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Lake City Smoking Section at the Powerhouse in Proctor. Photos by Jill Fisher.

The music was unending in the final days of 2025 and the New Year commenced.

The Curmudgeon and I heard from friends that The Lake City Smoking Section was playing out at the Powerhouse in Proctor on Saturday, Dec.27.

Although I knew this “big band” had been around for some time (it was formed in 2007), this was our first chance to see it. What a blast of an evening it was, what with a righteous horn section and a playlist of favorite rock-n-roll and blues covers.

If the band itself was new to us, several members were not as we’d seen them perform with other groups. The eight members include founding member Paul Javorina (electric guitar, vocals), Jeff Cherne (saxophone), Chet Johnson (trumpet), Greg Ojakangas (trombone), Karen Draeger (lead vocals, flute), Jane Aleckson (bass, vocals), Scott Junkert (keys), and Todd James (drums). These cats were hot and the dance floor was crowded from the first number.

LCSS played several Chicago covers and a fabulous rendition of Amy Winehouse’s ”Rehab.” On one number a really great drum solo was featured.

This was the perfect warmup to the sounds of Big Wave Dave and the Ripples on New Year’s Eve. And it’s good to know that the Northland has another band with horns!

It was announced that the LCSS will be back at the Powerhouse on Saturday, Jan. 31, but do check closer to the date for confirmation and time.

A few days later, on Tuesday, Dec.30, Homegrown Tomatoes played at Sir Benedict’s Tavern on the Lake. I was looking forward to hearing them again; the first time we saw these three musicians together as a trio was six months ago outside on Sir Ben’s patio.

Homegrown Tomatoes

Their members are Sonja Martin (acoustic guitar, vocals), Harrison Olk (banjo, vocals) and Nate Hynum (mandolin, vocals). But on this evening, the group included Elsa Krantz (bass guitar, vocals) and Lee Martin (pedal steel).

Each of these musicians play in other bands as well. The expanded group allowed for greater musical variety and highlighted original tunes, such as “Better Shore” by Sonja and Elsa’s “I Think I Lost It.” We also enjoyed covers of Dylan tunes (“Don’t Think Twice” sung by Nate and “One More Cup of Coffee” by Harrison) and the Dillards (“There Is A Time”), Tony Kamel (“Lying Through My Teeth”), David Rawlings and Gillian Welch (“Empty Trainload of Sky”) and even Guy Lombardo (“Enjoy Yourself”) by way of the late Todd Snider.

Homegrown Tomatoes is a group that will please many folks, so keep a lookout for their next gig.

On New Year’s Eve day music started early at Wussow’s — 8 am!

No, I didn’t make it there that early but I did get to hear brothers Jacob and Owen Mahon yodel for us. You never know what they’ll come up with.

Shane Nelson with Jacob and Owen Mahon

When Shane Nelson overslept and arrived late, the bros kept the vibe going and continued to play with Shane during his shortened set.

I also got to see Jesse Luoma (new to me) singing a bunch of Willie Nelson tunes, which he said were his father’s favorites. Luoma plays both solo and in the Greg Cougar Conley Band. After his set I headed out to other adventures.

Jess Luoma

Andy Olmstead and Misisipi Mike Wolf at Carmody's

That evening happened to be Misisipi Mike Wolf’s birthday, so folks gathered at Carmody Irish Pub at 5 o’clock to celebrate him.

The party evolved into two-plus hours of collaborative music with local musicians joining him on stage — Eldri Snow, Andy Olmstead, Clancy Ward and Amy Ugstad.

We got a taste of the group Dirt Magnet (Clancy and Amy), who were set to finish out New Year’s Eve at Wussow’s 16-hour marathon of music.

When the music ended it was time to head down the block to Blacklist Brewing for the New Year’s party that was billed as a “Cosmic Countdown.”

Gemstones

First up starting at Blacklist was The Gemstones. What a great funky, rockin’ band they are with Josh Nickila (lead guitar), Courtney Ellian (keys), Manny Eisle (bass guitar) and Ian Hopp (drums). I’ve mentioned this group recently (Nov. 27 Reader issue) with the observation about how tight it is these days.

It is a testament to their grit that the group continued to play and transform itself in the years following the untimely death of its lead singer Diona D. Johnson, AKA AfroGeode, in April 2023.

I was pleasantly surprised when Gemstones opened with a cover of “Psycho Killer” by Talking Heads.

One of the highlights of the Gemstone’s performance this evening was Ian’s vocals (and drumming), in particular on “Red House” by Jimi Hendrix. I swear he must have been channeling some old Black blues singer for the soul he brought to that number.

To wind up the New Year’s Eve celebration, Big Wave Dave, et al, took the stage at 10:20 pm to rock us into 2026. The dancers kept dancing, the drinks kept flowing and a young crowd kept the place hopping beyond the midnight hour.

Of course the holiday atmosphere extended well into the following weekend.

My choice for music on Friday, Jan. 2, was to check out Between Howls at Ursa Minor Brewing in Lincoln Park. And what a great choice it was.

Between Howls

It had been a while since I had seen this husband and wife duo in action. I first saw them when they were part of the band One Less Guest (formed in 2018) that played at Earth Rider in 2021.

At that time lead singer, Ren Cooper was not yet married to Nick Howl. When drummer Cody Thoreson of that group decided to relocate to Anaheim, Calif., in the summer of 2021, the band went with him. As it turned out, Ren and Nick decided that, after about a year-and-a-half out west, the Twin Ports is where their musical future lay.

They returned to the Northland in 2023 — lucky for us! After they married in September of that year, Ren and Nick founded Between Howls.

Ren plays a mean electric fiddle plus mandolin while Nick plays acoustic guitar and harmonica. Both share lead singing duties and back each other up with fine harmonies.

Nick has a clear high tenor voice and Ren’s is equally clear with a striking range. Her high notes are pitch-perfect as evidenced in their original song “Long Flight Home.”

This was a brilliant performance where the musicianship of each was on full display, a demonstration of the sum being greater than the total of its parts.

The two-hour-long set contained a satisfying mix of original tunes – all eight from their 2025 album Cabin Fever — and covers. The latter included Pink Floyd’s “Time,” Dylan’s “Meet Me in the Morning,” Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” John Prine’s “The Glory of True Love” and “South of Somewhere by local musician Ross Thorn.

Ren’s take on Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You” was impeccable.

The pair tackled some heavier stuff as well, covering “Motel in Memphis” about the assassination of Martin Luther King.

A violin instrumental showcased Ren’s virtuosity (she has worked with Erin Aldridge).

The other eight original songs performed are slated for an album in the works that is to be released in the spring of 2027. In short it was a fantastic evening of great music that deserves much wider exposure, which they will be getting when they open for Saltydog at the Turf Club in St. Paul this Friday, Jan.9.

Then it was time for something different.

Theory of Light

On Saturday, Jan. 3, the C and I took in Theory of Light’s show at Bent Paddle Brewing Co. This five-member band is comprised of Andy Lipke (electric guitar), Joe Anderson (sax and flute), Aaron O’Connor (trumpet), Luke Busta (bass guitar) and Todd Garland (drums). Andy blew a decorated cow horn to begin the show at 7:10 pm and from there the group took us on a journey into the world of cool and fusion jazz. It contained a good number of original tunes including “Wind Chill,” “The Funky Dog,” “Cutie Pie Central” in the first set and “Absinthe” and “Lazy Radio” in the second.

They also took on the challenging piece by Tony Williams, “Protocosmos” and another, “Stratus” by Billy Cobham. This show served to prepare us for Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM) returning to us come April.

UPCOMING: As mentioned above. Saltydog will be playing at the Turf Club in St. Paul as the headliner this Friday, Jan. 9. Opening acts include Hot Like Mars and our own Between Howls. The doors open at 7 pm and you can bet the C and I will be there to witness another fun and funky evening of music!