They may not all be taking songs from off their records, but these are bands you will want to hear live:
— For the record, the band Off the Record has been recording a lot of local gigs for the first time in a while. They will play at Guv’s Place on Saturday, Sept. 27, and that follows a performance by the duo at Dick’s Bar and Grill last Sunday. They filled in for Jeff Loven, the One Man Band, who took one of his rare nights off during the 10-plus years he has been a fixture at Dick’s.
— Also at Dick’s on Friday, Sept. 26, is a band of locals that’s often been in the local spotlight. To quote an oddly worded flyer on the wall, “Practical Goods will be in the house from 6-9 p.m.” After that, there will be Extravagent Luxuries. Just kidding.
— The Hudson Bowling Center is having its disco party, with that music and dress from 7 p.m. to close, on Saturday, a combination of things that just has to make you think of That ’70s Show set in Milwaukee.
— Saturday and Sunday will bring even lighter acoustic sounds to the area, as the Spirit of the St. Croix Art Fest takes over Hudson’s Lakefront Park on both days from 10 a.m. to about 4:30 p.m. In order on Saturday, live from the “artist village,” which is sprawled out on the lawn near the dike road, is the strolling musician Paul Imholte (who has an act kind of like that seen occasionally at Pudge’s Bar this summer), the Americana music of the male and female duo Firefly, and the soft folk of the young guitarist Trevor Ohlsen. Also, at the band shell from 1-4 p.m. are the quartet the Barley Jacks with Brian Wicklund, whose bluegrass, Celtic, folk and other acoustic music is becoming increasingly popular in and around the area. In order on Sunday, is guitarist Sam Ketcham with folk, alternative and jazz that can be a little less light, to be followed, again, by Firefly. And at the band shell from 1-4 p.m. are the Devine Collection, a fivesome with keyboard whose collection of sounds is a bit more diverse, with soul, funk, R&B and jazz.

More football is the focus, and the fluctuations of karaoke voice:

— For something new in the rather staid world of karaoke, check out the Friday and Saturday night offerings at the Hudson Bowling Center, which feature a new provider with some cool technology that really brings out the tone of the music, and every fluctuation of the voice.The former and longtime karaoke meister there, the softspoken Brett, has moved down south, much like the pathway taken by Jams by James a few years ago, who was one of the first such providers in the Hudson area. He did it for as long as most local crooners can remember.
— With NFL football back, one of the best munchies deals, during any such game, is the $2.95 Johnsonville brat that comes with sauerkraut and chips at Dick’s Bar and Grill. They also have announced the new “season” of fall food specials that include some popular chili — which on one of their past flyers left out the “e” and referred to the offering as home mad chili, which says it all. Another flyer said of watching NFL football there, “Go Team,” which did not specify any particular franchise — guess they are both Viking and Packer friendly.
— Kozy Korner in North Hudson is known as a place to watch such games and take in related amenities, but they may have slightly mis-stated the case when their marquee said about breakfast pizzas, “one trillion served.” They may be off by about a million or so. With that said, it’s important to note that this Sunday’s noon Packer-Lions game is the initial one of the season to be subject to blackout rules, the first of as many as seven, which is more than usual, so it’s important to choose where you watch.

These are food and music events that can stick to your ribs:

— Can’t wait for the revelry that goes with St. Patrick’s Day? Well, Woody’s in Bayport has taken note of the time of year on the calendar and next week offers what they bill as their halfway to St. Patty’s Day event. It will feature a corned beef and cabbage dinner, of course, and also Irish beer specials. And for those challenged by such charting, the halfway event is defined as being on Sept. 17 and 18.
This is much like another halfway-to-it offering, that through local e-clubs for which you can sign up, that give you an early birthday. Most noteworthy is the free deep dish pizza from the award winners for such fare at Green Mill.
— It’s also time of year for the fifth annual rib fest at Willow River Saloon and Carbone’s in Burkhardt, outdoors in the nice cool fall weather that compliments it well. For admission of $10 on Saturday, Sept. 13, people can sample ribs and a variety of sauces, as well as chow down potato salad and beans, all for a series of good causes. There will be microbrews on hand for sampling, as well as other beverages available through the Saloon, raffle, vendors and plenty of live music both during the event and that evening by Generation a “90 percent country song” band starting at 9 p.m. The fest itself runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is co-sponsored by the Hudson Lions Club, and fund-raiser proceeds go to local scholarships and humanitarian needs.
— Soloist Trandy Blue has been having a recurring gig at the Village Inn in North Hudson on Saturdays starting at 4 p.m. It is on the patio, weather permitting, or just a few steps inside the door, which is fitting this time of year because it’s also right in front of the NFL helmet display. A standout song at a recent performance was a cover of Paula Abdul. Speaking of covers, Trandy Blue is also a photographer and who knows, might have gotten a shot or two of Abdul during her American Idol judging days.

King football is back, and it’s already getting quirky:
This Thursday evening’s Packer game marks the return of the NFL to prime time in the Hudson area, and best places to watch the games, determined by things such as the number of TVs and patron response, include Kozy Korner in North Hudson, Buffalo Wild Wings and Green Mill on the Hill, and Dick’s Bar and Grill and the Smilin’ Moose downtown. Of course, there is the ultimate big screen that’s typically been placed in the back at Pudge’s, and all of the drink specials at Ellie’s, with some items going for only $2.
And then there is the longtime king of local football coverage, as weighed by their more than 20 TVs, (although in recent seasons they’ve had competition in regards to that). That royalty, the Village Inn, however, is likely more of an exclusive Packer bar, as is evident by a preseason joke made by a bartender that she wasn’t allowed to wear her Viking jersey while working on game day. For more of that purple feel, you can go to Dick’s.
But the hill is where you can actually get a chance to educate some folk about Real Football. The guy sitting next to me, watching a Minnesota game, said to no one in particular, “Hey Cassel is with the Vikings?” It turns out that he was from Connecticut, which must be like a cave when it comes to pro football. He also was very surprised to find that Christian Ponder, (and who knows, maybe even Adrian Peterson?), had come to the St. Croix County Government Center to get married, just a mile up the road.
Some other activity on the night before the opener:
— At Green Mill, the “35 board” was busily being assembled, which will allow patrons to compete for prize giveaways.
— At Buffalo Wild Wings, a trio of guys visited while holding a big fantasy football trophy, both the size and shape of a real football.
— At Pudge’s, an offsale customer said he’s from Minnesota but can’t stand the Vikings, then asked bartender Whitney if she is a fan. Her response was that she’s originally from the Gopher State, but is actually a Detroit Lions fan, in part because members of her immediate family know Lions luminaries.
— As viewed at Guv’s Place in Houlton, ESPN gave the Twins marketing department a raspberry for conducting a survey about what type of car fits their image, and the list was heavy with fancy, dancy autos. The guy next to me suggested something really lowbrow, and we then agreed that a Pinto would be more appropriate. It was then revealed that a Lexus with the survey winner, which made the bartender really scoff.
For the record, the Packers are at Seattle at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, and the Vikings are at St. Louis at noon Sunday.
On the night before Sunday football is the other pick of the weekend, pointed out because they are quite new to Guv’s Place, which is hosting them. Paisley Road will play their gig following an afternoon of bean bag tournament play.

It’s getting crowded out there on the dance floor …
— A recent band at the Smilin’ Moose, PsychoFonik — which plays again on Friday night, Aug. 29 — went away from the usual
classic rock or its approximation theme and played right-up-to-date stuff that you’d hear on pop radio. It included two male
singers with the range to pull off almost anything. It should be noted that they were wearing hats ala Bruno Mars. Would that
be, back in the classic rock days, men with, or Men Without Hats?
— In what was a great way to kick off the Labor Day holiday weekend early, singer Amanda and the band Jawsy packed the main
room at Dick’s Bar and Grill on Wednesday. This will prove to be one of the last chances to see them for a while, as the trio is
taking a hiatus. A bit early in the month, there was another overflow crowd at Dick’s, with the fiddler Doug Solberg doing his
annual show, and taking the time between sets to mingle with the audience for sometimes an hour or two.
— And with it being a Monday holiday, there will almost certainly be another full house Sunday night at Dick’s for the one-man
band, Jeff Loven, even when taking into consideration that it’s the very end of the Minnesota State Fair.

Don’t be a Dweeb, run like a Rhino:
— With motorcycle rallies, bigger is not always better, as runs that are less involved can also be fun. In the same weekend as an area Memorial Run celebrates its 20th anniversary by wrapping up what it calls the largest western Wisconsin run — starting anywhere and anytime — on Saturday in Ellsworth, there is another option. This is the Dick’s Ride ‘Em Hard Run on Sunday, where the operative number is 33.3. That’s the average number of miles between the three featured stops, before participants find themselves back at Dick’s Bar and Grill at 5 p.m. Registration is at 11 a.m. and riders leave at noon.
— There will be Rhino in town for the second time in a week, just going to show that the Smilin’ Moose is not the only creature on the loose in Hudson. Rhino, fittingly will play the Moose on Friday night, following a performance at the North Hudson Pepper Festival last Saturday that’s one of their many in the Hudson area in the last few years.
— Speaking of Pepper Fest, the Dweebs closed the place down on Sunday night, showing that they are talented musicians and more than just a novelty act — with more stage presence than the average geek. Of particular interest, for me, was the way they mixed in the echo during In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins. Some locals had wondered aloud, are the Dweebs actually on stage locally on a Sunday? Well, having been dubbed America’s Favorite Party Band, they are slated for festivals all this weekend, Wednesday through Sunday (yes), getting started by playing the Corn Palace in Mitchell, S.D.
— And speaking of that theme, coming off their big corn feed earlier in the month, the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt this Friday and Saturday will have the The Brothers Mayer and Strangers, respectively.

There are stages that get active all over the place this weekend …
The North Hudson Pepper Festival has a music lineup that starts with a great big voice then just keeps getting stronger.
On Friday night, Aug. 15, taking the stage is the Devon Worley Band, followed on Saturday night by Rhino and Sunday night by The Dweebs, as a variety of styles are featured. The sponsors are, in order, Hudson Ford, the Village Inn and WESTconsin Credit Union.
Worley is a teenage Minneapolis country singer with a huge voice and stage presence, and even auditioned for The Voice. She is backed by some veteran musicians in this seven-piece band who have had connections with some big names, from widely differing genres. The band’s second album solidified their reputation of one of the Midwest’s top country acts.
One of the last times Rhino played locally, the lead singer, who looks like a less scruffy Larry the Cable Guy, at one point turned his back to the audience and wiggled his tush in a lengthy way worthy of Jennifer Lopez on American Idol (rather than The Voice). However it was the music, a variety of rock and country rock, that stole the show.
The Dweebs have been Pepper Fest favorite, closing things down with a musical and comedic bang, for years.
Friday through Sunday is the Summer Set Music and Camping Festival at Somerset Amphitheater, featuring dozens of electronic dance, hip-hop and jam bands. Patrons to the third annual show might have to brave some heat, but will have some things going more their way, such as accessability to additional water stations, and a set-up in the several-acre, bowl shaped theater at the edge of the village that has little shade but reportedly gives them more freedom to flow over to stages at the southeast.
Also on Saturday, a block or so away from the main Pepperfest stage, Seasons Tavern will feature a downstairs band and earlier — not to be outdone by the pepper and spaghetti eating contests — is its Wicked wings Challenge.

Why did the chicken cross the road? Because that’s where the entertainment is!
— The band Ditch Chicken has been described online as everything from a variety band, to current and classic rock and country. Yes, you get all those styles with one group! See for yourself when they play the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt on Friday, Aug. 8, starting at 9 p.m.
— Downtown classic car shows have been all the gas in the last week or two. All day Saturday, Aug. 9, Walnut Street will be closed to all but the vehicles of Brit Fest, which features the Euro models of several car clubs. There was another car show the previous weekend, and part of what’s featured was late night blues music in the Lakefront Park band shell. That meant some of the music you were hearing in the vicinity of Locust Street was from another place then the Smilin’ Moose, which has the distinction of their tunes bouncing off the streetscape as you walk along Second Street — literally hitting the brick above Micklesen Drug Store, banking back to the area across the street and being heard by the cigar shop, where patrons often sit in the evening, relax and take it all in. Again, tunes bouncing right off the pharmacy. Sound psychedelic enough to you?
— Imagine being a karaoke singer and having any song in the history of rock ‘n’ roll at your disposal — again.
That was the case at Pudge’s Bar late in July, and will be again Saturday, as part of an ongoing arrangement for gigs it has with Like The Radio Productions.Their karaoke meister, Aaron Bergman, says that because of a special technology arrangement, his company can use Wifi to access any song that’s ever been recorded. And you can sing it, all from the comfort of the outdoor patio at Pudge’s. That means that passersby can hear just how good you sound performing these hard-to-find gems.The company also has “screen ticker” technology to let singers know if they are one of the next three to come up, so they can make a trip to the bathroom or get a drink, and a database that tracks all singers and their favorite selections.
The shows run from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. on July 24, on Saturday, Aug. 9, and on Friday, Aug. 22.
— There are several local bar regulars who are contemplating — or have decided not to — get back in the ring for things like Ultimate Fighting. Maybe they need to get back in shape, or maybe recover from injury. One of them who leads the way by virtue of having a former sponsorship from Spalding, has been bartending at the Cajun Club, but in a few days will go back to a task that is more in his comfort zone, being a bouncer there. So you have a limited amount of time, kind of like the length of a typical bout, to track him down for some conversation about the biz.
— Rock Godz are on stage at the Smilin’ Moose on Friday night, Aug. 8, and they certainly dress like their name implies, namely like an ’80s hair band. When they took the stage at the back patio of Bo’s ‘N Mine for River Falls Days, there were listeners duded up in the same way, and when there was a set break and the Godz themselves mingled with the crowd, it was hard to tell exactly who was with the group, and who was a groupie, and just how many band members there were.
— There is no point to fiddlin’ around with a lot of detail for this promo, simply, the acclaimed Sun Mountain Fiddler, Dick Solberg, brings his unique brand of humor and various musical styles to Dick’s Bar and Grill on Thursday, Aug. 14, starting early at 8 p.m.

You will have more than checkered success if you go to view bands this weekend.

— The Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt is continuing to broaden its base of bands, while being able to continue offering the popular standards, because it has almost a dozen concerts each month. They continue both ends of that trend this weekend. On Friday, Aug. 1, the Willow brings in the new band Checks from Minnesota, and on Saturday is a veteran of the same venue, East River Rock. Music starts at 9 p.m., which means you might want to get there early and enjoy a Carbone’s Pizza, offered at the same location, before the show. And the price is so inexpensive that yes, you probably won’t even need to write out a check.

— Friday also is the return to Hudson, after what’s probably been years, of the rock group Brat Pack Radio, which offers its own format of old school tribute band. They will be at the Smilin’ Moose, and have not been seen much around these parts since the heyday of the former Dibbo’s nightclub.

— All day Saturday is another return, that being the Bar Olympics in North Hudson and downtown Hudson, which means more of the best of, well … more bar games. We’ve all played them at one time or another, and they go well beyond just darts. Places that will be hopping with this activity include Kozy Korner and Dick’s Bar and Grill, among others. See your bartender for details.

Imagine being a karaoke singer and having any song in the history of rock ‘n’ roll at your disposal.
That will be the case at Pudge’s Bar on Thursday night, as part of an ongoing arrangement for gigs it has with Like The Radio Productions.
Their karaoke meister, Aaron Bergman, says that because of a special technology arrangement, his company can use Wifi to access any song that’s ever been recorded. And you can sing it, all from the comfort of the outdoor patio at Pudge’s. That means that passersby can hear just how good you sound performing these hard-to-find gems.
The company also has “screen ticker” technology to let singers know if they are one of the next three to come up, so they can make a trip to the bathroom or get a drink, and a database that tracks all singers and their favorite selections.
The show runs from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. on July 24, on Saturday, Aug. 9, and on Friday, Aug. 22.