Hudson Wisconsin Nightlife

April, 2017Archive for

A new kid on the block (musically), has been around the block quickly in a few short years

Friday, April 7th, 2017

He’s new to the musical scene locally, but well known in Nashville:
– The singer and guitarist who plays the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt this Friday evening, April 7, shows that youth is indeed served, along with some seasoning.
In 2015, Levi Pelzer traveled to Nashville to work with some of the top producers, engineers, studio musicians and songwriters that Music City has to offer. On his 21st birthday, he released his debut single, “I Can Love You with my Eyes Closed,” to iTunes. After returning from Nashville, Levi began searching for musicians to play live in support of his upcoming album. The current lineup consists of both veteran musicians and rookies to the music scene.
Levi and his band played their debut show in June, 2015 to a sold-out crowd. Less than a year later the band is capturing the attention of fans and venues across the country. In January, 2016, Levi released his self-titled album to iTunes and digital download. That very month the band started their first regional tour, with shows in Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota and Tennessee.
The longtime country rock band Lady Luck is on Saturday evening.
– Consider this the caper of the Halloween hopper. You can now get a special-prized New Glarus beer(s) in a hopper at the Village Inn in North Hudson, but I think the ad sign got the time of year wrong, saying it was a Halloween special. Or maybe what was meant, being that it’s now April, is a half-Halloween special, you know, like those half-birthday offerings from bar and grill e-clubs. Could be a bonanza if your B-day is celebrated on Oct. 31.

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There’s again something to be learned and heard, from both old school and newer musical courses, at several-band RF bluegrass festival

Thursday, April 6th, 2017

The 2017 version of the bluegrass and roots music festival in River Falls is continuing its tradition of pushing ‘grass tunes to their limit, while keeping in tune with their origins.
This weekend, there will be several such bands who are prominent, and some that are more known regionally to enable the listener to explore the musical substance in and around customary bluegrass, while not straying too far from that course. The action begins early Friday evening, with a tasting event that remains true to what’s made bluegrass what it is today.
Getting even moreso into the verve this year, is the West Wind, on the north end of town and by a matter of miles the first festival venue you’ll encounter if coming from the interstate. The supper club and bar is on the right side of the main drag and features a comfortable, relaxed and friendly setting. This weekend, in two shows, it will feature traditional and not-so-traditional bluegrass.
West Wind has the Fishheads from 3-6 p.m. on Saturday and Blue Groove from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday. Blue Groove is relatively new to the scene and is the only band in the festival that you can choose to take in on Sunday.
With a mix of island music, vintage rock, funk, folk, blues, Texas swing and reggae — in addition to bluegrass — all wrapped up in a crazy spontaneous atmosphere and 22 years of experience, the Fishheads have played all around the region and shared the stage with top acts like .38 Special, The Legendary Wailers and even traveled halfway around the world to play for troops in the Persian Gulf.
You will find old rock standards from the Bee Gees, Aerosmith, Steve Miller, AC/DC and Johnny Cash, as well as pop unusuals like Elle King and Jessie J. The Fishheads hail from Duluth and are fronted by a married couple, bringing to the stage instruments as varied as their sound — dombro, pedal steel guitar, banjo and mandolin.
Add upright bass and fiddle and you have Blue Groove, a multiple award-winning bluegrass band that leans more toward a contemporary vibe (Alison Krauss and Rhonda Vincent), while maintaining ties to traditional bluegrass (Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs), with improvisation and harmony singing, and even some originals.
Is it already four years? That’s how long Juniors Bar and Restaurant has hosted the Friday evening, signature beer and wine tasting event at the bluegrass festival. It runs 5-8 p.m. and tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. You also can again enjoy bluegrass music by the Good Intentions, led by the local-and-longtime veritable musician Chris Silver. The premier sponsor is Fulton Brewing, and also having host brews are Barley Johns, Rush River, Summit, Surly, Swinging Bridge, Pitchfork, Oliphant, State Fair and Madison Avenue. Offering beverages as well, are 65 Vines, Crispin Hard Cider, Belle Vinez, Maiden Rock and Chateau St. Croix.
Juniors also will host the Kind Country band, which using its own lingo is jamgrass playing cosmic American music, with a little Allman Brothers and Bob Marley thrown in, and featuring a lineup of between six and eight players. They perform from 8-11 p.m. Saturday. Next-day at Juniors, in addition, is the annual singer and songwriter competition from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, and the festival-themed band contest from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Saturday.
Pushing Chain, a folky-tonk duo, features Boyd Blomberg on guitar and Adam Moe on fiddle, and both on vocals, and they will be at Riverwalk Square from noon-3 p.m. Saturday. Their act has an impressive list of bands with which the stage has been shared, including John Hiatt, other prime fests for which they have been even more prominently featured, and also additional ones where their play has won them awards, such as at the Minnesota State Fair and exactly three years ago at the band contest right here in River Falls. Its Americana-roots sound has been brought forward by Boyd, the former frontman and songwriter for the national touring band, the Gooneybirds. Pushing Chain is signed with Kingswood Records. The people at Riverwalk Square were very happy with Pushing Chain last year, and were buoyed by the fact they could be so popular away from the bar setting. Available at their show is a deli counter with sandwiches, salads and the like, and wine from Belle Vinez.
Family Fresh has an open jam with Ari, a Minneapolis-based musician who has been popular on the college scene in large part because of his instrumental, so he should fit well if you’re a student at UW-RF — or are a bit beyond that age. Ari is on, with guest singers and players, on Saturday from 1-3 p.m.
Other notable gigs at this year’s fest include: Olive Sings from 6-9 p.m. at Johnnie’s Bar, Sawdust Symphony from 10 p.m.-1 a.m. at Maverick’s Corner Saloon, La Terza Classe from 10 p.m.-2 a.m. at Shooter’s Pub, all on Friday night; Lou Shields from 1-3 p.m. and sponsored by Swinging Bridge Brewing Company, the Gentlemen’s Anti-Temperence League from 2-5 p.m. at Bo’s ‘N Mine, Scrapegoat Skin and Bones from 4-7 p.m. at Lazy River, Bernie King and the Guilty Pleasures from 5-8 p.m. at Johnnies, Roe Family Singers from 6-9 p.m. at Bo’s ‘N Mine, New Riverside Ramblers from 10 p.m.-1 a.m. at Maverick’s, and Black River Revue from 10 p.m.-2 a.m., all Saturday.

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Whether it be the First Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, like the one this week, or other concerts, put the Figs first on your list — just ask Studs Turkel

Monday, April 3rd, 2017

Jim Field started the Mouldy Fig Jazz Band in 1959 when he was a junior at Main Township High School in Parkridge, IL, and they also go beyond that genre. These days, The Bungalow Inn in Lakeland is often the first venue named as a favorite by the award winning group, and is a staple there on many Tuesday evenings. They will be there again this Tuesday, April 4.

A “mouldy fig” is a person who studies and plays old New Orleans style jazz. This term came out of the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra.
Jim and friends had put together a band to play for a Young Life meeting. Then, noted author Studs Turkel entered the practice room and said, “You are a bunch of Mouldy Figs,” Jim recalls about this name that just keeps popping up. Since then they have been a family favorite band in the Twin Cities, playing steady gigs, usually on Sunday afternoons in the area. Rounding out their mix are now a group of venues — including back at the Bungalow for the First Tuesday, Fat Tuesday celebration of each month from 5-8 p.m.
For the last five years, the Figs have played at the Vikings and Twins games and in June of 2007 performed as guest artists with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Figs have played in more than 30 grade schools with “The History of River Boat Music” educational show created by the St. Paul Rotary Club for the Grand Excursion in 2003. The Figs want to continue to add happy thoughts through this wonderful form of “Old Jazz.”
Jim’s exposure to Chicago style jazz in the late ’50s connected him with Mike McKendrick, a banjo player with Louie Armstrong. Mike taught Jim how to play the washboard. Jim still plays that same washboard that he bought for $1.50 in 1959.
Jim relocated to the Twin Cities in 1970 as the director of the YMCA Street Work Program, and continued his musical hobby. He originally formed the Minnesota Mouldy Figs to perform at Fiorito’s on 6th and Sibley in St. Paul in 1973. The Figs played there and the Lower Levy Lounge for eight years, and have performed of course at the Bungalow for another eight years and currently play at the Mainstreet Bar & Grill in Hopkins and Shamrocks in St. Paul.
The band has three professional recordings, including, of course, “Figs Live at the Bungalow.”
“We’re easy! We have played on stages, buses, trains, boats, truck beds, ice rinks and swimming pools,” their bio says. “If you want us – we’ll play! Look at our photos, add a few musicians and a singer or take a few musicians away to match your occasion or budget needs.”

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The sign is now vertical, but hope it’s not a leap to wish it continuing to showcase the NFL football battle

Saturday, April 1st, 2017

Is this a sign of the times? Looking for a suspicious person after hours? Go figure:
– One of several local venues that post humorous messages on their signs, Casanova Historic Liquors, recently updated their posturing and has the sign running up and down next to their building, rather than the main body of it running left and right. They noted the new approach, fittingly, on their sign. I hope that this doesn’t mean that the nearby inflatable Packer and Viking plastic figures, where depending on winning or losing would have one on top of the other with the opponent laying flat on the ground, doesn’t change, as the vertical vs. horizontal theme takes hold. The Border Battle should continue on.
– The other night I went for a late night walk in North Hudson and was questioned by a local deputy. Seems that at a nearby residence, a rock had been thrown through a window and they were investigating. Was I a local resident, had I seen anything suspicious and what was my name? With those questions answered, I was told that if I happened to see anyone who looked “shady” while I was out for my walk, I should give them a ring. Hmm, shady, and that inspired a thought about where I might encounter such as person and then report back to the authorities. Well at a bar, of course. So, I reasoned, it was my civic duty to hit as many of the North Hudson night spots as I could to help out law enforcement. A tough job, but somebody’s got to do it.
While I was out on that jaunt, I encountered a couple of people who had just gotten back from spring break, and were debating the merits of visiting the north side of The Seven Seas where they could vacation, or the south end. The north, it was agreed, was a bit cooler, but hey, anything’s better then some of the temps we’ve had around here lately.
– Another spring break related tidbit just surfaced in North Hudson. A bartender was weighing in on going to Vegas, and much to my surprise didn’t really care for it. He cited the fact that there can be a gated community just a block or so away from a rundown trailer park, that there are concrete (or hopefully stone) walls everywhere, and that there are a lot of building lots available and not being purchased for development.
– Also, at the Village Inn, there has been what I can best describe as a donation of, a collection of old and vintage radio recordings (on vinyl of course). They included descriptions of historic world events from about a century ago, and the one that got the biggest buildup by the bartender was the explosion of the Hinderburg.

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