In recent years, some of the music that's trickled of Duluth has been nothing short of amazing.
The little city to the north has been tenacious in every way, fighting to keep their unique music scene kicking come hell or (literally) high water. It's become regular practice to throw a line up there for new signs of life, hoping for a keeper.
And if you haven't already heard, we got a big bite in punk three-piece The Keep Aways, and she's a wild one.
The sound is loud, gritty and lightening-quick; a dose of old school punk energy injecting itself into a genre beleaguered by pop whininess. Vocalist Mindy Johnson's classic, aggressive yowl drives through the clash of drums and guitar with an edge somewhere between Brody Dalle of the Distillers and 7 Year Bitch's Selene Vigil.
Johnson and bassist Nikki Moeller met drummer Shanna Willie at a 2001 Halloween party. "She was dressed as a ninja, doing some impromptu drumming in the basement," Johnson explained. "We introduced ourselves the minute she put her drumsticks down. A month later we were playing basement shows at my house and had our first show at the (now defunct) Norshor Theater in January 2002."
Though the girls had little to no previous band experience, their sound was promising enough to prompt Mark Lindquist, owner of the Duluth-based label Shaky Ray Records, to record their debut EP, "Keep Away."
"We had no idea what we were doing," Johnson said. "We only had four songs written. I had never heard my voice recorded before so I didn't know to expect. At the time, we didn't even have a microphone to practice with. I don't think we practiced with vocals for the first two years."
After a few rounds around the block, The Keep Aways attempted a follow-up in 2004.
"We tried to record this EP three times," Johnson said. "Twice with our friend Brian Ring (Slow Dancing Umbrella) and finally with Nic Patullo (Words to a Film Score). The stuff with Brian was good, but we never finished it. We were all too busy at the time, so things were recorded over a long period of time and didn't really have cohesiveness. Then Nic took us on as a full-time project. We set up a makeshift recording studio in my apartment and spent about three or four months on it. This time around we spent a lot of time getting the parts right – probably too much time."
Time was on their side, because the 2005 self-titled EP is seven songs and 17 minutes of hard-driving, solid punk rock bliss that feels like Pop Rocks on the brain. After a short tour with the Black Eyed Snakes, The Keep Aways came home to local legend and Low front man Alan Sparhawk asking to release their record on his label, Chairkickers' Union Music. The Keep Aways have also been nominated for a Minnesota Music Award for Best Punk Band.
In early 2006, drummer Shanna Willie parted ways with the band and was replaced by Chris Warne, aka C Dubs.
Despite the accolades, the band remains modest in grand Duluthian tradition.
"I'm not expecting any major success, but it's a great feeling to look out into a crowd and see them actually enjoying the music we've been making," Moeller said.
"It would mean nothing if we didn't share ideas or have fun. When you play a show for around 300 people and they're all jumping around and enjoying the show, that's enough for me," Warne added.
So what's next for a band with an unstoppable sound?
"[We plan] to tour again this summer, with a full-length CD by fall," Warne continued. "Oh, and I'm growing a beard. Although it's still a bit patchy, I think I'll be able to pull one out in about four years, so check back."
"We just want to play and tour," Johnson added. "We went on a really great tour with Low a few months ago. It was our first major outing and it was the best time. We didn't know what to expect, but it really went over well and we sold more CDs than we ever have around home."
Speaking of home, how is the ever-changing musical climate?
"After experiencing Duluth's Homegrown Music Festival, I'm feeling pretty good about the scene," Moeller said. "Occasionally, it dies down and has odd flows, but right now it's rocking."
"This year's Homegrown was a complete success," Johnson agreed. "So many people said that they felt the 'community' was back in the scene."
"It's fucking awesome," Warne said. "Not in the seven years I've lived here have there been as many great bands. If those in the Twin Cities haven't had the pleasure of seeing some bands from Duluth, they're missing out. We all support each other. It doesn't matter if you play bluegrass or death metal – everyone has played with or seen every band. That and considering we're all alcoholics probably helps."
www.thekeepaways.org |
