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Dylan Johnson

After traveling out east for nine days and missing way too many fabulous Northland music events (including a second opportunity to revel in Squash Fest!), I attempted to make up for it when I returned this past week.

First stop was Sir Ben’s on Tuesday, Sept. 23, to see one of the traveling musicians that are frequently booked at this venue. In this instance it was a young fellow, Dylan Johnson (what a perfect Duluth name, chosen by his father, a huge Dylan fan) who hails from Huntsville, Alabama. of all places. 

He played a range of covers accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. They included a satisfying selection of Dylan songs — even “Subterranean Homesick Blues.” of which he knew all the lyrics, no cheat sheets or device needed. This guy had impressive guitar chops and a wonderful full-bodied voice that did justice to every song and lyric. 

Besides Dylan covers, he performed an eclectic mix of other artists’ work. These included “In It For The Whiskey” and “I Give It All To Her” (Billy Strings), “Don’t Let the Deal Go Down” (Grateful Dead), “Gentle On My Mind” (John Hartford), “Steamroller Blues” (James Taylor), and others by Wallflowers, Widespread Panic, Jim Croce, Travis Tritt, Pink Floyd, Allman Brothers, etc. You get the idea. 

But that isn’t all, “Throw Dog A Bone” was a keeper of an original tune. All said, Dylan’ Johnson’s gig was a worthwhile way to spend a couple hours. It turns out he’s the lead singer of the Alabama Heathens, which played at Pizza Lucé the following Friday night.

On Wednesday, the Curmudgeon and I headed over to Earth Rider’s Cedar Lounge to catch the last of the  “Four Dimensions of Jimi Cooper” Cedar Sessions. It was a clever way to demonstrate Cooper’s musical versatility, having him share the stage with the bands he plays with on consecutive Wednesdays. 

It started with Dance Attic, then Hot Club of Duluth, Coop & the Kooks and, finally, Woodblind. We missed the first three sessions but had a great time bopping around to Woodblind’s ska this evening. They were in great form and were joined by Teague Alexy for their second set. 

I have reviewed three of these groups previously but not Coop & the Kooks, so I need not say much more. On this occasion Jimi was more in the background than is usual with the other groups, which allowed us to be highly impressed with George Ellsworth’s organ and lead vocal on “Think About That,” Dandy Livingstone’s 1972 recording.

Rich Mattson & the Northstars playing outdoors at Bent Paddle on a gorgeous, summer-like evening was our Thursday outing. As usual, and as I’ve written before, this is a true rock and roll band that keeps its fans more than satisfied with almost all original tunes. Two exceptions at this gig was their wonderful renditions of Dylan’s “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” and the Traveling Wilburys’ “Handle With Care.”

Next up was a triple marathon of music on Friday, Sept. 26, beginning with Maxi Child’s farewell party at the Alhambra. This was the first of a two-day engagement there. 

Oh to hear her lovely dulcet tones and jazz stylings once again! She and bassist, partner and member of the Maxi Childs Trio, Steve Netzel, moved to Elk River, Minn., in mid-August. Clearly they’ve been missed as the bar of the Alhambra was packed to the gills to welcome them back. 

Maxi Childs Trio

They were joined by trombonist Tim Stratioti, guitarist Ron Koivisto, keyboardist John Heino and drummer Jeff Peabody. The scene was reportedly the same the next evening.

The venue was apt for Maxi’s performance since she recalled learning to play the accordion in this space as a child when the Duluth Accordion shop occupied it. 

The newly renovated Alhamba Theater, with many of its original features restored, certainly had the right ambiance for this concert with its backlit crescent moon hanging above the group as Maxi sang “Fly Me To The Moon.” 

Fortunately Maxi and Steve aren’t living so far away and they promise to be back in our midst occasionally. So keep a lookout for those opportunities.

Just across the street at Wussow’s Concert Café a duet from New Orleans called Silver Lining Serenaders headlined the musical evening with old timey (1920s and 30s) tunes. The female singer and fiddler, Ella Thomasine Ingebret is a Duluth native and her partner, guitarist Scott Stobbe, is from Santa Cruz, Calif. They were back for a visit with dad Neil Ingebret (who plays the accordion) after a three-month-long tour that covered most of the country from Texas to California. 

The versatile Duluthian Veikko Lepisto was on hand to back them up with his standup bass.
This was a special treat for those of us who love the music from that era. Ella has a vocal quality that perfectly suits these vintage songs and Scott serves up just the right jazzy Django-like accompaniment on acoustic guitar. Together with Veikko they provided plenty of swing with tunes like “Boodle Am Shake” with its nonsensical lyrics and “Everybody Loves My Baby” recorded in 1932 by the Boswell Sisters, written by Jack Palmer and Spencer Williams. 

The Silver Lining Serenaders at Wussow’s with Veikko Lepisto on bass.

Then when I had been completely won over by these two they took us to France with “J’attendrai” (“I Will Wait”) from 1938, which became a big hit there during WWII. They performed two other French songs — ”Je T’embrasse” (“The More I Kiss You”) and “CouCou” put me over the top. Singing in French is SO romantic! 

Their final number was the 1931 “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” which was recorded by various singers long before Cass Elliot of The Mamas & the Papas revived it back in the 1960s. What a sweet way to send us home after a magical evening!

But home wasn’t the next stop for us. Pizza Lucé was and not for a bite to eat! Having heard Dylan Johnson a few days prior, the Curmudgeon and I decided to check out his band. 

Talk about Southern Rock! The Alabama Heathens gave a raucous and loud performance with a lot of whipping hair. They sang their original “Throw Dog A Bone,” which had a different sound than Dylan’s solo of it we heard on Wednesday. 

They were definitely into jamming. The C particularly appreciated their rendition of the Allman Brothers’ 1969 recording, “Whipping Post.” It was a young crowd who were ready to rock the night away, while the two of us decided to call it a night after hearing five songs. I wouldn’t be surprised if they made it back up to the Northland one of these days.

Alabama Heathens

And the music marathon wasn’t over yet. Sacred Heart Music Center opened its 2025-26 season with a Duluth Does The Eagles benefit concert on Saturday, Sept.27. Altogether there were 16 acts and there wasn’t a dud among them. Ten of the songs performed were the best known of the Eagles’ repertoire; I’m sure most readers of this column could list them all in a heartbeat (Take It Easy, Tequila Sunrise, Desperado, etc.). The groups that managed good harmonies in the Eagles vein stood out. 

A surprise addition to the printed playlist was a spontaneous performance of “Seven Bridges Road” before the second half began in which most of the first half performers participated. They did a fine job of replicating the Eagles’ harmonies, a capella, made more impressive given they had no prior rehearsals.

For me, the really outstanding numbers were those I was not readily familiar with. For example Born Too Late took on “New Kid In Town” and Rokkyn nailed it, as she usually does, backed by brother Traxx and uncles Shane and Jessie Nelson. 

Another cover, although familiar to me, was mesmerizing as presented by #theindianheadband’s interpretation of “Witchy Woman.” Their intense drumming and rather bloodcurdling vocalizations was particularly apt for that song. 

Laurie Boedee’s electric and tough take on “Those Shoes” with her 12-string guitar took the cake as far as the C was concerned, and I concurred. 

I thought that both Slope City, singing “Already Gone” and Jumpsuit’s rendition of the lesser known “Victim of Love” were great. Again it was the harmonies (especially the women’s in Jumpsuit) that sold the songs, not to mention the two groups finally provided danceable songs after the mostly laid-back listening melodies.

The grand finale had all the musicians participating in “Hotel California.” Xander Jaakola was a standout singing his share of the verses. 

One final note of praise goes to host John Krengel, Two Harbors Community Radio spokesperson, whose melodious radio voice introduced each act with key facts and background on the tunes as well as the performers. Good stuff all around!

Before ending this review, I just want to mention that the Curmudgeon and I heard some excellent Dylan covers when earlier this month we spent time on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. They were sung by The Michael Clark Band out of Norfolk, Virginia, at a celebration of life for a good friend of ours. 

The extraordinary person being remembered was a class-A Dylan fan which created a strong and timeless bond between him and my C. 

Then, the next afternoon as we enjoyed some bluegrass music by a trio called The Steel Pennies at the nearby Chatham Vineyard, it was a delightful surprise to hear member Tracy Stover announce their next tune, “Whiskey” was by a Minnesota group — Trampled By Turtles! 

Yep, Minnesota musicians have made their mark on our world and that’s something we can certainly be proud of.