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SummerJam 2008 part 1
Ahhh...outdoor concert season! The smell of meat on the Barbie. Good
friends, good music, and a whole lot of ravenous mosquitoes! Sun, sand,
rain,wind, it all makes for a "never a dull moment" day. It was a great
day for a motorcycle ride also, well, dodging cloudbursts is kind of an
art on a bike. And this spring, that has become a very necessary fact of
life..If you want to ride, you better be prepared for getting wet, or
make it a point to be flexible with your route as you dodge the deluge.
I have to tell you folks as I was sitting in the tent enjoying "Chucky D
& Company" it was absolutely a bucket brigade downpour on the west side
of the performance tent, and nary a drop on the east side! (our bikes
were on the east side and got a few drops nothing more..WHEW) So let me
set the scene for you as I haven't been to one of these till now (I am
usually working.. but thanks to a number of factors it has become
economically unwise to have live music indoors during the summer..so I
find myself uncharacteristically free to do whatever I want...) .
I gathered my cohorts in crime (we're actually a band of rogue bikers
set to create malicious mischief and mayhem everywhere we go!) and we
decided on a (well.. actually I sort of dictated the route since I have
intimate knowledge of the surrounding roads from countless hours of
aimless wondering as I ponder the worlds woes) northern attack that
would take us on the winding back roads that would find us weaving
between the lakes and streams an really helps drive home the beauty of
the area we are lucky enough to live in...yes, mosquitoes and all!
As we ducked under Moose Lake and found our way to Chase Lake road I
lamented the fact that we hadn't gotten going earlier so I could have
seen ALL the bands. I knew there was a pretty good chance that I would
miss Grock.. and since I have known the Dowlings for many years and
consider them friends, and have even played with a few of them.. I was
sorry to miss their performance. I am sure they put on a great show, as
that family has a history steeped in music. A close friend of mine, Rick
(AKA Bhung) Norris, also plays with that band and my own "jam group"
Brass Monkey.
We rolled up to Hwy 6, the gateway to the north, and you could already
sense the excitement as the vehicles that had missed the turn vied for a
place to make a quick turnaround, to get back to the site. Ahh, the
Blueberry Bowl! Tents, volleyball, food and drink provided. About fifty
cars had amassed at this point nigh on to about 4pm when we rolled in
and lo and behold ...right there in front "Motorcycle ONLY!" parking!
Cool! It's good to be king! So we dismounted our trusty steeds and
ventured forth. We got our performer and staff badges and entered the
fracas. It was just at the point that Brass Monkey had finished so other
than the fact that I've played with them for years, I couldn't tell you
exactly how they were on this occasion, but folks it's roots rock, all
originals, written by Keith Skaja and company. MY particular favorite is
"Win This Time", and I'm sure if I had arrived in time I would have been
enlisted to do backups, as I had created the harmony parts for those
songs years ago...but, as I said I was late.
The usual musical community camaraderie ensued as we greeted and were
greeted by old friends and musicians alike. There was a time when there
was a "less than friendly" rivalry in this area, but thankfully it has
all gone by the wayside for the most point and we have all seemingly
banded together for the greater good of the live music scene. I think
the Weekly Musician has played no small part in this coming together,
and I am happy to have been able to be a contributing part of this
renaissance.
Continued next column
Punta Rock Part III
Mike's ongoing saga of discovering Punta Rock is now available here. Parts 1 & 2 are here.

High
Noon (Trashville)
We love this song. Check it out!
Hey folks? Thinking about going out to have a few drinks, party and have lots of fun? Before you do, you might want to read this, right here.
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Note: Please contact us if you have specific venues/bands you want listed.
July 3/4/5
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Tony Negron every Thursday 7-11pm @ 4th Street Station, Grand Rapids, MN.
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Backwater @ The Eagles Club, Grand Rapids, MN Saturday only
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Trashville @ Pour Willies, Tenstrike, MN. Friday
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Legal Outlaw @ The Hill City Street Dance, Hill City, MN. Saturday
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Bittersweet @ Aurora, MN mainstreet July 2 (Wednesday)
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Big Walter Smith @ Char-Mar's Bar, Alborn, MN July 3rd
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Sweet Freedom @ 4th of July Street Dance, Virginia, MN Friday and @ Miners Memorial Arena, Virginia, MN. Saturday
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Whiskey Johnson @ The Nashwauk Street Dance Friday and 'Somewhere in Nashwauk' Saturday
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The Incredible Ides @ The Marble City Hall Centennial, Saturday.
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Sofa King Chubby @ Riverfest, Tower, MN Thursday
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Gypsy Road @ Port Wing Bar, Port Wing, WI. Friday
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Gypsy Road @ Street dance with Prisoner, Spooner, WI. Saturday
SummerJam (continued from previous column)

Chucky D & Greg Kaczor on "Heart of Gold"
As the banter and meetings continued we eagerly awaited Chucky 'D' &
Company...well actually ...other than the addition of Greg Kaczor on
flawless harmonica, It's really Chuck Domagall...and well..Chuck.. and his other brother Chuck.. well folks,
actually what he has done is play ALL the parts, but recorded them
(including backing vocals) in his studio, and he put them on a
re-playable medium (read CD.. HD or some other storage system) , and
plays live guitar and sings to his "Chuckaroke" if you will
(chuckle). Anyway, other than a problem with the guitar
interface that held things up a bit, it was NOT your usual "play along
with Band in a box" type deal. It was extremely well done and executed
flawlessly...this from a drummer .. folks! Pretty phenomenal actually!
Next up after a short break (and to pat myself on the back without
breaking my arm) a quick repair to the speaker on stage left.
Then came Bittersweet, Jay Hoiland and Mary Menke, a duo that combine guitar and
keys, with some sweet vocals. I was particularly impressed when they
started out with an old Jethro Tull standard, Locomotive Breath! I would
never had suspected as they set up that they would even play anything
like that (you know. Captain and Tennille come to mind here). They have
a great broad range of musical styles and are a talented duo.
Ahhhh...you know for someone who doesn't like beer...on a warm summers
day when wind, sand, smell.. and THIRST come together (and as long as
it's COLD) a beer tastes really good! Again I'm riding so temperance
here is the word of day for me, so plenty of water is also consumed to
keep a balance on system function.
We're also going to take a break here and get this to press for your
perusal and I'll pick it up later. Stay tuned folks...there's lots more to
come!
Gary Perrett
contributing writer
SummerJam Part Deux
All
right, so where were we, Oh ya...It had just poured buckets on one side of
the tent which sent the volley ball crowd scurrying for cover. Up till
this point there had been non stop action on the two courts just west
of the tent. The crowd continued to grow as the music kept coming. All
the action had been on the south stage, but Bottomline was setting up on
the north stage. This would facilitate a sort of dueling bands rapid
fire ..one band takes a break .. the other starts up... no break in the
action for the evenings bill of fare.. and a great lineup it was!
While we waited for the change over from Bittersweet to Dirty Boogie, a number of those wonderful bizarre things that happen whenever we get together to celebrate music and freedom unfolded. All around (being a people watcher) stories unfolded. I actually got caught up in some, and narrowly escaped others. One that unfolded courtesy of a thoroughly inebriated, obnoxious, yet harmless concert go-er, involved the moon...or it's premature unveiling in broad daylight... Now we've all seen the moon in the light of day, but NO ONE wants to see it THIS up close and impersonal...UGH! Well, it seems that our innocuous drunk was creating quite a stir as he attempted to negotiate the grounds with "staggering" difficulty. Security was "concerned" about this individual but was soon assuaged that he wasn't REALLY a danger to anyone but himself..well sort of, anyway, the aforementioned besotted individual was impeded by his pants...A strategically placed belt, or perhaps some patriotic suspenders would have sufficed to prevent these dastardly jeans from falling and periodically befouling his attempts to negotiate the grounds... well.. sometimes he barely moved and they fell to sickening low levels of coverage. Carrol, who had come in to escape the deluge, had perched herself on my lap since the seemingly plentiful chairs "under the tent" were quickly grabbed up by the scurrying attendants as the deluge began. She was immediately confronted with the aforementioned almost completely UN-adorned derriere of our soon to be christened "non-comic relief". Meanwhile, Howie, one of my 'posse', had also seen the 'perp' and, being a smoker.. and a thoroughly creative comic in his own right... pulled a cigarette from his stash, and lit it and was about to UNCEREMONIOUSLY stick it where the SUN DON'T SHINE..when our miscreant folded up and almost ended up under the north stage. Well, as he collected himself, and his thoroughly unblemished pride he also found time to pull up his pants and find some other quadrant of the grounds to terrorize with his equipment failures...But I digress..I know, I know...
(continued next column)

Those of you that listened to the KAXE interview, or that stopped by the
4th Street Station Thursday evening for Tony's Acoustic Show,
already know about Jay Hoiland and Mary Jo Grizzard's newest CD from
their duo Bittersweet. This group of Dylan songs is a great
addition to anyone's collection, and is done well with a fresh approach
to a lot of old favorites. Jay has been recording around here for years,
and the quality he gets on this cd through his Mac G5 is pretty
incredible, not to mention the fact that this is a great group of songs
done in an innovative style by a couple of very talented and
accomplished musicians. I have a new favorite version of
Positively 4th Street now. You can get more info from Jay by
emailing
him, or/and stop by the Blueberry Bowl Summer Jam, where you can
hear them in person and pick up a cd at the same time.
We've just been informed that you can hear the CD on The Dylan Hour on
Sirius Satellite Radio as well. Also, check out
this link and
click on blog in plain D.
click here to add this page to your favorites
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Other Coming Events
- July 25th @ The Firehouse Bar & Grill, Coleraine MN. will host the Purr Rock Revolution. Music starts at 7pm and includes Eeriearq, Flatrate, Unhinged, The Grind, and more. More info at the website.
Almost Willie and Crossroads will be at Savanna Portage for the
Catfish Days Festival July 11 & 12 and Almost Willie will do an
outside show at the Car Show July 13th. Floodwood, MN.
We have been asked to pass along this from the Tall Timber Days
folks: Anyone interested in being in the Tall Timber Days parade,
please email them by
clicking here.
- The Sunday Open Stage at the VFW in Deer River, MN. takes place every other Sunday starting on the 4th of May from 2-6 pm. Early reports from the first couple of jams say that it's a lot of fun and a lot of good music.
Continued from previous column
So a rejuvenated Dirty Boogie was next up and I must say, this is the best I have ever seen them play! I thought they were done as the rumors of Tony's impending departure had been floating around for...well lets just say for "quite some time" Oh don't get me wrong..he DID leave..but perhaps it's best left said that he soon got homesick and..well he's back and the first thing he did was put the "Boogie" back together, and they are better than ever! Pat was right on rhythmically, Tony was smoking the strings, my good friend Craig has come a LONG way on bass (he's a drummer too, you know..) and was doling out huge swaths of low and rhythm, and Tenille continues to progress, and impress on vocals. I look for continued good things from them in the future.. IF there is anywhere left for live band to play in this new "socially conscious" society..that is. By now you must have heard that the Rendezvous II has fallen for good...RIP...It truly looks like it won't be the last to go....
The north stage took off right after the "Boogie" finished, and "Bottomline" showed their considerable prowess as they tore through song after song with practiced precision and displayed for all to see their copious skills garnered from years of playing live. Consummate professionals that they are they never miss a note and the crowd commenced to dance up a storm to their driving rhythms. I guess if I had one quip it was an almost palpable lack of low end on the north stage. I'm not sure if it was intentional, or those band pass boxes they use? Whatever it was there wasn't nearly enough bass. I guess if there was it would have precipitated the chain of events and the power crash that left the north stage dark, and silent. Being the "can't leave well enough alone" kind of guy I am.. I was talking with some of my 'posse' as the event unfolded and as I bolted off to discover the source of the problem Howie could be heard to say... Perrett to the rescue...Am I that transparent.. well... ya ok...So I got to the pole where the power was, and there was a service panel right next to the outlets! Wow I thought..too easy..but then as I looked, the conduit went right down into the ground, NOT into the outlet box? Curious.. even more curious.. NO tripped breakers.. Oh Oh..Someone from the venue showed up and indicated he had no Idea WHERE the power came from for that outlet... well meanwhile the troops were getting restless..so I grabbed the cords and backtracked to the south stage power, and with the help of Norm located a couple circuits we could "borrow" since the south stage was dead, and off and running again.
For me, all the bands were great, but I was really
looking forward to hearing "Moneyshot". Folks this is a band that HAS NO
WEAKNESSES! PERIOD! I have the distinction of having coined the name
"Moneyshot" but I wasn't the one that came up with it. I simply got that
designation because at a benefit for The Locker Room (Ron Maki) I was
urged to NOT call them "Tripleshot" as they had been calling
themselves, but to in fact announce them as "Moneyshot" since they had
'adopted' Greg Kaczor on tandem guitar and vocals..added to an already
stellar group, Greg has added yet another dimension to an already
incredible band. I have to tell you folks we go back a long way and I
have been doing sound for all of these guys in one form or another (geez,
you know folks, it's hard to keep track of all the bands these guys not
only HAVE played in but DO play in now!) for a LONG, LONG time, and I
always love doing sound for them.. they are great in and of themselves,
but they make me look REALLY good when ever I do their sound. I remember
back when Brett came to town and I talked to him and he was "totally
burned out" playing guitar on stage.. and he told me he would.. and
this is a direct quote folks..I wonder if he remembers.."I don't care if I
ever play guitar on stage again"... so, as many of you know, he assumed
bass duties for "Trashville" after the demise of Jim Benelly (sp? Oh
well.. he's gone anyway). Folks are we ever fortunate to have this man
playing guitar again. I mean, can you imagine? As Tripleshot, they have
been tearing up the northland for a couple years and I would have to say
that they are without a doubt the best kept secret, well, anywhere!
Why
aren't these guys opening for Nickelback? Man.. when these guys hit the
stage they blow the roof off the place! I have to tell you that I was an
instigator in this event folks but I was surprised how little support I
got! I didn't want them to stop! The bantering leads from Greg and
Brett, the killer bass licks from Dale and his custom made (by him by
the way) 10 string bass! WOW, anchored by Heavy J..their flawless
timekeeper and killer drummer, it's all meticulously woven together to
amaze and entertain...These guys are beyond belief! I for one couldn't
believe they were done...I begged...PLEADED...cajoled...SCREAMED!!!but to no
avail. They were done, and so was I .
It had been a long day, and it was a great time!
Folks you need to check out this event, whether it be the Winter
Jam..Summer Jam.. or whatever.. it's for a good cause (TA DA) and it's well
put together, and a whole lot of fun! Thanks to Norm, and
Salutations..

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Hi Guys, I have visited your website many times and I completely enjoy it's contents and numerous stories. I live in the Gr. Rapids area and I have also had the pleasure of listening to the Bands at various events. I guess that's really all I have for now, I decided to write when I spotted your comment section. Keep up the great work and keep on Rockin!!!
Another,
After all this time, we didn't even know you
existed. We feel that you guys are doing a very good thing for artists
and venues alike. We have been loyal supporters of MidwestBands but they
are going down soon, or have done so already. Kudos to you guys.
Thanks, keep on fighting the good fight!
And another!
This is great! I wish there was a site like this in
my locale. I found your link on the Moondance site, it's awesome! I
played music in the Grand Rapids area 15 yrs ago, and it still is a
hotbed of music activity.
Keep up the unabashed promotion of live
music.
Add me to your mailing list if you have one.
Ernie
(done deal Ernie! Thanks man!)
Editors Note
Thank you for visiting, and hopefully reading all our verbal ramblings. You know folks? We'd rather sing you the words, than have you read them, any day! Good luck, God bless, stay warm & well fed.
T
he Fair Use Rule of The United States Copyright Act of 1976 clearly states that you may post anything public on boards, web pages, and or magazines, as long as you claim that it does not belong to you, and that you are using it only to represent, and not gain anything from their use, such is the case with The Weekly Musician. The music here is for entertainment purposes only. All original images, music and lyrics copyrighted by their respective owners. Please support the artists by purchasing their music on tapes, mp3's or cds.
