the Twin Ports Music and Arts Collective. The following year the Ripsaw, now including Tim Nelson, bought out Lunt and took ownership of the festival. Beginning with the 2006 festival Homegrown became a nonprofit, fiscally managed by the Bridge Syndicate, and directed by future Duluth mayor Don Ness through the 2007 festival. By that year, the festival had grown to eight days, and the first Field Guide was published (prior years were publicized in the Ripsaw.) The first CD compilation of Homegrown music was released in late 2007, Homegrown Rawk and/or Roll: Starfire’s Mix.

The Duluth Homegrown Music Festival continues as a yearly event in Duluth, held during the first week of May. In 2019 it spanned eight days and included over 200 bands.

Extent

1.00 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The collection contains publications, ephemera, and sound recordings. Publications include the yearly program or Field Guide, 2006-present; and digital copies of the Homegrown Mix Recordings featuring music selected by Scott “Starfire” Lunt, Mark Lindquist, Don Ness, Alan Sparhawk, Jerree Small, Eric Swanson, Christine Dean, and Jason Wussow, 2007, 2008, 2011-2016. Ephemera, 2011-2018, includes band access passes and landyards, notices to bands and volunteers from the Homegrown organization, stickers, coasters, and coupons from local businesses.

Physical Location

This collection is located at the University of Minnesota Duluth Archives. For more information about this collection or to make an appointment, contact us at libarchives@d.umn.edu or 218-726-8526.

General

The majority of the materials in this collection were donated by Melissa La Tour, from her personal collection. Field guides and digital files were collected by archives staff.

Title
Guide to the Duluth Homegrown Music Festival collection
Author
Finding Aid Authors: M. David.
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Collecting Area Details

Contact The University of Minnesota Duluth Archives and Special Collections Collecting Area

Contact:
Kathryn A. Martin Library
University of Minnesota Duluth
416 Library Drive
Duluth MN 55812-3001
(218) 726-8526