Behind The Cheddar Curtain

Original artwork by Steve Vorass

Gosh how time flies. I have not blogged since 2023, but I think with the upcoming Tosa Tonight season, it might be a good time to dust off the blog and publish a few thoughts about the free and family-friendly music series of which I have been a part for the past 8 years.

As I author this, we are two days away from our 25th Anniversary season's kickoff opening with local boys Ladybird and starring alt-country pioneers Old 97's.

I'm quite sure I speak on behalf of the entire Tosa Tonight entertainment committee when I say that we are thrilled to bring Old 97's to the Firefly City.

Many have asked me how we were able to pull this off. The short answer is with lots of hard work (and not much of it by me, aside for my enthusiasm). The slightly longer version is that, one of our committee members knows the band and their management. We were made aware that Old 97's were on a break, but kicking off their next tour at Fitzgerald's in Chicago on June 21st. That day, they are playing two shows: one in the afternoon outdoors and a second in the evening indoors (both sold-out). It dawned upon us that — with Wauwatosa's relative proximity to Chicago — maybe we could get them to kick off their tour here. With lots of texts and emails in between, we finally were able to come to an agreement and, lo and behold, the Old 97's are coming to Wauwatosa!

Before we had a signed contract (but high hopes that this was going to happen), we went to work determining the opener. In the past few years, I've become a fan and regular at Milwaukee band Ladybird's shows. Their debut album "Amy Come on Home" has earned regular rotation in my listening spaces. It's obvious that, whether the band is aware or not, many of Ladybird's songs are clearly inspired by the Old 97's' sound. Upon convincing the committee that Ladybird would make an appropriate opener for Old 97's, I set about reaching out to the band.

I reached out to Pete of Ladybird asking if the band was available on June 18th. I think a few days passed before he confirmed that it was and we exchanged texts confirming their opening slot for the headliner of the night. I explained to Pete I cannot let him know the headliner until we have the contract signed. We could not risk any word or promotion of the show until it was solid.

Pete begged me, "Can you please give me a clue?"

I thought I'd give him a clue that would be so vague that he could never guess it. It's actually two clues, and I didn't take much time thinking about the exact wording. I texted something like, "Country-rock band formed in 1992."

It wasn't 20 seconds until Pete texted back "OLD 97's!!!!"

I did not respond. Nothing. I wasn't going to show my cards.

Two weeks later, the deal was done and I texted Pete. "Pete, you ready to know who you're opening for?" and I confirmed to him that his guess was correct.

Now it was my turn to get the silent treatment. Pete wrote nothing back. I waited patiently but decided not to push. He'd let me know his/their thoughts in due time. (I was rather surprised by the delay.) Finally, Pete admitted, he did not reply because he and his bandmates were freaking out. My assumptions of Old 97's-inspired sounds in Ladybird's music was spot-on. The band was completely stoked to open for their alt-country heroes.

Back to Old 97's...

These guys have been favorites of mine since 1997. The time that I became a fan is a clear memory: July 5, 1997 at Summerfest. At the time, I didn't know who Old 97's were. But what came quick to me is that the few hundred people who were watching them were all singing along. I remember like I said it yesterday, "Who are these guys and how is it possible that all of these people know their songs so well?"

We joined the crowd and, while we were not able to sing along, we quickly became fans. In 1997, their album "Too Far to Care" would have been just released. I am sure that is the album I purchased first and to this day, that album remains a classic with hits like Timebomb, Barrier Reef, and Big Brown Eyes.

A monster hit song has eluded Old 97's, but their catalog of lasting singles can go toe-to-toe with nearly any band's.

One song you may have heard without realizing who was behind it is Question. Question was played for years at sporting events when a televised wedding proposal was about to take place. I have attended numerous Brewers games where, in between innings, Question would start playing and the Jumbotron would switch to a couple in the seats. Suddenly, the fellow would kneel down in aisle and ask his Question. I don't recall the answer ever being no, so the audience's response was lots of "Awws."

So here we are, only two days away from presentation of one of my favorite bands to my favorite city: Wauwatosa. Rain is definitely in the forecast and has us very nervous, but I'm taking some comfort in that the rain looks certain, but spotty. It doesn't appear that we will have a day-long deluge.

I'm also excited to be on television Wednesday morning with members of Black Shoe Hospitality. We will be on with Molly and Tiffany on The Morning Blend, and then later with just Tiffany on What's Brewing Wisconsin. We have tried to see if we could get members of Old 97's to appear with us, but being a travel day, the odds are low.

The weather will be a major player in the success of this once-in-a-lifetime Wauwatosa event, but if our production team can get set up and anything short of a deluge is possible, I think we are going to have our biggest turnout ever. With perfect weather, my estimate is 2500 to 3000. Let's keep our fingers crossed and rain, rain, stay away!!