The year is 1982. A group of Eau Claire university students enter the Varsity Talent Show with an act inspired by horn bands, “fun things,” and the Blues Brothers. From there the group, JD and the Back-Alley Madmen, became one of the most entertaining and fun-loving bands in town. The group played weekly on Water Street, and for the better part of the 80s they entertained crowds, opened for Stevie Ray Vaughn at Zorn Arena, and, in the words of member Scott Davis, “Drank a whole bunch and had a really good time.” Now they’re back, and playing a reunion show at the not-often-a-live-music-venue Pioneer Tavern. “We didn’t play a lot because we weren’t necessarily good,” says Davis, “but we brought people in, had fun, and made sure everyone had a good time. I guess that’s what kept us playing.” The group consists of gentlemen that have moved off and away to do legitimately great things – performing with musical goliaths like Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles, college professoring, and airline piloting. A big group with an inevitably big sound, the Madmen will not only be interesting to people who, as Davis puts it, “will just be wondering what the hell happened to all of us,” or have seen them in the past, but a new generation of students and music lovers who will get a dance-worthy glimpse into the days of hoppin, Blues Brothery horn ensemble shows.