They have magical mojo, musically, although namely “monks.” How so? See below. With resume(s). To top off your turkey and more on Thanksgiving weekend. Have a gas at the Gaslite with a snare drum world champion! Then take a shot at three different kinds of drink specials, in at least one venue, venison aside.

What happens when you combine a “monastic” journey with a drum championship, twice, to take in a band that tops off your turkey weekend?

That makes for a musical resume, to top that festive title held by grandma on Thursday … So whether you call it, by name, Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving or the night before, Drunksgiving, as the night and its parties have been coined, competing for your coin …

— To start, I go back again, to before Halloween, when my bro and really all members of my family went all out with the decor, and it was dominated by … scarecrow figures, some without legs because that is just not the draw.

Back to decor, there is my mom’s mosted magazine. It has on its front, fall mums, plural. And then across the way at the Legion Hall, I spotted a pumpkin that might have been carved … or maybe its just a few mold spots, this late in the season.

But to conclude this interlude, the (non?)-ultimate Black Friday offering — aside from various 15 percent warranty extensions — and get your mind out of the gutter, that’s where the dropped-leaves-in-finally-recent-days are and put your eaves asunder … As I “Filter,” the name of the company, your full service gutter protection, and who does it this time of year? Maybe those with oaks all around, as our yard once were. Recalling fondly as I give thanks. —

The MoJo Monks make a return to the Pierce-St. Croix County area, the eve of Nov. 30, and they unlike so many bands based out of the Twin Cities, actually got a lot of their musical training here. So these Knights in White Satin are local through and through, not from Middle Italy or the Mediterranean, but trained middle aged men and lead singer Meagan, playing since before Middle School, though not from the Middle Ages. Their mojo comes from varied places, but mostly right here.

See these longtime musicians, since they were little kids, as young as four and five, again live right here, near their old stomping grounds, at the GasLite in Ellsworth, this weekend. Their experience spans many decades, and for some of them started with the Stagedoor Players in New Richmond before moving on and broader as rockers, and also a Northwestern College music degree. There was a stint, as well, with the Minnesota Vikings drumline, with also a varied and hip-hop background, that even included, as mentioned above, two-time snare drum solo world title(s). The lead singer has performed at Disney World and at Christmas shows at the Mall of America.

This following a band earlier in the fall, just ready for deer hunting, called Whitetail, that has, get this, a resume that describes “hopscotching from jangle pop and post-hardcore to math rock and shoegaze!” They, from Minnesota, are sure to be back soon, as they have plenty a deer there too …

These days, a holiday shot special, Wednesday night mind you, may still cost you $5, depending on where you go, and in what city in the area. (The Wild Badger, up in New Richmond, is cheaper and you still have some selection.) But go to the Smilin’ Moose in Hudson, for example, and they amp it up as you have three colors offered, and they go with the red, but not the white and blue. You can choose from cherry, Jag as we in the county are its national capital, and the Chuck Norris version if you want to boost your testosterone ahead of eating manly turkey. (Ladies can partake, too.)

On Thanksgiving itself, it’s again rare to have a whole day open, for your whole-on turkey. Again as an example, Dunn Brothers downtown is only open in the morning, while Hudson Tap is more typical, open only in the evening, so you can take the kiddies there for games if they are amped up on sugar, not weighed down by turkey enzyme.

All this even though if you missed out, Amazon was on my cell phone as early as Nov. 1 hawking and hunting you, by giving top billing and building up their Thanksgiving groceries and decor.

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