An off-shoot of a venerable and longtime local music group means that if you’re thirsty for some Thirsty Camel, you have more options to see its mainstays playing in the St. Croix Valley than just in North Hudson. This is part of this weekend’s slate of veteran area musicians, who even play a lot of originals:
– Tom Wavra of that band will play Mallard’s in Bayport on Saturday evening, June 18. He started playing guitar at age 13 in his hometown of Grand Forks, North Dakota, far from North Hudson. As a vocalist his first solo performance came at six. By the mid-1980s, Tom was performing around the region in several bands, singing everything from Johnny Cash and Elvis to Led Zeppelin and Judas Priest.
In 1991, he moved to Minneapolis and knew he had to get back to what he loved — and that was music, as part of a progression that helped him develop North Hudson ties. In 1992, he joined an area band called Myth. The band changed the name to Thirsty Camel and been together with the same four members — which include Brad who is the owner of Seasons Tavern in North Hudson and is the site of many Thirsty Camel shows — for over 20 years.
Besides having a CD of originals, the band played classic rock from the ’70s and ’80s. Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Rush and AC/DC are just some of the bands covered. Clubs they played over the years include The Fineline Music Cafe, O’Gara’s, Dibbo’s in Hudson, Mirage, Iron Horse, Amelia’s, Pepper Corns, McGovern’s and many smaller clubs around the metro region. They also played at Grand Old Days in St. Paul and other community events. Thirsty Camel continues to perform throughout the Twin Cities, as well as North Hudson.
Tom is performing solo acoustic shows virtually every weekend and has for the last five years. Starting with his ’60s and ’70s rock roots, Tom has added a wide range of crowd favorites like Bob Seger, Neil Diamond, Doobie Brothers, Tom Petty and more. With nearly 400 songs he covers something for nearly everyone. It takes a big vocal range to go from Johnny Cash to Led Zeppelin, and other many musical surprises, he says.
– In an another facet that helps constitute the rare opportunity of being able to see bands on back-to-back nights that are relatively new to the Hudson area, Jose James plays Mallards on Friday evening, June 17, having won a best Minnesota Music Award for brass and reed instrument back in 1994. He performs R&B, electronic music, contemporary jazz and neo-soul.
– In their next foray into the new offering at Season’s Tavern in North Hudson, (that being live music every other Thursday evening, at least throughout the summer, in this case June 23), Sarah and Eric Van Valkenburg who form the duo Practical Goods will take the stage. Being a married couple, they both even take their guitars with them on work (she’s a first-grade teacher and he’s a pilot). What also makes them a bit different is that — depending on the needs of the venue and how well the crowd knows them and clamors for what they play — the band performs plenty of their original songs as part of their Americana and other styles. Sarah says their music mix goes back to the ’60s and tends to incorporate many genres and decades. And at Season’s, the fit is there to allow them wide rein to play their original music, she says. “It’s about having something to say, or a story to tell.”
– And you thought you didn’t know Jack. “The perfect wingman,” reads a sign hawking liquor at the Village Inn in North Hudson, is none other than Apple Jack Cider. Might that wingman be the apple of your eye? OK, that’s going too far.