The seasonal shows must go on, and keep rolling forward, in some cases even past Labor Day, the unofficial close of summer. On that particular day, bands usually do not labor, being The Fourth Of This Month, So Don’t See Them Again Until The Fourth of July?
But in the name of I’m Just One, a popular local venue will continue with its solo acoustic shows, three days a week, including Sundays, all through September and maybe beyond. So drummers get their day or days of rest, and a break from spontaneously combusting. Unless maybe in the recording studio; but the resulting tracks, as not being live, are typically toned down.
The Smilin’ Moose shows start and end this month, (in the latter case, close does not count accept in horseshoes and hand grenades), with Blake Zak, (he also graces their back-corner of patio staging area on Sept. 23.) He’s likely a little bit country, like Blake Shelton, (I almost penned Sheldon, oh wait, I deed I deed, but then when swayed by an algorithme, corrected it), but not like all-out rocker Zakk Wylde, as this is an acoustic show.
Then on Saturday its Steve Awiszus and Sunday its Justin Barts, who also returns later in the month. Shows after Labor Day weekend include Acoustic Cocktail, (I don’t know who or what that is, but I’m curious), Lars Carlson, (not the drummer Lars, and definitely not the also-performing-solo talk show host Tucker, and of note is that I almost typed The Cars, my revving mind being back to full bands), AJ Spoff, Chris Lawrence and Josh Quinn.
All these shows are weather permitting, and back to Labor Day weekend, with temps pushing 100, does that proviso qualify? But must the show go on? This Friday night through Monday night always is tricky anyway as far attendance, with the cabin and state fair calling. On the weekend nights shows go on from 5-9 p.m. and on Sunday all afternoon. The times change up a bit, being 3-6 p.m. on Sundays, when King Football and its marque for TV doubleheader games are fully back.
Such acoustic concerts, and this includes and starts with The Moose, based on what I’ve heard them sing and play of late, and I’ve been told, are very prominent as a characteristic with the vocals. These acts are seldom guitar-driven, although someone sometimes goes off, to the degree that you can when basically unplugged. I was going to say, goes off on the axe, but that implies a molten-metal-type Eruption. Rather taking the stage, more and more, are distinctive vocal styles. Although the veteran acts that have been around The St. Croix Valley forever, have more standard stylings, though many a singer has evolved. There is, as an example of the former flair, piercing notes picked and piqued, along with a richness that is also a trend, the lines of soloist Adam Pearce. Long hair applied.
A acoustic staple song will be told here to conclude. Getting only more popular with time is Cotton Eyed Joe, and that’s not me, although her skin (still) makes me cry. That’s possibly poingant, as most all acts at The Moose are men, and often youthful. Cotton Eyed Joe is also part of the line-up limelight for many a deejay, as it bridges a gap between styles — and attracts both young and old as part of broader audience appeal — by featuring a thumping bass. Hip hop influence with your country? Makes you want to dance and just hop around, although the dance floor at the Moose, and this song comes up frequently, is in another big and adjacent room.
As this is a day celebrating labor, even when riding a cushy mower.
Here’s to nothing specifed. But I won’t push it past a couple of graphs. Nowhere in a flyer is there an actual mention of such a … lawn mower, using those words. To tell, we’re required to look at these massive, go-kart-looking things and see amongst their metal, or should I say rubber discharge chutes, as flared-out semi and-not-truck, conical extensions that blow your grass out. Rather we hear a whole host of gonzo terms such as Titan Max and Z Master. All called red tag. Since they cost about the same as good used car, these days. Some get well into five digits.
But they offer plenty, across four pages of machines: Bull noses, deck lift pedals and assists, pro (of course) air cleaner, mowing up to 11 mph to “avoid slow moving speeds,” and holds a dozen gallons of gas. And we won’t even get into all the tires and their titles.
A fall sale: Leaves lifted off your lawn — oh wait I need to use my gutter thinking — lists a zero cost for cleaning and realigning and sealing them. But you have to have your credit qualify, for uhm, even that rate of zero? See the astericks. Are your pennies not good? But wait, that little attachment refers back to the other side, with the discounted costs for other services specified. So there.
As we read another flyer: “Promo equates to 50 percent off your first four boxes,” and there is a maximum discount. “Eighteen free meals does not apply to orders fewer than 10 servings per week.” Lots of words, and complex.
And now more numbers. What are the top ten and beyond products listed on Amazon, as of yesterday? Online lists of these will cite, take your pick, best 10, or 20, or 40, or 50, or 75, or 80, or even 101. That last digit may have pushed them to a status of, as Carl Sagan said, billions and billions of sales. They and McDonalds. All the sales, if combined, might approach trillions. I have to run all this past a new, camping out on the bar steps, friend who is into numerology.
Do I have to move the decimal point? Or make sense out of the cents. At Hudson Bowling Center, the holiday weekend beer specials are at $3.09. Or wait, $3.00, as the handwritten sign had on its (nine?) what looked like a descender teamed with, and attached to, the zero.
On my mid-month of August B-Day, Buffalo Wild Wings had an annoucement for me: They no longer give a free bottle of the signature sauce, any of the what, 30-plus, on someone’s birthday. So if you had such a mid-summer night’s annual B-Day celebration, sans sauce, they are making it up, by offering it up, for your grilling pleasure on Monday. (Just kidding).
My bank’s Musak, if you can’t get through on the 800 number, was swamped with calls, as people were making the last-minute rush to get their holiday gas, now more important as prices are still higher than a newly experimenting Minnesotan. Going to California? Via Colorado? Wait now don’t have to.
Could be worse. You could be in Kansas. Now we know why Dorothy left. It’s a dry state for yes even alcohol on many Monday holidays, (three big ones, Christian mostly, on Sundays too), such as Labor Day. Depending on local ordinance, that could where you can’t wet your whistle two straight days.
So if more northernly, I’ll pick a pike, just hit the cabin, traveling the turnpike. Do they have those up north? Do it again. One last time. With summer still, sorta, with us.
But you may need to chill and get quite tranquil, for you might encounter that bear, not just Minnesota moose. Elk will do. How to face it …
I decided not to also hit my local pharmacy on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, just to pay my bill, mind you. I guessed they’d be so busy, they would appreciate it if you just waited until later, the midweek the next week, then come in. The head pharm even has asked this of me a couple of times.
Most such druggeries are being closed on Monday, then are busiest Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. But in the middle of this weekend, they were likely scrambling just like those going to the lake, literally filling their needs. As they fill their nets. The Mondays that are not legal holidays are typically the hardest working for the drug store employees, even if they do not stock live bait, so this coming Tuesday will be catchup.
This ahead-of-time announcement needs no catching up: Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt has announced its Halloween offering, complete with costume contest, on Oct. 28. Hail to them, not doing the bar usual and first think about doing something just a few days before.