A storm that formed in Tomahawk in 1977 is rolling (and rocking) back into town for this year’s Fall Ride.
The rock band, Storm, played prolifically around North Central Wisconsin for decades. Guitarist Jeff Calhoun, a founding member of Storm, will be back on stage with long-time Storm frontman Mike “Hob” Habeck and drummer Mark “Schmitty” Schmidt for their first show in years on Friday, Sept. 14, at Prairie Rapids Tavern in Nokomis.
While Hob and Schmitty are familiar faces to Storm fans, newcomer John Ramsey, guitar teacher from Northwoods Guitar, will round out the lineup on bass guitar. Storm went through numerous lineup changes throughout its history. The version of the band that featured Jeff, Hob and Schmitty rocked in the 1990s, serving as an opening act for national touring bands such as Ted Nugent, Jackyl, Blackberry Smoke, Joan Jett, Marshall Tucker, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Great White, Tesla and many more. By 2000, they had gone their separate ways.
Now, Jeff and Hob still work together at Tomahawk Sports Center and have remained friends away from the band. Schmitty, a native of Merrill, moved back to the area from Minneapolis several years ago and previously played in a revived version of Storm.
Storm played many times for Fall Ride so their reunion debut is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 14 beginning at 10:30 p.m. at Prairie Rapids Tavern, 10233 Prairie Rapids Rd. off Hwy. L north of Tomahawk. The band realize that may be a late night for their older fans but it’ll be worth it to bring your kids and grandkids to hear and see the band you rocked to back in the day. If you can still find your Storm logo T-shirt, wear it for a special surprise.