What passes for hot news when you’ve been in a Duluth-based honkey-tonk band for 26 years? “Suzi bought a new accordion,” reports bandleader Scott “Starfire” Lunt. “It’s electronic. Made in Italy. It’s kind of exciting … for the sound people.” Susan Ludwig’s new squeeze box aside, Father Hennepin always seems to have something new at Homegrown, usually in the form of fresh songs and special guests. But the heart of it all is the familiar faces of Lunt, Ludwig and the rest of the crew: Ted Anderson on guitar and vocals, Bob Olson on bass, Brad Nelson on drums, and Jimi Cooper on guitar.

Approaching song-writing from a witty storytelling perspective, the Rhizomes compel their listener through humor and shared experiences sung by Emily Gaarder, laid-back rhythm by Chris Handsone on drums, and melding notes by David Syring on bass and trumpet. The three members created the band in 2019, having been neighbors in Chester Park alley. Since then, they frequent neighborhood basements and local venues with their power pop and the occasional punk side eye. This group’s warm vocals and melodic music bonds their listeners together through the shared experiences of being human.

In addition to his work in the totally normal bands Bratwurst and Big Science, Tyler Scouton has a weird electro solo act. It basically involves monkeying around with synthesizers and other gadgets to produce experimental noise. Scouton’s only previous Homegrown solo show was on the DTA Trolley during Homegrown 2016, an experience that was captured for a segment on the now-defunct WDSE-TV program The PlayList. He said to expect “lots of vintage commercials and weirdo audio drone” in this year’s set.

Duluth-based Americana singer-songwriter Grant Glad transforms the day-to-day struggle of American living into foot-stomping, full-hearted anthems about chasing dreams and dancing while you do it. His new record, <i>One Man’s Story</i>, is a concept album telling the tale of an everyday Midwestern man’s life in eight songs. The main character is an amalgam of the men Glad grew up with in Minnesota. At times twangy, at times funky,  Glad’s music stretches the boundaries of several genres to produce something entirely new: songs that offer the loose, raw spirit of punk rock, the bold, driving rhythms of roots rock-and-roll, and the rich sense of personal history that makes classic country forever relevant.