This five-piece started as a solo project for Duluth singer/songwriter Lyla Abukhodair, but as band members began to collaborate more on songwriting, it made sense to rebrand as a band in early 2024. Baharat is a spice mix used in Middle Eastern cooking; the name reflects Abukhodair’s Palestinian heritage and serves as a perfect metaphor for the mix of diverse influences bass player Jackson Engstrom, drummer Rob Runnels, and guitarists Marshall Dillon and Emanuel “Manny” Eisele bring to the band’s sound, including punk, folk and Midwest emo music. In 2024 Baharat won Trampled by Turtles’ Palomino grant, earning the opportunity to open the Turtles’ annual Bayfront Festival Park show last summer.