Homegrown Wake Celebrates More Than 10 Years of Music

The Turf Club hosted a memorial service for "Homegrown" on Friday night. After more than a decade on the air at a pair of stations (KQRS initially; then the-late Drive 105), the program hosted by Mei Young and David Campbell no longer has a home. The Turf Club wake was also a chance to pimp Silage: Foreclosure and Eviction, a collection of live performances from the program. The wonderful 21-track production features songs from such local heroes as Dosh, P.O.S., Jeremy Messersmith, and Haley Bonar.

There was a Homegrown coffin, complete with flowers and faux-corpse, set up in front of the stage.

Big Trouble played a largely instrumental set that included a cover of Neil Young's "Old Man," along with a rendition of the Twin Peaks theme. Martin Devaney joined them on vocals for one track.

Folk-pop charmer Ben Connelly then strummed through an acoustic set in the Clown Lounge that featured "Evangeline," one of the finest tracks from Silage. Unfortunately he was largely drowned out by the boisterous, drunken crowd.

Dan Israel rocked with an old-school three-piece outfit. "This is the happiest funeral I've been to, since the last one," he told the crowd. Highlights included another track from the Homegrown collection, "Sandbags," along with a blistering version of The Who's "The Seeker," with Dave Russ administering a punishing beatdown to the tom drums.

P.O.S. explained that he was late arriving because he'd been pulled over for speeding on his way to the Turf Club. The effortlessly charismatic Rhymesayers rapper performed solo, running through primarily new material. The set was brief because Stef was headed off to perform with his hardcore outfit Building Better Bombs at Big V's just down the road.

Haley Bonar was up next in the Clown Lounge. But it was closing in on 12:30 and I decided to call it a night.