“Jambo” is only part of the popular jams coming to the area in recent days:
— If you have to be known for performing a precise musical genre, what better than to be a purveyor of “trop rock” tunes, as will be shown in Hudson on Sunday. That is the main claim to fame of Hudson’s own “Jambo” Joe Bones, who makes it real by using terms on his web site such as using “a blender full of Jimmy Buffett” in his song mix, and being “just a wee parakeet” when he was exposed to music by his parents.
He lists 22 wideranging artists, to name just a few, as getting him going in those early years, but when discovering Buffett he was hooked, and said “take me to the boat” and decided to emulate Buffett’s laid-back style. That includes, Jambo said, “a touch of fun, irony and humor” that includes, but goes way beyond, his hit Margaritaville.
Jambo will have a CD release party at Dick’s Bar and Grill on Sunday, June 9, at 2 p.m. Jambo was just voted the No. 2 “favorite new trop rock artist,” and No. 3 “trop rock song of the year,” by the listeners of Beachfront Radio. The new CD is titled “Buccaneers, Ballads & Bellyflops,” and a previous recording was “Bar on a Beach.” Jambo also plays country and originals as part of his mix.
Jambo said he and the band members just like to let people have fun and get away from the cares of the day. He added that not everything when it comes to music has to be deadly serious.
He also teams up with Amy M for the ongoing Miniskirts and Mustaches tour. They can often be seen, among other places, at Mike’s Em Pour E Yum in the town of Hudson.
— I ran into longtime drummer Kerry Boesel and a friend and former bandmate, Rachel Lueneberg, at Hefty’s Roadhouse in Bayport just the other day, and it was clear that Kerry is getting back into the music thing in a big way. He’s teaming with River Falls bandleader Tommy Bentz, of Beatles tribute fame, in a new group called the Thirty Eights. They are playing the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt on Saturday night, June 8. I remember Kerry from his earlier days with another band of locals, Red Over Lunar, back more than a decade ago when there were a host of Hudson musicians starting to do prominent things, and Lunar led the way. The members of Lunar were all-out rockers, sporting a wall of sound, and this shows Kerry’s versatility, not to mention that of Tommy Bentz and his other instrumentalists.
— Terri Traen of KQRS had a guest appearance at Hefty’s a week or so ago, and she attracts a crowd whenever she conducts such an event locally, and I’m sure they will continue to be held. I first met Terri at the grand opening of Jimmy John’s sandwiches in Hudson more than a decade ago, and she had no problem at all mugging for the camera (sometimes posing with babies). She did at that time lay out an important ground rule, which made me chuckle — don’t take any shots that show my feet!
The recent event, in which all yard chairs were full, was a precursor to the opening of Hefty’s newly-created patio for the summer, and their presence of yard games such as beanbag toss was prominent in the radio promos. A pair of interns at the radio-show give-away table and a sound woman got everything set ahead of time, in preparation for Terri’s arrival. A stalled microphone gave Terri the chance to mingle more closely while giving announcements and make the experience all the more intimate.
— The Hudson Homebrew Club, which also explores the possibilities of making mead, cider, wine and craft brews, will meet Thursday, June 13, at the Hudson Brewing Co., 1510 Swasey St. at 6:30 p.m. People are asked to come and discuss “fermented libations” and their equipment, technology, personal experiences, both good and bad, and crafty creations.” The brewing company is the home of Hudson’s own American Sky beer, “let freedom pour,” and its own creation, which is just the right consistency, not too mellow or too stark.