There will be a show in the village, as there are a pair of events nextdoor to each other that run most of Saturday.
— The patrons of the North Side car show say what makes it different from other such offerings, and there are many, is that its all about fun and camaraderie and there’s not an atmosphere of competition.
For instance, there are only three trophies given out at the event held in North Hudson at the lot between between Kozy Korner and Village Car Wash, not oodles, because the people who show aren’t terribly into winning. Rather, they simply look forward to seeing their longtime friends whenever the shows are held, (it’s one every other Saturday from 4-9 p.m., opposite the car show in Hastings. The next one in the village is this Saturday, and the remainder are on Aug. 2, 16 and 30, and Sept. 13 and 27).
Also, there are about 50 or 60 cars each time, in this intimate setting, not the hundreds at some of the bigger shows where you can kind of get lost in the shuffle. (Although patrons such as Pete said be sure to check out the 1949 Studebaker). For those other shows you may have to arrive hours in advance to get a good space, maybe one in the shade. But when taken as a whole, people who like car shows can find one being held — with their own particular merits — in the region almost anytime through October. Variety truly is the spice of life when it comes to car shows, they say, and many literally ride the circuit, allowing them to see their old friends frequently.
There is music, food, drink specials and prize giveaways at the North Hudson version. Many of these things are donated by the businesses that flank it, and later the patrons can find some added fun by moving over to those spots. In particular, Kozy Korner provides funding for bands, and village car wash and liquor store the winning plaques, (yes they do have those despite the relative lack of competitiveness).
— Has it already been that long? Kozy Korner is celebrating its sixth anniversary at their current location on Saturday, having a bean bag tournament at 1 p.m., drink specials and prize giveaways throughout the day, and the music of Jawsy at 5 p.m.
Jawsy is a pop trio led by a local and versatile lead singer, Amanda, who is adept at many styles and can really belt it out, as they plunge into a lot of songs that go beyond the usual staples that are overplayed on the radio.

If you go to River Falls Days this weekend, you can check out Johnnie’s Bar on Main Street for a triple-header of music, with tried and true local favorites that also have the talent to branch out regionally with their performances. There will be music at Johnnie’s each night of River Falls Days, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Bands start at 8 p.m. each time.
Chimney Fish 5th Swipe is on Thursday, Old School on Friday and the acoustic sounds of Dave Snyder on Saturday.
Chimney Fish is said to sound like Shawn Mullins, Flogging Molly and Bryan Adams, and they also have original tunes. My favorite that I’ve heard them play live locally, with vigorous audience response, is Ode An Jagermeister, a parody that has humorous references to all things Wisconsin.
Snyder’s play list spans an impressive 500-plus songs that stem from Americana, country, a little rock mixed in and Red Dirt country. He is a breath of fresh air, the likes of which you seldom find, and you’re know your hearing something different at his performances. Not to mention that he sounds a bit like the Mavericks.
Sandwiched between is a return to straight-forward rock and pop with Old School.
Friday’s headliner for River Falls Days is Uncle Chunk, which redefines what it means to be a cover band, churning out hit after hit. Music starts at 9:30 p.m. at the Heritage Park lot. There is no cover charge.
Come back to that place on Saturday for Rural Route 5 at 7:30 p.m. and Lost Highway at 10 p.m. Rural Route 5 is an up and coming country band from New Richmond, which is billed as an act that will get your boots stomping and have you singing along to tunes done by Reba, Jason Aldean and everything in between. Lost Highway was formed in 2009 and is described as one of the Upper Midwest’s top country groups that gives out electrifying performances. Fees for Saturday are $5 for adults and $3 for children.
Also on Saturday, at 3 p.m., are local favorites Tin Pan Alley Cats performing their classical strains.
The Westwind Supper Club has bands as well. On Friday night, its the Whiteside Walls, billed as the Upper Midwest’s premier doo-wop, rockabilly and old time rock ‘n roll band. On Saturay night, it’s Still Runnin’ formerly known as Stampede, which features some of the best rock and country music around. Both concerts are free.

Despite the flooded St. Croix River, there will still be music aplenty featuring mostly shows down near the water, at Lakefront Park or just beyond.
— Dick’s Bar and Grill kicks off the holiday weekend’s shows with the return of Puzzle Piece on Thursday with an early show, featuring several forms of music, from 6-9 p.m. This is always a popular show, so workers suggest getting there early if you want a table.
— But the overall most watched bands will likely be at Booster Days, with these bands on tap: Thursday, the rock of the Chris Lawrence band, featuring a frontman who played a lot locally a few years back then successfully branched out, from 5:30-8:15 p.m., and then the country sounds of the Buck Tucker Band, another one with a history of performing locally, from 9 p.m.-12:30 a.m.; Friday, Parachute Empire, 5-8:30 p.m.; then another country act with local ties, Still Runnin’, from 9:10 p.m.- 12:30 a.m.; and Saturday, the rock of Rizer, 5-8:15 p.m., and then the veritable longtime favorite Uncle Chunk, with pop and rock from 9 p.m.-12:30 a.m.
— Across the River in Bayport, at the fittingly named Mallards, the weekend will be spent with the Rock the Dock festival despite high tides, starting early on Thursday with the Tommy Bentz Band, then offering more music the next two nights.

Hook up to the stagecoach and watch some of these bands take the stage, and show their diversity:
— The country music band Stagecoach with its harmonies swings through Burkhardt on Friday night, June 27, and plays the Willow River Saloon. All of the group’s members share lead vocals and do songs that require four-part harmonizing. Might you think you’re hearing the Oak Ridge BOys? They also throw in some steel pedal guitar.
— Jawsy performed before a full main room at Dick’s Bar and Grill last Wednesday and with bartender Amanda leading them in vocals and sitting on her percussion instrument did a very diverse group of songs, some of which I had never heard before. Some of these songs are so rarely performed that Amanda needed to turn the pages of a church-choir-type music stand to reference some of the lyrics. The trio’s sound was jangly pop music, with the bassist helping occasionally on leads vocals, and they played for well over three hours, excluding set breaks. The final set didn’t start until after the group had taken the stage three hours earlier, so there was a lot of music to be heard. Keep posted for when Jawsy will be back.
— Speaking of trying songs that are beyond the tried and true, you’ll probably get some of that when Trandy Blue plays the Village Inn in North Hudson on Saturday, JUne 28, starting at 4 p.m. The one-woman show, who also makes forays into other of the arts such as photography, showed that diversity when taking on Blondie’s “Call Me” at a recent performance at GUv’s Place in Houlton. Then, at 9 p.m., there is a second band at the Village, the Swamp Kings, and with songs like “Momma’s Cajun Food” and “Swamp Appeal” and a logo of a mean-looking gator wearing a crown, they may be right when saying “there ain’t no party like a Swamp Kings’ party.”

For something new this weekend, how about going Low, and were not talking about the rock band, but some local drinks that mean that less is more, and you can indulge more often than usual and still not low brow it.

— Fort starters, how about something different but still trendy, as in a couple of gluten free brews. At Guv’s Place in Houlton, try what’s billed as the environmentally friendly New Planet Blonde Ale. And at Dick’s Bar and Grill, they’re offering the blacksmith-approved Smith & Forge hard cider as the special brew of the month.

— Coach’s in River Falls is offering the low calorie “Little Black Dress” vodka drink, which means you can indulge more and still fit into that outfit. And at $3 a pint, you can have more than one and still keep your wallet fat, but not your hips.

— In talking about the middle, it’s the middle of the week, Wednesday evening, that Dick’s bartender Amanda will trade her tap for a microphone and lead her trio, called Jawsy, in song. Could there be an alternative name? I teased her that her outfit should be named the AmandaBand — kind of like Phil Collins penning the title Abacab — but she dismissed it, although saying that she could see how a wordsmith like myself could come up with such a moniker.

This weekend, slide on into some rock and a variety of other music styles:
— Howard ‘guitar’ Luedtke and Blue Max, an act from western Wisconsin that goes back to 1982 with their rockin’ electric blues, will play at the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt on Friday, June 14. Luedtke, who first picked up a guitar in 1964, is known for his slide guitar and has played with or opened for dozens of music luminaries including Jeff Healey, George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers, and Johnny Winter.
— For a different twist, come back to Willow River on Saturday night. Rock Bridage, which plays songs from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, and bills themselves as being a tribute to the country’s men and women of the armed forces and its emergency services personnel, is on tap. The band’s web site is flowing with patrotic images of red, white and blue.
— Summer can be a wind down time for bands in River Falls on some weekends, since college is out, but Shooters Pub still will be going strong with live music on Friday and Saturday. On Friday, its a rock quartet of young dudes in Waves Alive, and the next night its more of an old time music groove with an act who goes, fittingly and simply, as Ole.
— Last weekend, when the Yellowstone Trail crowd trolled through Hudson, there was plenty of music but a more toned down vibe. At the Seasons on the St. Croix art gallery, they had a solo acoustic guitarist who plays all their events, Sam Salter. Urban Olive and Vine featured a classical Brazilian duo and there was, again, a trio of shirtless young dudes laying down the funk in the Lakefront Park bandshell. They were prominent enough to draw a between-songs mention from GB Leighton when he played the Smilin’ Moose that night. Speaking of the Moose, they have just now brought back their Thursday night deejay act.

This weekend’s faves feature kudos for both a prime first appearance, and also the tried and true blue.
— The reaction from potential patrons all over Hudson on Wednesday, was along the lines of “Oh My God, you’re kidding!” That’s to the news that Twin Cities legend GB Leighton will perform at the Smilin’ Moose on Friday night, June 6. This event is made possible, in part, because the owners of the place have a management interest in Leighton’s Pickle Park music hall in the northern suburbs.
— Harrison Botzet will be back at Pudge’s Bar on Friday night, going from table to table asking people about their recent life experiences and making up a song on the spot about them. The Hudsonite said he likes to forego the Twin Cities and play shows in his hometown, and is hoping his second gig at Pudge’s will be as successful as the first, where he said he got two offers to play at weddings and ran into someone with ties to a recording studio in L.A.
— Kudos to both Trandy Blue, who continues to play gigs in many venues across the area, and also The Whiskies, who made their first appearance at the Smilin’ Moose and showcased their jangly sound last Friday, for creativity in their play lists. Their selections went well beyond the usual rock standards.

Local music acts this weekend will cue up off-the-cuff creations and Chicago blues to make your blues go away.
— If you’ve had a challenging day, the Pudge’s Bar and Grill version of a traveling minstrel will use spur-of-the-moment music to make your evening much better. Harrison Botzet will make an appearance there Friday, May 30, from 6-9 p.m., and his shtick is to go table to table and ask patrons what’s going on with their day, then on-the-spot write and perform for them an impromptu song about it. Pudge’s owner Michael Murphy said that this unique twist on performance is sure to get a rise out of people. It is certainly different than what’s provided by a typical rock band, taking playing to the crowd to a whole new level.
— The Willie B Blues Band, on tap at Pudge’s every other Saturday through June, features a frontman who moved here from the San Francisco Bay area and does it all, from his original style of playing lead guitar, to vocals, harmonica and saxophone. The quintet features Chicago Blues, swing and jazz. Willie B’s biggest influence is Texas Blues Man John Eagan, whom he met at age 19 and the next few years were spent sitting in on blues jams with Bay area legends.
Other band members, who are highly experienced and have been around the scene for decades are: Ace Barton, formerly dubbed “The Godfather of Growl” on tenor sax, who now has a Clarence Clemons-type sound that’s a perfect fit for the clean style of Willie B’s telecaster; Ernesto Stevens on drums, who has played with the likes of Etta James and Mojo Buford; John “JD” Donovan on bass, who has plied his trade in places including the MGM Grand in New York City, Caesars’ Palace in Atlantic City, and also venues in Las Vegas; and Paul Wigen on the Hammond B3 and boogie piano, who also toured with Big Walter Smith for 13 years. In their promotional pictures, the band members look a bit like old-time gangsters in their dark suits and hats. The performances are from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. on May 31, June 14 (a trio version) and June 28 (solo).
— For something different, if you’ve been having Minnesota Wild withdrawal, visit the Village Inn on many weekend evenings and say hello to a bartender who looks just like former Minnesota hockey legend and now announcer Wes Walz. He’s as fast with a drink as Walz is with the puck, and both, of course, do especially well with making shots.

You don’t have to cross the county line to hear some great jams to open this holiday weekend.

— If you know the County Line Boys from way back when, then you probably know Lyle Baumgartner, who was longtime stalwart for the band that formed in the 1970s in the Spring Valley area and reunited in 2012. Baumgartner will play the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt on Saturday night, May 24. The six-man C0unty Line Boys were known for all kinds of country and bluegrass music, and Baumgartner was a guitarist and vocalist, roles he reprises this weekend.

— It’s fitting that with this three-day-weekend being the unofficial opening of summer, and the weather finally being cooperative, that Jambo Jones is bringing his trop rock act to Dick’s Bar and Grill for a gig that runs from 6-9 p.m. I’m sure that Jimmy Buffett would love the scenario, although I doubt he would use that word.

The nice weather has everyone smiling, and enjoying a variety of activities for perhaps the first time this year.
— Patron traffic was picking up at a steadier and steadier pace as the American Sky Brewing Company’s release party for its Dogfight brand unfolded on Saturday afternoon and into the evening, on May 18. The new brew is described as being much like a summer shandy, but with more of a bite. Three bands were on tap to play during the event, as Trandy Blue opened, followed by Love Songs For Angry Men. You may still be able to catch the third band, Old School, which plays until 10 p.m. at The Hangar taproom at 1510 Swasey St. The event is prompted by national craft brew week.
— The outdoor patios were overflowing around town as it seems summer, or at least spring, has finally arrived. It also was a great day for old car shows and motorcycle rallies around the area, and the nice weather shows no sign of letting up moving into the evening, so there still can be time to go out and enjoy. In particular, the open-air effect given by huge rolled up windows at the Smilin’ Moose was for one of the first times fully in force. Maybe that will be enough to bring back the guy who a couple of weekends ago, in what may have been an unusual twist on a bachelor party, was cutting up the rug while wearing a Blues-Brothers-like black suit and Bob Barker nametag. You just gotta see that.
— They must really want to get the word out. The marquee at Guv’s Place in Houlton is filled with a 20-word sentence conveying the message that a bean bag tournament is being held on Sunday, May 19, and that darts leagues are being offered Thursdays and Saturdays starting in the first week in June. Wow, 20 words. That would be a full 40 if you’re seeing double. Not to be outdone, the marquee outside The Nova had just as many words, in a humorous take on downing beers.