Duluth’s rawkingest celebration is about to get real, with more than 50 acts spread across 14 venues — or 15 if you count the free DTA trolley. Mayor Larson calls the mobile music experience “hands down” the best part of the fest and recommends taking the time to ride out a whole set to get the full effect. Friday’s route will feature performances by Kaylee Matuszak and Kyle Ollah. Born Too Late takes the stage at Beaner’s at 7 p.m. The juvenile power trio was the talk of Homegrown 2018 and is known for busting out robust renditions of songs by Metallica and Mötley Crüe. Sacred Heart’s show will make full use of the old church’s awesome acoustics. Resonant harmonies will abound with a slate of soulful acts, including Sing! A Woman’s Chorus, Gaelynn Lea and the Nat Harvie Trio. If you’re craving variety, Pizza Lucé’s Friday lineup will hit the spot, with the hip-hop of Hollow Profit, the alt country of Breanne Marie & the Front Porch Sinners and the indie folk of Amy Abts and the Transcranials. At midnight, earplugs are recommended for MRS & the Sordid Affairs and their heavy-hitting hard rock. For those looking to get their groove on, the Rex has got your vibe. DJ Sox, Nudecolors, Attom and the Crunchy Bunch will provide a fresh mix of chill and funky electronic beats as well as danceable indie pop ditties.

For the fifth night of the fest, party people must pass over the bay to play. Once in Wisconsin, leave the driving up to the DTA trolley, which will carry carousers around a loop of Soup Town venues, including the Spirit Room, the Main Club and Cedar Lounge. Theresa Williams and Jacob Mahon are slated to serenade passengers along the way.
Empire Coffee emerged as a new Superior venue this year. Nur Jehan Chishti opens the show at 6:30 p.m. It’s the perfect opportunity to wake the body and spirit for the odyssey ahead. Grab a dose of caffeine and succumb to the soothing musical meditation. If you linger a while longer, you can listen to for One Less Guest, a newish trio consisting of guitar, violin and upright bass that is “pushing the expectations of what three musicians can create together.”The bill at Izzy’s BBQ is appropriately meaty. The music gets progressively heavier through the night, beginning with traditional rock ’n’ roll by the Bottle Jockeys and transitioning to Prairie Fyre’s doomy stoner metal. Bratwurst can be trusted to bring the show to a sensational culmination. The avant-garde noise makers are known for fashioning power tools, shopping carts and sewage pipes into instruments. Raw meat is a favored prop. “Due to Izzy’s excellent reputation, we will be bringing only quality cuts of meat for this performance,” says band leader Tyler Scouton. For those with a fear of flying meat, the Reef offers an alternative. It’s Thursday’s only Duluth venue and promises a diverse line up that includes Hardaybra, Fearless Moral Inventory