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Whiskey River playing a sold-out show at the West Theatre. Photos by Jill Fisher.

This past week there were three back-to-back shows at the West Theatre that were calling my name, so that’s what dominated my musical outings for mid-May.

But first I would like to point out that some kind of glitch happened to the printed version of my May 7 Listen column, in which I had profiled Tony Don Tracy, member of the Whiskey River…downstream band. A substantial amount of text was accidentally dropped. You can read the full text as written online at duluthreader.com/articles/2026/05/07/134435-a-northlanders-musical-journey.

On Tuesday, May 12, the incredible ukelele master Jake Shimabukuro took the West Stage to entertain a nearly full house. The THUGS (Two Harbors Ukelele Group) were one of the reasons this was such a popular event. For me and for many others in the audience, it was word of mouth that got us out to the show. Then there were clearly those fans who had seen him perform before, evidenced by their cheers and requests.

Shimabukuro announced that he is a huge Bob Dylan fan, which made it special for him to be performing for the first time in Duluth where he was born. He also said he regretted not being here during the upcoming Duluth Dylan Fest. (Maybe next year!)

He was solo at the beginning of the concert, starting off with a beautiful rendition of Schubert’s “Ave Maria.” Then he changed it up with “Let’s Dance” (not the David Bowie tune) that was based on a legendary flamenco number.

From there it was an interesting mix of old and new tunes, some traditional Hawaiian.

Another brand new one, “Golden” came from the kids movie KPop Demon Hunters, to which Jake added electronic loops.

Jake Shimabukuro and Jackson Waldhoff

George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” was particularly moving but also personalized with a strange, really rockin’ interlude. On that number Jake was joined by bassist Jackson Waldhoff, who played with him the rest of the show.

Together they played “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers” (written by Stevie Wonder, recorded by Jeff Beck) before breaking into a boogie woogie tune to further demonstrate the range of their repertoire.

After the intermission, it was even more of a mix, beginning with the Hawaiian “Kawaikini,” then launching into a mashup of two Jimmy Buffet and Grateful Dead songs: “Margaritaville” and “Friend of Mine.” Again, his playing was supplemented with electronic tracks that he produced in real time in front of us.

The last number of the concert featured him using a slide on his ukelele to reproduce the sound of a historic 1885 lap-steel guitar.

And of course there was an enthusiastic demand for an encore to which he responded with “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Wow! It was amazing to hear the audience sing the lyrics of this song accurately and on pitch, even without Jake leading us.

The Whiskey River…downstream band returned to West Theatre for a sold out show the next evening, Wednesday, May 13. This was a must-see performance for me as I understood the band had undergone some member changes and, with those, new explorations of its sound.

The most recent change and the saddest was the death on March 18 of Dave Waggoner. He was best known for his lead singer role in the band Crow, though he began singing and playing mandolin and acoustic guitar with Whiskey River in the early 1980s, then again during reunion shows in 2014-15.

When Judd Erickson, a singer with the band, died five years ago Waggoner replaced him. It wasn’t long after that Waggoner was diagnosed with leukemia, yet he was still playing with Whiskey River when they were at the West last year (reviewed in the July 3, 2025, Reader issue).

I was fortunate to see the band again with Waggoner a few weeks later at the Carlton County Fair. Based on the testimonials and memories of him posted on Facebook, as well as YouTube videos, it is clear he will be sorely missed by many.

Albert Svenddal is the newest member of WRDS. He plays pedal steel guitar. If his name sounds familiar, it may be that you recall from my May 7 Listen column, referenced above, that his parents were the founders of North Country Shindig who discovered the talents of a young Tony Tracy (who joined the band a couple years ago).

As someone partial to pedal steel, I really appreciated how well he blended with WRDS’s sound. This was especially true on his lead into the song “Dacotah,” which was dedicated to the memory of Dave Waggoner. Also playing on this song was saxophonist Brian “Zoot” Simonds, who joined the group for five of its numbers in this show. I particularly liked his contributions to the song “Streetwise” during the second set.

The sax certainly did lend another, somewhat jazzy, dimension to the band, which may or may not be seen as an improvement to a country rock band.

The concert began with Danny Naslund soloing on “My Friend,” with drummer Norm Steffen joining him mid-song to accompany him with shakers.

Danny introduced the other band members as they came on stage and they launched into “Hickory Maiden.” From there it was onto a variety of slow and stirring numbers that would have gotten folks out onto the dance floor had there not been filming of the performance. Tracy singing “Heart Without a Will” in the first set was so sweet.

By the end of the second set things got revved up with songs like “LA Freeway,” “Six Days on the Road” and “Country Picker,” which became a sing-along.

The encores were “Willin’” and “Ain’t Livin’ Long.”

All in all, it was a fabulous show that made me want to see this band again. WRDS has a pretty full summer schedule with plenty of opportunities to see them around the Northland. See its website for all the details: whiskeyriverbandmn.com.

Sound Inc.

On Thursday, May 14, it was back to the West for the 60th anniversary concert of Sound, Inc. This group was formed by junior high students back in 1966! They had a hit record, “Dreams” in 1970. They often play benefits and this show was a benefit for the local Safe Haven Shelter and Resource Center, a not-for-profit organization that provides comprehensive community education on domestic violence along with support for victims of abuse.

The eight-member band has evidently changed membership through the years and, on this evening, it was comprised of guitarists Russ Vandell, Dave Parson, Steve Netsel and Mick Jackson, a horn section Greg Moore (tenor saxophone), Bob Baldwin (trumpet) and Tim Stratioti (trombone) and Jack Seiler (drums)

They covered a range of oldies, starting with Neil Young’s “Ohio” then moving onto others that were great to dance to, including “Time Won’t Let Me,” “Seven Bridges Road,” “No Time Left for You” and even the Moody Blues’ “Nights in White Satin.”

The horn section added a lot of verve and their harmonies with good. At the very end their partners, the pink-clad “Inky Dinkies,” joined them on stage. I’m not sure when they will play in our area next, but it would be fun to see and dance to them again!

After all this, Sunday, May 17, was the beginning of Duluth Dylan Fest, which has evolved into a week-long reunion of Dylanophiles.

It was a gathering of folks from far and wide to celebrate and bask in the music, poetry, social and political commentary and philosophical pronouncements of Duluth’s native son.

Pat Eliason, Amy Grillo and Gene LaFond performing Dylan.

On a cold and blustery (felt like 40 degrees) day, the Curmudgeon and I drove northwest to Hibbing to join in the commemoration of Bobby Zimmerman’s upcoming 85th birthday. It felt like an important event that we were thrilled to be a part of.

Gene "Geno" LaFond and 12-year-partner and now bride Amy Grillo (they were married on the fourth of March at their home in Silver Bay) entertained us with covers of Dylan’s tunes — some familiar, some not — in the garage behind the former Zimmerman homestead. They were ably accompanied by Pat Eliason on harmonica.

Shelter from the Storm

Later that evening we were off to Mr. D’s in West Duluth to hear Shelter From the Storm perform a full slate of great Dylan songs for two and a half hours. It was great to see five of the members (Janie Oase, Peter Oase, Garth Anderson Todd James Larson and Mike Bernier) taking turns singing lead vocals.

Garth’s rendition of “Maggie’s Farm” showcased his excellent phrasing and emphasis while he wailed on congas and harmonica.

Janie’s lead vocals on “Masters of War” was a powerfully emotive delivery worthy of this timeless and timely anti-war anthem.

Drummer Todd James Larson, who is responsible for having pulled this group together, also gave us primo vocals on such songs as “I Threw It all Away” and “Everything is Broken” (one of my favorite Dylan songs).

The remaining band members, Jordan Ash (bass) and Kevin Kitchak (keys) contributed to the terrific full sound as well. It was quite the party! 

UPCOMING: You can bet I’ll be taking in the last four days of the Duluth Dylan Fest. Cowboy Angel Blue will play at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum the evening of Thursday, May 21; the annual singer-songwriter contest will be back at Sacred Heart Music Center the next evening, Friday, May 22, beginning at 7; then Saturday, May 23, features the music of Dan Israel and Friends also at SHMC. A front porch birthday party at 11 am Sunday morning, May 24 (Bob’s actual birthday), will be held at the former Zimmerman house here in Duluth and, later that evening, “Bob Dylan’s Big 85th Birthday Bash” will be at the Alhambra with Paul Metsa and Sony Earl. Check out duluthdylanfest.com for all the details.