Cowboy Angel Blue at Mac's in Mountain Iron. Photos by Jill Fisher.

Baby boomers are likely getting their fill of “Celebrations of Life” these days which have, to a large extent, taken the place of traditional funerals for our departed family and friends.

The 14 years (1946-1960) of souls being born in record numbers accounts for the current flood of deaths amongst this cohort.

A day doesn’t pass without the Internet informing us that yet another rocker has died.

And while we mourn the loss of our favorite celebrity music-makers, it is the loss of our local musicians, who we have gotten to know personally, that hits the hardest.

This is the case with those who knew and loved Jamie Paavala (July 8, 1963-June 13, 2026), guitarist and member of the Northland band Cowboy Angel Blue. That band has played for years during the annual Duluth Dylan Fest.

On Wednesday, Aug.19, I headed north to Mac’s Bar in Mountain Iron, Minn., to attend the Celebration of Life for Jamie.

For musicians, it is natural to want to share their feelings of loss through music. Thus the local music community turned out in force to commemorate the life of one of their own.

Inside the bar, Bill Maxwell and Billy Bulinski of the band Cowboy Angel Blue, together with John Ely on pedal steel and Mike Christensonon playing slide on dobro, began the event with a performance of Jamie’s favorite song, “Fort Worth Blues.”

They followed that with Dylan’s “I shall Be Released,”  Vince Gill’s “Go Rest High On That Mountain” and another Dylan number, “Knocking on Heaven’s Door.”

These situationally appropriate songs eased us into an evening of both tear-worthy and rowdy music.

The six-hour line up of performances by 11 different groups or individuals alternated between the inside bar and the outside patio area. I was unfamiliar with most of these musicians and impressed by nearly all.

Second on the agenda was Ryder Kolterman, who sang “He’s A Legend” with accompaniment by Allan “Trapper” Frandsen on harmonica, along with several other tunes.

Back inside we got to hear the powerful voice of Mary Grizzard, accompanied by the equally intense vocals and guitar-playing of Jay Hoiland, who make up the duo Bittersweet.

“Angel From Montgomery” was their first selection, followed by several by the Beatles — “I’ve Just Seen A Face,” “We Can Work it Out” and “In My Life.” They also played an original composition, “Fallin’,” which was very nice. They concluded with two tunes made famous by Janis Joplin: the sing-along “Mercedes Benz” and “Bobby McGee.” 

I asked them whether they ever played in Duluth; no was the answer. They limit their gigs to the range, primarily The Sawmill Saloon in Virginia. Too bad, I would have liked to see them again down here in the Twin Ports.

Jason & Star Martinson followed on the outside stage covering Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and 4 Non Blondes. Very danceable!

Then, back inside the duo Just Us (Rosie Gams and Jack Lambert) were joined by friends Chris Pietrack, Eric Pederson and Kenny Stevens. They began with the Eagles’ “Peaceful Easy Feeling” and rocked with “Heat Wave” and the Allman Brothers’ “Ramblin’ Man.”

Rosie and Jack are snowbirds who spend winters on South Padre Island, Texas, and summers on the range.

The celebration of life continued outside on the patio stage with the old timer and solo guitar player Mark Henderson, who also was accompanied by the harmonica-playing Trapper.

A group by the name of Vitamin Brown performed covers and was followed by Al Phillips covering the Beatles’ hits. Then came the group Pat, Pat and Ped, comprised of Patrick Hawkinson, Chris Pietrack (drums), Eric Pederson plus Kenny “Penny” Stevens. They played all songs that were favored by Jamie, including some by the Grateful Dead and Little Feat’s “Willin’.”

Before they were done, Bill Maxwell joined them to sing the Rolling Stones’ “Honky Tonk Woman” that we’ve heard Cowboy Angel Blue play numerous times through the years.

Rich Mattson and Germaine Gemberling of Rich Mattson and The Northstars (finally, performers known to me) were joined by Keith Secola for a strangely short set before Willy & The Rangers, who were slated for a one-hour set to wind up the event.

Unfortunately, with an hour-plus drive home I headed back to Duluth and didn’t get to see them.

Other music outings this past week included a fun time at Blacklist Brewing Co. when the Big Time Jazz Orchestra teamed up with North Shore Ballroom on Thursday, Aug. 20, to provide swing dancers with big band music.

A couple of friends tagged along with me to experience what must have been like a typical night of dancing back in the 1940s. The BTJO expertly played classic swing era music such as “Pennsylvania 65000” “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” “In The Mood,” “Moonlight Serenade” and “Mack the Knife” to the dancers’ delight.

Besides getting our exercise by dancing this evening, we got to see the pros in action (Elliot Kapel plus partner) showing us how it’s done. These events are put on periodically at various venues around town so keep a lookout for your opportunities to shake a leg!

On Friday, Aug. 21, the Curmudgeon and I drove up to Silver Bay for the last of the six concerts put on by Rocky Wall Entertainment’s Music in the Park series.

On this gorgeous, but cool, summer evening it was The Scarlet Goodbye, a Twin Cities-based band. Two established Minnesota musicians lead this group: producer, songwriter Jeff Arundel (acoustic guitar, vocals) and rocker Dan Murphy (electric guitar, vocals) who played with Soul Asylum and Golden Smog.

The supporting players on this evening were Patrick Nelson (bass guitar), “Pappa” Pat Frederick (keys, fiddle, harmony vocals) and J. Ben Peterson (drums).

They started out at 7:30 pm sharp with “To Feel the Sun” from their most recent album, El Camino Adiós and following it with “Rosary” also from that album. The introduction to this latter song, which had a full rock sound, told us “love is like a rosary, because you have to hold on tight.”

The band followed those with “Surprised” from TSG’s first album, Hope’s Eternal. Then they played their most recent recording, “Losing (the Only Game in Town).”

TSC’s music is described as alternative rock, melodic pop and as playing 60s-type rock infused with current sensibilities. Most of their songs incorporate both slow and fast tempos, which I’ve noted is a characteristic of many songs by relatively new bands.

Other tunes performed included “Sandy” and “Panic & Blame” from Hope’s Eternal and “Great Again” from El Camino Adiós. They also included two covers: John Prine’s “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness” and The Grass Roots’ “Temptation Eyes.”

Midway through the concert, they debuted their brand new song (not yet recorded), “Silver Bay.”

From the title I was expecting lyrics with a glowing description of our current setting. Instead, the verses described a bleak environment — “There’s a crack in the sky for the sun…up here we survive...take a seat at the bar, we all know who we are…” which resolved into “I hear you’re leaving [pause] for Silver Bay” suggesting this place was a magnet for people from smaller, more desolate locations.

Sort of odd, I thought. The C is quite taken with this group, while I found their music listenable but hard to dance to.

It was a short concert, done by 9:30 pm with no encores — not that more tunes weren’t requested! But it appeared that everyone left the park satisfied and looking forward to next summer’s concert series.

We can all make sure 2027’s series is a great one by making a tax-deductible contribution at rockywallentertainment.org.

UPCOMING: Ready or not, this weekend is Tribute Fest at Bayfront Park beginning at 1 pm on Friday, Aug. 29 and at noon on Saturday the 30th. This production is a benefit for veterans. If that isn’t your thing, check out Hardaybra at Sir Ben’s on Saturday beginning at 9 pm. (The band’s name is its own spelling of the Norwegian saying “har det bra” which translates to “have it good!”).

And here’s another to put on your calendar: Laurie BoeDee presents a concert by “Noteworthy Kids” on Friday, Sept. 4, at Ursa Minor 7-9 pm. I’ve seen her students perform at Wussow’s Café a while back and it was definitely a worthwhile musical event.