Local music acts this weekend will cue up off-the-cuff creations and Chicago blues to make your blues go away.
– If you’ve had a challenging day, the Pudge’s Bar and Grill version of a traveling minstrel will use spur-of-the-moment music to make your evening much better. Harrison Botzet will make an appearance there Friday, May 30, from 6-9 p.m., and his shtick is to go table to table and ask patrons what’s going on with their day, then on-the-spot write and perform for them an impromptu song about it. Pudge’s owner Michael Murphy said that this unique twist on performance is sure to get a rise out of people. It is certainly different than what’s provided by a typical rock band, taking playing to the crowd to a whole new level.
– The Willie B Blues Band, on tap at Pudge’s every other Saturday through June, features a frontman who moved here from the San Francisco Bay area and does it all, from his original style of playing lead guitar, to vocals, harmonica and saxophone. The quintet features Chicago Blues, swing and jazz. Willie B’s biggest influence is Texas Blues Man John Eagan, whom he met at age 19 and the next few years were spent sitting in on blues jams with Bay area legends.
Other band members, who are highly experienced and have been around the scene for decades are: Ace Barton, formerly dubbed “The Godfather of Growl” on tenor sax, who now has a Clarence Clemons-type sound that’s a perfect fit for the clean style of Willie B’s telecaster; Ernesto Stevens on drums, who has played with the likes of Etta James and Mojo Buford; John “JD” Donovan on bass, who has plied his trade in places including the MGM Grand in New York City, Caesars’ Palace in Atlantic City, and also venues in Las Vegas; and Paul Wigen on the Hammond B3 and boogie piano, who also toured with Big Walter Smith for 13 years. In their promotional pictures, the band members look a bit like old-time gangsters in their dark suits and hats. The performances are from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. on May 31, June 14 (a trio version) and June 28 (solo).
– For something different, if you’ve been having Minnesota Wild withdrawal, visit the Village Inn on many weekend evenings and say hello to a bartender who looks just like former Minnesota hockey legend and now announcer Wes Walz. He’s as fast with a drink as Walz is with the puck, and both, of course, do especially well with making shots.