A tale of three city bars and their newly live music, as they strive to adapt and make their way through a post-virus concert scenario — and you never know what may make it different in coming days and weeks, as masks are required, and people likely will flood over from Minneapolis and its closures even more

So, what’s the lay of the land with reverting to the Hudson-area bar scene’s music making, back to somewhat normal, as much as that gets these days and that may soon again be redacted, after the virus hits close to the half-year mark of wreaking as much havoc in the area as Slave Raider was once known for?
The effect can be seen in a triangle of local music venues in the closest-by downtown, adapting and making due, even as the taverns have been cited in Minnesota as a key problem with social distancing and thus spread of the virus. Sounds like a metal concept album, or at least a zombie-zonked sci-fi flick. Suddenly the cheeky classic recording of Wisconsin Death Trip isn’t funny anymore.
— Jennifer, a friend of HudsonWiNightlife even in pre-virus days, had late on-line school and an early morning and had to bow out of seeing an essentially unscheduled part-of-duo performance by Garret, he of gargantuan gig girth, lingering long on the local landscape, but even though that means being on the show prowl for several years with his unique style of careening mostly just under control, apparently its not quite enough to get the number of shows he’d like. As being introduced from the stage, “hey Garret, you been playin’ much these days? …” The jist of the look on the face of the slam-acoustic-guitarist-vocalist who has ranged around the region, and the pause by the man who asked, seemed to underscore the sad truth if you’re many a musician — not enough shows to make most weekends busy, as you would need to not only quit your day job, but not even cut back to par-time. But Garret is not alone in that regular worry for such players; at least his gigs if not in Hudson generally take him south, where there is generally more bounty.
— One block up, to the north, at the Smilin’ Moose venue where a server had said in early July that the shows were starting up again, the marquee belied the point to a degree, as there was nary a mention of the big Friday night extravaganzas that were put on hold many months ago, and when combined with the way the seasons fall, have as a staple the time frame that matches a three-season porch . (It did mention that on Saturday and Sunday there were now the smaller patio shows, typical of summer, but the names of players were not listed). Some venues have said they may not know until simply hours beforehand just who will be on the stage — for certain. That status may be more typical of full bands, rather than soloists and duos). And even those top acts from the region that the Moose gets, usually are listed on the marquee, but not updated right away when the month turns.
— Across the street, its a much different take on things. At Urban Olive and Vine, where the main publicity is on their placard put up on the street on applicable days and into a bit of the evening, and on their own social media, but hardly anywhere else — in what’s not been that usual — including this site as an actual ad, the three-foot sign lists a whole host of different performers of the Smilin’ style. For the next several weeks, they unknown to the venue in most cases, and even largely to the immediate area, are strutting their stuff in a corner section carved out in front of the left side of the front window, and reserved for players.
And that triangle of venues listed may be the bulk of what’s available for service partway into the decade — thusly Back To The Future? — because of the Minneapolis mayor’s edict that bar ordering no longer be given at the counter, which means I’m not immediately sure just what you can or can’t do. But Wisconsin goes again in a savior role, at least through the weekend when the new closure arrived. But now, as the Badger State did its norm and its love for providing beer to all comers and saving Minneapolis, as it followed the Gopher State as far as what will play out. Masks soon were required to be onboard everywhere, first in one state then the other.
So in a few days, when the music is more fully grounded and things continue to unfold and options open up, I will be the music man at your service to be a primer for the best of the bands