The UMD Full Choir Concert under the direction of Dr. Christopher Mason, held in UMD’s Weber Music Hall. Photos by Jill Fisher.

On a beautiful fall evening, Thursday, Oct. 8, the Curmudgeon and I opted for a sunset, dinner and music excursion on the Vista Star.

One of the enticements was that Abraham “Abe” Curran was the musical entertainment that evening, as he has been on numerous cruises these past few years. It was also a wonderful way to appreciate the autumn colors covering Duluth’s hillsides.

There’s something very special about listening and dancing to music on a ship/boat/freighter, whatever you want to call the vessel, that is plying big water.

I was on two previous voyages on the Vista Star that featured great local talent. The first was on Sept. 1, 2022, when three bands entertained privileged passengers on the “S.S. Rock” as the cruise was nick-named. They were Damien, Teague Alexy & the Common Thread and New Salty Dog (now just Saltydog) which I reviewed that year in the Sept. 8 Reader.

The second was last year, on Sept. 4, when only two bands, Saltydog and Born Too Late, provided the musical fare (reviewed in the Sept.11, 2025 Reader.) With only a solo musician on this voyage, I’m not sure I like the trend I see happening.

In any case, Curran was a fine performer as he serenaded passengers on the third (open) deck of the ship.

This was the first time seeing him play solo, as I recall. But he is also a member of Winzig Hosen, the punk polka band which I have experienced during several of the past Homegrowns — 2022-2026. That group puts on an over-the-top zany show that one either loves or hates.

Abe Curran on the Vista Star.

So Curran’s solo gig with him accompanying himself on acoustic guitar was an eye-(or perhaps ear-) opener. His on-pitch voice is a strong baritone coupled with a distinctive clipped delivery of lyrics. He evidently has a pretty extensive repertoire of covers.

Beginning with Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again,” he followed it up with a second Nelson tune, “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain.” Next was “Dooley,” a 1963 release by The Dillards about a moonshiner, which was new to me!

I knew pretty much every song on his playlist except that and one other, an old English drinking song, the title of which I didn’t get.

Curran mixed hits by Neil Young (“Harvest Moon”), Everly Brothers (“Bye Bye Love”), Johnny Nash (“I Can See Clearly Now”) with campfire standards (“You Are My Sunshine”) and old chestnuts (“Tennessee Waltz”). His own version of Otis Redding’s “Sittin’ On the Dock of the Bay” (which was a number one hit after Redding’s untimely death) was refreshing.

He also played a favorite of mine—Steve Goodman’s “City of New Orleans” before ending with the appropriate “Good Night Irene.”

I will be on the lookout for the next opportunity to hear him play outside the confines of Winzig Hosen!

Friday, Oct. 9, provided a needed change of pace from the past few weeks. It was the UMD Full Choir Concert under the direction of Dr. Christopher Mason. It was held in UMD’s Weber Music Hall, which is surely the venue with the best acoustics for this music in Duluth.

The selected pieces followed a theme of unity with the concert titled “Undivided.” Three choirs performed on this evening: the Concert Chorale, Chamber Singers and University Singers.

Having sung in church and school choirs throughout my youth, I appreciate the purity of the human voice and the talent and commitment to excellence it takes to achieve such gorgeous sounds.

The Concert Chorale sang four pieces. “This Little Light of Mine” was the first and the one I found least enjoyable, since it sounded rather slow and dreary in contrast to the uplifting message of the lyrics. This song has been around a while and I am familiar with more upbeat gospel versions.

The next three pieces were much more enjoyable. “Spanish Serenade” had very simple lyrics with an appropriate romantic ballad tempo and tender harmonies. “Dona nobis Pacem” is a song I first learned as a round with three intertwined melodies; this version by Jacob Naverud was quite different than that! The line “Be united in love until the whole world is filled” was added.

Lastly, “All Will Be Well” was also quite sweet, if somewhat Pollyannaish in its message. (Things being “well” depends who and where you are, in my estimation.)

The Chamber Singers were really fine. They started with the 17th century song, “Hear My Prayer” by Henry Purcell. One thing I noticed during this piece was that some members referred to digital devices rather than the old-school sheet music in a folder.

Then they sang “O sacrum convivium,” which had exquisite harmonies. This one they knew by heart.

Finally they sang “Hela Rotan,” which is an Indonesian folk song that describes the game Tug of War (in contradiction to the theme of the concert).

The University Singers sang five fairly short pieces. The first, “My God Is So High,” featured an outstanding solo by Lemy Philemy. “Whispers of Summer,” “Neckerein,” “Where Your Barefoot Walks (the lyrics of which are based on a Rumi poem), and “Mulé Rendéra” were all most enjoyable.

The final song of the evening completed the circle implied in the concert’s title: “Undivided.” All in all, this concert provided a respite from the loud and frantic pace that is my usual lot.

UMD choir concerts continue with one on Friday, Nov. 13, and another with the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra on Dec. 8 and 9. You may find these to provide the relief you need from a busy holiday season, which seems to start earlier every year.

Whiskey River at Clyde Iron.

As my column last week stated, there was a benefit concert for the West Theatre by Whiskey River…downstream at Clyde Iron Event Center on the evening of Saturday, Oct.10.

You can believe I was there with my dancing (cowboy) boots on!

Despite the less than top sound quality in this cavernous space, the show was fun and fabulous.

The owner of the theater, Bob Boone, provided a rundown of the dramatic last days and minutes of fundraising that fortunately forestalled foreclosing of the venue, as well as the Alhambra Lounge. He thanked the concert attendees for being donors who helped achieve that outcome.

Before I forget it, I also got out to Wussow’s on Monday, Oct. 5, to hear the kick-off of the “One Week Live” series of programs. Females performers were on tap to show their stuff. Skarlett Woods was first up, accompanied by Veikko Lepisto on standup bass and a trombonist whose name I didn’t catch. She gave Dylan’s “You Ain’t Going Nowhere” her own jazzy twist that emphasized the poetics of the song.

Jen West at Wussow's.

Jen West delivered a spacy, electronic, somewhat punky performance of her original songs. She has interesting lyrics, though the strange concoction of canned disco beats with such lyrics was a bit disconcerting. She announced she’s working on an album.

Then came Cigarette Picnic with its three fems — Riki, Madi and Elsa. Their original songs reveal the ongoing development of their sound.

I noted that the selections they performed had similar tempos, suggesting that more variety in those would be a welcome evolution.

The Second Sunday Blues Jam at Pizza Luce.

Lastly, the Second Sunday Blues Jam restarted on Sunday, Oct. 11, in its new location at Pizza Lucé. The circular stage provided ample room for the various musicians who signed up to play, with or without organizer Mel Sando and friends backing them up.

Rather than the band(s) facing the bar portion of the restaurant, they were oriented to the dining room, which was quite full and a nice turnout for the jam. (One hopes that the diners were actually there to hear the blues!)

The main criticism I have of the music we heard was that there were several numbers by participating bands that were not blues. Some were even Beatles covers (“Taxman” for one).

UPCOMING: Feeding Leroy will perform at Bent Paddle Saturday, Oct. 17, in celebration of the vinyl (and virtual) release of its latest, eponymous album. Joining them for this show is the Minneapolis-based band Stringdingers, that is also releasing an album on vinyl: Crossroads.

Blues lovers may want to attend the upcoming Minnesota Blues Society Hall of Fame awards ceremony at Jimmy’s Event Center in Vadnais Heights on Sunday, Oct. 18. Doors open at 2 pm, with the ceremony beginning at 2:30. See mnbs.org for all the details!

This is a ways out, but Saltydog fans might want to secure tickets to see the group (opening for the Big Wu) at 7th Avenue in Minneapolis on Saturday, Dec. 19 (first-avenue.com). This is a pretty big deal for one of our local favorites!