Here's What to Do, When the Year turns New

Ready or not, the Holidays are upon. Get those presents wrapped, bake those cookies, do whatever you have to do to make the Yuletide bright. Then get ready to leap into 2025.

Wait! You don't know where to go? That's what the calendar below is for. Read it and leap!

(Hint: It's a swinging joint on the east side of Madison.)

The McMusical Calendar

Tuesday, December 31/Wednesday, January 1
The Red Rooster presents Blue Year's Eve Bash. Madison's premiere Blues venue presents the incomparable James Earl Tate and The 008 Band. Tate gets the party rolling and tumbling from 6 to 8 pm.
At 9:30 MAMA (Madison Area Music Awards) winners BirdDogBlues (with 2023 Blues Performer of the year Mel Ford on guitar and vocals, Ken "Birddog" Olufs on harmonica and vocals, Tom McCarty on bass and vocals, and Madison patron-saint-of-percussion Brian Howard filling in for out-of-town Joel Brantmeier on drums). The band will crank it up and take it to the midnight countdown and on into the new year.
The Red Rooster pours champagne at midnight and has great food, and drink specials all night long. Word to the wise: Get your tickets in advance!

Check back here for 2025 gig updates.

Oh My! Look at the Time!

Clocks changed.
Milestones passed.
We try to keep our eyes on the road ahead, but we best not forget about where we've come from.
And where we come from... is the Past.

When the Ronettes had their huge hit way back when, I wasn't sure about what I thought about it. Or them. The big hair. The outfits. The "bad girl" mystique.

Many years later I happened upon Be My Baby again, and was gobsmacked by the feral genius of Ronnie Spector's performance. Awareness and appreciation? Better late than never. 

It's always a good idea to keep our eyes and ears open, but sometimes, it just takes time. 

Know what I mean?

If so, let me know. Meantime...

The McMusical Calendar

Wednesday, November 27
Pre-Thanksgiving Bash with BirdDogBlues at Toffler's Pub & Grill in New Glarus. 7:30 to 10:30 pm

Friday, December 13
Blues in a barn? Yes, but not just any barn. BirdDogBlues will cast their fates at Four Winds Farms in Fitchburg. 6 to 8:30 pm (ticketed event)

Tuesday, December 31
BirdDogBlues rings in 2025 at the Red Rooster, Madison's premier blues club. 7 to late

The Past will still be around in 2025, so keep your eyes and your minds open and check back often and frequently.

October 26 Canceled!

We repeat. October 26 canceled. 

Enjoy the beautiful Fall weather.

Countdown

August? It was a busy month. September? Not so much, as a peek at the McMusical Calendar (below) will show. Sometimes, that just the way it goes.

There's a time to kick up some dust, and a time to kick back and relax. There's also times when you have to put your shoulder to the wheel, metaphorically speaking, 'cause some jobs you just have to do yourself.

Like voting. Come this November, Americans need to participate in the work of self-governance. Don't leave it up to somebody else to make what may be the most important choice us citizens of this fair land have ever made. Get informed. Get registered. Get ready. Then VOTE.

In the meantime, here's The McMuscial Calendar.  

Sunday, September 15
BirdDogBlues plays an early afternoon set to help raise funds for the Madison Blues Society Showcase at the East Side Club.\The BA Band plays from noon to 1. Then BirdDogBlues boys from 1:20 to 3. Then Chicago's own Donna Herula and her band from 3 to 5. Food, Drink, and 50/50 Raffle on the shores of beautiful Lake Monona.

Saturday, October 5
BirdDogBlues plays the Fharmacy, Tyranena Brewing's welcoming indoor venue in downtown Lake Mills. 7 to 10

Saturday, October 26
BirdDogBlues makes music at The Mill on the banks of the Sugar River in Paoli (weather permitting). 5 to 8

Check back early and often for corrections, additions, subtractions, multiplications, and divisions.

Let There Be Drummers

Drums, Bass, and Drums

That's Mauro Magellan (of The Georgia Satellites, The Jimmys, Generation Jones, etc. etc.) me, and Bun E. Carlos (of Cheap Trick, etc. etc.), post-gig posing at Grand Avenue Pub in Beloit, 27 July 2024.

My privilege, and a ton-o-fun, to play with both these Grand Poobahs of Percussion. Drummers are my partners, co-pilots, and co-conspirators in myriad musical endeavors. Hats off and glasses up to these two, and all the others.

Gerry Burns, longtime Austin, TX musician, but Wisconsin native, pulled together and led a line-up of rock stars and local heroes for an evening's homage to the original (two drummers) Grateful Dead. Check out GerryDoesJerry for more.

The McMusical Calendar

Thursday, August 1
BirdDogBlues plays Century School Park. Verona! (Weather permitting. Keep your eyes on the skies.)
5:30 to 8:00

Friday, August 9
BirdDogBlues plays The Lake House Inn in Edgerton. (Weather permitting. See above.)
7 to 10

Tuesday, August 13
VOTE! (And vote "No" on both referendums. Please.)

Saturday, August 17
BirdDogBlues plays Whiskey, Wine, & Cheese Fest in New Glarus. (What's not to love!)
2 to 5

Sunday, August 18
BirdDogBlues plays The Smiling Moose in Osman.
3 to 7

Thursday, August 29
BirdDogBlues plays Fireman's Park in Cottage Grove.
7 to 9

Sunday, September 1
BirdDogBlues plays Toffler's in New Glarus.
3 to 6

Monday, September 2
BirdDogBlues plays the Club LaMark in Madison.
2 to 5

Sunday, September 15
BirdDogBlues plays Madison Blues Society Showcase at the East Side Club. Afternoon.

Check back early and often for corrections, additions, subtractions, multiplications, and divisions.

Thanks to our haste, and lack of proofreading and fact-checking, our Department of Corrections will never be out of business. Being human (no AI here, folks), we err, and when we do, we own up. 

That said, it was an easy enough mistake to make, assuming that if George (Gershwin) wrote the music then brother Ira must have written the lyrics. But Porgy and Bess, the Gershwin opus that introduced the now ubiquitous tune "Summertime," was an exception, drawing lyrics from the novel Porgy, written by DuBose Heyward. Now we both know.

Our screw-ups are nothing new, but see if you can spot the TWO NEW additions to... 

The McMusical Calendar (BirdDogBlues news below)

Thursday, July 18

Fun folkers Faux Fawn (the brain child of prolific and singular songwriter Paul Otteson) perform in the spacious and comfortable backyard at the McFarland House Cafe (5923 Exchange St. in McFarland).
6 to 8 pm

Sunday, July 21

Mel Ford & Fairlane serve up a smorgasbord of blues-flavored standards and raucous rarities with acoustic guitar, upright bass, and down-home vocals on the patio at Tofflers Pub & Grill in New Glarus
(200 5th Avenue). 

2:30 to 5 pm

Thursday, July 25
Gerry Does Jerry
Gerry Burns, longtime musician of Austin (Texas) revisits his Wisconsin roots and gathers a supporting cast of local heroes for a summertime celebration and appreciation of the Grateful Dead. Joining Burns are keyboardist Todd Phipps, guitarist Gary Hendrickson, bassist Tom McCarty, and TWO drummers!: Mauro Magellan (Kentucky Headhunters and The Jimmys) and Bun E. Carlos (Cheap Trick). Check it out at Tofflers Pub & Grill in New Glarus.

7 to 10

Saturday, July 27
Gerry Does Jerry again. Same star-studded line-up as above, except Doug Brown replaces Todd Phipps on keyboards. Grand Avenue Pub (132 W. Grand Avenue) in Beloit. Bring out your Dead!
8 to 12

Taking Advantage

Some say that "the livin' is easy" in summertime (it was Ira Gershwin, actually), and we hope that's true for you and yours. What's certain is that there's live music coming to a neighborhood near you, and not just from MAMA winning band BirdDogBlues (see schedule below), so take advantage of the opportunities.

(And check back here often for updates!)

The McMusical Calendar

Thursday, July 18

Fun folkers Faux Fawn (the brain child of prolific and singular songwriter Paul Otteson) perform in the spacious and comfortable backyard at the McFarland House Cafe (5923 Exchange St. in McFarland).
6 to 8 pm

Sunday, July 21

Mel Ford & Fairlane serve up a smorgasbord of blues-flavored standards and raucous rarities with acoustic guitar, upright bass, and down-home vocals on the patio at Tofflers Pub & Grill in New Glarus
(200 5th Avenue). 

2:30 to 5 pm