Mudcat

Danny “Mudcat” Dudeck is a familiar name in this town. Every Wednesday night, you can see the folk-blues musician lay down two sets of cover songs, original numbers, and written-on-the-spot novelties at Northside Tavern.

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On one night in particular, he trotted out old, innuendo-laden blues numbers such as “Ice Cream Freezer” (hint: the freezer is a metaphor for a woman), “Ring Dang Doo” (which concerns a “loose” woman), and “Pistol in Your Mouth” (Mudcat says it’s a sexual metaphor). He augmented the material with winding, conversational asides. For “Up Against the Wall,” for instance, he changed the lyrics mid-song from “kickin’ hippie asses and raising hell” to “smoking hippie grass and raising hell.”

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After the first set, he went outside with his five band members and several men from the audience to have a smoke. Just then, a man walked up to Mudcat and grabbed his hand. “Thanks a lot. I’ll be here next Wednesday. You’re awesome,” said Gustavo, who had been in the audience enjoying Mudcat. “I was stationed in Biloxi, and we’d spend every weekend in New Orleans. ... This shit is the closest I’ve ever seen to it.”

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“Thanks, man,” answered Mudcat, who has played Northside Tavern for 13 years. “Here, I’m free to do whatever I please,” he said when asked how he keeps the gig interesting.

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Mudcat celebrates his newly released CD, The Mess Is On, with a weekend of shows. “It’s almost all original tunes,” he says, although covers of blues, country and rock songs tend to dominate his live sets. With The Mess Is On, you’ll mostly hear a side of Mudcat you’d rarely get at Northside Tavern. “Some of the songs I never do, but I’m going to have to do them at this CD release party,” he laughs.

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Mudcat plays Northside Tavern Fri.-Sat., Jan. 27-28. No cover. 10 p.m. 1058 Howell Mill Road. 404-874-8745. www.northsidetavern.com.