(A timeout that’s the full one and not the shorter 30 second version, then you can read a big bonus of a read we think worthy of all these bonus babies and franchise player tags. Even though we until now, as people such as blue-color, beer guzzling Brewer fans — some of them ones that Google says read this website even though its far afield, as opposed to Twins fans locally, and may be stepping aside from that Brewer game on the tube as there simply is no such thing right now — though loving their sports didn’t like the rich diva idea. The UW Madison marching band music of instruments made of metal and maple aside, as sports seasons are being cancelled faster than the famously printed in the past the Nolan Ryan fastball, there are some things that have stood the test of time and are more permanent and possibly eternal than even the worst viruses, which will eventually fall by the wayside like the rink ice melts do come spring and the cleansing of renewal. That’s coming soon. Like Led Zeppelin and the equally famous Stairway to Heaven song that is a virtual hymn promises, “If there’s a Bustle in Your Hedgerow, Don’t be Alarmed Now. It’s Just a Springclean For the May Queen.” Springsteen would like all this, minus the partial plagerism that he would consider another form of plague and maybe pagan, although I think the latter is just fine, and given beliefs that they hold as Earth Day has almost arrived, and because as the numbers of death mount we need more than ever, evermore, all of us, to come together as one to . But there is not eternity to wrap up this transition. However, extra innings often are in the offing when interpreting of truth, as America’s Game, taken to The Continent, the rest of Europe and the other continents, is more vital even as it and its lasting hopefulness are shared with the rest of the world. The above are things we gave to take solace in and contemplate, and indeed keep constant focus on, like a batter with unyielding eyes always of the baseball. In time more sports seasons will come and be played, as even a virus is not forever. There will not be an overtime to this battle, much less two, as the Wild across the Deep and Wide St. Croix River that will not stop flowing, often wrestle with. Break On Through To The Other Side. And as a man who is spiritual merging with religious, it quite obviously is ticking time to look to God, if even just a bit more, and even ask him to intervene. Given the nature and tone and tome of this post, and this is something I seldom do but not never, note the lack of capitalization, a choice not easily made, when I invoke the deity. Devine and even more human than our theology might hold. And even if not a spiritual or ecumenical believer, or none at all, please join me and ALL others, as the virus does not hold anyone sacred only scared — when the next games inevitably come — in prayer/and/or/meditation/and/or even basic and simple thought as theology.
There is a compelling reason to recite this treatise, which even though having its main thought behind the philosiphising, to again board the Zeppelin and its songs of hope, “All will be revealed.” And sooner rather than later, as it concerns the following article branching off into the realm of competition (American Idols) that find the Badger Band taking stage as one that provides both styles including music, Swoop Here It Is: I have given it somewhat of a redaction, now a more and more used political term as disaster waits for no editor, now tossing in a lot of quips and puns in order to entertain, certainly not offend, but does humor know no boundaries? In the final analysis, while laughter may give mirth to the soul that is ill and distressed, that soul can also be harmed in a bad way no virus can accomplish. So I promise be careful and more than usual, take a bit more time to edit, revise if the tone would provide more evil than good, and maybe even a few times delete after further review. Avoiding bringing further pain to those already ready suffering, even though a gut-buster can again both help them or bring a queasy stomach or sometimes both, is The Prime Directive. With that said, in coming weeks you are sure to see reams of quasi-medical coverage in this style on these pages as it pertains to nightlife and what businesses such bars and their owners, staff and patrons face while still striving to be able to pour drinks to roughly the same number of people, and maybe also able to provide entertainment like that here — nobody can tell a joke or story like a bartender. And I’m sure we say as one, as this is what’s in the front page of the playbook, let’s try please not to offend.
Lets all hope such journalism remains active long after the virus is a distant memory. Although and here’s the rub, better to laugh than cry. So after having to fight all the way through, here is your reward, sometimes light in nature and possibly edging toward gallows humor considering the subject matter can be much darker in spurts. Hope you enjoy this read and let’s play hockey. But sorry, not quite yet.
Once you are done, double back and at least skim these basic (really, though I may drop the ball) journalistic ground rules I have set for myself, and I hope you can chuckle at not only this post, but also the many that follow on sports and other topics, such as music, as they really tease the Irish by using expounding on their stereotypes, as I go in part secular, but I hope we ALL laugh, and not get up our collected Irish. And yet again, it hope it is seen in that spirit. And with that said, I hope you can tolerate all my bad puns and long stream-of-thought sentences and milking of references that also include music, and constant alliteration and other wordplay that I hope is worth a laugh and a respect toward my atypical style everyday that readers say is mostly mine alone and brings them as often as they have time, which can be quite a bit shorter these days with the many and varied forms of virus prep. Hope hat lengthy rationalization is worthy of, say, the singular and stellar solo in the song, as I again copy it as both a singer and writer, Stairway to Heaven in the extended version(s), as here I go again, as you will see it a lot in the future, if their is as future, and lets be hopeful rather than frantic.
I like this post I have made, and I have seen more and more like it, and I like that attention to what matters. So you may see the message again on these pages in a shortened version that’s edited down form, and I’ll do my best to be concise even though as you can see that could be even more of a wee woe for me and soon worsening than even further on the finding now-hoarded necessities. But we need to be reminded often and at length as the complex medical details of this malady unfold, moreso sooner rather than later, or until the virus poses no more threat than the flu. I had a good downtown-scene friend who was longtime, back in the day that it really kicking in again, Kari McDaniel, you would always say things like, “I like talking to you,” rather than the other L word. A last thought, I promise, and that consideration is more vital than ever these days and that goes double for our politicians and how the handle this whole multi-faceted mess: Like Kari, we are all these days are hedging our bets as then we can take the time to think things through and be more cautious then ever in most cases and compulsively collecting TP is an exception. Kari has not only beauty but brains, although she would likely not even allude to it, much less state those words directly as do our more and more brazen political hacks, and we can learn from her and take the lead minding from that and those previously stated attributes.
Whew. Lets play hockey. UW style.
<And now here it is, the rest of the ‘long’ story, now sport>
This big Badger marching band will again bring their swing music our way and march into Kozy Korner on Saturday morning, the March Seventh of March Madness, as they have done for well over a decade, and make their almost always annual trip to the Twin Cities and beyond for the postseason play that includes both the men’s and women’s teams of hockey and basketball from UW. They have more members than the politicians now confirmed to have the MegaBug, and the band is so popular that even the virus and its possibly music-hating zombies are not likely to decrease the number of musicians playing a like number of instruments. The this instance intimate indoor experience, there’s no social distancing here, that benefits the women’s hockey squad will transpire in the north part of North Hudson at the pizzeria and bar around 10 a.m. That’s before zombies rise, and time in transit before boarding the big Badger band bus, then dodging any that exist and try to cross the freeway and get to the other side, depends on whether it snows and brings a you-never-know-its-spring-in-Wisconsin March Madness event now bye-bye sheet of ice to Interstate 94 that’s beyond the thickness of the frozen water found on a rink, all of which was thought might freeze the zombies and kill the zombies even further, thus saving the day (and even the night) and the season. But unlike rock star divas, these musicians will never cancel a trip or performance, unless the frigid Frozen Four flurry of flakes builds to the point it freezes over the freeway. But these players and their band are masters of strategy, and they still might find a way to get to this place where even the occasional open stretches of water on the St. Croix River would then ice over.
At one point a few years ago, before the local Badger base built even more, and newbies to the community were exposed to the Frozen Four frenzy to Fargo, where was a second chance in three days to see the Badger band kozying up to Kozy, as they and their pumping horns swung through all the way up to the eastern edge of North Dakota. There’s got to be some value in that trek, and build even more of a fan base, as it makes the Hudson-Twin Cities trek seem almost like going around the block. Not that they don’t prize the Kozy experience, although it still is somewhat of a hike, as they plan their travel time around it and deviate — did I use that word about the Madison and State Street crowd, although over decades the partying has ebbed — their schedules to make sure they get there. And about the reference earlier in the sentence, they know how to party as pertains to some of the brothers in their Nelson ownership more than others as that makes the family-run place at Kozy even more of a homey hockey draw, and make Kozy truly social and special, as befits the name, as they sometimes kozy up to places even around town into Hudson. But they always stay in control enough to not only be the life of the party, but make time with the ladies, even the really nice ones, who can be quite friendly in a good way on the North Hudson into Hudson scene anyway, as Wisconsin has been know to best even Minnesota nice. But stop in Kozy to have the band of brothers regale you with tales of yore with their “research, both here and yonder. It all brings a new sense of ambiance to the casual, or a bit raucous, conversion that combine to define the Kozy experience — and like supermodels, and also those rock god version of musician, have come to be known locally by a one-word name.
And I really do digress, or maybe regress, but boy do those horns swing. They once again they’ve been the definition of demonstrative, swaying sideways or up and down with every passing second. Despite that speed, there was still time for them to flash a waving hand or thumbs up sign between notes. It was right around 5 p.m. — as it has to be 5 O’Clock somewhere, why not here? — in days back, typically making the time, that the two dozen or so members marched into Kozy, and quickly rounded a couple of corners in the establishment, with some of them flipping on through to the back area without missing a beat.
After a quick first number, instructions made their way to the end of the band’s line via both words and non-verbal cues have always been a consistent staple, adding to the quality of this performance, even though live. Soon they would be circling up and around past the kitchen area — or have one of their members with the biggest instrument stand up high inside a booth to toot his horn — taking time on occasion for chant lines such as “when you say Wisconsin …”
The patrons love it, as again back in the day that was even more the prime of Badger glory years they have built on over many years with Kozy’s help, a woman just an arm’s length away from one of the players led them in swaying with the band. A pair of young girls stood on their chairs to applaud, and closer-by, two young boys next to the tuba player covered their ears. Between the reactions of the four of them, it appeared the volume was at just the right level.
One of the patrons, a recent transplant from Ohio, said she was heartened by the family friendly atmosphere, and the politeness and attentiveness to the children’s needs even as the music poured out — something you wouldn’t necessarily find in her home state. When she had come in with a relative, they were asking the best place to see the soon-coming show, and the locals said, again politely, that any of the booths were fine, as the band by the nature of their performance would be cycling through the entire area.
The newfound fan from Ohio — where her favorite being Ohio State that is well-known as was told to me by a patron at a downtown Hudson bar, and she never misses a game mostly at only the cool local Buffalo Wild Wings and is befitting this entire bar area its also cool staff, and is a college and not so much a bonafide university known at a football factory over other sports and studies — whew — as had even for her night out at Kozy had gone out to buy a black Badger sweater, with slightly edgy lettering that was partially in a neon green, kinda like those Packers also big at Kozy and Vikings and other grid teams too. (They will all get you a free drink it you arrive before kickoff on game day). She thought this more appropriate than her Buckeye shirt.To wrap up that earlier weekend, there was a Badger men’s basketball against Ohio State, at 3:30 p.m. around happy hour time, and hockey that night. You just might see someone in Buckeye garb. With that said, Amy, can we kiss and make up, so to speak, even though you stiffed us on the rent, and we can party down with the Badger band, as I know you like to do this once in a great while on a special occasion, and we both are certain this qualifies.
Co-owner father of Ryan Nelson, who appears to be the mainstay of many mainstays that include some of the longtime staff that are even known across the street to workers at an enemy sports bar, just kidding as they are all kozy — again, whew –has known the longtime Badger band director, Mike Leckrone, for years, going back beyond the days along time back when his charges started building their North Hudson experience, by playing at that bar across the street, which has even more room, although even back then was still full, although remaining kozy. It was at this place that the pizzeria that is now Kozy began, and is still running after years of experience that mean both places are still serving some of the best pizza in the area. Ryan, who got started there by putting years under his belt, said the band leader is a “Hall of Fame type,” known for his ability to remember names, presumably quite a few people locally.
While it has become “second nature” to hear the swing play, the music still gets people pumped. The band is fun and loud, in a good way, and their trademark songs, such as On Wisconsin and Varsity, never get old, Ryan said. They may also throw in a variation from their usual song list, such as Swingtown, the favorite of Ryan’s dad.
There were from that earlier HudsonWiNightlife report, about 23 musicians performing at the pizzaria, and they will likely make it an even two-dozen tomorrow, which is a common traveling size and a good enough number to make the rocking joint truly cozy but again, not too jam packed. You have to consider that the band is used to playing at really packed bars of all sizes back in Madison.
The Badgers on the court not the ice, also a hallmark at Kozy, in that earlier excursion forced also prized viewing at a No. 7 Oregon and Wisconsin contest by beating American by 40 points, their biggest postseason win ever, which also was shown dunking their way through at Kozy.
And hey, if you can’t show to see the show on Saturday if its too early from the night before — shame on you, the Nelsons and Leckrone say — the Badger band presumably with new soloists will be back many times again, and look for the announcements here — maybe even still this sports season(s). Any questions, call Kozy, as the staff will field your call, possibly with a listing of their many prominent food and drink specials, and don’t forget the pizza, thick or thin, which can also be delivered if you are visiting from a place like Madison, or other Cheesehead country from elsewhere in the state and even the very rural parts unknown where there is any appreciation for the favorite sports team of the (many) seasons, and cheese and beer and other spirits. After all the staff has tales to tell of many sorts, of both magical music and in that vein maybe even all the spirits that are said to abound locally.