This happening is the heart of the heartland, considered the heart of the county. Not cowardly, via Kenny, with their musical covers, but roaring lyrics like a lion?
The music includes, yes, Heartbreaker. As in bringing Benatar. Pat patently comes to the pavilion. And more tunes said to be heartfelt, and hearty.
But take heart, no more puns, just substance, as Hammond Heartland Days has heaps of hot licks, too, with its lyrics.
They’ve happened onto Hailey James on Friday night, Aug. 11, who has performed a lot around the region, and now has taken it to the central heart of St. Croix, via the hub of Nashville.
Alongside Hailey, on Saturday night, is the “sideshow” and more of Side Hustle.
And befitting the themes, a good old fashioned truck and tractor pull, between shows, thusly, on Saturday late afternoon and early evening. Its gotta be 5 O’Clock somewhere, and that is this spectacle and its many machines, A Vulgar Display of Power beyond John Deere with its rumbling. Like an ol’ threshing hoedown, with hundreds and more of horses in power, before the night’s speakered amps even take hold. The tractor classes sound impressive, with about a dozen-and-half different four and five digit numbers as style IDs, and they throw around terms like not only Farm, but Turbo, Improved and Pro. So this isn’t just your daddy’s old basic green gizmo or red ride. There is a toned down, garden tractor pull the day before.
I do have to ask about some of these local festivals and their music. Where do they get these guys (and gals)? In a very good way.
— So what else is there on the Eleventh? Back to the Willow River Inn in Burkhardt, is the unveiling in the area, for the most part, of new band Herdes End, (kinda spelled like Hermes, but we can assume they’re country not, say, classical). Preps up the sheep dog trials at Badlands recreation center over Labor Day weekend, as spelled out by a sign in the ditch — is that not country? — near to the saloon. Makes me harken back to days of yore when such doggy tricks were first getting going, and included state-of-the-art obstacle courses much like horses in steeplechase and beyond and the Hudson area was Ground Zero, led by one local lady who moonlighted at Dick’s bar and grill selling shots. Are you viewing Rhonda?
Also on the Eleventh, we revisit again another W word, the Wild Badger in New Richmond, where they will host Samantha Grimes, on the patio, and display her take, as I announce it, on the auburn hair of a younger and — dare I say it? — hotter Peg Bundy. But not from Chicago. Closer to Milwaukee. —
Back to Hammond, starting with Hailey James, though not of the James Gang, who is a talented, obviously, singer/songwriter/performer/recording artist from neighboring Cottage Grove, Minn. She has garnered recognition as a four-time AWARD WINNER from the Midwest Country Music Organization, receiving thus-called prestigious titles such as 2022 Female Vocalist and Songwriter of the Year, as well as the 2021 Midwest CMO New Artist and Song of the Year for her track “Wide Awake.”
Having started her musical journey by playing local shows near her hometown, Hailey’s entertaining, as is said, performances have allowed her to captivate audiences throughout the Twin Cities, western Wisconsin, and even in the renowned music hub of Nashville. At just 14, Hailey found her place on stage as a weekly featured artist at Country Nites Saloon in Hastings, also just over the border in Minnesota, where she honed her skills/passion for performing in front of a live audience.
As an active member of, trifecta, the Midwest Country Music Organization, Songtown, and the Minnesota Music Coalition, Hailey continues to expand her musical horizons. She draws inspiration from esteemed artists such as Carrie Underwood, who you have No Doubt heard of, and Kelsea Ballerini and Lauren Alaina, channeling their influence into her own authentic sound.
When we talk about Heartland Days and heart, this is what we’re talking about.
Hailey’s dedication to her craft is shown in collaboration with up-and-coming Nashville artists and accomplished, chart-topping hit songwriters, shaping her unique musical style. Her dream is to, through her original songs and not just covers, become an integral part of the singer/songwriter scene in Nashville. Her original compositions have gained significant traction and can be heard on radio stations across the Midwest, making her a rising star in the abundant country music scene.
My new two-track album focuses on the things learned over the course of growing up and also reflecting on her younger self. “They’re an inside look at who I was and who I’ve become. I hope that when you listen to these songs that you reflect on who you were and what you’ve become, and that these songs inspire you to keep growing into the person that you’ve always wanted to be,” she expounds.
After the truck and tractors stop pulling, more music hits a couple of hours later on Saturday night.
Come that stated Saturday, just what is that Side Hustle from The Cities, aside from the obvious? We’ll let them tell it …
“We are Side Hustle. A collective of musical talent with an unconventional sense of style and taste.” Broadly hard rockin’ via funk, too, and also rock.
“When you’re on your ninth (but keep it in single digits) Coors Banquet at Applebee’s and some millennial jerkoff (not that there’s anything wrong with that) says that Van Halen is ‘dad rock’ …” They are there to defend Roth and rock, as a rollin’ band, via tunes and tonic.
Aside from that, take this into account. A single on YouTube shows them ripping through an amped-up covering of Separate Ways by Journey and Heartbreaker by Pat Benatar. So even more guitar for you, as the outro pumping solo really rocks!
Music starts at 8 p.m. both nights.