Get the news skinny on the new version of The New Skinny here:
— The New Skinny is back performing together after a three-plus year hiatus, on Saturday evening, July 29 at Dick’s Bar and Grill — and already showing their signature comic touch by calling this their first annual farewell tour. They are taking a different approach this time around, being more selective of the shows they play, because of having families and careers come first. “We are only planning on a show or two a month, if that,” said Brando Clark, drummer and vocalist. There are no lineup changes made, a rarity both locally and regionally these days. Josh Lassi is on vocals and guitar, Josh Davitch on lead guitar, and Rick Smith on bass and vocals, in addition to Clark. “We are-learned all the cover songs we played as well as new covers, and we are working on original music, too,” Clark said. “Hoping to rekindle the love of music we shared for eight years as The New Skinny. Back in action and ready to rock!” And they do like their “shots” (see the similarity in the item below).
— This weekend the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt has them both and the names sound much the same, the bands Slapshot and Shotgun Wedding. The first is on Friday evening, July 28, and the second Saturday. Slapshot is, as you might guess, a blast. Its a cover band that plays rock’s greatest music from the 80s, 90s and the “very current.” Energy and participation is what they strive for, seeing to it the crowd is not just watching, but interacting. Slapshot has been entertaining crowds throughout the Twin Cities for more than nine years.
When it comes to Shotgun Wedding, they say they change up their set list, which is equal parts pop/rock and country, on a regular basis, and that enables them to include songs as hard-to-find-listed as All That Bass by Meghan Trainor.

Get the news skinny on the new version of The New Skinny here:
— The New Skinny is back performing together after a three-plus year hiatus, on Saturday evening, July 29 at Dick’s Bar and Grill — and already showing their signature comic touch by calling this their first annual farewell tour. They are taking a different approach this time around, being more selective of the shows they play, because of having families and careers come first. “We are only planning on a show or two a month, if that,” said Brando Clark, drummer and vocalist. There are no lineup changes made, a rarity both locally and regionally these days. Josh Lassi is on vocals and guitar, Josh Davitch on lead guitar, and Rick Smith on bass and vocals, in addition to Clark. “We are-learned all the cover songs we played as well as new covers, and we are working on original music, too,” Clark said. “Hoping to rekindle the love of music we shared for eight years as The New Skinny. Back in action and ready to rock!” And they do like their “shots” (see the similarity in the item below).
— This weekend the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt has them both and the names sound much the same, the bands Slapshot and Shotgun Wedding. The first is on Friday evening, July 28, and the second Saturday. Slapshot is, as you might guess, a blast. Its a cover band that plays rock’s greatest music from the 80s, 90s and the “very current.” Energy and participation is what they strive for, seeing to it the crowd is not just watching, but interacting. Slapshot has been entertaining crowds throughout the Twin Cities for more than nine years.
When it comes to Shotgun Wedding, they say they change up their set list, which is equal parts pop/rock and country, on a regular basis, and that enables them to include songs as hard-to-find-listed as All That Bass by Meghan Trainor.

With a funky name, but also solid instrumentation and vocals, the Sam Kuusisto band plays the Bungalow Inn in Lakeland on Tuesday, July 25 from 6-8 p.m.
This “crowd-pleasing powerhouse variety band” combines funk, rock, R&B and even a splash of kickin’ country, with the defining “Sam Kuusisto” groove added, band members say. With soulful vocals, unmistakeable solos and solid grooves, they always keep the audience dancing, and at the Bungalow there is plenty of space for that. Many club owners have been quoted as saying Kuusisto is the best undiscovered talent they’ve heard, that they can’t believe the big voice he has, with a national quality group backing him.
Kuusisto has appeared at many of the name venues in the metro area, including The Cabooze and Lee’s Liquor Lounge, and closer to home, Cat Ballou’s in Stillwater.
Kuusisto, on vocals and lead guitar, is the front man of the group, having played and taught professionally for more than 10 years. He also is billed as an accomplished entertainer.

This has got to be the most interesting thing that’s happened next to a corn field since Mrs. O’Leary’s cow started the famed Chicago fire — even though what’s become a Sunday western Wisconsin tradition of each summer also brings some heat to the mix.
Jeff Loven, who has a virtual lock on being this area’s top one man band, will soon play again at Meister’s Place in Boardman for the first of several such gigs through August, with a stage set up not in the spacious back room, but near the corn field out back. And he has a little help from his friends, as when the show goes on this Sunday, July 23, from 4-8 p.m.
Adding to Jeff’s renowned show, the proprietor, Dave Meister, usually makes an appearance to change it up a little bit — as if the show needed any more firepower. Dave typically is in an Elvis suit, and he brings even more flair then the usual Elvis impersonator. Dave has been known to make his entrance via an airplane (there’s no word yet if roadies help him exit the plane when it swings over the nearby farm field). In any case, he comes bolting in from the corn field to take his place on the stage and go to it.
And word has it that the next method of entry to the stage may include at some point during this summer, for the first time, a helicopter, pushing the use of aviation to new heights.
“The shows are the same as nightclub gigs except outside in the open air. We have had extremely good luck with weather. Dave calls it, ‘the Boardman Bubble,’ because rain will just go around Boardman sometimes and we’re still dry on the patio even though surrounding areas get wet,” Jeff said.
In what ways does Dave’s presence add to things? “We love Elvis! Everyone gets a kick when Elvis mysteriously appears out of the cornfield directly behind the performance area. They can see him approach the stage during my set,” Jeff said. “It’s like the movie Field Of Dreams!”
And, of course, it can get outrageous. “Elvis arrived in a small airplane right behind the stage last year when they grew soybeans instead of corn. It was something to behold,” Jeff said, making this show sound not unlike the spectacle of those old mega-concerts. “The plane buzzed the stage a couple times before landing.”
Dave does three songs on his own, plus one with Jeff. “It’s Neil Diamond,” Dave said — an act that has a loyal following as far as being covered. It’s all part of a full show of music by Jeff, and one where Dave is a star in his own right and doesn’t just need to ride on Jeff’s coattails.
A favorite Meister’s moment was when the drummer from Obsession, the speed metal band in which Jeff cut his teeth in the 80, came out for Jeff’s show. Old pal — and Jeff has a lot of them around the Midwest — Todd McNurlin showed up with his family. “He sat in a bit on cowbell,” Jeff said, referring to the part of the show when an audience member is brought on stage to emulate Will Ferrell on Saturday Night Live. No word on how skilled Todd was with this style of percussion.
And Jeff does all his other audience participation things, which include a bit of comedy, such as when he rolls out his Heavy Metal Polka, or brings someone up to be “loosy goosy” and helps them refine their tambourine-playing routine. And he regularly revs up the guitar and vocals, sometimes with a partner, for new songs on the set list, such as the recently-added, guitar heavy version of Bus Stop, and the even newer Paradise By The Dashboard Light.
“I knew Meister’s was going to be a great venue for my one-man show (plus Dave) from the very first gig there almost 10 years ago,” Jeff said. “People love the atmosphere and large dancing area in front of the stage, and they are constantly asking me if Elvis will be there!”
“I engage my audience at every performance. Whether there’s 500 or 15 people I put on the same show and I go the extra mile to make sure that every single performance is as good as it can be, whether I’m doing a wedding, corporate event or a nightclub,” Jeff said. Or a farm field. “I am very grateful to be working doing what I love!” That includes an opportunity to do his virtuoso guitar work without having to go through the rigors of touring, as it was back in the ’80s, and without having to be in a different end of the country as his wife and children.

This weekend’s music lineup is a combination of the very veteran and some more than half their age:
— At The St. Croix County Fair in Glenwood City its the five-piece band Fourth Degree on Thursday night, another five-piece, vintage group in The WhiteSidewalls on Friday night, and a duo celebrating the 30th year of their music and variety show, The Memories, on Saturday night.
— The Smilin’ Moose continues to roll out a changing lineup to their patio acoustic show with Travis Lorentson on Friday evening, and Mark McAllister and Eli Pete on Saturday evening and Sunday, respectively.
— One option is to beat the summer heat, and the other is to revel in it. The Village Inn in North Hudson has a recurring soup special of salsa verde roast pork, and an everyday drink offering of Hell Chicken, which is described as pale ale and Yuzu. And then of course there are the two new chicken wing sauces from the Buffalo Wild Wings “lab” — Mandarin Kick and Scorpian Rum.

— They have not been back at Dick’s Bar and Grill for a while, but Friday evening Good Time Willy, as you might guess a true crowd pleaser, takes the stage at Wisconsin’s oldest tavern..

The X Games that are being played in Minneapolis have hit Hudson, too. As of Thursday, there wasn’t a motel room to be found here, and on Thursday late night the first of the overflow into the nightlife scene reared its head. There were almost a dozen young adults who looked like skater boyz at Dick’s Bar and Grill right before last call, and a couple of them — male and female — got a little rowdy. And then there was that older guy who is a regular who was sporting a bandana and spiky hair, just to fit in.
But the word is that such overflow might hit big time on, say, Saturday night — after basically all the action is done and all that’s left is the Sunday closing ceremonies. Those are times when some of the big name competitors just may escape to Wisconsin, being the next state over the border, where they can do their partying with their hair let down, being somewhat incognito. Hudson has a history of such go partying-under-the-radar, which sometimes carries forward to after-bar celebrations, from rock stars to prominent athletes, and this played out most recently during the Frozen Four national hockey tournament at The X, (that being a different X then the X Games). The Minnesota Gopher women’s hockey team showed up en masse at Dick’s, and participated in numerous body shots with the bartender. That from one of the bouncers on duty.
On Friday night it was mostly tame at Dick’s, as far as X Games involvement, with the most noteworthy item being a guy dressed up in what looked like a white jump suit dancing all by himself. Word has it there was at least some representation at other places in town, such as the Smilin’ Moose.

This is how the rest of River Falls Days happen to fall, bringing four name bands to the fore:
— In its concerts held in the park, River Falls Days features three bands that have differing twists on a like-minded theme, and one that’s completely different. The slate: Rural Route 5 plays Friday from 8-10 p.m., then the Devon Worley Band from 10:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m., then on Saturday the Bad Habits Brass from 7-9:30 p.m., followed by Sweet Siren from 10 p.m.-1:30 a.m. Noteworthy because it is the first River Falls Days for the business, Swinging Bridge Brewing Company, along with Friends of the Kinni, will sponsor Fighting Fish men’s league baseball on Friday from 8-11 p.m. Sunday will offer an all-day Car Cruze-In, as well as fireworks at dusk.
— Sometimes you have to define your terms, especially for those of us on the older end of adulthood. The Village Inn in North Hudson has a sign saying its Monday-Thursday happy hour includes a buck off of “adult” beverages. I guess that means the typical options for your caffeine, such as soda and coffee, don’t pass muster, which could be crucial because half of the happy hour is 7-9 a.m. The other half is from 4-6 p.m.
— Buffalo Wild Wings serving breakfast? Wow. That’s what I first thought I read in the entryway, but the special actually is titled its “fast break,” a lunch with a number of choices for one each, the entree and side dish. This special starts at 11 a.m., when BWW opens, so again, I didn’t think breakfast was much of an option. Maybe brunch.

— Also this week is Paul Esch. He performs live acoustic music including classic acoustical light rock, blues, guitar instrumentals, favorite cover tunes, contemporary pop music and original songs, featuring great vocals and harmonica solos, for over 15 years. He will be at the Bungalow Inn in Lakeland early Tuesday evening, July 11. Paul studied guitar with Grammy winning, national-acoustic-finger-picking champion Pat Donohue of Prairie Home Companion fame. Paul’s experience runs the gamut, and includes leading acoustic music duos, trios and five-piece rock bands. His debut CD “Go Ask the Sky Why” and “Light the Night Concerts for Crime Prevention” were profiled on KARE-11’s “Finding What Works.” He was also featured on KCFE-FM radio and Joe Soucheray’s Garage Logic radio program, and his set list includes Van Morrison, James Taylor, Neil Young, Jim Croce, Neil Diamond, Tom Petty, Gear Daddies and the Zac Brown Band. Paul has performed live guitar music for a broad audience, including many corporate parties, country clubs, restaurants, bars, patios, ski resorts and outdoor music venues. He is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.

There are all kinds of ways to be entertained, yet beat the recent heat:
— A North Hudson bartender friend said she was already prepping on Thursday for a typical trek not to the cabin, but to the Cedar Lake speedway in New Richmond for a Saturday, July 8, gathering to include colleagues from the Willow River Saloon in nearby Burkhardt. (Some of them are taking a bit of time away from serving during their regular band slate, Runs With Scissors on Friday night and Strangers on that very Saturday). On tap at Cedar Lake for a four-day period is a special Outlaw series of specialty car races, one of their biggest events of the year.
— As they say, timing is everything. For years, the Mallalieu Inn in North Hudson has offered a popular Wednesday evening steak grill-out, with accompanying side dishes, that is the best value for such food you will find. However, last Wednesday, with the temperatures reaching 94 degrees, the air conditioning conked out. But this coming Wednesday, with more moderate temps probable, you can give them another chance to be fully meaty and liquidly refreshing, as well as tasty.
— North Hudson has this thing with grand openings to mark bar anniversaries. Kozy Korner will be at it again on Saturday with a bean bag tournament and at 5 p.m. live music (the exact band on its out-front sign is not specified, but considering the time of year, its unlikely to be the Badger Marchers that so often pop in).
— A one-woman shop kitty-corner from the Smilin’ Moose offers massage therapy, energy work, intuitive guidance and medium services, and personal training. So if you need to get in a more healthy state of mind and body, after a previous night of hard-core partying, you might want to look them up, right next to another venue with music, Urban Olive and Vine.

Three days of Booster Days music reveal three different themes:
— When I met up by chance with Booster Days stalwart Holly Schultz last fall, she reveled in all the possibilities that might be offered by fresh new bands as part of their lineups.
The following is what the Boosters came up with for music in Lakefront Park during their three-day, 2017 run starting on Friday:
June 30 — There is a superhero theme with “Licensed to Thrill” from 5-8:15 p.m. and dressed for the part, “Rock Godz” from 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
July 1 — It’s all new blood with diversity, including “Hillbilly Science Show” at 1 p.m., then “Karmacide unplugged with Rick Brix” from 2:15-5:45 p.m., “100 watt jones” from 6:15-8:30 p.m., and “70’s Magic Sunshine Band” from 9 p.m.-12:30 a.m.
July 2 — Its back to tried and true music, steering toward classic rock and country, with “The Chubs” from 1:30-4:30 p.m., “Wicked Garden” from 5:15-8:15 p.m. and “Uncle Chunk” from 9 p.m.-12:30 a.m.
For more information, visit hudsonboosters.org and click on the Booster Days tab or look for Hudson Booster Days on Facebook.
— It’s hardly ever that there’s a weekend without a pair of bands at the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt, but this is one where not even a single act takes the stage. That’s because the staff’s attention is focused on an activity a few miles away, that being Booster Days. The Willow and its accompanying pizzaria, Carbone’s, will be one of three local vendors dishing out their popular hot food, including broasted chicken, all throughout the festival.
— The chef’s special, offered every midweek at the Village Inn in North Hudson, this past week featured the epitome of summer picnic food, which means it just might come around again soon, (or simply to keep people guessing, would that be called chef’s surprise?): Two specialty brats, BBQ baked beans, brown sugar sauerkraut and the staff recommended beer cheese soup plus brat.