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Paul Metsa with the Tilt Town Titans and guests at Carmody's. Photos by Jill Fisher.

Treat number one was the John McEuen show at the West Theatre on Wednesday, Oct. 30. 

It was everything the preview article (Oct. 24 Reader) about the co-founder of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band promised — even a humorous bit was reprised. A nearly sold out house enjoyed every minute of McEuen and his Circle Band performance. There is no substitute for fine musicianship and this show had it. 

McEuen’s banjo picking may not be exactly what it was back in the day (by some accounts) but his voice was strong, his story-telling engaging and his backup circle crackerjack.

The concert, as anticipated, was actually a multi-media show with still photos and video clips of star musicians (Merle Travis, Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Maybelle Carter, Roy Acuff) who influenced and recorded with the NGDB. 

The accompanying stories McEuen told with each slide took the mostly Baby Boomer audience on a nostalgic tour of the late 60s, 70s and later. 

Amusingly, McEuen began the concert with the theme from the TV show, The Beverly Hillbillies, which aired 1962-1971. The audience knew all the verses and sang them, causing McEuen to wonder why most folks couldn’t remember all the words to our national anthem! 

John McEuen and The Circle Band

Brothers, Danny and David Knicely were two of the three backup Circle Band members — Danny on mandolin, guitar and vocals, David on standup bass. The third member, Justin David, played both fiddle and guitar and sang. His fiddling was sweet and his voice even sweeter. He took lead vocals on the 1984 hit, “Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper’s Dream).” It was NGDB’s first of three number one records on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. 

David’s harmonies and vocals were so wonderful that I was inspired to purchase his solo CD, Chapters. Filled with songs of love lost and found, it is very enjoyable listening, especially for the romantics among us.

When telling about how the NGDB broke out, McEuen said they had an unusual gig to perform at a Catholic Junior High School in Manhattan, where the father of a student there, a record executive, heard it. The next thing they knew it was being played on the ABC-affiliated New York radio station, launching its widespread airing across the country. McEuen said some breaks are due just to plain good luck.

This was a tight band that did justice to all the NGDB songs, including its cover of Jerry Jeff Walker’s composition “Mr. Bojangles” that was released in 1970 and is in the Grammy Hall of Fame. 

Danny Knightly was not only masterful on the mandolin, but danced a lick himself, demonstrating some old time dance moves. Very fun. His brother, though not brought to the fore with any bass solo, provided a solid beat and backbone for all the songs.

Other highlights of this concert were the good ol’ timey bluegrass classic, “I Didn’t Hear Nobody Pray,” and “Will The Circle Be Unbroken?” 

The call for an encore was met with another instrumental TV ditty that the entire audience remembered from our youngest days: the Mickey Mouse Club song. The backstory for this strange selection was that McEuen was hired to sing it at the funeral of the man who was the voice of Mickey. 

Adding to this remarkable experience, McEuen reported that the people who were the voices of numerous Disney characters were at that funeral! Of course the audience sang along. 

A more traditional number followed — a lively rendition of “Acoustic Traveler,” with train sounds being created by McEuen on fiddle (David took over the guitar.). 

What a smooth and polished and thoroughly satisfying show this was. A number of musicians attended this show who, to a person, gave it high marks.

Treat number two was Paul Metsa’s 69th/Scorpio birthday party on Friday, Nov. 1, at Carmody Irish Pub. This gig doubled as a benefit for Animal Allies, which Metsa reported raised $700. 

Thinking it started at 7, the Curmudgeon and I missed all but the last song of the first set by him and his Tilt Town Titans – Taylor Shykes (bass), George Ellsworth (keys) and Ian Hopp (drums).

Christopher David Hanson (center) with Ian Hopp and Taylor Shykes.

Shortly after we arrived his “special guest artist” Christopher David Hanson took the stage. This gutsy guitar player is based in Ely, has recorded in Nashville, toured with his own band for 10 years, and played gigs up and down the North Shore. 

However, this was a first hearing for me and I really liked what I heard. 

Hanson’s original compositions have been described as roots rock laced with country, big band swing and (I would add) southern soul. His voice is distinctive, possibly because he was born in Patuxent, Maryland, has moved around the country for years, and has spent significant time in Texas. 

The lyrics of his songs contained close and poignant observations that put me in mind of Charlie Parr’s repertoire. Such observations include insights into his own emotional life in tunes like “Back of the Line.” 

On this evening he was backed by Shykes and Hopp of the Tilt Town Titans. Hanson has played with Shykes previously but this show was his first with Hopp. You’d never guess that from their performance and it proved how mightily these two local guys contribute to making others sound great and how adept Hopp is with his drumming. 

There were drawings for donated prizes as a part and for once “jillybones” won something. I had my pick of the donations and based on what I had just heard, I chose Hanson’s CD Whippoorwill, released in 2022, which I have been enjoying since.

There was another special guest joining Metsa this evening, The Big Wu keyboardist Al Oikari, who also played a lap steel guitar. Fortunately we heard him during the third set and wow, what a full range of sounds he produced. (Ellsworth left early for a play rehearsal.) 

The music continued full blast with Metsa strutting his stuff on guitar, TTT covering Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released” (in which Hopp’s fine harmonies was discovered) and ending with the blast of Metsa’s “Jack Ruby.” 

For more of Metsa, remember he plays at Carmody on Sunday afternoons.

Treat number three was another fundraiser. (Thank you Rebecca Gullion Lindquist, The North radio station’s blues lady for bringing this to my attention!) It happened Saturday, Nov. 2, at Superior Tavern on Tower Avenue in Superior, where the duo Jon Rabideaux (guitar) and Casey Frensz (percussion) were on stage as the Minnesota representatives to the 2025 International Blues Challenge taking place in Memphis January 7-11. The gig was a fundraiser to pay for their travel expenses to compete in the duo category there. 

It was a fabulous night for the blues lovers in attendance; we heard them perform their winning song, “Long Road To Memphis” among others from their 2022 Extended Play release. 

Brother Jon Rabineau and Casey Frensz

But that wasn’t all, the full Brother Jon Band followed, playing two fabulous sets that allowed those in attendance to get in a lot of dancing. Besides Rabideaux and Frensz (who switched to guitar) there was Joe Kemerling on keys and saxophone and Ed Johnson on drums, plus Dave Ujke joining in with his blowout harp playing. 

They played a variety of covers, some not of the blues genre, but getting a bluesy treatment, such as the Beatles’ “Come Together” and “Bloody Well Right” by Supertramp. 

The final number was “Movin’ On Up (to the East Side)” – theme from the 1970s Jeffersons TV show. Hilarious and funky. They played Van Haylen’s “Ice Cream Man” for an encore. This was blues at its best, such that it made me think about traveling to Memphis for that International Blues Challenge. 

In the meantime I will endeavor to hear this bunch of musicians whenever I can track them down.

UPCOMING: Don’t forget, the Second Sunday Blues Jam at the recently spruced up R.T. Quinlan’s happens  Nov. 10 beginning at 4 pm. All comers are welcome. See you there!