Some play only once in a blue moon, others on a key party weekend of the year:
— Blue Moon Drive will perform their traditional bluegrass and bluegrass gospel music with an edge at the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt on Saturday night, Dec. 3. Their music is based on influences of Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, The Stanley Brothers, J.D. Crowe & The New South, The Bluegrass Album Band, Tony Rice, Lonesome River Band, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, “and too many more to mention.” Band members are musically diverse, in both lyrical and instrumental skills. They are Alan Tompkins on banjo and vocals, Jay Altizer on guitar and vocals, Nate Lee on fiddle, David Seay on guitar and vocals, Greg Lutes on mandolin and vocals, and Michael Glanton on bass.
— Just days prior to the show, a server and patron reflected on their favorite bands that play at The Willow. Of that list, rockers Rizer are near the top, possibly because they’ve been around so long and have built up a following beyond the aformentioned bartender. They play Dec. 30, and the next night is what was described as the ultimate New Year’s Eve band, the locally loved Buck Tucker. Then Rural Route 5 — he initially called it 6 — also drew attention, probably because of last Friday’s show and of course its sultry lead singer. Another act that fits that bill and has been around lately, characterized as a pleasant surprise, is Still Runnin’. (See them next Saturday). A group that hasn’t played at The Willow for months, which could mean you’ll probably see them make another appearance soon, is a popular country band that still sticks in the mind of a regular patron who overheard the conversation. He said that the one he dubbed as simply Dirt Road is simply spectacular.
— And, don’t forget a venue that has held karaoke for far long enough to attract consistent quality entertainment, some of them real regulars behind the mic, that being the Bungalow Inn in Lakeland, where the crooners start at 9 p.m. each Friday.
— New to the Smilin’ Moose THIS Friday night, Dec. 2, is the rockin’ power trio Kick. They definitely look the hair-band part, from the big and wavy locks to their signature online photo of a lead guitarist taking a scissors-legged leap while jamming between the other two musicians.
— And as the NFL football season really kicks in gear closer to the playoffs, those diehards at Buffalo Wild Wings can take advantage with the special Lagunita offering called, fittingly, Fandom beer, which is described as a citrus-infused-hoppy-pale-wheat-ale.