Dubstep, moombahton and glitch-hop, and jazz, too.
— A huge music festival, with dozens of acts, comes to the Somerset amphitheater and will go virtually all weekend from Aug. 9-11 when factoring in camping and afterparties. It will feature all kinds of music for the young crowd, with diverse styles that include things called dubstep, moombahton and glitch-hop, often presented in a complex way, and even stuff an older rocker such as myself would recognize, such as The Wailers of Bob Marley fame, and the Indie rock group Passion Pit. Pages of information can be found online for set schedule, camping, tickets, afterparty stuff and much, much more (literally) by going to somersetfestival.com.
— This weekend, of course, will also feature another JazzSpring performance at Pudge’s Bar on their patio, and now that they are established locally, its time to recall favorite performances. I liked the smooth, flowing melody that came as part of a sax solo when I first saw them in June. To determine your favorite memory, check them out for yourself on Thursday starting at 7:30 p.m. or Friday at 8 p.m.
— Amanda and her duo A & W played their first of what will likely be many performances locally at Dick’s Bar and Grill, fitting since she bartends there. Amanda provided the percussion by both sitting on, and pounding with her hands, a rigged-up crate that was done in much the style as Saving Starz in their duos. A & W with Amanda on vocals did some songs that steered far from the usual classic rock, beyond the covers typically chosen by a female singer.
— Much the same from Christy Sperling, who is fast becoming an ongoing local presence, when she covered Who Will Save Your Soul by Jewel in a solo performance at the Village Inn in North Hudson to help celebrate the birthdays of stalwarts Diane (her 50th) and Joey (his 30th) last weekend.
— Lastly of note, when River Falls Days was held earlier in the summer, there were the usual bands in the usual venues, but Johnnie’s Bar also got in on the act by having three bands in three days, Chimney Fish, Old School and Dave Snyder.

Music lights up the night in more ways than one:
— The JazzSpring shows that have been taking place on the patio at Pudge’s Bar have been garnering attention that’s being talked about by music lovers in nightspots all the way to North Hudson. A regular downtown Hudson patron walked into the Village Inn in North Hudson, took a seat at the bar and immediately described with vigor what he’d seen just minutes earlier driving down the main drag a few miles to the south. There was something really musically different going on at Pudge’s, he told the bartender and other patrons, and since he had the windows rolled down could soon tell it was “funky jazz.”
That music, as well as other forms of jazz, is provided by the duo JazzSpring at Pudge’s each Thursday in summer starting at 7:30 p.m. and Friday beginning at 8 p.m.
— The blackout night at Dick’s Bar and Grill again had a full house dancing in the dark, with black tarp covering the windows and doors and only glow sticks and black lights providing any illumination — with an exception this time around: The till, which was kept busy, shown a brief blue hue when it was rung up. Also, the bouquets of a bachlorette party were glowing, as they were stuck with the sticks. If you missed the semi-annual event, check it out this winter.
— On Wednesday night at Dick’s, country guitarist Mark Stary added some plucky twang to his solos during the last two songs of his first set, the last number of which was Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison, as he reached into his vault of tunes to play rock, blues, oldies and originals, as well. Some of each of these styles can be found on his soon-to-be-released new record, as Stary has been a full-time musician for almost a decade. You can catch Stary and his bass player, Brian Johnson, again soon since they play Dick’s once every month or so.

Of Perry Como, Tico Tico and country
— JazzSpring’s weekly selections on the Pudge’s patio are branching out.
“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.
This Thursday and Friday, July 25 and 26, Herb Reinke, a guitarist, is sitting in for McIntire. Reinke played for a while as Perry Como’s guitarist and he pulls a beautiful sound out of his guitar, Stoude said. Connie Dussl will also be singing some tunes. Music starts about 7:30 p.m.
For more information, check out JazzSpring.com.
— Longtime area guitarist and singer Mark Stary, who is no stranger to Nashville, brings his unique style and attitude of hard country to Dick’s Bar and Grill on Wednesday night, July 31. Mixed in with the potent finger-picking are some smooth, mellow strains. A second guitarist who is regular with Stary and joins him on stage to produce that signature sound is Brian Johnson — and not the one of AC/DC fame.

Hey Daug, perform some jazz or prominent karaoke:
— At the Willow River Saloon on Saturday night, July 20, it’s Blind Dog, a little old country rock band that’s become quite big, and well-known regionally with a great following. “They’re really fun,” said a bartender, adding they’re widely renowned from the Twin Cities on over for that attribute. playing 70s, 80s and 90s music. On the previous night, a Friday, its Load Center, which plays classic rock, blues, originals and “5 country songs.” You’ve got to love it when a band’s bio is that precise.
— On Saturday, July 20’s celebration of the “fifth annual grand opening” of the Kozy Korner grill and bar in North Hudson, there will be at least that many ways to enjoy yourself, the owners point out. A bean-bag-toss tournament will be held using multiple boards, with registration at 12:30 and action at 1 p.m., Darren Caster will play a solo acoustic guitar show (think giving the Who’s Behind Blues Eyes a new, bluesy treatment), the joint’s trademark pizza will be sold in slices, and 16 ounce beers such as Michelob Golden will be on sale for $3.

— There is a reason JazzSpring has been asked to play on the patio at Pudge’s Bar each Thursday and Friday night through the end of August. Pudge’s owner Michael Murphy says that he regularly is contacted by bands, often inexperienced,  that want to play gigs at his bar, but he knew right away that this jazz duo was something different and special — and has become the only band he’s hired. Music by these veterans of jazz starts at about 7:30 p.m. each night.
— Each Thursday night, it’s DJ Chad hosting karaoke at Bo’s ‘N Mine in River Falls, with the added feature that patrons itching to sing can put up their request via their Smart Phone. Down the street each Wednesday night at the Corner Saloon, its the karaoke of S&S Power, which has the added attraction of seeing your name in lights, as you or your alais and the song title will be listed in order of appearance on a TV screen. That’s how I got my singing alias of The Count. Don’t ask me why that name, I haven’t a clue.

Cool jazz to soak up, as well as lots of root beer and regular beer:

— The jazz duo JazzSpring will again play on the patio at Pudge’s Bar on Thursday and Friday nights, but since — can you believe it? — the length of the summer days are already starting to wane, the music can be seen and heard in the sunlight hours, those waning into twilight, and even those in the heat of the night. As one of the members of JazzSpring, Ann Marie McIntire says, there is no favorite time to view their act, as the song selection doesn’t change, but the crowd does tend to mellow a bit as the sun sets. It makes for a cool jazz experience, in more ways than one. The music starts at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and 8 p.m. on Friday.
— Singer Amanda, long a fixture on the local scene, has a new, or at least downsized band. The new duo are called A & W, for Amanda and Will, and their flyers prominently show the root beer logo along with the wording “established in 2012.” In her former band, Smirk Worthy, there were questions about who should share most of the frontman (or frontwoman) and lead vocal assignments, and most fans favored Amanda for those duties, although she tends to shirk the limelight, even with Smirk. In any case, you can catch the new duo’s act at Dick’s Bar and Grill on Wednesday night, July 17.
— New at the Village Inn in North Hudson is the HOPR, a tall glass cylinder shaped like a tall blonde that can be rented, for lack of a better term, and dispenses 96 ounces of your favorite beer, such as Miller Lite or Honey Weiss. A nearly two-foot tube of ice running down the middle keeps it cold, and while it has been around other places in the state, the HOPR is relatively new to the Hudson area.

Holiday favorites, and some new-found glory, will be featured this Fourth:
— JazzSpring will again play at Pudge’s Bar on Friday night, but since they have an ongoing booking every first Thursday throughout the year, another veteran jazz duo will take their place on the Fourth of July. “Our subs,” as Ann Marie McIntire of JazzSpring fondly calls them, are the pairing of Connie Dussl, vocalist, and Herb Reinke, jazz guitarist. Both have performed 40-plus years, and as a duo for at least 20 years. They feature jazz standards, but there will be some patriotic songs in their repertoire. Fireworks (in Stillwater) will follow their show, which begins around 7:30 p.m., or maybe even start before the show ends.
— Dick’s Bar and Grill will step up their live music for the holiday, with Brian Naughton playing on Wednesday night, and in an early 6 p.m. start, Practical Goods on The Fourth. The latter band makes a shift across the river from their previous hot spot, Hefty’s Roadhouse in Bayport, which has closed its doors. As far as Naughton, a recollection I have from one of the first times he played Dick’s is his performance of Foxy Lady by Jimi Hendrix, which fit his guitar style very well when he struck the instrument with vertical finger action while jumping on his tip toes at the same time — then agreed to tackle a request of another Hendrix classic, Hey Joe.
— Hudson’s Booster Days also ups the ante, with eight bands over four days in Lakefront Park — starting Wednesday, July 3, with country acts — that are a bit different than the festival’s norm as far as diversity. However, the pop rock of Uncle Chunk, regarded as one of the top cover bands coming out of the Twin Cities, will be back as a featured act on Saturday night. Newer to the fest is Caleb Hawley, Hudson’s own American Idol top 16 artist, with his eclectic pop. Noticeably absent from the typical lineup during previous years is the tribute to disco and ’70s music of Boogie Wonderland, which did play at Roberts Good Neighbor Days a few weeks back. Booster Days headliner bands start at 9 p.m., and the openers at 5 weekdays and 6 on the weekend. Prior to Uncle Chunk, these bands play: Wednesday, Scarlet Country and Buck Tucker Band, Thursday, Kingsview and Caleb Hawley, Friday, Rizer and Devon Worley Band, and Saturday, Parachute Empire and Uncle Chunk.

Things to do to quench your thirst, and you’ll want to:
— Who needs “a place with a good five cent cigar?” At Pudge’s Bar on Thursday night, June 27, you can sample five kinds of cognac and have your favorite cigar to go with it, too. Patrons can also have three of the five selected cognacs as a full drink, “and enjoy a cigar that will go well with all five.” The event is co-sponsored by Pudge’s and the St. Croix Cigar Co, both in downtown Hudson, and runs from 7-10 p.m. It will be held on Pudge’s spacious and well decorated patio, with a rain date of Saturday, June 29, if needed. The cognacs that can be sampled are B&B, Courvoiser, Grand Marnier, Drambuie and Hennessey. You get all this for $30. Pre-signup is available at either sponsoring establishment, or you can just come on down.
— The latest of Thirsty Camel’s ongoing gigs at Season’s Tavern in North Hudson on occasional Saturday nights showcased a strong rhythm section. Also, on at least one occasion, versatile vocals were displayed, when the trio’s lead singer did a bit of falsetto and nailed a key change to Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash.
— Singer Ali Washington also makes a return engagement, at Dick’s Bar and Grill on Wednesday night, June 26, as part of the ongoing summer weekday series. A fond recollection of one of her first gigs there, two summers ago, was when she did a soulful and breathy, but dead-on rendition of classics including Elton John’s Benny and the Jets.

Sarah and Susan, Slur and summer rock is all here.

— When “Jambo” Joe Bones played trop rock for a full house at Dick’s Bar and Grill, a gig which will continue to play out often locally at more than one establishment, you can see why he is near the top of this genre.

Jambo’s banter with the crowd on that Sunday afternoon CD release party, some of whom he knows well, even brought them into the act. He got a few minutes worth in the intro to the song Sluricane, and said about the next number: People ID’d me as the guy who jumped into the pool in his underwear, but it actually was that man in the back!

— Want to see some veteran rockers who play the hard rock songs of Led Zeppelin, Rush and Pink Floyd, but also do covers on the other, mellower side of the coin, with the stylings of Neil Diamond, Johnnie Cash, Bob Segar, Paul Simon and Simon and Garfunkle — with something in the middle, the Rolling Stones, also slotted in? Then you want to check out Thirsty Camel on Saturday night, June 15, at Season’s Tavern in North Hudson.

— Sarah Van Valkenburg, as part of a musical family that often plays together, had her own CD release party, for Guitar Picks & Bottle Caps, last Saturday at Hefty’s Roadhouse in Bayport, and noteworthy was that it ended in an impromptu open mike session. Special guests were Dustin Bell and the Lazy Susan Band. The weekend also marked the start of live music Fridays, not just Saturdays, at Hefty’s. And then on Saturday, June 15, just in time for Father’s Day, there is their version of something virtually every bar seems to be doing this June — the golf invitational party. Following that at 7:30 p.m. is more music, by a group called The Immigrants.

— Its been a few years since the summer River Rock concerts for charity held at the Lakefront Park band shell in Hudson, which featured bands prominent in the 1970s and 1980s, courtesy of the late Jeff Johnson who served as their stage manager and was a leading regional recording artist in his own right. Now, on Saturday, June 15, is the Rockin Ribs on the River festival at Lakeside Park in Bayport, which offers the racks of food as well as music from three bands that include Mick Sterling and the Irresistibles (not to be confused with Christy Sperling who often plays at Hefty’s) and also Crankshaft. There is free admission, which includes a beer and wine garden with Liftbridge Brewery and St. Croix Vineyard products. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

“Jambo” is only part of the popular jams coming to the area in recent days:
— If you have to be known for performing a precise musical genre, what better than to be a purveyor of “trop rock” tunes, as will be shown in Hudson on Sunday. That is the main claim to fame of Hudson’s own “Jambo” Joe Bones, who makes it real by using terms on his web site such as using “a blender full of Jimmy Buffett” in his song mix, and being “just a wee parakeet” when he was exposed to music by his parents.
He lists 22 wideranging artists, to name just a few, as getting him going in those early years, but when discovering Buffett he was hooked, and said “take me to the boat” and decided to emulate Buffett’s laid-back style. That includes, Jambo said, “a touch of fun, irony and humor” that includes, but goes way beyond, his hit Margaritaville.
Jambo will have a CD release party at Dick’s Bar and Grill on Sunday, June 9, at 2 p.m. Jambo was just voted the No. 2 “favorite new trop rock artist,” and No. 3 “trop rock song of the year,” by the listeners of Beachfront Radio. The new CD is titled “Buccaneers, Ballads & Bellyflops,” and a previous recording was “Bar on a Beach.” Jambo also plays country and originals as part of his mix.
Jambo said he and the band members just like to let people have fun and get away from the cares of the day. He added that not everything when it comes to music has to be deadly serious.
He also teams up with Amy M for the ongoing Miniskirts and Mustaches tour. They can often be seen, among other places, at Mike’s Em Pour E Yum in the town of Hudson.
— I ran into longtime drummer Kerry Boesel and a friend and former bandmate, Rachel Lueneberg, at Hefty’s Roadhouse in Bayport just the other day, and it was clear that Kerry is getting back into the music thing in a big way. He’s teaming with River Falls bandleader Tommy Bentz, of Beatles tribute fame, in a new group called the Thirty Eights. They are playing the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt on Saturday night, June 8. I remember Kerry from his earlier days with another band of locals, Red Over Lunar, back more than a decade ago when there were a host of Hudson musicians starting to do prominent things, and Lunar led the way. The members of Lunar were all-out rockers, sporting a wall of sound, and this shows Kerry’s versatility, not to mention that of Tommy Bentz and his other instrumentalists.
— Terri Traen of KQRS had a guest appearance at Hefty’s a week or so ago, and she attracts a crowd whenever she conducts such an event locally, and I’m sure they will continue to be held. I first met Terri at the grand opening of Jimmy John’s sandwiches in Hudson more than a decade ago, and she had no problem at all mugging for the camera (sometimes posing with babies). She did at that time lay out an important ground rule, which made me chuckle — don’t take any shots that show my feet!
The recent event, in which all yard chairs were full, was a precursor to the opening of Hefty’s newly-created patio for the summer, and their presence of yard games such as beanbag toss was prominent in the radio promos. A pair of interns at the radio-show give-away table and a sound woman got everything set ahead of time, in preparation for Terri’s arrival. A stalled microphone gave Terri the chance to mingle more closely while giving announcements and make the experience all the more intimate.
— The Hudson Homebrew Club, which also explores the possibilities of making mead, cider, wine and craft brews, will meet Thursday, June 13, at the Hudson Brewing Co., 1510 Swasey St. at 6:30 p.m. People are asked to come and discuss “fermented libations” and their equipment, technology, personal experiences, both good and bad, and crafty creations.” The brewing company is the home of Hudson’s own American Sky beer, “let freedom pour,” and its own creation, which is just the right consistency, not too mellow or too stark.

Memorial Day and summer is now here, so there are many more entertainment offerings locally than what you would find in cold weather.
— As of mid-May, Dick’s Bar and Grill is back with its weekly Wednesday night music, and on tap on May 29 is soloist Darren Caster, with guitar and vocals. Darren is well known from his days playing with the band Deviant Distraction, which also did some open-mic night hosting a few years ago. I first met him on one of those nights, and teamed with him for a duet version of one of his favorite songs, Rebel Yell by Billy Idol, which Deviant bassist Tall Paul, all 6-foot-8 of him, said was simply killer. Prior to his Wednesday gig, you might catch Darren going a cameo with Jeff Loven, the One Man Band, on a Sunday night gig that with the Monday holiday is sure to be rockin’ and packed. It will likely feature cameos by musicians who only drop in infrequently.
— P.D. Pappy’s is now open for the summer, and on most Sunday afternoons again this year has featured the Kurt Jorgensen band, with its scores of musicians ala the Doobie Brothers and varied instrumentation. This Sunday is no exception with a “Kurt Jorgensen marathon” from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. All this reminds me of an old friend, Jacque, who with about a dozen of her friends has followed the band all over the world to take in its gigs. (Okay, actually as far as Iowa, but she says that was quite a road trip). Jacque also was known, a few years back, for being the first female engineer in her category in the history of Andersen Windows, but I have not seen her since proposing that as a business story to various editors. As Jeff Loven is so well known to say, “hey, let’s get the band back together!”