This the Season for many types of music, and many Woody’s girlfriends, and that’s the Skinny:
— I met Dave Snyder, who will perform at Season’s Tavern in North Hudson on Saturday night, May 18, and some of his loyal listeners at a recent local gig, and it was clear from talking to them that Dave really walks the walk more than most when having a play list of over 500 songs and growing all the time — and giving them an individualized treatment. As a solo act, he does not only the usual classic country, Americana and acoustic rock, but also “Oklahoma Red Dirt” and titles that have influences from jazz to blues. What’s best is he encourages fans to review his play list, even in advance, and he’ll follow through with the request. He has cover songs available as recordings, and they also show diversity, and include Up On Cripple Creek, Heart of Gold and Soulshine. If you want to boil this all down to a sound you will recognize, think The Mavericks.
— Starting mid-afternoon Saturday is a benefit and celebration for Zach Sobiech, who is in the late stages of fighting an aggressive cancer, osteosarcoma. His father is a longtime local rock band member, and there will be live music by bands including The New Skinny. The rock music-based event is at the bandshell in Hudson’s Lakefront Park and $5 entry wristbands can be purchased at local retailers. (It should be noted that the Hudson-based members of The New Skinny are really keeping busy and balancing family and musical life, as well as their day jobs, while adding to their eclectic playlist of various varieties of rock. They are packing up their gear on Saturday and going right to another gig that night, at the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt. The many loyal members of their fan base who follow them will be in tow, so it should make for a couple of really happening and well-attended events).

— Woody’s in Bayport on Friday is again celebrating its birthday — with the themed help of several young staffers known as the “Woody’s girlfriends,” who come very well recommended. There will be a radio personality from K102 at Woody’s from 3-7 p.m., Miller Lite’s on sale for a mere $1.02 in the early afternoon, other drink specials, and the Miller Lite girls from 5-7 p.m. WE Fest tickets will be given away — and you might ask James Huston of Hudson who once auditioned, as part of a prominent multi-state contest, to do karaoke there how fun that can be. There also is a deejay at 9:30 p.m.

Of playing songs by the Stones and for Shannon …

— Owner Brad will grace the stage of his own establishment, Seasons Tavern in North Hudson, with his longtime band Thirsty Camel, which he says plays cover songs the way they were meant to be played. The gig is Saturday night, May 11. Thirsty Camel has been together for 20 years and has used that experience to hone covers of songs by Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Rush, and more recently has included Neil Diamond, Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash and Bob Segar, to name a few. Thirsty Camel started playing at Peppercorns, the Iron Horse and even Dibbo’s back when they were known as Myth — yes, like the  Maplewood club — and then even scored gigs at the Cabooze and Fine Line Music Cafe. The members of Thirsty Camel consider music to be “a co-pilot” and pride themselves on covering it the way the artists performed it.

But as much as they love them, Thirsty Camel is not just covers. They wrote an album and recorded the CD at Oarfin Records in Minneapolis with the help of James Walsh (Gypsy), and then forged on with that for two years before deciding that cover tunes was where the market was heading for them.

— There is a benefit for the medical and financial expenses of Shannon O’Brien on Saturday from 1-7 p.m. at the Village Inn, and on Friday night right before bar close, owner Leigh Halvorsen could still be seen tending to the pig roasting machine. The event has many other draws, including kids games and an old car display. Sixties music from Thunderman is on the docket, and also performing are fittingly, the O’Brien’s from Hudson with their vocal harmonies. (On the other end of the scale, there is also karaoke). Flyers for the event are up all over town, as virtually everyone knows Shannon, and they tout the benefits of driving safely using seat belts.

What a way to go, Cinco …
— In case you haven’t noticed, several area establishments have elaborate Bloody Mary’s that are heavily accented with multiple pieces of many different vegetables and the like, but with that said, it all starts with the mix. And that’s where you come in. Dick’s Bar and Grill is asking their customers, and who would know better, to judge who has the best and most downright perfect Bloody Mary mix. Dick’s after all is known for its boating crowd who come in off the river and have a Bloody or two to celebrate the start of their day. The contest judging starts at 2 p.m. Sunday.
You too can celebrate Mexican Freedom with drink specials in various places on such standards as Corona, and also less publicized South of the Border brews.
— Coach’s in River Falls is one of several area venues that each week are offering partly online trivia nights with drink and prize giveaways. On a recent Wednesday night a deejay was emceeing a contest between two competing teams that had a Family Fued theme, and the activity was chaotic, fun and nonstop high energy. On other nights it’s more cerebral, with Jeopardy being mimicked. One of the individual winners received a Packer sweatshirt, but she considered declining acceptance, saying it featured the team from the wrong side of the river.
Also holding Wednesday night online trivia is Hefty’s Roadhouse in Bayport. On Sunday night at Emma’s in River Falls is 90-minute, four-team-member, 25-question “live” trivia offering with a “quizmaster.” Also, the Corner Saloon in River Falls formerly had trivia on Thursdays. Contact the bars for more scheduling details.
— Sure to be having return engagements at Dick’s is singer-songwriter Marcus Lere, who filled the Wednesday bill and brought down the crowd late in April. He did justice to the complex vocals of some songs that aren’t often performed, such as What Is and What Should Never Be by Led Zeppelin, and Power of Love by Heuy Lewis and the News.

You won’t have to go far to celebrate spring this Saturday, unless it’s joyriding.

— If you can’t go to the Sahara, have the Sahara come to you, courtesy of a spring break party right here in downtown Hudson. A pile of sand that’s usually almost a foot deep and extends to within a stride of the doorways has already on Saturday morning, April 27, been poured in the dance room in the middle of Dick’s Bar and Grill. In addition to the desert-size pile of sand to play in, a music group that’s anything but mediocre, the Average Janes, will entertain starting at 6 p.m. The music will continue with a deejay at 10 p.m. until close.

— It’s just a short trek, to Woody’s in Bayport, to participate in the most current installment of Bar Olympics. This could be seen as a perfect venue, as it is indeed a bowling alley, and in addition to knocking down pins, participants can compete for bragging rights in a number of other events requiring supreme athleticism, such as darts and beer pong. Pre-registration can be done at the bar, and the action gets going on Saturday at 2 p.m., with registration starting at 1:30. More locally, in Hudson, Dick’s has been a hub for occasional Bar Olympics games, organized by the some of the bartenders there. The most recent installment in Hudson was earlier in April.

— There are some fundraiser events with food and fun that can be taken in on Saturday, most notably a motorcycle poker run in central and eastern St. Croix County starting in the afternoon. Participants will trek around that area with stops at about a dozen taverns. They have much better weather today, with sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s, then was had for some other local rallies earlier in the month. For information and to ride in the event, stop in at L&M’s in Roberts, a sponsor that is one of the first stops on the rally agenda.

— Friday was the opening day for many local and area golf courses, as snow and the muck from it melting have finally alleviated and all golfers may have to negotiate is an occasional small snowbank. It should be noted that some high school golf teams in the area did get a trial run with Thursday meets, finally getting on the links after practicing in the gymnasium for weeks.

— It’s not just about the sport value of pro wrestling, it’s the comedic aspect, and it will be lived out at Meister’s Bar and Grill in Boardman on Saturday evening, April 20, via the skill set of athlete/comedians like Buck Rock and Roll Zumhofe. And yes, it helps that this is inexpensive entertainment.

Besides AWA master entertainer Zumhofe, there are five main matches with numerous grapplers. Tickets are expected to go fast, but there is still opportunity to buy them, at $10 for general admission and $15 at ringside, up close and personal for the antics. Doors open at 7:15 p.m., with wrestling at 8 p.m.

The people at Meister’s point out that this event is back by popular demand, and that numerous AWA professionals have graced the ring in Boardman.

— Dale Martell of the Zebra Mussels band, a longtime group of experienced and seasoned musicians, says those are the qualities that has made the local group  successful for so many years. The Mussels play at the Willow River Saloon on Saturday night, April 13. “We call it playing in the pocket,” getting into a groove and just going with the music, Martell said. Something that is a bit new for the band, for those who have not seen them for awhile, is that they now shift duties between three different lead singers. The Mussels play a lot of country, but also a range of other tunes.

They’re still running, whether it be with music or for office:

— Perhaps one of the most impressive facets of the Still Runnin’ country and rock band, which will play at the Willow River Saloon on Saturday night, April 6, is its 64-song playlist, chock full of original choices. They include an auburn-haired songstress belting out tunes such as Call Me by Blondie, I will survive by Gloria Gaynor and Love Shack by the B-52s. They have a local connection with frequent visitor Tommy Tutone, as they play his classic Jenny (867-5309). And, Still Runnin’ will be back again at the Willow later in spring.
— Also, on Friday night, April 5, the Willow will change it up a bit with another band with local ties, The Ricks.
— The Guv is elected! That’s the nickname of bar owner Dan Thompson, who won a St. Joseph township supervisor post by a 451-372 vote over Jim Traeger, who he accused of being too much on the side of realtors and not listening enough to common people — you know, the kind of folk who patronize his tavern. A small poster, “thank’s St. Joe,” was placed on Wednesday on the back side of a larger campaign sign, positioned so people leaving Guv’s Place could see it from the door. Thompson said one of his strengths is being a business owner, and mingling with his customers to get the lay of the land, so to speak, but added on the day before the election that with the new post would come a lot of additional work. So, it would be a mixed blessing, but no matter the outcome, he wins, Thompson said. Suffice it to say that the Guv will have a little bit less time for shooting darts with his customers.

Jazz and country, around the county:
— The one-of-a-kind sounds of jazz group Quasimofo will play at North Hudson’s Season’s Tavern in a return engagement on Saturday, March 23. Keyboard player Chris Ashwood describes the band “as a power jazz trio, with a big band sound in a little combo. Our influences are rock, blues and R and B, with a little bit of punk rock attitude.” The group, which are Hudsonites and feature Ashwood’s dad, Paul, on the drums, will most likely play the jazz fest in St. Paul later in the year and they are getting a lot of gigs in the Twin Cities, Chris Ashwood said. Be sure to get to Seasons early, as music starts around 8 p.m.
— A multi-faceted Night of Country is being presented by St Croix Animal Friends on Saturday, March 23 at the Valley House, 1237 Highway 35, Hudson. Social hour starts at 5 p.m., dinner at 6, contests and activities at 7:30 and dancing at 9 to midnight. There will be raffles, a silent auction, contests and a photographer will make a record the evening’s activities for guests. Music will be by The Ricks, a local country western band who will also offer line dancing lessons. Tickets are available online at the website, www.scafshelter.org, or by calling Diana at (715) 386-4004 or the Valley House. All proceeds go towards building a new home for St Croix Animal Friends, a local organization that is making its first priority to build a much needed shelter for housing domestic animals.
— The Wolf River Band will bring their brand of country to the Willow River Inn in Burkhardt on Friday, March 22. The band has opened for stars like Loretta Lynn and George Jones, to name a couple, and has been nominated for Native American Music Awards and Wisconsin Area Music Industry Awards. They had a No. 1 hit in Europe for their rendition of Honky Tonkin’ by Hank Williams. The band members range in age from the early 20s to the mid 50s, and it shows in the diversity of their song mix, which includes mostly traditional country, fiddle music and ’50s and ’60s rock. The Wolf River Band does songs by Brooks & Dunn, Ernest Tubb, Willie Nelson, Box Car Willie and Elvis, to name a few.
— Then on Saturday night, it’s the idea of luck be a lady tonight, mixed with a bit of black leather to go with lace, as a beautiful and talented songstress with black locks leads the rock quartet Lady Luck when they play Willow River Inn. The versatile group plays a variety of tunes and tempos, but for the most part they really rock out ’80s style– as you might guess from their logo, an Ace of Spades that is set to the pattern of an actual playing card that’s handed out to patrons.

Irish all around the region
— Paddy Ryan’s Irish Pub, at 709 Rodeo Circle in the town of Hudson, will do many things on St. Patrick’s Day in a way they only feature on this occasion, involving reasonably priced food and song, Irish whiskey and seating arrangements.
A corned beef and cabbage dinner will be offered all day on Sunday, with potatos and carrots included and of course, plenty of cabbage, all for only $12.
Shots of Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey will go for $3 to make that dinner more festive.
The O’Brien’s, a vocal group from Hudson, will perform from 1:30-4 p.m., and likely give their sets an Irish twist.
The day has a limited menu, which is tweaked for the holiday, said Mike Fassino, who is co-owner with his wife, Connie. “We’ll have everything that’s good in Irish food,” Mike said.
This is the only day of the year where they don’t take reservations, he said.
— In the name of Paint the Town Black, as in Guinness draught, the North Hudson Pub Crawl will start at noon on St. Patrick’s Day. There will be $3 tall taps and corn beef and cabbage all day long, at one of the featured stops, as patrons won’t have to choose which place to visit if on a limited schedule — they can hit them all! Word has it that the appeal of this pub crawl comes from getting that chance to go places you might not typically patronize, and pick up some new friends along the way, as sponsors such as Kozy Korner say that the event might start with 40 people, then balloon to 50 or more as the stops being made continue.
— Guv’s Place in Houlton is having of all things a doubles dart tournament for St. Patrick’s Day, on Saturday actually, with signup at 2 p.m., shooting starting at 3, and a “luck of the draw” format; is that anything like “luck of the Irish?” There will be $500 added cash, which is kind of like the pot at the end of the rainbow. Entry fee is $15 per person. Dozens of green hats are hung from the ceiling, some traditional but also even baseball hats. I asked bartender Patty if she has pulled this shift, since it would seem to be her holiday? She initially just shrugged at my attempt at humor.

There was a fairly obvious band choice this weekend. That’s amidst a Friday show by Saving Starz that packed the spacious Village Inn, at least early on and mainly in the bar area, causing Geno to wonder aloud if his hard-strummed but acoustic guitar could be heard in the wings; and calls by at least two local clubs on their signs — one in Hudson and the other in North Hudson — to have other local guys the New Skinny play Pepperfest.

That band choice is having Sterns County 17 border hop on Saturday and play at the Corner Saloon in River Falls, bringing across the I-94 bridge their state’s “hottest live country” with a rock ‘n roll edge complete with fiddle — is that an oxymoron? — and a high energy stage show to boot.