Three bands plus one, and they are largely new, mark the scene this weekend, and there are DJs you don’t always see as well:
— A longtime Hudson fixture on the nighttime scene is suffering from liver cancer, and there is an over-the-top benefit for him that is drawing attention everywhere, that will be held at Dick’s Bar and Grill for most of the day Saturday, Feb. 29, featuring two rock on the light side bands that are new on the scene — so there is a listening opportunity here — and a nighttime DJ until close. Jay Langer is a tattoo artist who goes back more than two decades locally, long before tattooing really became big, and the signs about his benefit are up everywhere at local night spots. (He also occasionally sits in and plays a mean guitar in some of those places, and has been with a rock band). The band that will play on his behalf at Dick’s are the Dirty Press (who that sometimes be me?), and The Other Baldwins (gotta love that name and it evokes from a music sense the days of the actor’s friend Bill Clinton and his sexy sax playing, ask Monica Lewinski). Then there also is a meat raffle in the afternoon when the bands start and other draws.
A lengthy aside: Jay celebrated a similarly big event awhile back with his tattoo shop, located a block down the main drag and prior to that a couple of blocks further down, in the building where the Madison Avenue brew and wine now sits. The reason for that big party at Dick’s was 20 years in business, and he was a standard bearer for tattooing, in part because of very creative designs of his own where I loved the often spiritual nature, back then when there were few other such places outside of downtown Minneapolis in the region. I broke that new business story, a full page with as you might guess cool spread in the old Hudson Star-Observer — now so part of the bigger Rivertowns, Red Wing and Forum corporate conglomerate as to be locally unrecognizable as far as weekly newspapers go. Some of the stayed longtime locals raised a few eyebrows. I was offered a free tattoo as a –try it out myself — part of the story, and a prominent party friend from all across the Cities said, Oh What Did You Get? My wife put an end to that fast. Anyway, I offered to do with Jay, who has more than made up for my lack of tattoos, a 20-year-triumph article on how does one stay in this business so long. and how do you evolve to stay so very valid in the next 20 years. It never happened because of busy schedules, but here’s to say bury the hatchet as far as a bit of the publishing bath I took, and lets hope there is another anniversary. So, be one of the more than 300 pe0ple at the party, an RSVP tally taken that was in place all the way back midweek and has been sure to grow.
— In this era of DJs everywhere who are mostly hip-hop, there is an old school answer, that being Chopper DJ, who you can guess from the biker style name is a rocker more into stuff like classic rock and country rock. He is back after a hiatus at the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt on Saturday night.
— There are trio of big triumphs to be celebrated by the Tommy Bentz Band, with its bluesy rock, at Johnnie’s in River Falls on Friday night. The local band coming off its showing on a stage of an international blues festival, is performing its ninth annual tribute to the Beatles George Harrison on his birthday and is also marking the release of its new CD at the same night. On a flyer around RF is a lighthearted depiction of Harrison on the left side and Bentz on the right, side by side, suggesting a resemblance in appearance, and they do look a bit alike, especially the long hair (Harrison’s is farther down the shoulder). The local band’s music is largely drawn from the Beatles, although Bentz says their style is just as much like that of Van Morrison.
— Another local favorite is back an Urban Olive and Vine, that being their mulled red wine concoction — we use that term in a good way — simmered with five different ingredients that start with oranges and get even more diverse from there. Perfect for something different to warm your palate until the weather truly gets warm.
— Buffalo Wild Wings has an opportunity that is so good it comes around once in a blue moon. That is the chance to again have your beer and eat it, too, as they say. That is wings with sauce tinged with Blue Moon Beer, in this case their light version flavored with citrus and wheat, which is what they say feeds the world, and hey Buffalo Wild Wings is everywhere. And the wings are listed as the BBQ version, which is one more thing to heat your cockles. And, BWW is now adding brisket to their menu, just in time for St Patrick’s Day, and will be leaning more toward craft cocktails, although they obviously will keep beer as a stalwart. And the server that told me this, let it be known, says on the QT that she actually likes the Green Mill version of traditional boneless wings, served across the street, more than the variety at her home store. Ouch …