Janie and the Spokes is an original Americana rock band founded by Jane and Peter Aas. Playing for more than 15 years with a wide array of talented musical friends, the current Spokes are made up of Jane on guitar and vocals and Peter on guitar, along with drummer Garth Anderson and bassist Jordan Ash. The group’s sound leans heavily on exciting, extended jams and layered harmonies. A new live album called All Souls Departed, Live at Sir Ben’s 2024 was released in November, showcasing the boundless energy of the band’s live performances.

Rory Van James is a former professional baseball player and a towering troubadour at 6-foot 9-inches tall. During four months of solitude in the Alaskan wilderness, James wrote The Passage, then recorded it in Seattle, Washington. James traveled to the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London to work on the 2020 release Sewn Silhouettes. Dave Jorgenson peps up the band on trumpet and keys, while Abe Curran supports on vocals and guitar.

Creating country music that conjures mosh pits, Iron Range Outlaw Brigade has played its dirty cow-punk for more than 15 years. Glen Mattson, formerly the drummer, now shares vocal duties and guitar slinging with Kirk Kjenaas. John Peterson generates the lonesome sounds on steel guitar, while John Lamar bangs the beats on drums. The band released a new single and video, “Rednecks, White Trash, and Blue Collar Blues,” on Thanksgiving. These desperados bring danger only the north woods could breed.

Innerstellar Overdrive is the kind of stuff James Hetfield listens to during his yoga sessions atop a mountain in Vail, Colorado. It’s the positive, uplifting and inspirational music on the speakers during group therapy sessions for the guys in Pantera. Songs like “Unstoppable” and “Fearless” are exhilarating, heart-pumping, joyrides of thrash rock. Call it happy metal. The Duluth-based trio formed in 2023 and is making its Homegrown debut. The band features Full Circle Yoga owner Erik Schnackenberg on guitar and vocals, Bryce Kastning on drums and Erin Hunt on bass.