Hudson Wisconsin Nightlife

July, 2016Archive for

Match wits with that ‘hot librarian’ to be part of making local BDubs ‘the smartest bar’

Wednesday, July 27th, 2016

The weekend starts on Wednesday, and after a lull on Thursday really gets going again, kicked off by the back-to-our-roots very late afternoon and into early evening music on the patio at the Smilin’ Moose on Friday and Saturday, as part of their summer-long series, to wrap up July. It features a pair of acoustic soloists with longtime Hudson ties, Dave Burkhart and Chris Lawrence, respectively.
– But winding back to Wednesdays, they can have wicked wit. That’s the day when Buffalo Wild Wings has its “is this the smartest bar” trivia contest with its signature Buzztime brand. It does, however, ask you to “prove it” for prizes. And you will want the approval of the hot babe with the librarian glasses who appears in the in-restaurant ad. You’ll also have to beat out the guy at the local BDubs who goes by the dyslexic game-name DubB.
There was a trivia question there that piqued my attention, about a decades-ago dictator in Africa who was atrocity-addled. It was in the country Chad. I asked my bartender by that name if he’d ever do such things to a fellow human being. His somewhat joking response: Only if he doesn’t pay his tab.
– Hudson’s own singer and songwriter Garret seems to have an affinity for playing resort-type venues, which started with performances at Afton Alps. To that end, this Friday evening, July 29, he will be at Troy Burne for a solo show, which is a members-only gig. However, if you want to catch him in a more public way, you can venture to Ole’s in Maiden Rock the next evening, on Saturday. Maiden Rock is a lot like Boardman near Hudson, where there also are a lot of bands, but both are only a two-horse (or bar) town, with the pair of places being across the street from one another. Garret says that “90 percent” of people agree that his vocal stylings are distinctive, which surprises him, but only a bit.
– This hopper is really hepped up. At Pudge’s, the 96-ounce blender-look-alike contraption has not only the $19 and $24 options for being filled with the more standard beers, but for $28 you can get the more upscale brews of Bell’s, Deschutes and Goose Island, which are also available as regular-size specials. And, if you hurry, you can still order them from the gradually departing Kirsten, who has glasses and hair much like the smokin’ brunette librarian in the Buffalo Wild Wings ad.

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Iron-ic anthem ‘Hallowed Be Thy Name’ was my Maiden voyage into spiritual metal

Tuesday, July 26th, 2016

With the recent playing of the Sonshine festival in Somerset, which featured dozens of Christian bands performing music of all styles, I thought I’d pull this item out of the vault, (frequented by mascot Eddie).
A spiritually defining moment for me, to be followed by many since, was at of all places a heavy metal concert by the group Iron Maiden, which has become by known by critics for its songs about mythology, history and yes, theology.
What I was not prepared for, when taking in one of their concerts in the mid-1990s that filled a professional basketball arena, was that the audience — dressed in biker gear, leather minskirts and black makeup — would be more interested in that topic then in moshing.
Perhaps I was being prejudiced, but I took a seat that was the highest up at the back of the arena, because I wasn’t real comfortable rubbing elbows with bikers at my assigned seat below. From this vantage point, I could see the entire arena below and its patrons as the concert unfolded.
Near the end of the concert, it was time for what some members of the group call their best work among their hundreds of songs, the lengthy anthem, “Hallowed Be Thy Name.”
The loud guitars were turned down, and the legendary metal singer, Bruce Dickinson, sat down in front of the crowd and sang the introduction in a very intimate way, like a priest giving a homily.
In the song, a man condemned to die at the gallows is ruminating about life and death, and God’s role. Then at the end, the jailer has come for him, and all that can be done is pray. In what has become an iconic rock-concert moment, he sings “Hallowed be thy name. Hallowed by thy name.” The length at which he holds the last note has been praised by critics for years.
What was unexpected is that in this mass of humanity in front of me, all raised hands and joined them together like one would in church during the Lord’s Prayer. The thousands of concert-goers, although dressed in black and not a crew who you might think would get into religion, swayed and jubilantly sang the refrain as one, along with Dickinson.
This experience was perhaps the most spiritual in my life. Perhaps it should not have been unexpected, as in those Old School metal songs, there is almost a preoccupation with religion and theology, and the Biblical imagery is frequent. Although this might sound counter-intuitive, it makes sense because singing about topics such as Christ’s crucifixion and martyrdom gives an opportunity to be spiritual and edgy and graphic, all at the same time. And some of the groups really go have something insightful to say about theology.
In particular, amongst all the philosophizing about life and death in Hallowed Be Thy Name, fans have speculated online that the convict at first questions the apparent absence of God in his sitation, then moves forward to re-embrace his faith.
So, this was perhaps the most noteworthy experience among many I’ve had since, where the band bonds with the crowd and there is a transendence, where a rock concert becomes something deeper, something profoundly spiritual.
I since found out that the singer, Dickinson, has written books about subjects that include theology — a personal interest of his — and is regarded by many to be a scholar, not just a screamer.

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For every time, there is a season, and its all right here After Midnight in Hudson

Tuesday, July 26th, 2016

What season of the year is it? Christmas? The Fourth? Construction? Community festival? Your favorite seasonal brew? Whatever your fave, there was and will be something in after-hours Hudson for it.
– Overheard at Green Mill, when regulars were pondering which summer-style beverage to order: “Why was the orchard angry? It got eaten by a spotted cow.” And on the way to that bar and grill up the hill, one could see a different twist on pitching music offerings, and the eyes have it. At the Nova, a wine bar that features weekend acoustic music on the back patio, there were a pair of classic cars parked at the front to drum up business, each being given a big pair of eye balls in the windshield as part of the sun screening. Would that mean they are Four Eyes?

– Is it Christmas (lights) in July? With the road construction barrels back in place in the stretch between Hudson and North Hudson, one can see late at night the scores of twinkling lights atop the sawhorses to guide After Midnight drivers through the maze of road work. And they just might need that.
– This was an “alternative” way to beat the heat, which has continued on into the late night. As I was driving past the city sewage treatment plant to get to downtown rock and alt bands, a blast of water from the sprinkler system hit my windshield, obscuring my vision of even the wide St. Croix River. Which is quite topicable, since a boater type I met in a chance encounter in St. Paul that same day made it a point to note that several St. Croix islands were flooded.
– A couple of typically-more-late-night friends I met up with at the Freedom Value Center in North Hudson said they were following their more typical — in a different mode — pattern of treating themselves with ala mode, due to their walk all the way to the downtown Dairy Queen, which hopefully wore off any added calories and more. Like many others, they probably encountered sidewalk construction issues along the route. But the “treat” aspect reminded of a guy in North Hudson who recently bought cigarettes, beer, smokeless tobacco and in addition, some of that high-powered malted liquor. That’s four vices for The Fourth.
– Dick’s Bar and Grill often gets a bulk of the boater traffic that comes into local bars from the St. Croix River, but recently there was a different twist. Stalwarts from the vintage ship patterned after that sailed by Columbus, which was docked just down the way, were out in droves at Dick’s recently, and bartenders said that was why there was an unusually high amount of customer traffic on what typically would have been a slow weeknight.
– At the flip-side end of such things, during the opening night of Lumberjack Days in Stillwater, customer traffic in downtown Hudson was mostly slim, but as you moved northward into North Hudson and got closer to the main fest, it picked up. Looks like those Minnesota-based partiers could still find their way around, without driving too far.
– The local Demon Rum people have their faves as far as where there concoction is on special, and one of them has a coaster to hold your drink and devoted to their brand. It shows a darkly-exotic-looking model caressing one of the bottles, and holding it close to her lovely face, and saying “unleash your demon.” Just so happens that this women bears a striking resemblance to a server who has worked downtown for as long as I can remember. The same venue has at times had a coaster that advertised a local jeweler as keeping husbands out of trouble for decades, a reference to the notorious emergency gifts that are one of their specialties. Got to love the joke, although I’ve never needed to use their downtown store for that purpose.
– Seen on the sign at Village Inn in North Hudson: Chicken sandwiches, cold beer. They made it careful that there be a distinction between the brew and any COLD chicken sandwiches.
– The sign outside the Agave Kitchen, which always has something to say and is usually changed nightly, had a several day run, which is atypical, espousing their support for law enforcement in the wake of the recent mass shootings. On a lighter note, before and after those messages, was one that made a pitch for quite hearty food: Pineapple, salmon, salsa, tacos. #CU2MRW. Reminds me of a joking reference awhile back on a sign in North Hudson, about a different kind of sustenance that you can intake: “The Kozy Korner motto, A Drink in Both Hands. Sorry Van Halen.” But hey, it is now the heat of summer, so to quote that song, “got my toes in the sand.”

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Modern country and rock/pop is a 60/40 mix, and it produces a Shotgun Wedding at Willow

Thursday, July 21st, 2016

Give fair warning, there is plenty of music around the perimeter of Hudson that you’ll be missing out on if you don’t hit the road for a few extra miles:

– In addition to the St. Croix County Fair, (see the home page), there is more music on the other side of the county. Featuring modern country (a bit more than half their play list), and rock and pop music (the other 40 percent), Shotgun Wedding is a female and male fronted band featuring some top Twin Cities’ musicians, hailing from other local bands such as Under the Covers, The Bad Animals, Playback, Shane Wyatt, Shadowstone and The Hootenanny. They play the Willow River Saloon on Friday, July 22. This combination of talent and experience makes Shotgun Wedding one of the best shows in town, they say. Its members, some of whom you may have seen before in their previous bands, are Jimmy Fromm on vocals, guitar and mandolin, Troy Hommerding on drums and vocals, Wendy Miller on vocals, Jules Olson on bass guitar and vocals, and Greg Vall on guitar.
– They may be well established, but still are shiny and new. The Sonshine festival of Christian music of all sorts hits the Somerset ampitheater all this weekend. The more than 80 bands and speakers across multiple stages include Grammy Award winning artists (and in this case rockers) Switchfoot, For King & Country and Michael W. Smith. Camping is available, as well, for the fest running July 21-23. More information is available online at their web site.
– A horse is a horse, of course, of course … While that may not be one of the songs they played, the members of the River Falls-based band Triad, reunited during River Falls Days after more than 30 years, say its like getting on a horse again — or riding a bike. You pick up where you left off with the Old School songs. Casey Killmann came from South Dakota, and Peter Radd from the fertile music ground of Las Vegas, to join to River Falls residents Tom Pechacek and Greg Brown and play a show downtown.

– While they are mostly earthy save the St. Croix types, all this weekend is RiverFest, with a slogan you might not expect from them, “Party with a Purpose.” There was but one music offering, a community band, but Saturday still has six separate family-friendly activities and Sunday two.

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Be a part of The Memories, and the Wild dancing, as bands come to county fair

Tuesday, July 19th, 2016

(All the Seasons are Fair game for HudsonWiNightlife, and read about some of the other local action in this web site’s Notes From the Beat Department).

Twenty-nine years of memories again come to Glenwood City this weekend, and it promises to be a wild and fun party. The St. Croix County Fair will again be held July 20-24.
As far as music headliners, country rock band Coyote Wild plays at 7 p.m. Friday in the Croix Court, The Memories, a musical variety show, at 8:15 p.m. Saturday and their offshoot, Ole and Elmer, musical comedy, at 11 a.m. Sunday.
Some of the men who make up the party known as Coyote Wild are known to sport three different kinds of hats and another has dreadlocks, a bit different for a country rock band, and their music also has variety. A pair of women round out the seven-member group’s lineup. Coyote Wild played a recent local show as a recurring gig, and had some different takes on the country format. They definitely are not heavy metal, but the bass player was wearing an Exodus T-shirt. And that dreadlocked lead guitarist rocked through Sweet Emotion by Aerosmith, doing the vocals as well, as part of their format where these duties are exchanged. To wrap up the night, there was a combination of introductory plinky guitar and power chords to a Journey song. Those same type of guitar stylings were present on my drive home, to Gimme Shelter by the Stones.

Country music has had a massive influence in the history of rock music, and rock music has changed the direction of country. You can enjoy both with Coyote Wild, whether you are a devotee of classic rock or a true country fan at heart. This band brings you the best of both worlds, performing an eclectic mix of both classic and current rock and country. With their blend of talent and creativity, this band has a professional sound without losing the energy that audiences would expect from a performing rock band, they say. Built around strong vocals and great harmonies, their set list is a diverse mix, meaning there is something for everyone.

Their show is high energy and fast-paced, great fun and sure to inspire dancing and singing along. With the raw and gritty edge you would expect from a seasoned band, and a female front line that rocks the room with their intoxicating harmonies and electrifying performance, this is the “go-to” country rock band in the Midwest, they say.
As far as The Memories, they were inducted to the Wisconsin Association of Fairs’ Hall of Fame in 1995.
As many groups do, The Memories got their start singing and playing music while in high school choir and band in Boyceville. In summer 1972, they were asked to perform for a friend’s wedding dance and 44 years later Warren Petryk and Tim Stevens are still making music together. They now have performed at the county fair for 29 straight years.
In what started out as a very part-time adventure, Warren and Tim, along with classmate and fellow founding member, John Lynch, performed anywhere and everywhere they could: village halls, golf courses, high schools, community festivals, wedding dances, night clubs, bowling alleys, street dances, ballrooms, barn dances, supper clubs and ski resorts included.
There have been many highlights through the years. Among them are:
– In March 1975, the group won first place at a regional talent contest held at the Black Steer Supper Club in Eau Claire, the first of many such contests captured.
– In 1979, they performed the entire six-day run of the Northern Wisconsin State Fair, serving as its Goodwill Ambassadors.
– Appeared as the opening acts for several nationally known artists, such as Merle Haggard, Alabama, The Oak Ridge Boys, Ricky Nelson, Ray Price and a special show with Barbara Mandrell at the 1979 Barron Farm and Feather Fest.
– In 1983, they took first in the country band contest of the Rhinelander Hodag Country Music Fest, and the same year were winners in the Wisconsin Country Music Band Contest sponsored by Wrangler Jeans and Dodge Trucks.
– Produced over 30 different recordings, which include 45s, albums, eight-track tapes, cassette tapes and compact discs.
– Performed annual Christmas concerts at the Mabel Tainter Theater in Menomonie for 30 years, and counting.
And, the seed that planted the whole entertainment bug: Being runnerup in the Boyceville Cucumber Festival talent contest in 1971 for a cash prize of $10.
At their peak, “The Boys from Boyceville” were full-time entertainers and traveled from coast to coast for 200 days a year. In 1995, they scaled back to a part-time schedule, and in September 2000, Tim and Warren began a new phase when they started performing as a duo — as they will on Sunday. Today, they continue the tradition of their trademark, “Music, Laughter and Wonderful Times,” by appearing at a select number of events each year, obviously including the county fair.

“I think there a few things that make us ‘different.’ We try our best to make sure our shows feature great
songs, performed well from a musical standpoint. But also, that our shows are entertaining, interesting and fun
for our audiences,” Tim said, adding that the band members were fortunate that they were best friends before
they started performing together. “We have been told many times through the years that our friendship really
comes across to our audiences when we are on stage.”
Growing up together in western Wisconsin, they not only know each other extremely well, but also their
audiences and the people and history of the area. “We bring that to the stage with us,” Tim said.
“As far as what is different with our show as a duo, it may sound basic, but I think we have continued to
develop a tighter performance ….and that comes from being on stage with the same guy for thousands of
performances for nearly 44 years,” Tim said, adding that for the last 16 of those years, there was actually the
involvement of “two friends – Warren and myself.”

Other fair highlights that have an entertainment aspect are: Thursday — a horse pull and the Fairest of the Fair Coronation, both at 7 p.m.; Friday — tractor pull at 6:30 p.m.; Saturday — Divas Through the Decades, a female trio, at 1, 3 and 6 p.m.; Looney Lutherans act, at noon and 2 and 5 p.m.; Jared Sherlock, magician and illusionist, 4 p.m.; four-by-four truck pull, 6:30 p.m.; and comedy hypnosis, 10 p.m.; Sunday — mud volleyball, 11 a.m.; talent show, 1 p.m.; and ATV and four-by-four mud races, 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

For more information, visit www.stcroixcofair.com.

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Hitface hits road for Willow River, crossing over the country, to also disco here, disco there

Thursday, July 14th, 2016

Who better to crank out four decades of hits than Hitfaced? You should be all ears, or else take it on the chin:
– When was the last time you heard everything from crossover country to disco? Well you can at the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt on Friday evening, July 15. While celebrating 40 years of hits in a single night, a show by the band Hitfaced features songs anyone who loves popular music will recognize. They cover material from the most recent pop to classic rock, but also more than a dozen “crossover country” artists, dance/funk and even some disco, as Hitfaced features both a male and female sharing lead vocals. (That allows, for example, five different songs by Pink). “Finally you can hire a band that is as musically diverse as your audience. Old, young, dancers, pop music fans, cowboys and rockers and even headbangers will all find something to enjoy spread throughout the show,” says the band’s bio.
– Saturday’s re-grand opening of the Kozy Korner in North Hudson will have not only the expected things such as a bean bag tournament, but also the music of an artist who, again, is relatively new as one of the village people, Pete Elkin.
– How often before have you heard a band listed as a “well oiled machine?” That is the case for Doug Otto and the Getaways, who have been likened to Robert Johnson, Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams, Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy, and will be playing Junior’s bar and grill in River Falls on Friday evening.
– On the patio at the Smilin’ Moose this weekend are Ken Valdez on Friday and Michael Handler on Saturday, both from 5-8 p.m., and George Scot McKelvey on Sunday from 2-5 p.m.

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Rain, rain go away, then we can see Adele, Beyonce and Prince tributes another day

Thursday, July 14th, 2016

Adele and Beyonce fans get wet, but some also say they saw Prince in a Grand way (in St. Paul, no less):

– When Adele chatted and sang in the Twin Cities, the rainy weather was just as uncooperative as for the Beyonce show, which may be fitting because she had been expected to perform a song partly about such precipitation, Purple Rain by Prince, as a tribute to the late area icon. Many local people helped fill up the concert halls. It also was bantied about in the media that Prince has had about dozen backup musicians since his heyday, one of whom, a guitarist, I met in a gas station along White Bear Avenue around that time, very late at night. Another person I just met said he twice had encountered Prince while partying on a different avenue, that being Grand Avenue. A third noted that the intro to Purple Rain, as done by some of the dozens of local tributes in the past few weeks, sounds a lot like a Lynyrd Skynrd song. (Not that with their conflicting musical styles, they ever would have shared the same stage).
– One of the summer changes at the Smilin’ Moose, not just bands, has included a guy hawking a use-hammer-to-pound-nails-into-a-stump game, on the patio that’s also made of wood. That is so Wisconsin. Maybe more so than having a moose as your mascot.
– At local sports bars, you could see the draft choices being made by NBA teams. Or where they for some other type of contest, such as a video game, with names like Tome Maker and Dragan Bender? One of them was picked by the Milwaukee Bucks, who for sure won’t have a video game patterned after them.
– Advertised as “The World’s Best Husband,” via a local business card, and “The World’s Best Tacos,” via the Village Inn sign, North Hudson is the hallowed haven for a hospitable hubby, or the hottest hombre.
– A last word (I hope) from the whole Hudson traffic debacle. With the traffic rerouting down next to the water along First Street, and the slowing-to-near-a-haul driving behavior of (largely) Minnesota motorists, cyclists were actually traveling much faster than those in cars. And perhaps this sign in an alley between that street and the main drag says it all: A totally yellow figure — that’s much the same color as those annoying cones that enforce crosswalk pedestrian morality — and that looks like one of the Mario Brothers, has been seen holding up signs that suggest a slower speed for children of about the same stature. It may have been there prior to the construction, but I’m sure many more people seeking a detour saw it in the last couple of months.
– As summer rolls itself out, it can be manifest in literally hundreds of plastic boats and sand pails hung from the ceiling in two big rooms at Dick’s Bar and Grill. There also were dozens of chalk designs on the pavement outside Knoke’s Chocolates, together taking up about a dozen concrete squares that consist of two-dozen square feet each.

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The Fourth found a flurry of funky fun, from fireworks to featuring other festive fanfare

Thursday, July 14th, 2016

Get a leg up on The Captain, who you can bet watched more scenery than the fireworks as The Fourth unfolded:

– It would only happen at Booster Days that occurred that weekend. A bunch of young adults at a packed Dick’s Bar and Grill were messing harmlessly with the three-foot-high statue of Captain Morgan, propped up next to the ATM machine, so it was moved across the room to an area by the dartboards. Guess they had some captain in them. Once the holiday was over, the rum-renowned statue was shuffled back to its original place. And while we’re ruminating on rum reporting, the local people who run Demon Rum, who are captains of their own ship, had just hours earlier been present giving away samples of their own new brand, which is getting more and more popular.
– Some of that same Dick’s crowd debated whether to enter based on the $1 cover charge. Dudes, it’s just a buck. It could only get you a few more ounces of beer. Others kitty-corner on Second Street wondered aloud just where you could get food after midnight. In the spirit of It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere, maybe they’d consider a late liquid lunch. And over in the Pier 500 parking lot, an older man with a grey mane and patriotic colors was dancing a jig to yet another rendition of Prince’s Purple Rain, this time done by Chris Lawrence over nextdoor in the Booster Days bandshell.
– Judging from female attire over the Fourth of July, it appears to be a (partial) re-trend that the bare midriff look is (partially) back, even if the actual skin shown is (partially) limited in height to the area around the belly-button.
– Walking to watch the fireworks on the Fourth, on County E next to the old Guv’s Place, a dad educated his kids on the three-additional-street-route that it takes to get to the Stillwater lift bridge below. Above them, there were not one but two sky-kiters competing for attention normally given the fireworks. On signs at a nearby intersection, if you get a little lost in Houlton, is literally the meeting of the streets Church and State.
– This seen even prior to the Fourth, a bar patron all duded up in stars and stripes clothing — and also a whole bunch of tattoos, some with skulls. Odd bedfellows? Trying to be patriotic, what would Trump say? As far as the level of being interesting as a jerk, it would probably Trump anything coming from Hillary.
– Over the Fourth, drink coasters sprouted up around town that said “I am thankful for my libeerty.” And no, that’s not a typo, and underscoring that is the beer that’s sponsoring the coaster campaign, it being Samuel Adams Boston Lager. Can’t get much more patriotic than that, with the historic namesake.
– Right around the holiday, when fireworks went off over the St. Croix River and slews of boaters watched from a perch on the water, a tow truck late at night hauled a vehicle away from the boat launch near the freeway. It was a stalled car, not a swamped boat! Just thought that was ironic.

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Levi or Levon, via Elton John, it all spells the same as far as musical prowess

Friday, July 8th, 2016

He’s not been legal age long, so he’s not been on the local music scene long, but Nashville still came calling for his musical talents.
– Levi Pelzer is an up-and-coming very young musician born in central Minnesota, who is trekking to Burkhardt to play the Willow River Saloon on Friday night. After playing in bar bands since age 15, he has embarked on a solo career that was kickstarted by an offer from a producer in Nashville to record his debut album. In 2015, Levi traveled down to Nashville to work with some of the top producers, engineers, studio musicians and song writers that Music City has to offer. On Feb. 27, 2015, Levi’s 21st birthday, he released his debut single, “I Can Love You with my Eyes Closed,” to iTunes. After returning from Nashville, Levi put together a lineup consisting of both veteran musicians and rookies to the music scene. Levi and his band played their debut show on June 26, 2015, to a sold-out crowd. A year later, the band is capturing the attention of fans and venues across the country, with a high level of energy and captivating performances that showcase his guitar playing skills. In January, Levi released his self titled album to iTunes and digital download, and the band embarked on their first regional tour, trekking across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee and of course Wisconsin.
– You can avoid the crowds and stay in on fight night, except to go grab some takeout, as for the upcoming weekend of the big bout of the moment, Buffalo Wild Wings will let you “do it right.” From July 8-10 there is the come-and-get-it food special of 60 wings and more, with a Mexican twist.
These days, there have been more and more people coming across the length of the establishment to pick-up their takeout wings and such, and bellying up to the bar temporarily as the server went to the kitchen to get it. On one recent fight night, the man next to me was weighing in on the different styles of martial arts, and which was most expedient for a particular opponent. He looked like a young James Spader, (a future Blacklist star talking about Black Belts?)
– The Village Inn in North Hudson again has its karaoke night, as has been done on the second Saturday of every month since late winter, and you can be crowned the king of such an offering, as some of the drink specials are Crown Royal and Crown Apple. I’d like to coronate the second to last duo that sang last month, a boisterous version of Proud Mary that was fueled by a guy who stepped in partway through and rolled out backup vocal support “on bass.”
– A sign above the bar at Dick’s Bar and Grill, meant to look like a street sign, reads “Jack Daniels Rd., drink responsibly,” which I’m assuming would mean not actually drinking Jack Daniels while driving down the road that it’s named after.

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River Falls Days: Wide-ranging bands come to play from New Richmond, southeast MN and metro and provide a whole ‘Chunk’ of quality music, so also Car Cruze on in

Wednesday, July 6th, 2016

River Falls Days is all about the music, among other attractions, and it is kicked off by the technically solid sounds of Uncle Chunk, which cross all popular genres, then goes more country, first with a band hailing from just up the highway, Rural Route 5, then finally, a group with another hit-the-road-type name that got its start in the winding byways of southeast Minnesota, Lost Highway.
Now, with summer in full gear and these three bands congregating in River Falls, it might be time to rock the Kinni. The theme for this year’s River Falls Days — which runs the weekend of July 7-10 — is Adventures on the Kinni, referring to the noted local trout stream. An addition draw for the festival, this year, is Sunday’s smokin’ Car Cruze-In, where everything from classic cars to your hot rod or cycle can take center stage.
The fest is in its 42nd year and is seen as something that people from a wide area make it a point to see and hear, and is viewed by many as a Homecoming of sorts, especially by former students of UW-River Falls.
Each year, the community celebration is held in spacious Heritage Park, darn near the banks of the scenic Kinnickinnic River.
The live music in the park includes the pop, rock and country sounds of Uncle Chunk on Friday, July 8 from 9:30 p.m.-1 a.m. (with no cover charge), and then it steers more to country in particular with Rural Route 5 on Saturday from 7-9:30 p.m., and then Lost Highway from 10 p.m.-1:30 a.m. There is also other live music to be found around town, at various bar and grill venues, during River Falls Days, so you can make a night of it.
These are bios of the headlining musical acts:
– Uncle Chunk is a popular and regular headliner of many local and area fests, and a fan favorite. The band lists covers of more then 80 different bands on their 115-song play list, which is heavy on Green Day and also includes a trio of songs each by Nickelback, Creed and Good Charlotte — both their tried and true favorites and some from deep in the vault — and even seven originals. Other groups that appear on the set list multiple times are Maroon 5, 3 Doors Down, Zac Brown Band, INXS, Seether, Weezer, Matchbox 20, All American Rejects, Finger 11, Kid Rock, Jet, Bowling for Soup and Blink 182. For more than 20 years now, they also cover the best from all genres such as rock, pop and country, they say, and back it up by virtue of the gigs they get.
– A self-described rockin’ county band out of neighboring New Richmond, Rural Route 5 plays everything from Merle to Miranda, from Cash to Aldean. There are more than two dozen artists on the premium selections part of their play list, and they include their own country twists on old favorites such as Fishin’ In The Dark and Sweet Home Alabama.
Rural Route 5 debuted to a packed crowd in May of 2013 at The SPACE in New Richmond. Since that gig, the band has been, again, rockin’ out to packed crowds all over from saloons to shed parties, and from private parties to summer festivals like River Falls Days, where it has played before. You will hear everything from country classics to modern country hits, and even a few songs that weren’t country before, but they are now, they say. The up-tempo set lists will get crowds off their feet and on the dance floor, they add as hey, they bring the party despite being a whole range of ages.
– Since their inception in 2009, Lost Highway has proven to be one of the Upper Midwest’s top country bands. From opening shows for national acts such as Hank Williams Jr., Clay Walker and Josh Thompson, to playing many outdoor festivals such as this weekend in River Falls, or entertaining capacity crowds in the hottest venues in the area, Lost Highway’s commitment to country music and electrifying the audience is evident, they say.
Lead vocalist Jesse Steberg has learned not to take things for granted, as is reflected in their songs, as seven years ago he broke his neck while snowmobiling. The accident left him stunned and silenced, and it took him two years to get his singing-voice back. But get it back, he did.
As if on cue, at one point Steberg crossed paths with high school classmate Matt Schwake, who was refining his guitar playing, and they literally started a garage band. Within a week, a freshly formed group of comrades began to play and soon uploaded videos of their acoustic performances recorded in — you guessed it — a garage for YouTube.
The band was officially formed seven years ago and named after Hank Williams’ 1948 croon “Lost Highway,” written by Leon Payne. Performing eight or more times a month, Steberg says the six-piece band is busier now than ever. From sharing the stage with a group of national acts, to playing outdoor festivals We Fest and Country Fest, the group has continued to grow its group of fans from the Midwest. We suggest becoming one of them this weekend in River Falls.
– Also gaining attention in conjunction with River Falls Day is the Car Cruze-In 2016 on July 10 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. All cars and cycles are welcome, and if you’ve seen peoples’ rides on the local highways and byways, you know there are a lot of creative design twists to by taken on anywhere from two to four wheels. It’s recommended that you take the afternoon and enjoy a summer ride as you “cruze the loop” in downtown River Falls. The Cruze-In is hoped to draw some of the many fans who go from such car show to such car show and exhibit or spectate all through the summer — and some might even be from Lost Highway country — as well as some new lovers of classic cars. They can then also go from event to event and take in the duration of the fest.
River Falls Days is a free, family-friendly event that has a carnival-like atmosphere (a few roadies included) with tons of food and entertainment. Festivities include a 6:30 p.m. Friday parade from Main to Second streets with floats having the river-based theme in mind, Saturday morning 10-K and two-mile races and Kid’s Fun Run, live music acts and outdoor dancing, food vendors and Miller Beer Garden, Sunday fireworks at dusk at Hoffman Park, carnival rides and more. The tradition is seen as a great event to celebrate the city of River Falls.
For more information on the various activities, visit this website: http://www.rfchamber.com.

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