Music

Marvin Themix sat down for a conversation with Thro, an 18-year-old musician who spent the past year distance learning at the Perpich Center for Arts Education in Golden Valley after a year on their campus. He discusses his newest EP, A Week with Annabelle, and the inspiration he gathers for his songwriting from his spring walks up the Lester River.

This Duluth musician released his debut solo album, Canvas and Color, back in November. Coffman's history in the local music scene includes progressive punk band Phillip of Nazareth and, more recently, pop-rock band the Cuckoo Bees; the new release leans towards the latter, and even includes a few re-worked Cuckoo Bees tracks. We spoke with Coffman on April 15, 2021; listen to our session below. He'll perform at the Ripple Bar in Duluth on Saturday, April 17 at 7pm.

Cory Coffman

Marvin Themix had a chat with a brand new performer in town named Justin Wade who's released just a few singles on his YouTube page. Hailing from Grand Rapids and spending time in Colorado and Italy, he moved to Duluth just as the pandemic hit, Wade is starting to perform on the stages that he moved to Duluth to perform on that are opening back up. He shares a couple of original tunes (Picasso Sunrise and Calculus) that showcase his slick guitar playing style and his natural voice. 

Minnesota Music Hall of Famer Mick Sterling is well known to local audiences, performing his brand of Soul and R & B at the Bayfront Blues Festival as well as other venues with his band The Stud Brothers during their 17-year run. KUMD's DJ Malachy spoke with Sterling about his musical career and new book, And Else, in advance of Sterling's most recent Duluth appearance for a book signing and performance.

Mick Sterling

This Duluth-based singer/songwriter/guitarist was born here but grew up in Iowa. A few years back he returned to Duluth and began performing regularly. Back in December he released a new EP, Can I, showcasing his stand-out acoustic guitar skills and rich voice. Mancieri paid his first visit to KUMD for a session on March 26, 2021 to share some tunes from the EP as well as a new song and talk about his decision to return to the city where he was born and what it's been like getting involved in the music scene.

It's been a year since Duluth musician Gaelynn Lea started livestreaming from home weekly during the COVID-19 pandemic. DJ Malachy checked in with her on the Local to talk about what the past year has been like for her and what she has coming up. They talked about the EP she released using material from those home sessions; you can listen to full versions of those songs on Gaelynn's Bandcamp page.

This Twin Cities Americana musician released an album in February of 2020, just before the pandemic shut down most live performances for a year. While hunkered down at home she's kept her creative juices flowing with a regular songwriting group and with YouTube videos recorded in her green bathroom. She's also been writing some new songs, and has recorded a handful of them with friends (remotely) for an EP called Between Here and There, due out on March 21. Sarah joined us over the internet to talk about the album and to play some tunes for this session aired on March 12, 2021.

MNspin is a project launched by the Hennepin County Library in Minneapolis in 2017 to connect Minnesota musicians with a wider audience. MarvinThemix talked with the library's Jeff Radford about the effort and how musicians can submit their music.

MNspin

Duluth musician Sarah Krueger joined us on March 5, 2021 to talk about her first album since 2014. To reflect the evolution of her creative vision, Krueger is calling her latest project Lanue.Her first album under that name, recorded in her hometown of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, is also called Lanue. Krueger shared songs from the album, which was written and recorded before the pandemic but still somehow resonates with what we're experiencing now.

Lanue

Marvin Themix checked in with Melissa LaTour, Director of the Duluth Homegrown Music Festival, about what the event will look like this year since the decision to make this year's festival virtual. Listen to their conversation from February 24, 2021.

During the month of February, Trampled by Turtles has been streaming shows every Thursday, recorded at First Avenue and with a different setlist each week. Malachy, co-host of The Local on KUMD, had a chance to talk with Erik Berry of the band about the shows and how he and the rest of the band have been adapting to the pandemic.

KUMD's Marvin Themix had a chance to chat with up-and-coming local vocalist and creative AfroGeode on The Local on 2-10-21. She shared how she chose that name and talked about her new single, "Unprotected Woman." The full single is available on all streaming platforms.