All Hail, either side — and not just side dish — of Thanksgiving, Black Friday and wild Wednesday.
– The big sign outside the Village Inn in North Hudson says it all, “Jawsy featuring Amanda,” set for the night before Thanksgiving there. Any band name that has “Jaws” as a part of it is perfect for Turkey Day. Too bad the Cranberries aren’t the opening act. As far as music on the same night, a few miles north at Guv’s Place in Houlton, again the sign is telling, saying simply “Kyle.” (We all know that the surname is Kohila). And this reference to one more sign, which was outside Kozy Korner in North Hudson, is a bit dated but not enough to be prehistoric. It referred to a purported food item that’s unique to say the least, and says that Kozy “raises” its own dinosaurs. Meanwhile, a followup quip at Agave Kitchen, done through their own sign, questioned just where that farm might be.
– Also catch a musician who has been around for years with different lineups, and from right here in western Wisconsin, Lyle Baumgartner, at the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt. He’ll play on as they put it, Thanksgiving Eve. And if you need a meal before indulging in turkey, you can get some pizza prior to the music at the adjoining Carbone’s, as well.
– Black Friday can be celebrated in ways other than shopping. Buffalo Wild Wings will open at 8 a.m., rather than the usual 11 a.m., for those who as a flyer says want to either “replenish” themselves or simply get their batteries going. It would seem, also, that bleary-eyed patrons after a night of shopping will appreciate the pair of speed bumps that have been removed from the main way to enter the parking lot.
– The band The New Skinny played an extra set, but packed the house the most in their earlier ones, when they played their farewell performance at Dick’s Bar and Grill. A host of loyal listeners pushed their way to the front by the stage, and some appeared ready to grab the microphone from Brando when he stepped away from the drums and started rapping. You can still catch them a couple of times at other venues before they depart for good, with a New Year’s Eve performance. To get more details, drop into Dick’s during the day or early evening, when Brando and bassist Rick are on their non-band work shifts.
– My friend Bill, soon to be 63, said he will give his notorious winter water skiing between ice chunks one last try this year before hanging it up because of age. (Your last chance to put him on America’s Funniest Home Videos). He apparently will turn his attention to other things, such as getting back to listening to bands and offering me mini-reviews. In particular, he raved at the Halloween performance of The Fiddler at the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt. Bill said their variety of country was great for dancing, exciting, and seldom steered away from the music of that type in the ’80s and before. It was stuff that you could really kick up your heels to, and went way beyond just fiddle forays, he said.
– When the soulful six-member band In2ition took the stage at the Smilin’ Moose a few Fridays ago, it was led by perhaps the funkiest bass player around, who never went more than a few seconds without making a cool body movement. Look for them to play again soon.

Rock, pop or country, you name the style of music, and its clear that the experience is very visual, and this is played out by a pair of bands that are once a month fixtures at Guv’s Place in Houlton.
The duo Wade and Ella are on every second Friday of the month, (including Nov. 14), and Trandy Blue performs every second Saturday of the month (also playing before a good-size crowd on Nov. 8).
Trandy Blue is shown in her promotional flyers at Guv’s wearing — you guessed it — bright blue blouse and jacket and even the same color of guitar propped on its same color speaker alongside her suade shoes.
Wade and Ella can be seen on YouTube playing on a full-size stage, even though they are only a duo, with a huge American flag as a backdrop for Wade playing harmonica when not on the vocals. The overall feel of the stage is not unlike the one at Guv’s. They play a lot of country, but also songs by Oasis, the Lumineers, Kings of Leon, 3rd Eye Blind, Matchbox 20, Steve Miller Band, CCR, Sublime and the Cranberries.
Dan Thompson said that he likes to be among the club owners — who are fewer in number these days — who actually are active hosts of local live music, and not make it a need to travel into the Twin Cities to hear it. Trandy Blue has told him that she, amongst others, are grateful for him taking that view. He adds that as the weather gets colder, people want to be inside and warmed by music, which can then carry on into the time of longer daylight hours.
Also on Saturday, Nov. 15, featuring a 7 p.m. start, is the locally based band Practical Goods, which plays the Hudson area frequently and has developed a following. The duo of Sarah and Eric VanValkenburg take the stage just after a benefit darts tournament, Chicago style, for Kyle Sanders, who has suffered a severe hand injury that’s required numerous surgeries and has been unable to work. There also was scheduled a silent auction, bake sale, blind bottle draw, 50-50 raffle and spaghetti dinner.
– Saturday is also the annual Lucky Dog party at Dick’s Bar and Grill, named after the house brand of beer and regular patrons say it will be special in many ways. In addition to special appetizers starting at 5:30 p.m. and “special treats” at midnight, there will be live music from trop rock artist Jambo Jones at 6 p.m., followed at 8 p.m. by The New Skinny and deejay music to wrap up the night. This will be one of The New Skinny’s final performances and their SWan Song at Dick’s. The last show ever, anywhere, is set for New Year’s Eve, although drummer Brando said they might pick up a fill-in on occasion, and play with an altered lineup once or twice a year.

Guv’s Place in Houlton for much of this fall has expanded its availability of weekend bands, and this Friday and Saturday will be no different, with Off the Record taking the stage on the east end of the building on the evening of Nov. 7 and a recurring act around the area, Trandy Blue, on the following night.

Seeing Off the Record is a good value for music lovers, Guv himself points out, as they are about the most costly his establishment will bring in. They come well recommended by other musicians in the area, who say they play very well to the crowd and cater their extensive set list to the people in the audience on a given night. The talent level here is also off the charts, they say, and the guitarist in particular seems to get better with each performance. That’s saying something, since the band has been in existence for about six years.

Trandy Blue is led by a young woman who plays both as a solo act, with pop songs that are single-singer friendly while strumming on guitar, and with a full band. She is becoming more and more of a staple in clubs around the area.

The popular and somewhat quirky acoustic duo, Saving Starz, broke up a few months ago over difficulties with keeping up schedules, and singer Anthony has taken on another guitarist and kept his end of the band going. Think of it as Saving Starz II. (No word yet on if they’ll keep up some of their regular former performance nights, such as Wednesdays at Dick’s Bar and Grill). Meanwhile, the former guitarist, Geno, who had grown weary of the rigors of playing fulltime, now has an 8-to-5 day job, although as a long-term plan he is looking to re-establish his first love and put together a Christian rock outfit.