— The band Lady Luck is on for the Willow River Inn in Burkhardt on Saturday, Jan. 12, and you can consider yourself lucky if you catch their guitarist’s inspired fills and their beautiful and talented lead singer, who has been known to appear on stage dressed in a shawl like that worn by Stevie Nicks. In fact, visual and musical imagery of Fleetwood Mac and even Motorhead abound, with the stage often graced by an Ace of Spades symbol.  This reviewer thought the original treatment given to the classic Heaven and Hell by Dio’s Black Sabbath, in particular during the guitar solo, was particularly striking.

— A bountiful fundraiser, Taste of Hudson, to benefit the local girls and boys traveling to a PeeWee international hockey tournament will be at the Hudson House Inn this Friday, Jan. 11. Knotty Vines pairs with nine other local establishments to offer an evening of all you can consume delicious foods, wines and beers. Additional beverages will be available at the cash bar provided by Hudson House, and there will be a silent auction and raffle from our community businesses. Food and beverage will come from Mama Maria’s, Green Mill, Winzer Stube, Shanghai Bistro, Willow River Inn, Carbone’s, RJ’s Meats, Knoke’s and Buffalo Wild Wings. A live auction is at 8 p.m. Cash, checks and credit cards will be accepted for raffle and auction items. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the door, which opens at 5:30 p.m. Participants of proper age will be given a glass of wine at the door. Sponsors note this would be an ideal girls’ night, date night, or evening to meet new people. Hudson has a long history of involvement with, and even hosting, these international tournaments, which are large in scale and require a lot of planning. They offer many benefits, which include seeing differing styles of play from around the world, forming lasting friendships, and experiencing with those new friends the community amenities from either at home or abroad, depending on the location of the tourney.
— Members of the instrumentally gifted Ashwood family — from parents to adult children — are hard back at it with a band called Quasimofo, “an all original, energetic jazz trio with a Punka-tude,” that also plays Gospel and funk, and at times really rocks out. The band, which consists of keyboards, bass and drums, is at Season’s Tavern in North Hudson at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5.
— Beverage makers of all types, but usually big national-brand beers and spirits, often have two or three of their hospitality models offer samples and a smile, but this party at Woody’s in Bayport is a bit more unusual. Regional Schell’s beer, along with Grain Belt varieties, is having their models make an appearence on Friday, Jan. 11 from 9-11 p.m. One of the beers being hawked is Snowstorm, a French Christmas ale with hints of white pepper and citrus. The event also is billed as offering “tattoos” and prizes.
— It’s a bit of a departure from their usual venue of choice, but the local members of hard-to-pigeonhole New Skinny think that playing the Willow River Inn, which is known for country performances, is a good fit and drummer Brando for one is looking forward to it. The gig is set for Friday, Jan. 11.