This may be chiefly a church concert, part of an ongoing series that recently started, held mostly every Friday which is more than some nightclubs do, but people there really rock and are not stuck in the mud. They are led by a jazz group that are also often club performing parishioner musicians in their own right and own way at, yes, a quite conservative church who still rip through it raucously resembling rock stars. There is an Elvis show, not the only act that will be covered over time, that is there somewhat later in the evening, as you would expect from bar nightowls, held at the First Baptist Church on Friday, March 6, featuring the long-running and popular show of Joe Sir and the Rockabilly Rebels, and its cool that a church — hey, they too have have limited funds, like everyone these days, including financially struggling rock musicians — can book a band of this caliber. (Much like the every other Thursday community dinner at Bethel Lutheran Church, which also draws types from all over town, and is funded by contributions from almost all of the area churches, and they share the wealth and also the financial pain). That last style is something we don’t hit that often, although we try and every once in a while at HudsonWiNightlife succeed in that form of tuneage (is that a word?) if our musical information sources in low, or in this case somewhat low, come through (like groupies?)
But still, this can hit the church end of things well, in kinda a Nashville tone, as Elvis was known for catering to the Gospel motif, although they can rock out, as heavy metal bands often lyrically do and their fans can be spiritual if not sometimes churchy, to hit a broader clientele than the church people. That’s much like the attending Ashwood family that consist of three largely fusion based jazz musicians who prize their popular pace that can be over the top. This is not always just your traditionally-based cool jazz. The son who is their main leader and promotionalist, Chris, told me about this while sporting a T-shirt pumping a somewhat obscure festival featuring, as is typical, some oddly creative named groups.
As its getting quite late, even if you can’t hit the show tonight, you can — to make another religious reference, in God’s time — come back to this in one of the few downtown churches offered on basically recurring gigs most every week, as this is called A Slice Of Friday, great for Lent. Hey, sorry, it starts at 7 p.m., but even as a musician type and fan who can dally with time, I thought you would like to know as in any case because this musical mission that goes in very frequently. For that name and other reasons, as there are snacks and more afterwards, so you still can have a late-night window to get there and take in the experience — like the Jimi Hendrix Experience that can be jazzy motivated? — before you move on to other nightspots, which as always are chronicled by HudsonWiNightlife for your reference. Because like aging rock bands, and the elder Ashwood — and their endeavors have long been printed, and I know this is not paper but social media, on these pages — is getting up there, endless opportunities to see them exist because of the recurring retirement tours. And it will vary from the Second Coming of Elvis, although he will also be in concert here frequently. This make this your regular Friday night gig, and we will announce the other groups playing, along with the Friday fish fry. For much more information, and this by contrast is a very short email address, unlike a long sermon, visit fbhudson.org (wait, even though a longtime print journalist, and I referenced this above, did I get more into the social media end of things?). This is billed as a free concert for the whole community. That’s you. So as a popular even secular song says, Take Me To Church. Especially around 7 p.m., when the music starts.
– Also at First Baptist on the weekly basis, this time Wednesday nights is a community dinner that is billed as a great way to socialize with other often like-minded folk and, as the title suggests have the community come together in a quite special way regularly. But indeed it started back in the day when the economy first went bad, and some of those people and others that in many cases were struggling heard of this great social and song scene, as yes there is always a piano player plinking out light tunes during many of such offerings — and no offering donation is ever asked — for not only the regular music gigs each two days later, but of this fantastic way to eat for no cost with very good but not fancy food, and really stretch the budget. Not as long-running as the first and third Thursday of each month at Bethel Lutheran a few bl0cks away, but each serving a much needed purpose in a slightly different way with slightly different food, the content of which is changed up on occasion to never get dull, especially at Bethel where the entree that always has at least some meat even during Lent is altered every time and not often repeated. But more to the point, one meat entree that you can always count on at First Baptist is loads of fried chicken, filling at least two oversize aluminum pans with even more brought out and bagged by the diligent church ladies who also stuff more into big plastic Baggies to take home. Hey this choice is befitting a (Southern) Baptist group, and is donated by I’m sure KFC, who adds to that southern flair with not only their well known still-some-what-secret original recipe and also of course newer extra crispy that is maybe even more appropo. Lesser known around here than down south is the Popeye’s franchise that recently opened a branch on a newer part of the hill’s most bustling area and is situated north of Crest View Drive. The point I’m getting around to is one Wednesday a small group of eaters hit on these points and more in what started as casual conversation and turned into thorough review of those two chicken shacks. They agreed that Popeye’s is a cool alternative, but also is somewhat more spicy, moreso than one of the older gents tastes can take, than hit into a bit more of the KFC breading to wash that recollection away. Yes, Popeye’s is that famed down there Louisiana style, possibly a bit Cajun infused, so I thought I’d go check it out for myself, and interestingly many if not most of the patrons were black women, and lets face it there are not scores of them who live in Hudson, so this is a popular style with this loyal but not large clientele who I’d guess know from much experience this kind of poultry is far from fowl. This was at the end of the Monday noon hour, a bit past one and there were still a lot of people munching the stuff in their cars before going back to work. Yes an extended noon hour, but most of them were taking their time because this also apparently Finger Lickin’ Good. In other nearby eateries it was much the same, with even more people using up the bulk of their noon hour in their cars, largely economy versions from people who I know, know how to use a frugal deal well, and some trucks. Lastly here, there is back at First Baptist the first time around each month, there also is an even greater supply of all varieties of pizza, including but certainly not limited to pepperoni, from EJ’s, who also provide their brand at the above mentioned First Friday concerts. And you know what, it is can include, of course, BBQed chicken. Things get going at each community dinner around 5:30, and at Bethel a bit earlier.
– Today is the day when they will take it all back to you, and your sports sense, as Kozy Korner in North Hudson is your Oasis. That being Sunday, when their will be a bus to the college women’s hockey playoff game in the Twin Cities for the Badger team that fights like that state animal, and is always prominent with such contests and in the title hunt, and that non-commuting transport to the Cities as this is a weekend leaves at 1 p.m. (Also by bus, this time arriving and not leaving, is the Badger marching band that will play at Kozy on Saturday morning, as was detailed at length on a post in this web site’s Friday edition, so you can check it out and see what you are missing if you don’t skate on over the Kozy right away, as being work ethic Wisconsin farm boys, like so many Packer linemen in the past, they always give a full-length concert, and will do more than the occasionally typical one or two encores — if you buy the ones over 21 a beer, especially that killer cute and quite curvy clarinetist, if that is a word, and Spellcheck did recognize it. And there is the chance that traffic will back up on Interstate 94 and they will arrive late and that kicks in another chance get their before kickoff — wrong sport? — to both see the band and listen, and even have another beer, even though they say you shouldn’t. And yes, even after the band, there’s a version of the after-bar party promise, a great free drink if you arrive before kickoff, or the first faceoff, of all the other game(s) on Saturday and Sunday beyond, many of them playoff caliber, that can even reasonably considered local or regional, and even say the Vikings and non-Badger-state squads). And the bus may even travel as far as Fargo to take on the hated, I assume, North Dakota-based college teams and their tiny prairie dogs, not big Badgers, who always seem to be a quite bogus blip in the way of the UW and their championship quest that who knows, might even have a few local players featured. Also upping the ante across the street, the these two sports bars piggy back on each other, easily flipping across the two-lane main drag and its only moderate traffic, at the Village is the killer deal and party that takes people by bus to at least one Packer game a season, and they can pig out on some prized pizza prior to leaving. And a perk especially for the local people helping populate the state, is that you can even drink on the bus on the way to Green Bay — as this is not the big Greyhound or Megabus franchises with in some cases ownership in Europe, where you think they would get it, you in the U.S. you can’t have a beer on board, as they ban that even in Wisconsin! Anyway, get there or make your reservations early, as the tickets or seating can go fast. And since it appears the spring weather has arrived, but not enough to melt the ice rink, and you don’t want to be inside, don’t drop your smile or your puck or breezers, as the Badger band will always be back at Kozy again soon, possibly both later in this season or certainly the next, as this as they say is big! View this web site for updates on when and on who the Badgers are going to beat badly — and take heart, that free drink offer ALWAYS stands.
– They say that, to add the possibly bluesy band to the mix, rockers called quite incredible Blue Dream are finally back at Ziggy’s after a time. For a time reference, its the Hudson version of Ziggy’s and not the Stillwater place that is part of the same chain — OK, they”re not that big of a corporation — and has existed in the enemy state for somewhat longer. although the cool Hudson place is now open on more days a week, seven to count. And the time, to use that word again, is now, Friday night. That seems to be a music lover’s dream and cure their blues.