You might want to bypass Hugo good neighbor days and instead go stabbing westward, defined as trekking into western Wisconsin to Roberts, for their festival of the same name this weekend. Why? They have Boondoggle! They’ll kick things off on Friday. The decades-old band of local troubadours will bring their familiar and family-friendly favorites — as they have even rocked local church fests — that have stood the test of time with their tall-man take on light rock and country, to the stage at 9 p.m. as headliners. Opening for them is a group with their own signature style, with an at-times different end of the ying vs. yang. TFW & the Hooligans take the stage at 7 p.m.. and like all good warm-up bands, they up up tempo a little with a bit more attitude The two bands with the double flaming ohs will certainly leave you oohing and ahing.
They will be joined by an onslaught of other acts to oogle at Good Neighbor Days on Saturday and Sunday, featuring the best towns along Interstate 94 with jogs just to the north can bring.
The theme of different ends of the musical spectrum is extended when Hellkat — a fitting name since the Roberts Lions Club runs the show — roars in with their slightly bad-boy licks on Saturday at, again, 7 p.m. with more fireworks to include your other senses to follow because, well, their is a fireworks display by the people at Phantom at dusk. Then at 9, its Paisan and The Family Brass, who broke onto the regional scene a few years back by starting with a harder rockin’ sound, and then added other instrumental twists and their sound evolved.
And then that theme of musical differences again is extended, and thus is good for the varied listeners of many differing tastes who attend at the fest, with its Good News. Being a Sunday, the fact that this group is the featured act is fitting, as the name says it all: Music by By Faith. And that redundant wording isn’t a typo; as many of the people in the audience would say you can’t say it too often. Check it out and see what you think at 1 p.m. right after church.
By the way, there even is a Good Neighbor Days that plays in outstate Minnesota. But I’d guess you’ll be happy you headed this way instead.