There is a great musical lineup at Papa Charlie’s for the DuLutsen Music and Ski Festival, March 18- 23. In addition to great spring skiing, 10 bands are performing. The performances wrap up with folk and blues man Charlie Parr at 8 p.m. on March 23.
Hit the slopes at Lutsen Mountains and pair it with live musical performances at Papa Charlie’s for a Minnesota winter getaway at the DuLutsen Music and Ski Festival March 18-23.
DuLutsen lasts six days, has 10 bands performing live at Papa Charlie’s and has four snow-packed mountains for adventurous downhill skiers or snowboarders. Lutsen Mountains is offering great ski and stay concert deals.
The festival is a collaboration between Jim Vick, booking agent at Papa Charlie’s, and Teague Alexy, a singer/ songwriter based in Duluth. Searching for a way to showcase the amazing homegrown music scene in Duluth on the North Shore’s premier stage, the DuLutsen Festival was born. Now in its third year, DuLutsen has grown to a roster of 10 bands featured over six days in shows ranging from listening room concerts to casual après ski performances to late-night rock shows.
The line-up for DuLutsen includes Feeding Leroy, Basement Tapes Band, Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank, Tired Eyes, The Brothers Burn Mountain, Sarah Kreuger, Wood Blind, Red Mountain, Actual Wolf, and Charlie Parr. Most shows are free and open to all ages, with the late night Friday and Saturday concerts the only ticketed events with an age restriction of over 21.
The Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank will be performing March 20 at 9:30 p.m. Brothers Teague and Ian Alexy began recording their first album and playing their first shows in the wintery town of Duluth. The Hobo Nephews plan to do an exciting root-style music set with guitars and some foot stomping to get the crowd pumped up.
An all-star cast of northland based musicians has formed the band Tired Eyes which also plays at Papa Charlie’s on Friday night after the Hobo Nephews. Tired Eyes is a tribute to Neil Young featuring Rich Mattson (Ol’ Yeller), Alan Sparhawk (Low), Glen Mattson (IROB), and Dale Kallman (Ol’ Yeller).
Songwriter Sarah Kreuger is featured in a free après ski set on March 21 at 4:45 p.m. Kreuger was born in nearby Wisconsin, but has made Duluth her home after attending college there. Recently featured on “A Prairie Home Companion” when broadcast from Duluth in November, Kreuger’s lustrous folk melodies and zealous performances have made it easy for Duluthians to claim her as one of their own.
DuLutsen wraps up with the rough-and-ready sound of Charlie Parr on March 23 at 8 p.m. Parr plays original and traditional folk and Piedmont-style blues in a timeless manner on his banjo and guitar. This is a free listening room session that Papa Charlie’s has become noted for.
“There is a cadre of very staunch supporters who love what we do,” said Vick, a singer and guitarist who occasionally takes to the Papa Charlie’s stage. “At the end of every show they say, ‘How can we get more people?’ And I say, ‘Well, you have to invite them.’ It’s not that they don’t know, it’s that they don’t understand what it is and they aren’t accustomed to doing it. Papa Charlie’s is known as a dance club on the weekends, but the weekday listening room sessions are truly spectacular. These are intimate and personal performances. Guests leave with a much deeper appreciation of the craft of making music.”
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