It’s soon to be a new year. That means new ways to party. And we’re not blowing smoke.
— They’ll be Smokin’ on New Year’s Rockin’ Eve at the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt, when Smokin’ Whiskey plays their “prime cuts” from ’70s bands that members of the quintet say they love.
Their song list is heavy with deep tracks from some bands that when combined with their popular standards are on the list eight or nine times. Other examples are Don’t Believe a Word being among five Thin Lizzy tunes, and The Ocean set in the midst of three from Led Zeppelin. The Jimi Hendrix pick is Little Wing and there even are a trio from Robin Trower.
They say their mission statement, which steers far from the usual corporate version, is “to rock your socks off … and whatever else comes with it.”
— Two postings on the Agave sign give the long and the short of it involving New Year’s Eve hours in downtown Hudson. One a few days before said: “Open all night NYE, Dick’s, Ellie’s, Moose, Agave.” It was followed by this somewhat cheesy one: “Holy cow. Moose to have 6 DJs. We only have Kevin.”
— Speaking of the Smilin’ Moose, various staff members were on hand after midnight early Wednesday, blowing up hundreds of balloons in back by the area that bands play. They actually did it the old fashioned way, using their lungs rather than a machine. “That’s why there are so many people here,” said bartender Carla.

— The moose will not be the only hoofed animal with fun afoot. At Season’s Tavern in North Hudson, the longtime band Thirsty Camel, a trio led by drummer and owner Brad, will make another encore appearance before the ball drops. They have been playing around the area for literally decades, and have hit some of the real hot spots in the metro area with their brand of vintage rock. For the early part of the evening, starting at 9 p.m., the band will be situated upstairs to entertain diners with somewhat lighter tunes, (There also will be an arrangement of candles for ambiance, courtesy of Brad’s wife, that will fit in well with some of the band’s favorite songs, including those by the likes of Pink Floyd).

— Various places are going retro and dropping things such as balloons at midnight, and Pudge’s at that time will again even have a ball drop outside on their patio, running fully down the side of their building. And that’s also the time when, at Guv’s Place in Houlton, there will be sign-up for a dart tournament that will start at 1 a.m. and go into the wee hours. Even all the way through those early hours, there will be appetizers from the new menu at Ellie’s on Main, for those who need some sustenance. And for those in need of a ride, no matter how late, the Village Inn in North Hudson has made available a specialized ride service offered for tips, and also planned is using an 11-person motor home belonging to owner Leigh Halvorsen for that purpose.

Wind down or pick it up over Christmas and afterwards, with these holiday-season offerings:
— If you’re not wound up after all the Christmas excitement, you will be after you hear the Armadillo Jump band play their cranked up, rockin’ blues at the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt on Friday, the evening after the holiday. The joint will be jumpin’ with Texas-style attitude, their web site says. The five-piece band that is a mix of men and women even features a sax player.
— There are various opened and closed kitchens and bars, and differing hours of operation, over the Christmas holiday, but one change that stands out is at Kozy Korner in North Hudson on Christmas Day. While the kitchen will be closed, and there is no pizza, there will be plenty of meat and sauce available because of the free sloppy joes that will be offered.
— Also, breakfast will still be available at Dick’s Bar and Grill on the 25th, starting early around 8 a.m. and featuring some great specials on Bloody Mary’s and champagne-OJ drinks.

It’s not folly to have a holly, jolly Christmas in atypical ways, such as these:
— Is there a theme here? Car racing fans might think so. Diesel Drive plays Maverick’s Corner Saloon in downtown River Falls on Saturday night, Dec. 20. Another largely country and aptly named group, Mitch Gordon and the Unleaded Band, took the stage at Maverick’s last Saturday. And to continue this naming trend, in a reverse way, the group High Octane has also played recently, at the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt.
— Also, don’t get sidetracked from some of the holiday revelry that’s more traditional. There will be the annual horse drawn wagon rides from 5-7 p.m. on Saturday, starting from the Sidetrack Saloon and Grill in downtown Roberts. The pickup and drop off will start there at 5 p.m., and allow patrons to view the local holiday lights. You can also rock around the Christmas tree while at Sidetrack, with the open jukebox from 8 p.m. to midnight. Also on tap are hot drinks, snacks and even stuff for the kids.
— Here’s another way to celebrate, with food that will stick to your ribs more than Christmas cookies, and can be had even earlier than the start of the main holiday. Season’s Tavern in North Hudson is taking what the staff concurs is the unusual step for a grill and bar of offering breakfast on Christmas Eve day, Dec. 24. This atypical feast begins early, at 9 a.m., and runs through brunchtime and lunchtime, with the hearty fare continuing to be offered until 1 p.m.
— Garrett, who works at the Smilin’ Moose, has stood in musically with the eight-piece Bad Habits Brass that played the Moose a few weeks ago. He also has set up a chair, played and sang at Dick’s Bar and Grill on Sunday nights while Jeff Loven went on break, showing his creative side with wide-ranging vocals that careen up, down and around.
— A new bar-based sport played on a rink is coming to the area soon, and its fans hope it will spread and go viral, if not global. Its called body ball, and flyers promoting it show two competitors with their torsos covered in puffed up, plastic balloons, making them look like jellyfish. The flyer said that — unlike soccer — this new sport is hilarious, but added the promoters still have to figure out most of the rules and regulations. No word yet on exactly how the game is played, or for signup purposes, how many people need to be on a team.

When you start playing music at an early age, and continue it through your adult life, it means you can open for acts such as Shenandoah, David Allen Coe, Kentucky Headhunters, 38 Special, Nickleback, Ratt, Warrant, Little Big Town and Badfinger, to name a few. Wow, that’s quite a resume, but its one that’s had by Drop Tailgate, a mostly country band that will play at the Willow River Saloon on Saturday night, Dec. 13. However, it’s April Daisy that’s the biggest draw of the group, playing her pink sparkle Taylor guitar as she cranks out lead vocals. She is formerly of Daisy and the Dukes, and has performed with Save By Zero and opened for Neal McCoy and GB Leighton. She has written more than a dozen songs and was selected to perform “Wild Woman Tonight” on the television show “Strictly Original,” which has been showcased in Nashville, in ways that include internet radio.
But this time of year, the Willow is more than just music, it’s the perfect place to watch the playoff-bound Packers. The venue has a range of Sunday specials for game day, including a $10 all-you-can-eat broasted chicken dinner that runs during the course of pro football contests played at any time Sundays, day or night, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. There is also a drawing held every night “our favorite green and gold team plays,” for a trip to Vegas that spans three days and two nights for two people. You must be present to win, but with the way the Packers have been playing and all the other amenities that are present, why would you not want to be at the Willow?
— Although not exactly rock music, three other local events were among the most well-anticipated in their genre, and by all accounts lived up to their billing, and look for them to be back again. The large group that is the Steele Family, a band of singers of soul music and other types, performed at Bethel Lutheran Church on Nov. 28 but also have secular connections, having shared the stage with the likes of Donald Fagen and many other rockers and well-known pop musicians. They started making name for themselves in the Minneapolis scene at the same time as Prince and Soul Asylum and their CDs are available in the Cities.
An internationally acclaimed opera soprano who is getting some Grammy buzz and hails from Hudson, and is fresh off the New York Metropolitan Opera’s fall run of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Aidi,” performed an hour-long set of high-ranging holiday music at the University of Wisconsin River Falls. The coffee concert by Margaret Jane Wray was in the intimate setting of the William Abbott Concert Hall. She has done other shows locally, including one with the celebrated Hudsonite and 40-year St. Paul Chamber Orchestra pianist Layton “Skip” James, and says that she intends to be back here soon. Until then, check out her music at www.metopera.org.
Also, a Beatles tribute band played largely acoustic sets at the River Falls Public Library last Tuesday, and a main focus was the music of the late John Lennon. But such tributes can also amp it up, as was made clear by a deejay announcement on 93X that I heard while driving through River Falls: None other than Ozzy Osbourne, who was said to love Beatles music, has made his latest cover song among the many he has done a rendition of a tune Lennon performed called How. Just considering the odd bedfellows, you might want to check out this single.

The kids and their toys will benefit this Christmas season, because of a benefit at the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt that’s being held because some adults were not naughty but nice at playing some of their games.
The fifth annual dart tournament in memory of Dan Anderson and Tom “Blackie” Bednarek is Saturday, Dec. 6. It is a luck of the draw, casino style event and the children are the ones who really get lucky, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to Toys for Tots. There is an 11 a.m. signup, and dart tossing starts at noon. Entry fee is $10, and it includes meat and prize raffles, and of course the toy drive. People can still donate gift baskets and gift cards to be used for the raffle if they act fast. Call Bryoni Eggenberger at (715) 808-5358, or Chad Bednarek at (651) 208-5079.
While you are there on Saturday, why not stay and check out the band that comes on at about 9:30 p.m. and do some dancing to wear off that post-holiday turkey, with a group that has a name befitting the onset of the deer hunting season. They are Buck Tucker, a longtime favorite here, bringing their variety of country, and mixing in other styles, to the Willow.
— The Smilin’ Moose again hyped up its number of people on stage at once — count ’em, eight musicians, and I hear that there are sometimes even more — when the Bad Habits Brass took the stage last weekend. Three of them constituted a horn section, and because of the sheer number of players, it was kind of hard to see the drummer in the background, (that’s probably OK, once most drummers I know shun the limelight). While new at the Smilin’ Moose, the band can be seen regularly at various venues in downtown River Falls, especially Shooter’s Pub.
— Jawsy, a band that features singer Amanda, filled the house at the Village Inn in North Hudson last week. They started their second set with a song that’s been done by a few staple artists in the area in recent times, the one about “99 Red Balloons.” The buzzy, long bass chords on that song complimented Amanda’s singing style well, and it was followed by a couple of lesser known songs featuring a different, plucky then jangly guitar style. Although they are not playing as frequently of late, you can still catch Jawsy on occasion at The Village or Dick’s bar and grill. They also play the Beach Bar in Lakeland, Minn., on Saturday, Dec. 13, with a jaw-dropping 8:30 p.m. start.

All Hail, either side — and not just side dish — of Thanksgiving, Black Friday and wild Wednesday.
— The big sign outside the Village Inn in North Hudson says it all, “Jawsy featuring Amanda,” set for the night before Thanksgiving there. Any band name that has “Jaws” as a part of it is perfect for Turkey Day. Too bad the Cranberries aren’t the opening act. As far as music on the same night, a few miles north at Guv’s Place in Houlton, again the sign is telling, saying simply “Kyle.” (We all know that the surname is Kohila). And this reference to one more sign, which was outside Kozy Korner in North Hudson, is a bit dated but not enough to be prehistoric. It referred to a purported food item that’s unique to say the least, and says that Kozy “raises” its own dinosaurs. Meanwhile, a followup quip at Agave Kitchen, done through their own sign, questioned just where that farm might be.
— Also catch a musician who has been around for years with different lineups, and from right here in western Wisconsin, Lyle Baumgartner, at the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt. He’ll play on as they put it, Thanksgiving Eve. And if you need a meal before indulging in turkey, you can get some pizza prior to the music at the adjoining Carbone’s, as well.
— Black Friday can be celebrated in ways other than shopping. Buffalo Wild Wings will open at 8 a.m., rather than the usual 11 a.m., for those who as a flyer says want to either “replenish” themselves or simply get their batteries going. It would seem, also, that bleary-eyed patrons after a night of shopping will appreciate the pair of speed bumps that have been removed from the main way to enter the parking lot.
— The band The New Skinny played an extra set, but packed the house the most in their earlier ones, when they played their farewell performance at Dick’s Bar and Grill. A host of loyal listeners pushed their way to the front by the stage, and some appeared ready to grab the microphone from Brando when he stepped away from the drums and started rapping. You can still catch them a couple of times at other venues before they depart for good, with a New Year’s Eve performance. To get more details, drop into Dick’s during the day or early evening, when Brando and bassist Rick are on their non-band work shifts.
— My friend Bill, soon to be 63, said he will give his notorious winter water skiing between ice chunks one last try this year before hanging it up because of age. (Your last chance to put him on America’s Funniest Home Videos). He apparently will turn his attention to other things, such as getting back to listening to bands and offering me mini-reviews. In particular, he raved at the Halloween performance of The Fiddler at the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt. Bill said their variety of country was great for dancing, exciting, and seldom steered away from the music of that type in the ’80s and before. It was stuff that you could really kick up your heels to, and went way beyond just fiddle forays, he said.
— When the soulful six-member band In2ition took the stage at the Smilin’ Moose a few Fridays ago, it was led by perhaps the funkiest bass player around, who never went more than a few seconds without making a cool body movement. Look for them to play again soon.

Rock, pop or country, you name the style of music, and its clear that the experience is very visual, and this is played out by a pair of bands that are once a month fixtures at Guv’s Place in Houlton.
The duo Wade and Ella are on every second Friday of the month, (including Nov. 14), and Trandy Blue performs every second Saturday of the month (also playing before a good-size crowd on Nov. 8).
Trandy Blue is shown in her promotional flyers at Guv’s wearing — you guessed it — bright blue blouse and jacket and even the same color of guitar propped on its same color speaker alongside her suade shoes.
Wade and Ella can be seen on YouTube playing on a full-size stage, even though they are only a duo, with a huge American flag as a backdrop for Wade playing harmonica when not on the vocals. The overall feel of the stage is not unlike the one at Guv’s. They play a lot of country, but also songs by Oasis, the Lumineers, Kings of Leon, 3rd Eye Blind, Matchbox 20, Steve Miller Band, CCR, Sublime and the Cranberries.
Dan Thompson said that he likes to be among the club owners — who are fewer in number these days — who actually are active hosts of local live music, and not make it a need to travel into the Twin Cities to hear it. Trandy Blue has told him that she, amongst others, are grateful for him taking that view. He adds that as the weather gets colder, people want to be inside and warmed by music, which can then carry on into the time of longer daylight hours.
Also on Saturday, Nov. 15, featuring a 7 p.m. start, is the locally based band Practical Goods, which plays the Hudson area frequently and has developed a following. The duo of Sarah and Eric VanValkenburg take the stage just after a benefit darts tournament, Chicago style, for Kyle Sanders, who has suffered a severe hand injury that’s required numerous surgeries and has been unable to work. There also was scheduled a silent auction, bake sale, blind bottle draw, 50-50 raffle and spaghetti dinner.
— Saturday is also the annual Lucky Dog party at Dick’s Bar and Grill, named after the house brand of beer and regular patrons say it will be special in many ways. In addition to special appetizers starting at 5:30 p.m. and “special treats” at midnight, there will be live music from trop rock artist Jambo Jones at 6 p.m., followed at 8 p.m. by The New Skinny and deejay music to wrap up the night. This will be one of The New Skinny’s final performances and their SWan Song at Dick’s. The last show ever, anywhere, is set for New Year’s Eve, although drummer Brando said they might pick up a fill-in on occasion, and play with an altered lineup once or twice a year.

Guv’s Place in Houlton for much of this fall has expanded its availability of weekend bands, and this Friday and Saturday will be no different, with Off the Record taking the stage on the east end of the building on the evening of Nov. 7 and a recurring act around the area, Trandy Blue, on the following night.

Seeing Off the Record is a good value for music lovers, Guv himself points out, as they are about the most costly his establishment will bring in. They come well recommended by other musicians in the area, who say they play very well to the crowd and cater their extensive set list to the people in the audience on a given night. The talent level here is also off the charts, they say, and the guitarist in particular seems to get better with each performance. That’s saying something, since the band has been in existence for about six years.

Trandy Blue is led by a young woman who plays both as a solo act, with pop songs that are single-singer friendly while strumming on guitar, and with a full band. She is becoming more and more of a staple in clubs around the area.

The popular and somewhat quirky acoustic duo, Saving Starz, broke up a few months ago over difficulties with keeping up schedules, and singer Anthony has taken on another guitarist and kept his end of the band going. Think of it as Saving Starz II. (No word yet on if they’ll keep up some of their regular former performance nights, such as Wednesdays at Dick’s Bar and Grill). Meanwhile, the former guitarist, Geno, who had grown weary of the rigors of playing fulltime, now has an 8-to-5 day job, although as a long-term plan he is looking to re-establish his first love and put together a Christian rock outfit.

With Halloween on a Friday, many nightclubs are including Saturday in their costume contests and having them on more than one night, sometimes with music, to boot. (This is a good way the get my blog rolling again, as their was a gap in postings due to a crash where demons invaded my computer. Sorry about that).
— The costume party at the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt will be Saturday night, with lots of prizes and being deemed The Halloween Bash. The music will be by The Fiddler, a group of guys from a regular band who play the Willow who also have this side specialty gig. “They play a pretty mean fiddle,” a bartender at the Willow said. “Everybody here will be in costume.” on Friday, there will also be some costumed creatures cavorting.
— Guv’s Place in Houlton will double your listening pleasure by featuring the music of Kyle Kohila, with his quick acoustic guitar picking, and also a deejay on Halloween night. The dreaded creatures decorating up the place, however, will provide anything but pleasure as they’ve gotten even more creepy because of even larger numbers, courtesy of co-owner Jess. She this year has provided additional scary clowns (her favorite), as well as a figure-eight-shaped collection of monsters that takes up the majority of the ceiling space, with several yards of spider webs in the middle. There will be cash and other prizes for best costumes.
— The costume party at Pudge’s Bar is enhanced by perhaps the greatest number of life-size monsters you will see at a nightclub, including as quite noteworthy a skeletal beastie with a completely severed jaw. Aptly-named drink specials will abound at Pudge’s during the Halloween night party, such as the Blood Clot Shot and Dead Dude. Of particular interest, though, is The Cyclopse. They are vodka infused, go for $2 each and as you might guess are based on using an “eyeball.” And yes, there are happy hour special prices all night for people in costume, with the judging of those get-ups taking place at 11:30 p.m. in a competition for prizes.
— It’s eat, drink and be scary, in what’s billed as The Nightmare on Sixth Street, the fifth-annual costume party at Season’s Tavern in North Hudson on Saturday night. It will feature the opportunity of food being served until midnight, if you can feast (on what?) if in any mood for eating after seeing the un-earthly sights. There’s a costume contest with cash prizes for first, second and third, and the house band, longtime rockers Thirsty Camel, for listening from 9 to midnight as you watch the creatures dance and indulge in the special, jello shots all night. The event is called crazy, spooky fun, in a good way, for adults. And you never know if that famous cellar-dweliing ghost might show up.
— To round out the mix, Ellie’s on Main will have their usual lengthy and over-the-top costume judging on both nights, and this year’s theme to be aired at Dick’s Bar and Grill on Friday is “movie star.” The Village Inn in North Hudson on Saturday supplements their costume contest with a blue’s band, the Swamp Kings (good name for Halloween). Some places are keeping it low-key, with only a scantly promoted, in-house party, but it seems that virtually every club has something planned, with Woody’s in Bayport on Saturday going the most whole hog, (note that the last three digits of their phone number are 666).
And with a different twist is the Agave Kitchen and Bullpen Cantina with an on-line contest. Not to mention a newcomer to local costume parties, the Smilin’ Moose, which will go both nights and really up the ante for prize money. (While waiting for the judging, check out the moose head now equipped with a big mustache).
— Some of the parties will have a zombie theme, perhaps because of the popularity of the television show The Walking Dead, said my friend Matt. However, it was clear that the ghouls at San Pedro will tone down the blood and guts because after all, it is a restaurant and people will be eating a different kind of flesh.
— Jeff Loven indeed “got the band back together,” as he is fond of saying, when guitarist Brent made an appearance at his One Man Band show. Back in the ’80s, when Jeff cut his teeth with the heavy metal band Obsession, Brent opened for him as a 15-year-old Wunderkind. They on that recent Sunday teamed up to rip through Eruption by Van Halen — a tune that was also played, even more scaldingly, by another guest guitarist a few nights later who was on stage for more songs then usual, about five.
— With Halloween coming, the band choices picked by clubs are apparently effected. One named Shadows on the Wall played at Dick’s Bar and Grill on Wednesday, Oct. 15. The only non-Halloween aspect is that they took the stage in the early evening, not the midnight witching hour. Described as loud, but good, one wonders if this “Shadows” had the same volume as Avenged Sevenfold, a prominent metal band made up of Wiccans that has a member by that name.
— The folks at Stone Tap were figuring that their many Oktoberfest beer specials would be bringing in customers, some of them stopping in after spending some introductory time across the street at the German themed Winzer Stube, which of course is offering more of the same. Some of the others having Oktoberfest beer specials include Dick’s and Casanova Historic Liquors.
— And for a last seasonal happening, and a possible prelude to Halloween haunts, check out the Hudson Raider football game at Kozy Korner in North Hudson at 7 p.m. Friday. (The costumes that will abound, in the form of football jerseys on the wall, will be more along the lines of highly decorated varsity athletes who went on to college ball). This is round two of the playoffs, and the No. 2 seeded local team faces a No. 3 seed, Appleton North, by virtue of defeating Green Bay Preble in a 27-3 blowout, also shown at Kozy, in the opening round.

Whether KFAN or other faves, it’s a gas to be a fan:
— The classic rock anthems and dance music “get a little higher” as far as variety and tempo when High Octane will burn up the
stage at the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt on Saturday night. The veteran five-member group is billed as among the hardest
working, high energy, get-your-buzz-on bands that you’ll find. As they say, “High Octane is rock it fuel.” That is seen by cover
songs as diverse as Cold Gin by KISS, Sex Type Thing by the Stone Temple Pilots, and Symphony of Destruction by Megadeth.
— Singer and bartender Amanda gave her mini-review of the band Off The Record, which played at one of her workplaces as part of
a twice-in-a-week foray around the area that included Guv’s Place in Houlton. She went back to bus tables around the stage area
a few days later, while working at Dick’s Bar and Grill, and gave a one-word platitude, paused, then embellished that they did
their usual great job.
— Speaking of mini-reviews, the latest Viking appearance and KFAN radio live broadcast from Woody’s in Bayport on Friday drew
as many parked cars up and down the street there as I can remember seeing. That despite the team’s embarrassing loss to the
Packers the night before, and the fact that one of the Viking girls giving away prizes didn’t know which team member was on the
air. (Low and behold, it was none other than Brian Robson). The event did have a Lambeau Field feel to it however, as one guy
wore a Pabst Blue Ribbon T-shirt that was purple in color, (go figure), and Robson talked for a couple of minutes about how
experiencing the Ice Bucket Challenge was far colder than any type of Ice-Bowl-experience he’d had.
— When Cherry Gun played at the Smilin’ Moose, there were periodic several-second blasts of colored concert-style smoke that
were really thick at times. Less thick was the output of the wind machine that blew through the lead singer’s blonde locks.
Could either or both of those things be thought of as a smokin’ “Gun” at the Smilin’ Moose?