Christine Dean

The final Sunday of the Duluth Homegrown Music Festival is known as Brunch and Recovery Day, a chance to sleep in and wind down another year with a chill, daylit  final Homegrown hang. This year, everything was different; what we were recovering from was not a week of late nights and overindulgence, but a week that, while it had many fun moments, just felt...off. No kickball, no "Happy Homegrown!" said while passing friends on the street on the way to another venue, no trolley, no hugs.

Saturday of what would have been the 22nd annual Duluth Homegrown Music Festival dawned sunny and was the warmest day so far this year. Under normal circumstances, it would have been perfect weather for a little #RockandRun jog  led by Low's Alan Sparhawk followed by a gathering of  musicians kids, and pets at the annual Friday bands vs. Saturday bands kickball game at Chester Bowl. Social media was full of fans mourning the loss; eventually, a handful of folks met up for a socially-distanced gathering at the park to take some pics and commiserate.

The Friday schedule for the 2020 Duluth Homegrown Music Festival's looked to be epic, with many performances from artists we don't get to see regularly these days for one reason or another. Red Mountain, Jim Hall, Charlotte Montgomery, Purple Hearse, and a reunion set from The Very People, a soulful band from the '00s were among the highlights that could have been.

There was a lot to choose from on what would have been Souptown Night for Duluth's Homegrown Music Festival. Early risers could enjoy Teague Alexy's daily Tea with Teague set or flip over to the Duluth Coffee Instagram for another Actual Wolf performance from his kitchen.

On what would have been Westside Wednesday for Duluth's Homegrown Music Festival, Teague Alexy dominated in the number of online shows AND caffeinated beverages for the day. He played his daily Tea with Teague set at 9am and returned to our screens for a Homegrown set on Duluth Coffee Company's Instagram at noon.

At some point during the day Jaw Knee Vee popped up briefly on Facebook live, playing for a minute from what appeared to be an empty bar. Maybe a test run for a longer livestream to come? We're crossing our fingers.

What would have been Canal Park night for Duluth's Homegrown Music Festival was a low-key affair online, with just a couple of livestreams and an online version of the Homegrown Music Video Showcase.

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.)

Day 1 of Virtual Homegrown was quiet, with just a bit of wistful chatter about where fans would have been in a normal year. The festival normally kicks off with a mayoral proclamation; this year, a mayoral tweet would have to do.

At this challenging time, live, local radio is more important than ever, and KUMD remains dedicated to sharing music, company, and information with our region at 103.3fm and online here at kumd.org. Tune in for community voices you trust, and for music that provides a welcome respite when you need it.