What happens when you combine a “monastic” journey with a drum championship, twice, to take in a band that tops off your turkey weekend?
That makes for a musical resume, to top that festive title held by grandma on Thursday … So whether you call it, by name, Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving or the night before, Drunksgiving …
The MoJo Monks make a return to the Pierce-St. Croix County area, and they unlike so many bands based out of the Twin Cities, actually got a lot of their musical training here.
See these longtime musicians, since they were little kids, as young as four and five, live right here in their old stomping grounds, at the GasLite in Ellsworth, this weekend. Their experience spans many decades, and for some of them started with the Stagedoor Players in New Richmond before moving on and broader as rockers, and also a Northwestern College music degree. There was a stint, as well, with the Minnesota Vikings drumline, with also a varied and hip-hop background, that even included, as mentioned above, two-time snare drum solo world title(s). The lead singer has performed at Disney World and at Christmas shows at the Mall of America.
This following a band earlier in the fall, just ready for deer hunting, called Whitetail, that has, get this, a resume that describes “hopscotching from jangle pop and post-hardcore to math rock and shoegaze!” They, from Minnesota, are sure to be back soon, as they have plenty a deer there too …
These days, a holiday shot special, Wednesday night mind you, may still cost you $5, depending on where you go, and in what city in the area. (The Wild Badger, up in New Richmond, is cheaper and you still have some selection.) But go to the Smilin’ Moose in Hudson, for example, and they amp it up as you have three colors offered, and they go with the red, but not the white and blue. You can choose from cherry, Jag as we in the county are its national capital, and the Chuck Norris version if you want to boost your testosterone ahead of eating manly turkey. (Ladies can partake, too.)
On Thanksgiving itself, it’s again rare to have a whole day open, for your whole-on turkey. Again as an example, Dunn Brothers downtown is only open in the morning, while Hudson Tap is more typical, open only in the evening, so you can take the kiddies there for games if they are amped up on sugar, not weighed down by turkey enzyme.
All this even though if you missed out, Amazon was on my cell phone as early as Nov. 1 hawking and hunting you, by giving top billing and building up their Thanksgiving groceries and decor.
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