Hudson Wisconsin Nightlife

July, 2013Archive for

Thursday, July 25th, 2013

Of Perry Como, Tico Tico and country
– JazzSpring’s weekly selections on the Pudge’s patio are branching out.
“Lately we have gotten into playing the traditional song, ‘Battle Hymn of the Republic,’ because it has such a bluesy, 6/8 gospel feel,” said Melissa Stoudt, flutist and saxophonist for the duo JazzSpring.
A couple of other signature tunes on their set list are ‘Well You Needn’t’ by Theolonius Monk and ‘Tico Tico’ by Zequinha Abreu. “JazzSpring’s pianist, Ann Marie McIntire, created a pretty funny arrangement for Tico Tico with a dramatic tango type interlude and a ‘swingle singer-esque’ chrous. You gotta hear it,” Stoudt said.
This Thursday and Friday, July 25 and 26, Herb Reinke, a guitarist, is sitting in for McIntire. Reinke played for a while as Perry Como’s guitarist and he pulls a beautiful sound out of his guitar, Stoude said. Connie Dussl will also be singing some tunes. Music starts about 7:30 p.m.
For more information, check out JazzSpring.com.
– Longtime area guitarist and singer Mark Stary, who is no stranger to Nashville, brings his unique style and attitude of hard country to Dick’s Bar and Grill on Wednesday night, July 31. Mixed in with the potent finger-picking are some smooth, mellow strains. A second guitarist who is regular with Stary and joins him on stage to produce that signature sound is Brian Johnson — and not the one of AC/DC fame.

Thursday, July 25th, 2013

Of Perry Como, Tico Tico and country
– JazzSpring’s weekly selections on the Pudge’s patio are branching out.
“Lately we have gotten into playing the traditional song, ‘Battle Hymn of the Republic,’ because it has such a bluesy, 6/8 gospel feel,” said Melissa Stoudt, flutist and saxophonist for the duo JazzSpring.
A couple of other signature tunes on their set list are ‘Well You Needn’t’ by Theolonius Monk and ‘Tico Tico’ by Zequinha Abreu. “JazzSpring’s pianist, Ann Marie McIntire, created a pretty funny arrangement for Tico Tico with a dramatic tango type interlude and a ‘swingle singer-esque’ chrous. You gotta hear it,” Stoudt said.
This Thursday and Friday, July 25 and 26, Herb Reinke, a guitarist, is sitting in for McIntire. Reinke played for a while as Perry Como’s guitarist and he pulls a beautiful sound out of his guitar, Stoude said. Connie Dussl will also be singing some tunes. Music starts about 7:30 p.m.
For more information, check out JazzSpring.com.
– Longtime area guitarist and singer Mark Stary, who is no stranger to Nashville, brings his unique style and attitude of hard country to Dick’s Bar and Grill on Wednesday night, July 31. Mixed in with the potent finger-picking are some smooth, mellow strains. A second guitarist who is regular with Stary and joins him on stage to produce that signature sound is Brian Johnson — and not the one of AC/DC fame.

Wednesday, July 17th, 2013

Hey Daug, perform some jazz or prominent karaoke:
– At the Willow River Saloon on Saturday night, July 20, it’s Blind Dog, a little old country rock band that’s become quite big, and well-known regionally with a great following. “They’re really fun,” said a bartender, adding they’re widely renowned from the Twin Cities on over for that attribute. playing 70s, 80s and 90s music. On the previous night, a Friday, its Load Center, which plays classic rock, blues, originals and “5 country songs.” You’ve got to love it when a band’s bio is that precise.
– On Saturday, July 20′s celebration of the “fifth annual grand opening” of the Kozy Korner grill and bar in North Hudson, there will be at least that many ways to enjoy yourself, the owners point out. A bean-bag-toss tournament will be held using multiple boards, with registration at 12:30 and action at 1 p.m., Darren Caster will play a solo acoustic guitar show (think giving the Who’s Behind Blues Eyes a new, bluesy treatment), the joint’s trademark pizza will be sold in slices, and 16 ounce beers such as Michelob Golden will be on sale for $3.

– There is a reason JazzSpring has been asked to play on the patio at Pudge’s Bar each Thursday and Friday night through the end of August. Pudge’s owner Michael Murphy says that he regularly is contacted by bands, often inexperienced,  that want to play gigs at his bar, but he knew right away that this jazz duo was something different and special — and has become the only band he’s hired. Music by these veterans of jazz starts at about 7:30 p.m. each night.
– Each Thursday night, it’s DJ Chad hosting karaoke at Bo’s ‘N Mine in River Falls, with the added feature that patrons itching to sing can put up their request via their Smart Phone. Down the street each Wednesday night at the Corner Saloon, its the karaoke of S&S Power, which has the added attraction of seeing your name in lights, as you or your alais and the song title will be listed in order of appearance on a TV screen. That’s how I got my singing alias of The Count. Don’t ask me why that name, I haven’t a clue.

Wednesday, July 10th, 2013

Cool jazz to soak up, as well as lots of root beer and regular beer:

– The jazz duo JazzSpring will again play on the patio at Pudge’s Bar on Thursday and Friday nights, but since — can you believe it? — the length of the summer days are already starting to wane, the music can be seen and heard in the sunlight hours, those waning into twilight, and even those in the heat of the night. As one of the members of JazzSpring, Ann Marie McIntire says, there is no favorite time to view their act, as the song selection doesn’t change, but the crowd does tend to mellow a bit as the sun sets. It makes for a cool jazz experience, in more ways than one. The music starts at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and 8 p.m. on Friday.
– Singer Amanda, long a fixture on the local scene, has a new, or at least downsized band. The new duo are called A & W, for Amanda and Will, and their flyers prominently show the root beer logo along with the wording “established in 2012.” In her former band, Smirk Worthy, there were questions about who should share most of the frontman (or frontwoman) and lead vocal assignments, and most fans favored Amanda for those duties, although she tends to shirk the limelight, even with Smirk. In any case, you can catch the new duo’s act at Dick’s Bar and Grill on Wednesday night, July 17.
– New at the Village Inn in North Hudson is the HOPR, a tall glass cylinder shaped like a tall blonde that can be rented, for lack of a better term, and dispenses 96 ounces of your favorite beer, such as Miller Lite or Honey Weiss. A nearly two-foot tube of ice running down the middle keeps it cold, and while it has been around other places in the state, the HOPR is relatively new to the Hudson area.

 

Sperling’s performing only the start at her CD release party

Wednesday, July 10th, 2013

When singer Christy Sperling and her band had a CD release party at the Village Inn in North Hudson on Sunday, it was also the convergence of many local musical forces.
“I met Christy when I was asked by Sheila Earley to play bass for a project band, Anonymous Angels, that she was producing,” said local musician John Garden of the Rhythm Roosters, who also stands in with other acts, and many have been included in the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame. Garden described the Angels as “a young band with a positive message.”
That was one year ago. “The group combined rap and beats with traditional melodies, which made for an interest blend,” Garden said. “Christy sang lead vocals and Sean Higgins, of Primes, provided the rap. After hearing Christy I became interested in promoting her solo work and original songs. I spent the year working on her live solo shows and recording her first CD, which was just released.”
That of course, took place at the Village during a four-hour show before a very receptive audience scattered throughout the venue, which is the size of a veritable banquet hall.
Soon a relationship started where Sperling made regular guest appearances with the Rhythm Roosters, which combine blues, R & B and some horns. These including those at the Northwoods Blues Festival in Minong, where Sperling was a crowd favorite.
“I then met Steven Slama when I was hired to play bass guitar for his group, Levitating Train Committee, for a show at the Fine Line in Minneapolis,” Garden said. The result was a veteran musician rocking with some young, wide-eyed dudes as the Committee ratcheted up the tempo for a noisier-than-the-usual-gig, in a good way, during an in-between set at Sunday’s CD release party.
“I did play several shows with them after that, and finally asked Steve to join both Anonymous Angels and Christy’s band, Early Morning Sunshine,” Garden summarized.
Shelia Earley, a drummer who also got behind the kit as they mixed and matched during the gig at the Village Inn, had lived in New York and played at a prominent club, the Blue Note, as well as with the legendary Eretha Franklin.
What these bands try to do with their cover songs, to a large degree, is really amp them up. During the last set on Sunday, the band started with a mellower song that showcased Sperling’s vocals — and as was true in many cases, incorporated whistling as a sort of additional instrument. Then they stepped up the tempo on the Eagle’s Hotel California, although Sperling resisted what had to be a temptation to really snarl during the song’s darker signature phrases. Unlike the Eagles themselves, they did not go acoustic when covering their own song live.
“When we do these covers, we like to dress them up,” Garden said of the various projects.
Another similarity between Sperling, a sprite of a woman with a big voice, and at least one of her interchanging bandmates, was to play barefoot, even while pumping on the pedal below the guitar.

Wednesday, July 3rd, 2013

(For more on the Pudge’s patio jazz profiled below, as well as coverage of The Fourth, Father’s Day and the NCAA tournament, see Pick’s of the Week and Notes from the beat).

Wednesday, July 3rd, 2013

 

Holiday favorites, and some new-found glory, will be featured this Fourth:
– JazzSpring will again play at Pudge’s Bar on Friday night, but since they have an ongoing booking every first Thursday throughout the year, another veteran jazz duo will take their place on the Fourth of July. “Our subs,” as Ann Marie McIntire of JazzSpring fondly calls them, are the pairing of Connie Dussl, vocalist, and Herb Reinke, jazz guitarist. Both have performed 40-plus years, and as a duo for at least 20 years. They feature jazz standards, but there will be some patriotic songs in their repertoire. Fireworks (in Stillwater) will follow their show, which begins around 7:30 p.m., or maybe even start before the show ends.
– Dick’s Bar and Grill will step up their live music for the holiday, with Brian Naughton playing on Wednesday night, and in an early 6 p.m. start, Practical Goods on The Fourth. The latter band makes a shift across the river from their previous hot spot, Hefty’s Roadhouse in Bayport, which has closed its doors. As far as Naughton, a recollection I have from one of the first times he played Dick’s is his performance of Foxy Lady by Jimi Hendrix, which fit his guitar style very well when he struck the instrument with vertical finger action while jumping on his tip toes at the same time — then agreed to tackle a request of another Hendrix classic, Hey Joe.
– Hudson’s Booster Days also ups the ante, with eight bands over four days in Lakefront Park — starting Wednesday, July 3, with country acts — that are a bit different than the festival’s norm as far as diversity. However, the pop rock of Uncle Chunk, regarded as one of the top cover bands coming out of the Twin Cities, will be back as a featured act on Saturday night. Newer to the fest is Caleb Hawley, Hudson’s own American Idol top 16 artist, with his eclectic pop. Noticeably absent from the typical lineup during previous years is the tribute to disco and ’70s music of Boogie Wonderland, which did play at Roberts Good Neighbor Days a few weeks back. Booster Days headliner bands start at 9 p.m., and the openers at 5 weekdays and 6 on the weekend. Prior to Uncle Chunk, these bands play: Wednesday, Scarlet Country and Buck Tucker Band, Thursday, Kingsview and Caleb Hawley, Friday, Rizer and Devon Worley Band, and Saturday, Parachute Empire and Uncle Chunk.

Wednesday, July 3rd, 2013

Big fireworks? Especially if you find out you’re a father!
– Rock radio station 93X is teaming with Hudson’s Settler’s Liquor to sponsor tickets for a big, floating-party cruise on the St. Croix River over the Fourth of July. The promos that target a Twin Cities audience have been frequent, and unlike some on the radio touting this area as a destination — apparently for geographically challenged stoners — at least didn’t say that to get here all you must do is venture past Woodbury. Things are apparently different in that ‘burb. It makes one recall the time at Woody’s in Bayport where a man turned down a second drink, and a friend made the throat slash motion to indicate that he’d cut himself off, then said: “He’s dry. He’s from Woodbury.”
– But for floating mega-parties, nothing beats the one with several huge cruisers roped together on the St. Croix near — aptly — Beer Can Island, which allegedly feature better fireworks than most municipalities, rock bands and also virtually anything else you might want. An acquaintance named Nate said invites are hard to score, but that he’d get me one so I could “cover” it as a journalist, providing I use some discretion in just what I write. Alas, the local newspaper said no dice, since such a report might steal the thunder from city officials as far as the fireworks display they sponsor.
One other reason, to take Nate up on his offer? He insists that someone who would fit right into such a scene, actress Pamela Anderson, became a family friend before Baywatch fame when traveling here to have her taxes done each year. She still visits on occasion. Makes the whole Mary Anne vs. Ginger thing seem blase, eh?
– Lastly for the Fourth, one of those ads you see on the wall above the bathroom urinal made a pitch for lining up their commercial fireworks display for your party. It listed all kinds of occasions to celebrate, including divorces! Yep, bet that could cause some fireworks, if they weren’t had already. And I won’t even get into the possibilities for the category “weddings.”
– But moving on to skewer yet another holiday. On Father’s Day, Kozy Korner in North Hudson ran a sign saying that dads would be offered a free drink. Which is great, but made some of us wonder: Would you need to prove that you’re someone’s father to get it? Say, by supplying results of a paternity test? Or, getting out the dozens of pictures of your dozen children in your wallet, and showing them annoyingly until the bartender says in exasperation, take this drink and go, please?
Another actual bartender had her own — funnier — Dad’s Day story. She said jokingly that when she had gotten up in the morning, there was a man in her bed, and upon waking she smiled and said, “Happy Father’s Day!” He allegedly sprung into action even faster than the previous night, and was out the door before she could even get his phone number or address — or see the pictures of his dozen other children!
– Lastly, here’s a guy you want on your rec basketball team, and possibly in your office tournament pool to reduce the odds. Rich, a near seven-footer, had an NBA tryout, and he’s usually very good at assessing talent. But he said that during the recent NCAA tourney, he lost a few bucks here and there on small wagers when he picked the wrong squad.
But here’s a guy who really has game. He was watching his favorite team at Guv’s Place in Houlton with a baseball hat that on the front had a Gamecock prominently displayed — in a way that I’m not even going to go into.

 

 

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