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.

The Homegrown Founder’s Reception is when the beer steins start swaying and the full revelry of the festival begins. It’s a slight refresh of what was in prior years known as the Homegrown Duluth Mayor’s Reception. Instead of the reading of a Mayoral Proclamation by the city’s top elected official, this year Homegrown founder Scott “Starfire” Lunt will give the toast that leads into a performance by the unhinged punk-polka band Winzige Hosen.

Zeta Carinae is the prolific project spearheaded by electronica magician Marshall Hampton. His Bandcamp account is stacked with music. Five full-length albums were released in 2023 alone, the most recent being the funky, pulsating Spitting Field. Hampton creates synth-drenched soundscapes that sound like they were recorded inside a mirror. Zeta Carinae promises to create a unique, beat-filled musical atmosphere out of thin air. This year’s Homegrown set will see Hampton joined by special guests, including Pamela Clifton on the theremin.

After premiering at last year’s Homegrown Movement Showcase, Zenith Dance Collective is back with another half-dozen choreographed dances accompanied by live, local music. Dances will include a solo improvisational score (Kayla Schiltgen and Ryan Lane), contemporary (Amber Burns, Jesse Olson and Holly Mirou), Appalachian flat-foot clogging (Cluckin’ Cloggers), a lyrical duet (Jenna Harting, Naomi Christenson and Brianna Hall-Nelson), and will close with a community group dance led by Brandy Forsman and Jerree Small. Organizing the affair are Burns, Hall-Nelson and Tom Maloney.