Greetings From the Captain!

Hello, Duluth.  Superior, you as well.

They call me The Captain. They have for as long as I can remember. Don’t worry about my real name. You’ll get to know me far better this way.

I’m Duluthian, born and raised, and I love the hell out of this city. When I turned 18 I had a choice to leave this fogbound town and pursue greater knowledge somewhere far, far away, like Wisconsin, or stay. I didn’t know how to do my own laundry, so I stayed close to home; about five blocks away from where I grew up, to be exact.

I’m what they call an East-ender, raised in Kenwood and an ‘06 graduate of East High. I’m also a soon-to-be graduate of St. Scholastica, and I’ve never been more confused in my life. November 10th will be the first time in history I won’t be excited for a birthday.

I think some of the confusion stems from the fact that I moved back in with my parents. It’s not as though I don’t love them so much I just want to strangle them sometimes. Trust me, I am what you think of when you hear “Mama’s boy.” Plus, I had a good reason. I was supposed to be going to Ireland my final semester, so naturally I wanted to save money. A few weeks ago, however, I decided against it, so now I’m thinking about the future months and wondering how long it will take before my parents kick me out into the cold, unforgiving Duluth winter.

There are many reasons why I decided against Ireland, and most of them I still don’t understand.  Above all else, however, I chose to remain here because I need to be here. I have a responsibility to become a rock star before I die, and I can’t back out now. Actually, not so much a “rock star,” per se; more so a worshipped, God-like icon with a cult following of countless adoring fans worldwide, like Beck, or Lady Gaga, or Moby Grape. So that also makes me a musician. I’m also a lover of poetry, jazz and a well-made martini, and am a self-professed hopeless romantic with a passion for things that tend to kill a man slowly. And a shoe salesman. Above all, though, I am a musician.

In the pursuit of fame I have released three albums under three different names, the most recent being Gracie and the Mouse’s debut album, The 47th Coming of Bristol Sound. It took eleven months to write and cost me a great deal of emotional and mental anxiety, but was it all worth it? You be the judge and download it for free at catpeoplerecords.com. (And yes, yes it was...)

So I guess that brings me to my central point. To grow up in the Twin Ports as an aspiring musician has been a fascinating experience, particularly due to what the local music scene has been producing for as long as I can remember. Let’s face it, we have been blessed. Not every city can claim Low, Trampled By Turtles, and Charlie Parr under their “local artists” section. But why stop there? Let’s delve even deeper into the scene, where more often than not the venue is someone’s mother’s basement and half of the audience is on the ticket. Let’s go to where descriptions of things end with the suffix  “-core” and both men and women alike tend to wear more color in their hair than in their outfits. Let’s skip the fame and fortune for now to take a closer look at the raw, uncontaminated talent of the local scene, in all of its twisted splendor, in hopes than we may begin to understand and revere all that it has to offer.

And that, dear readers, is exactly what I intend to do with this blog. Throughout the upcoming months I am making it my mission to seek out the best that the local scene has to offer in hopes that the true talent of the Twin Ports receives the credit it so deeply deserves. After all, everybody’s gotta start somewhere. So do yourself a favor and stay tuned to this blog for local band interviews, show reviews, album releases, and any other lil’ thang the scene decides to throw our way. Most importantly, though, go support your local scene by catching a show. The world will be a much better place when you do. Seriously, we’re not making this merchandise for ourselves. . .

                            Keep the funk alive,
                                    The Captain