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You can have One. Or Two. But forego four and forget five. As it’s a trend with a band’s numbers and their tunes, and now a truism. Tastefully. For music (usually) goes with BBQ grillin’ in the good ol’ Chicago blues style, and the St. Louis Blues. So even if you cannot listen, you can make it eventful by going atasting when you see Holy Smoke.

Even if your open BBQ baking event is called Holy Smoke, wholly invoke the heavens and not the depths below, to get a smokin’ and (also) spiritual band you may have to wait as in Dio’s The Last In Line, for booking, for more than the (free) samples, food not just DJ sampling. Or maybe just need a cool duo. As they’re much cheaper than a full band.

“We have discussed an acoustic musician this year and not a band.” A fixture had been the music of Joe Sir and his saintly sidekicks broadly known as, if I’ve got this right Sirkut, so To Sir With Love, so to speak. (A favorite song of a religious educator I’ve know well, since around the earlier time the tune/hymn came out). That earlier quote is from one of the outing’s layers of main organizers/volunteers, from St. Patrick’s in Hudson — one of those Catholic churches that love their festivals, especially in fall — a couple of miles east of the main downtown music scene. This way to lineup is, and has been for a couple or three of years, or since the pandemic, a scaled-back concert trend. So the local Holy Smoke — and not the heavy metal recording outfit — is in good company. (Come Labor Day, I plan to dive back into, and give a build-up to, such solos and duos, at a local “dive bar” or two.)
“Thanks for the nudge. We do not have a live musician booked at this time (very late August) … I had a couple back out, I will try for one more.” Again, don’t fret for getting your fret freak out, that its in the VERY late-going these months that most booking is done. And then to slate an opening act too …
Again post-pandemic trends. For a long time is was hard to get gigs booked, but not long after that the sheer volume of acts out there exploded in number, doing numbers that were both old and deeper cuts, although some dropped off the scene, but the overall talent weighed forward. So you get that last minute call from your agent, if you can afford one these days, but until then … just rehearse. That’s what was done by one locally lauded Loven lumenary, from the Twin Cities, who said that the Badger State and its openness with venues to open their air kept him going, and playing, a couple of years ago, and eastward past just Hudson and all the way north to Hayward. So geography becomes crucial, as St. Patrick’s is located right in the midstream.
Trends … These days … Eternally envolving … Another one I’ll dive through in a later post is how all those YouTube music reactors, you know the one(s), are getting much better and better, honing their craft, since they (at least some of them) have been around since 1918, or wait that’s a twin typo, really 2018. It took them awhile, since a lot of quality music has been on the scene — and nuanced to the point of being difficult to take it all in — for more than 50 years, especially in certain genres.
And one of them is spiritual metal, so in the ancient name of mixing religion, and events beyond just their services, and music, here we go with a full, full-throttle promo, listed in full, since another publication (every week or two) had it fall through, last minute (trends?)

With a name like Holy Smoke to start a busy parish weekend, you can be sure the festival activities will be many and varied, starting with the heated food contests and samplings, (grilling for the adults and gooey desserts for the mainly pre-teen children), and a like-minded dinner, then branching out into a number of games, non-video. And libations too.
The fun goes on all Saturday, Sept. 9, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. Speaking of food, the next day will feature a pancake breakfast to benefit youth events. And the day before is a noon shotgun start for the longtime annual golf tournament to aid the parish school, at the White Eagle Course near Somerset.
Back to Holy Smoke, grilling for the open cook contest may consist of smoked beef, chicken, pork or fish, and even vegetables, with the pictured meat forms to include drumsticks, racks of ribs, flattened patties, lines of stringed sausages, pulled and shredded chops and full bone-in steaks. Such past events at this and other local venues have revealed a wide array of chefs and styles, and sauces and seasonings hot or a bit more mild, spicy or sweet or honeyed or even quite sugary, (but not on the rim of the glass), or many such flavors at once, and surprisingly creative accompanying ingredients. Entries will be weighed on their appearance, taste, moisture, tenderness and overall impression.
Pre-registration (act soon, don’t wait for an encore), is $20, and prizes include $100 for first and $50 for second. Winners for the grilling and dessert contests will be announced right before Mass, at 4:30 p.m.
Electrical power is provided for use in the competition, so no one needs to bring their own generator, which is helpful since all entries must be cooked on-site and chefs are asked to prepare a minimum of 50 bite-size samples for judging and sampling. A grilling team can consist of one person; team members must be at least 14 years old, with each team’s captain at least 21. Early Saturday morning they will begin setting up their tables and utensils, sans generator of course.
“Each team will have a panel of judges visit your booth and give a chance to explain how your food item was prepared, seasoned and cooked,” contest rules state, adding that all codes must be followed. “You are responsible for observing all prudent temperature and sanitation requirements.”
Get the family involved, and for the kiddies, ages 5-13, enter the dessert contest and bake your full-size favorite cake, pie and cookie/bars/brownies. There’s a limit of one entry for child, which must be made from stratch and not need refrigeration, complete with a 3-by-5 index card listing ingredients. Judging will be done on five categories, including appearence, flavor such as aroma, texture, moisture and crumbliness, and creativity and originality.
“Although we know some children may require assistance in the kitchen, we ask that the children do the majority of the recipe,” contest rules state.
Registration is $5 and desserts must be turned in by 2 p.m. Saturday for a chance at ribbons and prizes of $20, $10 and $5.
Lemonade (non-spiked and if you want beer, check as there are multiple versions in press releases), and watermelon will be offered to patrons, as well as soda for purchase. No Wisconsin festival is complete without the beauty of brats, the organizers say they have planned, so buy yours from the Knights of Columbus.
“Yard games and nine-square-in-the-air will be set up as well as the gaga (mosh?) pit for fun competition for all,” the church bulletin reads.  And don’t forget ladder ball. “Bring your lawn chairs, your taste buds, and enjoy an afternoon of food, friends and fellowship.”
Participate and cheer on the bean bag play, for both youth and adults, organizers say. Choose your partner and trek from the lower parking lot to the card tables in the adjacent social hall, and compete in Euchre, as well.
Come to Saint Patrick’s, both before and after services and enjoy the day’s festivities, the organizers suggest. You can stroll from station to station, table to table, and watch the BBQ contestants heat it up with their grillers, preparing contest food. Judges will also walk about, judging the contestants’ fare, whether meats or desserts, at 3 p.m. You can taste the samples yourself right afterward.
Then come to 5 p.m. Mass, if that’s your thing, and following sit down to a pulled pork dinner. After eating, stay and don’t go, as a raffle drawing is set. Top prize is $1,000, and others in descending order $750, $500, $250 and $100.

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