If the family holiday thing gets to be a little to much to deal with and you want to duck out for a few hours for some bargain music here's a couple of suggestions.

Big Bargains - At least $5 lower than the band's usual cover price.

Cover: Free BUZZ Level: 1
TCCC Recommended Band
The R Factor: Funk / R&B / Rock
Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake; 800.262.7799 8:00 PM December 25

Cover: Free BUZZ Level: 2
TCCC Recommended Band
Chosen Robot: Rock / Funk / Punk
O'Gara's Garage at 164 Snelling Ave, St.Paul; 651.644.3333 9:00 PM December 25



Free shows - Nothing but a tip jar between you and a good time.

Cover: Free BUZZ Level: 2
Elijah Blue Band: Rock / Club / Classic Rock
Cover: Free BUZZ Level: 2
Elijah Blue Band: Rock / Club / Classic Rock
Shaw's Bar & Grill at 1528 University Ave NE, Mpls; 612.781.4405 8:00 PM 8:00 PM
December 25

( Click for Bargains on Dec 26... )

More end of the year clean-up data.

These are bands that have not appeared in this journal since 2007, but now have confirmed return shows. They all have enough BUZZ to keep an eye out for.

Jan 8, 2010 at Mayslack's
2007 Cover: $10
BUZZ Level:7
Jerree Small: Down-tempo / Garage / Acoustic

Feb 4, 2010 at Saint Paul College
2007 Cover: $5
BUZZ Level:0
Scratch Track: Acoustic / Hip Hop / Soul

Feb 6, 2010 at Bryant Lake Bowl
2007 Cover: $10
BUZZ Level:3
Joe Firstman: Rock / Acoustic / Alternative

Feb 28, 2010 at the Bloomington Center for the Arts
2007 Cover: $4
BUZZ Level:8
Mary Louise Knutson Trio: Jazz / Acoustic

Feb 8, 2010 at Rochester Civic Center Auditorium
2007 Cover: $20
BUZZ Level:HOT!
Skillet: Rock / Alternative

This journal started back in October of 2006. Each year since then I've made an annual housecleaning of the spreadsheet I use to track band cover prices. I've heard that the average lifespan of a music group is about 3 years. Either the band splits up due to issues from day jobs, families or other outside pressures or creative differnces begin to fester or public indifference just becomes too discouraging.

Many of the bands I track are from outside the state or country and their appearance here is just a once in a lifetime event. Other bands just get too famous to be tempted to return to flyover country.

Whatever the reason, there are many bands that have never come back since their performance a few years ago and, in most likelihood, will will come back.

I'm currently going through my notes and making one last attempt to find if these long lost bands are still active. The onces that have a reasonable chance of returning stay on my tracking list, the others are deleted.

Here are a number of bands that haven't appeared in a posting on this journal since the early months of 2007. They've been doing quite well in the meantime and they are scheduled for a return performance in the next few months. Consider this your heads up.

March 25, 2010 at Nomad World Pub
Cover price on March 9, 2007 was $5
BUZZ Level:HOT! WA Band
Brent Amaker and the Rodeo: Country / Indie / Other

March 21, 2010 at Crave in Edina (every Thursday)
Cover price on March 11, 2007 was $6
BUZZ Level:HOT! MN Band
The B-Team: Rock / Pop / Soul

February 23, 2010 at Cedar Cultural Center
Cover price on March 6, 2007 was $15
BUZZ Level:HOT! Band from Sweden
El Perro Del Mar: Pop

February 13, 2010 at Pizza Luce Duluth, MN
Cover price on January 24, 2007 was $5
BUZZ Level:4 MN Band
The Surfactants: Rock / New Wave / Pop

February 4, 2010 at Varsity Theater
Previous cover price on January 24, 2007 was $2
BUZZ Level:HOT! MN Band
Elephine: Funk / Rock / Pop

January 29, 2010 at Bemidji State University Bemidji, Minnesota
Previous cover price on March 2, 2007 was $30
BUZZ Level:HOT! NY Band
Ahn Trio: Classical / Alternative / Experimental

January 14, 2010 at Station 4
Previous cover price on March 16, 2007 was $15. An show the summer before was $60.
BUZZ Level:5 PA Band TCCC Recommended
Anti-Flag (Anti Flag): Punk / Rock / Alternative

January 2, 2010 at Rollie’s Redneck’s & Longneck’s in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota
Previous cover price on January 18, 2007 was free
BUZZ Level:HOT! MN Band
Melissa Moser: Country / Pop / Americana

Tuesday, December 22 at Lee’s Liquor Lounge 9 pm
Previous cover price on March 1, 2007 was $5
BUZZ Level:2 MN Band
Angie Oase: Country / Blues / Folk Rock

Big Bargains - Cover prices at least $5 lower than usual than previous shows.

Cover: Free
BUZZ Level: HOT! TCCC Recommended Band
Retribution Gospel Choir: Rock / Dub
501 Club at 501 Washinton Ave S, Mpls; 612.338.3848 9:00 PM

Cover: Free
BUZZ Level: 2 TCCC Recommended Band
Me & My Arrow: Indie / Other / Experimental
BUZZ Level:1 TCCC Recommended Band
25 Cent Tacos: Punk / Metal / Christian Rap
BUZZ Level:8
Spacewolf: Rock
Hexagon Bar at 2600 27th Ave S, Mpls; 612.722.3454 9:00 PM

( Click for Small Bargains, Free Shows and HOT! Buzz... )

Big Bargains - Shows with cover prices at least $5 lower than usual for these bands.

Cover: Free
BUZZ Level: 3
The Sinks: Punk / Garage / Comedy
BUZZ Level:2
The Sleaze: Punk / Garage / Jam
BUZZ Level:HOT! Recommeded Band
Teenage Moods Unclassified Music
BUZZ Level:9
Real Numbers: Punk
Hexagon Bar at 2600 27th Ave S, Mpls; 612.722.3454 9:00 PM

( Click for more bargains... )