Dave Mehling should have included a plus-10 on his RSVP for Homegrown Music Festival. When the 22-year-old singer/
songwriter takes the stage at midnight tonight at the Twins Bar, 501 E. Fourth St., he's bringing along enough friends to field a variety show.
In addition to his new band, Mehling is including "10 to 12 other Duluthians that will join us on stage playing tambourines and shakers and a choreographed dance for a tune that is like the Macarena, but a little more robotic and funky, and backup vocals," Mehling said.
Mehling's posse includes Stephanie Dykema, who plays the 11 a.m. brunch shift on Sunday at Pizza Luce, and Ashley Northey, who played at the Red Mug in Superior on Thursday night.
"There will be some jokes, clowning around," Mehling said. "It should be an eclectic set. We've been rehearsing for something that will be energetic, because [when I play] I'm always somber and depressing. It's Twins Bar. It's a college bar. I don't want to depress everyone and send them home."
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Mehling, a Duluth native, moved to Minneapolis in August to expand what he was doing musically. In the interim, he had a standing show at the 400 Bar in the winter, and has played with Hotel San Sebastian -- an indie, alt, rock band -- and drums with Joe January. Mehling is in the process of recording a CD at Beaner's Central with a new band -- a new band without a name, incidentally -- that will play out for just the second time on Saturday night.
