Male-female duos top the bill as hot acts of late:
— Back at Urban Olive and Vine for the second straight month, on Saturday, Oct. 19, is the duo Quinn and Meyer. The
male and female combo have great range in their voices, and mix in a little mandolin and harmonica with song selections
that include old time and folk music and go far from the usual, with some of their cover songs being lesser-heard
versions of songs from other artists. One thing that makes them unique is that they frequently switch instruments back
and forth, all of the ones in their repetoire. The duo even ended their set with a comic touch, a ditty by the boys
from Monte Python. More typical were songs made known by the likes of the Beatles, and even the Boss. My favorite part
of their last performance here was plucking on the mandolin that was both vigorous and had flurries of notes. They even
make some of their own instruments, based on information gathered in trips to Ireland, and music from that country is a
hallmark of their musical side project that also plays here.
— Urban Olive and Vine had a performance by another male-female duo that packed the place last Friday, Jami

Lampkins and Tom Waselchuk, who front the Dang-Its, a Madison band. The duo, named 2013 country-bluegrass

performers of the year in the Madison Area Music Awards. They play some originals and also, as they put it, favourite

covers. (Does that spelling say something about their style?) It was their debut performance at Urban Olive and Vine and

they will be back in a few months.

— For something completely different, (sorry about another Monty Python reference), check out Bayport on Saturday. All
I have to say is it’s a good thing this event isn’t in the same format as the Daytona 500, as far as trips made around
the track. Woody’s is holding its Zero to Blitzed in 1.6K run-walk, and I’m sure there will be a lot of the latter, as
the event is billed as providing a beer for every lap completed, as well as a free drink ticket for back at the bar
afterwards. (I don’t know, if it’s like auto racing, do you still get a lap-for-beer on the course if you have gas
trouble and have to make a pit stop?) There is a $25 entry fee — cheaper than NASCAR — that includes an event T-
shirt. Registration is from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. with the race at 2.

This Saturday, Oct. 12, promises to be a day of cycles and psychics.

Because a beautiful, slightly cool fall day is forecast, an overflow crowd is expected at the annual Frost Your Nuts Run, which will not really live up to its icy name. To verify that, just ask the psychics who will be giving readings from in-front-of the apartments across Wisconsin Street North from the Mallalieu Inn, which sponsors the motorcycle rally. The family full of psychics, who have the same gift and I can personally vouch for their accuracy, will be there as long as the cycles, and they fittingly are toying with the idea of a Halloween theme. Motorcycle riders will gather in the late morning and leave in batches during a couple-hour period following noon to take in the fall scenery around western Wisconsin. As many as 5,000 people have participated in the past.

Saturday night marks the return of East River Rock to the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt. The fivesome includes a keyboardist and has a tough-enough look about them as they play southern rock, blues, country and some rock. The guys’ dark-clothed appearance reminds me of a former local bassist you may have seen, Scotty “Danger” Manske. and the group has made some recordings that are available on the Internet. To give you an idea, three of their top plays are this diverse combination of titles, The House is Rockin,’ Satisfaction and Hard to Handle.

Make your plans for this winter, and probably not before, if you want that favorite and affordable steak. The Sports Club restaurant and bar in downtown Hudson is planning a whole host of major renovations, inside and in back, and right down to an updated front facade, and will need to close for a month or two starting this weekend.

If you are at Guv’s Place in Houlton, you are essentially at a crossroads where you can see promo flyers for the two most happening things in the area. A mile away, across the St. Croix River in downtown Stillwater, is a fall-themed music and arts festival on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 5 and 6. And a few miles to the south of Houlton, at the Village Inn in North Hudson, was Saturday’s well-attended cancer benefit for Abby Doonan.

The Stillwater festival has two diverse bands on Sunday for a wide listening experience, Gypsy Mania Hot Club from noon until 2 p.m., and the veritable Mick Sterling from 2-4 p.m. The event in North Lowell Park has more than 60 artisans and goes from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is sponsored by the Greater Stillwater Chamber of Commerce and for more information, see stillwaterfallartfair.com.

Despite some pesky sprinkling rain, the benefit for Doonan, 22, who does not have medical insurance, was such a big hit that dozens of people needed to park across the highway from the Village Inn. They were attracted by a dinner, silent auction and raffle. For more information or to make a donation for Doonan, who has stage 4b Hodgkin’s lymphoma, contact Mac Spohn at (715) 222-0862, abbydoonanbenefit@gmail.com,, her Caring Bridge site, or drop off a donation at Westconsin Credit Union.

— For a diverse musical experience, take in Loose Cannon at the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt on Saturday night, Oct. 5. Their song list has a whopping 75 entries, with new songs added monthly, and there are multiple titles from the likes of  Green Day, Guns ‘N Roses, Bon Jovi and Katy Perry. Although Loose Cannon plays many musical styles, the song list also has some adventurous and very recent picks in the hard rock realm.

Breaking news, sort of. The last of the ten antique car shows slated for the yard next to Village Liquor in North Hudson has apparently been cancelled because of rain. It started coming down in the early afternoon, then ebbed right before the 4 p.m. starting time, but it was too late, even though the shows typically run through 9 p.m. The events have been held twice a month since June, and Saturday’s was to be the last of the season. The cancellation could not be independently conformed via phone calls, and it was not immediately clear if it would be rescheduled. By contrast, the other big car show in the area, that by the Willow River club, had much better weather when held last Saturday.

The weather also lessened early customer traffic at the St. Croix Valley Arts Festival in Lakefront Park on Saturday, but the show went on, in large part because the vendors usually have their wares housed inside tents. The event, which features dozens of arts and crafts exhibitors of all different types and acoustic music and live demonstrations, goes on most of today and Sunday (through 4 p.m.). On that day, a couple, Joan and Pete, reported that they came back for a second go-round and the place was packed.

But again by contrast, the Saturday wine tasting at The Nova had a successful attendance, based on the number of cars that were parked up and down Coulee Road in the afternoon.

A street musician who was seated along Locust Street on Friday night, and will continue to have occasional weekend gigs, was much more plugged in than most of his ilk. The man looked much like guitarist “Skunk” from Steely Dan, right down to the beret, played much of that type of music, being more electric than acoustic, with some complex plucking, and mixing in other styles such as Gospel.

The farewell party for longtime bartender and patron Jethro at the Village Inn in North Hudson last Tuesday had a “crazy” large crowd early, but not everyone could make it. Bartender Cheri at Guv’s in Houlton wanted to attend, but it was her last Tuesday there after many years of service, so she said she would have to rely on Facebook to keep current with the goings on that night at The Village. Patrons there had another option right across the street at Kozy Korner, as its sign invited people come “party with the Nelson sisters.”

Lastly, the Agave Kitchen, which recently put in new wooden floors in two stages, one for the upstairs Bullpen Cantina and one for the lower level, earlier in the week celebrated its fifth year in business. Has it been that long already?

It’s not too late in the year for some golf, with a prime-time boxing match waiting in the Wings:

— Here’s to hitting the course with a cart and then Kozy Korner, because you care.

The bar and grill in North Hudson is asking people to accept the MS Challenge by participating in its annual golf tournament to support MS research — with all proceeds of course going to that MS challenge and walk. The event is Saturday, Sept. 21, with a shotgun start atb 1 p.m. at the River Falls Golf Course. The cost is $60 per person, $240 per team, and includes golf, a cart to ride, dinner and range balls. Players can then reconvene at Kozy Korner for more fun after the golfing. Players can still signup at Kozy Korner. For more information, call Kozy at (715) 386-7711.

— Hudson’s Buffalo Wild Wings had a completely full house last Saturday at its spacious venue when hosted a viewing of the top TV rated fight ever in Nevada, which saw Mayweather defeat Alvarez, both of whom were undefeated, in a WBA and WBC junior middleweight unification bout. It is the latest in a series of well attended fights that continue to be viewed on the many TVs at BWW, and the announcement about its prominent place in Vegas history was made on Thursday. The BWW patrons kept rapt attention during the fight that has been matched only by that when watching Packer football games, and even stood up from their high-top chairs to cheer at key moments, such as when a big punch was landed — or when a cameraman caught on video the sight of a dislodged mouthguard sliding down the length of one of the ropes.

— Also last Saturday, the late afternoon rain held off just long enough to allow good weather for three prominent annual events, the longtime running of the llamas in Hammond, the fourth annual rib fest contest and cookout and micro-brew sampling at the Willow River Saloon and Carbone’s Pizzeria in Burkhardt, and the Hudson Green Mill golf tournament. All of these had the good timing to be wrapping up their outdoor phase by about 4 p.m.

Of staying outdoors and running alongside fall fauna, or drifting downstream.

— One of the more notable motorcycle runs of the many that continue to be held this fall was well underway on early Saturday afternoon, Sept. 14. , the Dennis Bursch’s third annual Boob-a-luscious rally to benefit the New Richmond Cancer Center. Although the run started and was slated to end at the Star Prairie Sports Bar, it saw many riders cruising the highways running along the St. Croix River in groups of two to five, for the most part forsaking the bars along the way to be outdoors and enjoy the moderate fall temperatures, early-on sunny skies and autumn scenery that is just starting to unfold. By contrast, a full-size party bus parked alongside Woody’s in Bayport to take part in another kind of mostly indoor enjoyment, which was much different than that chosen by the cyclists. Their party as rains came in would eventually move indoors, too, and continue on until early Sunday morning at the Star Prairie bar.

— Speaking of Woody’s, a call needs to go out for people to buy up what of late appears to be an endangered species, the derby duck. Two or three days had gone by since last Wednesday without any being snapped up by patrons, said a bartender in a offhand manner that seemed to indicate this was a calamity (just kidding). So please help save the rubber duckies from extinction. Next Saturday, Sept. 21, all those who had been bought will be floated down a small stream that runs under culverts and past yards through several blocks of a residential neighborhood in back of Woody’s. The quickest quacker wins. For details, or to forego that last drink and use the money to save a duck, stop by the bar.

Start off your weekend with bean bags!

— The people at Guv’s Place in Houlton say that interest in their bean bag toss tournaments, fast becoming a fall fixture, has been consistently strong for the last couple of years. The last one that was held drew 26 entries and filled their entire parking lot for an afternoon, and they hope to replicate that on Saturday, Sept. 7, when they will hold their latest such tournament. Sign-up is at noon and the games begin at 12:30. The entry fee is $25 and their are two divisions, with a guaranteed $300 to the winner of the upper bracket and at least $150 to the victor in the lower bracket. And even better news is that the payoff could be higher, depending on the number of entries. There is a whopping 150 percent payback, which is more than usually seen around the area for such events. Players must be 21 or older, or with a parent, to enter.

— Again at Guv’s, and also frequently playing a number of other local venues, was Saving Starz last Friday, and they used the opportunity to show off their newly tweaked sound. Despite the acoustic emphasis used by the duo, their tunes had a new, more electric feel and twinge, with a vibe that was stronger on the strings. I asked Geno, their guitar player, if this was something new, and he replied, “you noticed?” It was indeed intentional, and Geno described at length how this was done with a special pedal and other technology. The groove was very apparent on the first song I heard them play that evening, Wonderwall by Oasis. Lead singer Anthony’s percussion on the congas was used in a way where it didn’t even kick in until halfway through the song.

Last chance for summer (music):

— If you have not yet heard the duo JazzSpring play its wide range of tunes on the Pudge’s Bar patio, this weekend maybe your last chance for the summer. The pair of musicians and their multiple instruments of all classifications have been on at Pudge’s since June and have planned to continue their gigs through the end of August. That means their last sessions of the season are Thursday starting at 7:30 p.m. and Friday beginning at 8 p.m.

— The group Practical Goods will play at Dick’s Bar and Grill at 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30, to begin the Labor Day holiday weekend that is considered the last gasp of summer. The married couple, from right here in Hudson, plays all kinds of venues including wine bars and fairs and festivals all around the St. Croix Valley and Twin Cities metro area — and even in Austin, Texas. That if fitting because the duo featuring original music by Sarah VanValkenburg also plays red dirt Texas country as well as other country music styles, and mixes in Americana and some rock.

— Soulful singer Ali Washington and her band were one of the last groups to perform at the weekly summer music series each Wednesday night at Dick’s. Washington was joking that she had met star Viking running back Adrian Peterson and that the hunk had autographed her microphone, which she displayed to the crowd. Washington then issued a shoutout to bring singer/bartender Amanda to come on stage. However, the songstress was busy and declined, but not before giving a bow to the stage.

It’s all that jazz, and more, being performed:
— Pudges Bar is fast becoming the jazz headquarters of Hudson, as the trio Quasimofo will play there on Saturday night and mix in some funk and punk. The trio, made up of the musically inclined Ashwood family, plays almost all originals, which is very original in itself, and hits on all styles of jazz, including lesser heard forms such as bebop. When you listen to them, you will hear the influence of jazz stalwarts such as Miles Davis and Benny Goodman. Quasimofo will often ratchet up the tempo to a killer pace, then shortly after that tone it down for a different vibe. They will play from 8 to 11 p.m. at Pudges. You can also catch the local trio at a St. Paul Saints home game on Friday.
— JazzSpring’s weekly selections at Pudge’s Bar, starting at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays and 8 p.m. on Fridays, are branching out as much as the late summer flora and fauna on the patio.
“Lately we have gotten into playing the traditional song, ‘Battle Hymn of the Republic,’ because it has such a bluesy, 6/8 gospel feel,” said Melissa Stoudt, flutist and saxophonist for the duo JazzSpring.
A couple of other signature tunes on their set list are ‘Well You Needn’t’ by Theolonius Monk and ‘Tico Tico’ by Zequinha Abreu. “JazzSpring’s pianist, Ann Marie McIntire, created a pretty funny arrangement for Tico Tico with a dramatic tango type interlude and a ‘swingle singer-esque’ chrous. You gotta hear it,” Stoudt said.
— A newer addition to the Pepperfest music lineup was Saturday night’s Jug, to go with bands you’ve seen and will continue to see locally, 8 Foot 4 on Friday and of course The Dweebs on Sunday. While Jug was juggling songs that were a range of country and pop, and everything in between, here is what could be seen: For big black boots, there were many styles, but the most noteworthy was on a young woman with nothing but fluff from the ankle to a half-foot up the leg. For other headware, there were the flashing neon glasses frames of a woman with a sweatshirt announcing her as Grandma, and the smallest baseball hat I’ve ever seen, held onto the very top of a young man’s head with a plastic band around his chin. For the sublime, there was the carnival game warning that had the last word as far as typos, “No standing, leaning or knelling,” and of course the Pepperfest logo with a misformed letter that looked like it said “Pepperfeat.” And maybe the most interesting thing of the evening was a volunteer security guard who had lived all over the country and was an expert at mouthing dialects from, well, all over the country.

They’re coming to Hudson to see entertainment from several states, or even countries, that are far afield.
— A man from many states away — known simply as The Fiddler — will again bring his act, which incorporates not only that instrument but also scores of other musical styles mixed with outrageous comedy that skewers The Establishment, to Dick’s Bar and Grill on Thursday, Aug. 15. The Sun Country Fiddler, the full nickname of the man born as Dick Solberg, and his rather large band, will fill the stage from 8-11 p.m. in this, their annual intimate-venue excursion to Dick’s.
— The Ricks, an acoustic duo with local ties, have been music veterans for so many years they can cover longtime favorites like Bad Moon Risin’ and Spirit in the Sky. They again “draw on those roots” for a “variety of great listening music that will have you tapping your toes and singing along,” in this case at the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt on Friday, Aug. 16. The duo plays country, rock, blues, southern rock, originals and oldies, and their song list is heavy on Skynyrd, Clapton and Vaughn.
— Also coming to the Willow River Saloon, on Saturday, Aug. 17, is another veritable longtime band, SNS, short for Saturday Night Special, which has more than a dozen Skynyrd songs on its list, going as deep as Workin’ For the MCA. How often do you see an opportunity, at the same venue on consecutive nights, to hear The Ballad of Curtis Lowe? The talents that made up Full Tilt and Chain Lightning and now are SNS do classic, southern and contemporary rock that spans the decades and even includes rarely covered gems like Godzilla by Blue Oyster Cult, as dual lead guitarists Steve Wilking and Al Green do their stuff. Lead vocalist Mark Anthony even does some originals.
— The three-day hip-hop music fest in Somerset, the largest of a continuing summer series, was a hit, as all weekend it was hard to find a motel room all the way over here in Hudson. And in both The Hill area and downtown, there were a lot of young adults who looked, how should I say this, rather “out there.” One of them even left a skateboard balancing precariously on a small ledge between Dick’s and the Agave Kitchen. For information on upcoming concerts being scheduled, visit www.somersetfestival.com.
— The British Invasion, or The British Are Coming! Last weekend’s Britfest car show was an apparent success, as more than 100 classic autos originating from The Continent graced Walnut Street. If the T-shirts of a style that you would not normally see in Cheesehead country, rather than the Queen’s country, were any indication, a lot of those folks stayed into the evening to party at Dick’s. Speaking of queens, I just had to tease a few people I know, who work or play downtown, and named Brittany if the fest was titled after them.
— The JazzSpring duo will again play Pudge’s patio this weekend, and I am issuing a challenge on their behalf. Where else can you see this many musical instruments — strings, winds, brass, percussion and keyboard — propped up and ready for playing in an area that’s not even as big as one of those British cars? The sheer number reminds me of my initial Doobie Brothers concert, where scores of instruments were in the capable hands of about a dozen musicians. But back to JazzSpring, they will perform from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Thursday, and 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday.
— Various venues are hosting NFL “draft parties” later this month, where you can win a free party with appetizers, beverages and “signing bonuses” for you and your friends as you make your selections. Much better to pour down some drafts while you are acting like a pro-sports mogul.