Hudson Wisconsin Nightlife

May, 2015Archive for

Friday, May 29th, 2015

With summer now here, there is the Man of the Year, and bands to also hear.
– The North Hudson Man of the Year did not quite end up being a woman. The new guy on the NH block to be given that annual honor is Dan Klatt, besting a lass named Amy Beth. As the sign said at Kozy Korner, the North Hudson pizza restaurant and bar that spearheads the contest, Klatt as Man of the Year is definitely not sheepish. It had said last Saturday in announcing the upcoming finals, that people could attend and “see history being made.” That history almost had them rethinking whether the contest would have to be renamed “person” of the year, as although Dan got over 900 votes from patrons, Amy Beth received only 130 less, which would have made her a winner in four of the past five years. And although that end of it is all in good fun, what is more important is that the whole effort raised $3,000 for a vital local charitable cause, victims of a house fire in North Hudson.
– It’s now officially summertime, and the livin’ is easy, and the bands are playing and often free! Leading off is Practical Goods, the duo of local couple Eric and Sarah VanValkenburg, at Dick’s Bar and Grill from 6-9 p.m. on Friday, May 29. These days it is especially hard to pigeonhole bands, although people keep trying, and the VanValkenburgs apparently have heard it. They say online that they play various styles, are heavy on folk, “and I guess Americana?”
– The flyer for Practical Goods on display at Dick’s shows two publicity photos on different ends of the spectrum. One appears to be at the aviation-themed Hangar Taproom at American Sky Brewery, and the other at a regional bistro. There are many other photos online, and that’s the case also for a band that begins playing on Friday about the time Practical Goods stops, that being the aptly named Almost Famous at Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt. To give an idea of what can be heard, there are three of their full video clips to be seen on YouTube, again at opposite ends of the spectrum — Gimme Three steps, Purple Rain and Machine Gun Kelly.

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Friday, May 22nd, 2015

Cup size, with photos and signatures, proves to be important, as is remembering those who serve our country.
Patrons at Buffalo Wild Wings are invited to take a photo with a nearly lifesize — that is in human not trophy terms — cardboard replica of the Stanley Cup and get it on social media to qualify for a trip and tickets to the 2016 Finals. It seems that good things come to those who wait. It should be noted that on the B-Dubs cutout advertisement it’s noted The Cup is a trademark, (more on that in a minute). Patrons are advised to watch as many of the hockey games as possible at BWW to aid their chances of being a winner; not to mention that their own cup just might runneth over. There are more details on the four-step photo application process at the local branch.
This all brings to mind Al, the North Hudson resident who before there were the LA Kings used to be the King of sports-themed viewing parties. They were at his house that had a big addition and basement and “going yard” sports bars built for those purposes, not to mention fitting, homemade food. But Al was more than a homebody, he somehow managed to obtain a metal, not cardboard, copy of the Stanley Cup that was the size of the BWW current version. He took it on the road to hockey cities — and to all the Hudson area bars — to get so many signatures/messages from fans that it was almost as black and blue in color as silver. It remains to be seen if such a cup will show at the 2016 version of the Finals.
– A memorial poker run in honor of Nicholas Spehar and the total of 17 Navy Seals and 14 U.S. servicemen who gave their lives on Aug. 6, 2011, while serving over in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom is Sunday.
The motorcyle rally is set for May 24 and starts and finishes at Chisago Roadhouse Tavern with stops at Wolf Creek Bar, Py’s Bar, Somerset American Legion and Big Game. Registration is from 10-11:15 a.m., with riders taking off at 11:30-11:45 a.m.
Cost is $15 per bike, $10 per passenger. There will be prizes for top poker hands and door prize drawings, and cash boards and spaghetti dinner with donation at the end of the run. Cash donations and items for silent auction will be appreciatively accepted.
Another local connection is that one of the main organizers, Shalice who bartends at Guv’s Place in Houlton, has been working very hard — as is her style — to get things together for the run. She and others note the importance of looking after needs of veterans. For more information or to donate, contact her at (651) 210-3989, or Bob at (651) 329-5527.
A memorial fund for Spehar has been set up at US Bank in Chisago City, Minn.

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Thursday, May 14th, 2015

Hard-edged Wood and Hayseeds will be all the rage this weekend:
– Ragin’ Wood will be live at the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt on Friday, May 15. The lead singer, as well as other band members who chime in on lead vocals for some numbers, have added to their collection of songs. Their often high-volume, guitar-driven classic rock is shown by clips online of them playing tunes by Bad Company, Foghat and AC/DC.
– The Killer Hayseeds, one of the leading and longest-set playing country bands coming out of the Twin Cities, will play at Maverick’s Corner Saloon in downtown River Falls on Saturday, May 16. The band leader did extensive auditions in 2011 to come up with a formitable lineup. The result was a group that does something you rarely see, two 105-minute sets.
– The Mill City Hot Club will bring its music based on the tradition of gypsy jazz, pioneered in the 1920s by artists based in Belgium and France, to Juniors restaurant and bar in downtown River Falls on Friday, May 15. The style is seeing a resurgence in the United States, and generally consists of two acoustic gypsy guitars, upright string bass and violin. As is typical of this genre, the Hot Club brings in other styles of music and instrumentation, in their case modern jazz, Latin jazz and blues. These musicians, billed as being prominent both locally and nationally, also bring in an electric format similar to the swing and jazz bands of the 1950s and 1960s, and specialize in improvisation.

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More patrons or less, factor in fishing opener and fest — and don’t forget Mom

Sunday, May 10th, 2015

The consistency for when people were out for Cinco, and in Somerset, wasn’t completely in sync, and likewise the Wild and sightings of their “coach” — yup that’s a Yeo — were streaky.
– Participation in Cinco De Mayo was streaky throughout town, with some places having a few more people in than usual, but not all night. It looks like that notice on local juke boxes about playing “Cinco De Mayo songs” went largely unheeded. It should be noted that at Dick’s Bar and Grill, there still was an advertising sign for Dos Equis beer up on Wednesday night; some of the monthly beer specials you’ll find in Hudson, at this point in the year largely featuring Mexican brews, will go on for the rest of May.
Customer traffic on the weekend of Mother’s Day also was mostly light, in part because of the Minnesota fishing opener, but mostly due to the Northern Invasion metal mega-concert in Somerset. However, around midnight on Saturday, the crowd at the Smilin’ Moose picked up considerably, as the concert patrons worked their way south to go back to Minnesota, where many of the Moose faithful come from. The increase in customers was not universal, however, along the route to Interstate 94. Wonder if they went back the next morning for mom’s day Bloody Mary’s, (the other main competition for such fare is Dick’s, which is quite a bit cheaper). And you could wash it down with a make-your-own omelette bar at Seasons Tavern in North Hudson. More over the top, back when hockey and the Big Fight were king for spectating, was a sign at Buffalo Wild Wings advertising the Great Large Order Takeout Menu, also known as GLOTM.
– Now that the Minnesota Wild have had some playoff success, it’s time to note that a man who is a dead ringer for Coach Mike Yeo has been seen at Dick’s Bar and Grill. (He was wearing a Frozen Four T-shirt, which is college rather than pro hockey). Yet another guy who fit the bill, but was a bit older, was there after the Wild celebrated their big Game Three win over St. Louis in the opening round.
Consider this next bit a tale of Three Wild Women. During playoff time, bartender Michele found herself coming in early to get her shift done so she could go Get Wild, but also needed to switch and have a fill-in for part of the night so she’d get to the Xcel Energy Center before the puck dropped. Likewise, Bobbie at Green Mill has been told she’s a good luck charm, as goals have come frequently for the Wild when she was on duty. An exception appeared to be the elimination game, when that possibility was pointed out to her, but at that juncture the luck started coming back when the local skaters put on a flurry of activity. Lastly among the hot hockey hostesses, bartender Shavon was wearing not Wild colors but something that was more like a leftover from St. Patrick’s Day, that being lime green, but did not have the same good luck factor as her coworker Bobbie. That made Shavon rethink wearing that color next year come the hockey playoffs. At least she wasn’t sporting blue, as that would back the opposing St. Louis Blues, who in the long run ended singing the blues thanks to the Wild.
– A liquor store in western Wisconsin had its annual “tax evasion” week where it picked up the state sales tax for customers. That’s perhaps the most refreshing beverage offer, to spite the Taxman, since the Boston Tea Party. Then that night, Buffalo Wild Wings listed its top players and one went by the moniker, you guessed it, “Taxman.” Except, that playing date was on the 14th, not the 15th.
– Stonetap was closed for at least part of last weekend, from what a sign said were issues “with the city water main.” In fact, what looked like tinted water could be seen around the two big flower pots on the sidewalk. Oh wait, those were just shadows.

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Why did the ‘Cow’ cross the river? It was illegally herded to get to the other side

Sunday, May 10th, 2015

Police have a cow, and I know it sounds cheesy, but they milk their chances when a rival tavern skims off some Spotted Cow.
– Bartender Whitney at Pudge’s got a lot of face time on Fox 9 News when a TV crew came over and asked opinions about a sting operation targeting a Maple Grove tavern. It seems they had “spotted” the owners illegally buying and transporting the New Glarus Spotted Cow beer brand over the river — multiple times — and allegedly serving it in their own place, which is a violation of trade practices, as well as Border Battle decorum. Then feds actually order a brew in the Twin Cities tavern as evidence. Whitney said she thought that doing such a sting was a bit too much drama. Which apparently still rings true, as Spotted Cow is still listed as a special on their beer board.
So, dramatically, what was shown on TV was all Whitney, despite the guys at the bar who were queried too, and they speculated that the male TV crew was smitten by her short shirt.
One of the reporters who interviewed her said he wrote for scores of other publications as well, maximizing her exposure. My mom in Milwaukee even called me to say she had seen such a report in the Journal-Sentinel. Ouch! I am a tipster for that paper, and I could have collected a paycheck in regard to this, but the editor I deal with was out for days on end. With that tip, I could have paid it forward and given Whitney a better tip.
Despite all the publicity, Spotted Cow is also still on tap at places like Emma’s Bar in River Falls. A sign promoted a special that incorporates that brew and another Wisconsin staple, pretzel and I’m assuming cheese sauce, (maybe that’ll be the next Cheesehead item to be essentially kidnapped and brought across the border). Whatever happened to Minnesota nice?
Speaking of tips, the sign at the Agave Kitchen gave this one: Pac Man over Mayweather, and it provided the hashtag “freetip.” That message runs counter to the possible idea you could link to it that you don’t get tipped very well when working at Agave. I’m sure that is not the case. And you don’t even have to “fight” it.
On fight night itself, there weren’t that many people checking in on the round-by-round updates on sports news channels. By contrast, there were many more people in the sports bars watching the Wild’s Swan Song on Thursday.
– Just goes to show that you can’t believe everything you hear, especially if the speaker has had a few beers. The main word that was going around the bars was that Adrian Peterson being traded was a done deal, but now after his reinstatement, his agent says the star running back should get a new long-term contract. One fixture at a local bar, who asked not to be named, said a close relative has enough of a sports background to smoosh at parties with some pretty bigtime Twin Cities power brokers, and they told him after getting loose lipped because of, again, a few drinks, that sending AP to Dallas was a done deal, and the only reason it hadn’t been officially announced prior to the NFL draft was because of holding back for strategic reasons. (The same guy turned out to be right about the end of the Minnesota career of a certain basketball player named Love). Similarly, a patron at Green Mill said a few months ago that his father knows the Peterson family, and that going to Dallas was a sure thing. The apparent lack of truth to these rumours no doubt is a big relief to a friend of mine who knows AP socially and wouldn’t want to see him go.
– A sign at Woody’s in Bayport says that “Old Style is now on draft.” Would that be the NFL Draft, much ballyhooed on sports bar TV, or a reference to what’s on tap? By the way, all I saw of the draft while at this Vikings establishment was Minnesota’s first pick (and it wasn’t a running back).

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Friday, May 8th, 2015

Man of the Year, and almost midnight with its Shadows on the Wall.
– The group Six to Midnight stresses its diverse play list, which is designed to include “the lightest dance tunes to the heaviest hard rock hits,” and brings its act to the Smilin’ Moose on Friday, May 8. The 100-plus song set list, which is heaven and hell to an old metalhead like myself, has songs from the past and present from the likes of Ace of Spades, Godsmack, The Ramones, My Darkest Days and Volbeat. Also on a personal note, the band is also known for their You Tube version of Cupid Shuffle, which is a popular dance number at The Moose, getting dozens of people out on the floor. (On a couple of occasions, I was an observer close to getting my back pushed up against the wall as the crowd moved forward, then back). Six to Midnight, which could just be an Iron Maiden reference, has played alongside acts such as Seether, Saliva, Saving Abel, Good Charlotte and GB Leighton, who also has ties to The Moose.
– Soon, come the end of May, a North Hudson man of the year will be selected by the principals at Kozy Korner. The event, one part charitable event and another part good-natured humor that can be self-deprecating, sees a field of several dozen people gradually eliminated until a winner is named.
The low-key event is in its fifth year. The voting runs six weeks and helps charitable causes. In this just-for-frivolous-fun event, contestants go head-to-head at Kozy each time around, and it costs $1 to vote. There is no limit on how many times you can cast your ballot, and since this is for charity, that’s all the better.
This year, the charitable recipients are the Koller family from Seventh St. North in North Hudson. They lost their home in a fire.
– It was the less-than-obvious retro choices when the band Shadows on the Wall played the Village Inn in North Hudson, as they went back-to-back-to-back from Prince, to Steelers Wheel, to You Can’t Always Get What You Want by the Stones. The quintet features four guitarists, one of whom was formerly with The New Skinny, a group of local guys.

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Friday, May 1st, 2015

Bloody good ol’ Bloody Mary’s and bloody expensive (bloody) fight.
– So, you think you bloody well have the best Bloody Mary in town? Well then prove it. Pack up all your best vegies, meats, cheeses, tomato juices — and don’t forget liquors — and head down to Dick’s Bar and Grill at 2 p.m. Sunday to compete in the best Bloody Mary contest. There is a $5 entry fee, which will get the chance for cash prizes, gift cards, booze baskets and “tons of fun.” See staffers at Dick’s for more information and entry forms to test the merit of your Mary.
– It turns out that the best place to watch “The Fight of the Century” might be your place! Based on the outrageous prices being asked for sports bars to host the bout, based on occupancy, few that normally have big fights are electing to air it, so as one Green Mill patron suggested, plunk down the $100 or so that it costs to see it at home and split it about 10 ways with about 10 friends, just to pick a number. Local sports bars from Buffalo Wild Wings to the Village Inn in North Hudson say that their phones have been ringing off the hook with questions about whether they will have the Saturday evening bout between Pac Man and Mayweather, which they will not. It turns out that virtually no BWW in Minnesota will air it, either. And here I thought it might be one of those nights where it was such a full house that you’d have to plant one butt cheek on the stool to the left of you, and one to the right, to be able to belly up to the bar. Or, as I joked with a bartender friend, it might be better to charge only $10 a head — do we see a theme here? — and have a pre-fight party based on Friday night’s weigh-in.

– It appears Tim Sigler is not only a favorite country act, and perhaps the most popular fave of all, at the Smilin’ Moose in Hudson, but also is having regular gigs in River Falls. Most recently, Sigler will perform at Maverick’s Corner Saloon in downtown River Falls on Saturday, reprising his gig that was held at Juniors in River Falls on Thursday. Staffers at Maverick’s say that Sigler brings in more the townies than the college crowd, and that is all right by them.

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