Summerfest, Day 11 Recap - I Did It!

Well I made it. All 11 days of Summerfest's 50th anniversary celebration. It was a great run and I had a ton of fun. For another day I'd like to write about some of my takeaways, pro's and con's, tips, secrets, etc., but for today I'm just going to recap day no. 11.

This was a funny day. It was the latest that I arrived the festival in 11 days. I didn't get to the park until 4:30 PM. I had to watch the Brewers seal the series against the Yankees at O'Lydia's one last time. They did, taking two out of three against the Bronx Bombers and they head into the All-Star break 50-41 with a 5.5 game lead over the rival Cubs. Yay team. Good luck in the season's second half! Bonus, free Fireball shot at O'Lydia's. Not because the Brewers won, but because a marketing team was there offering everyone free shots. I took one, but I didn't pound it, I savored it. (If one can do that with an ounce of Fireball.)

My aim was to get to festival grounds by at least 5:00 PM because arrangements had been made for me to meet with a Fox 6 reporter for a Summerfest story. By 5:00 Angelica Sanchez of the station sent me a text, "Are you on the grounds?" Yep, I replied. We made arrangements to meet near the Harley-Davidson area. I told Angelica I was close and I'd be there in a moment. When I arrived, I spotted her looking for a fellow that she thought might be me. I walked up behind her just as she was asking some big dude in a sleeveless tee, "Are you Mike?" No he said, but I popped up from behind her and said, "But I am!" We found a relatively quiet spot to conduct an interview and I was mic'd up for a few questions. Camera rolling, I was asked a few Q's about my 11-day run and, beer in hand, I answered them. If you've ever done something like this, you immediately consider your answers afterward and wish for a do-over. Nonetheless, I had faith in their editing capabilities and they did a fine job removing all (most) of my gibberish. You can see the final product here.

A clip from my 30-seconds of fame

I sported my 414 shirt from Too Much Metal for the interview. Immediately afterward, I touched my Summerfest "gool" by visiting Fred and telling him to look for me on the evening news (or the Internet). Out of 11 days, I think there was only one where I didn't stop and share a "Hey, how you doin'?" with Fred. If you're reading this, Fred, thank you for the always warm welcomes.

I then made a beeline to see my friend Ron's band, Clove, perform at the lakefront (lagoon-front, really) Renegade stage. I was blown away. After a short delay getting the sound system set up, Clove rocked a nice array of pop-song covers. What amazed me was how well they were received! Not that they should not have been, but that was by far the most people I've seen attend one of these lagoon-front side stages. Clove packed 'em in and had everybody happily dancing. It was great. I stayed for quite a while with a big grin on my face. It's hard not to enjoy yourself when everyone near you is having such a good time. Well done, Ron and gang! (Note: other members of this band used to play with me at Brocach Irish Pub on North Water Street years ago. It was fun to see them gel professionally as Clove.)

Clove rocking the Renegade Stage; Ron on the left

After Clove I was nearly ready to make tracks, but I made one last walk through the north end of the grounds to see if there was any band worth discovering and boy was there ever. At the Johnson Controls World Sound Stage, I may have stumbled upon my favorite band of the festival: The Weeks. This is a new band to me, but they've been around for a while. In fact, if you give them a listen you're likely to say they sound like a Kings of Leon knock-off, but considering that The Weeks have been around for over 10 years, you could almost say it's the other way around. They rocked hard and I enjoyed them immensely.

Funny thing, though, while I was at this stage. I remembered that my friend and former Milwaukeean, Rachel, was the stage manager. Over the course of the 11 days she would send me messages, "Hey, let me know when you're here. You can come back stage and have a drink with me." At the 11th hour I texted Rachel, "I'm here. Is that backstage invite still open?" An immediate reply followed and, boom, I was backstage. It was good to see her and we enjoyed nice conversation with some of her now-exhausted staff. Plus we had that drink... er, drinks. While doing so, I could still hear The Weeks rocking out on the stage and I asked, "Hey, can I go out there and watch them from the side?" Sure I could and I watched the rousing finally from stage-right. They were a blast and as soon as they exited the stage via the black curtains there was me saying, "Well done, fellows. You rocked!" Even on the high of coming away from performing in front of a very appreciative crowd, the lead singer was gracious and said, "Thanks, man. We love to hear that!" That was nice. I'm looking forward to checking out a lot more of their music. In fact, I'm listening to it now and their new song, "Talk Like That" was played on 88Nine tonight.

The Weeks from backstage

And with that experience I called it a fest. I was very tempted to see The Shins, but I knew that I had an early golf date with my former boss and wanted to awake fresh and rested. My golf game needs all the help it can get. (It sounds like I may have made a poor decision. The word is that The Shins put on a great show. Dangit.)

So it's done. My attend-Summerfest-for-all-11-days Milwaukee bucket list item has been crossed off my list. I enjoyed it greatly, but I wouldn't necessarily do it again. But then again, maybe I would -- I just need a 353-day break to recharge.

Thanks for following along. Fest on, friends, Summerfest or not.

Summerfest Day Ten, A Recap

Summerfest Day 10 was to be a rather short stroll through the grounds, cameras in-hand, snapping shots of a few of the more unusual sights that one might see at the world's largest music party. For the most part, that's what we did, however, as things are wont to do, we ultimately strayed from our mission after running into friends.

In my 11-day run at Summerfest, I figured this 10th day would be my last "party" day, i.e., day to have a few beers. When I attend on Sunday, the final day, I've self-imposed a one-beer maximum. I've got too much going on Monday to overindulge or indulge at all. With that said, we started out our festing in our traditional manner: with a stop at O'Lydia's on First Street. We knew the Brewers were heading into the final innings against the Yankees and we aimed to watch the outcome over a beer and Irish Potato skins. Well the beers were good and cold (Oberons) and the skins delicious, but dammit if the Brewers' reliever, Corey Knebel, didn't give up a 3-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth. Darn it. He's an all-star too. That's not supposed to happen. Oh well, get the series from 'em today, crew.

With David Myles

After the blown save it was off to the fest upon our Harley. We no sooner entered the main gate and turned left when we saw an unusual sight: a dapper slender fellow hanging out in front of the Johnson Controls World Sound Stage. He looked out of place and I figured he had to have a story so I asked him, "What's a handsome fellow like you doing in a place like this?" Turns out he was musician David Myles, who was set to perform at the World Sound Stage at 5:30 (roughly an hour and a half from the time we met him). David had a funny story. He said he came from a family of doctors and his dad was concerned about his career choice to become a professional musician. David replied, "Don't worry, Dad. Someday I'll have a job where I wear a suit to work every day." And thus his career as a suit-wearing musician began. To honor his father, he wears a sharply tailored suit during every performance. Very nice. We committed to returning the the stage to see him play and off we ran.



After wandering around the north end of the grounds for a bit, we hopped on the Skyglider for our first ride of the season. It's always nice to fly above the madness and look down below. The day was perfect too, so it made the views extra sweet.

At the south end, we made our obligatory stop at Saz's lakeside restaurant for a Miller Lite. Like the Skyglider allows one to escape the madness of the fest, so, too, does a stop at Saz's. It allows one to sit, be waited on, and enjoy the day. I've always liked this stop and the service has always been great.

If there was ever a home base for us at Summerfest it's been Fred's Too Much Metal shop at the South End Marketplace. It's a rare Summerfest day when we don't stop in and say hello to Fred who always
treats us with a friendly smile and some good laughs. Saturday was no different, however, what was unusual was that both my wife and I were wearing shirts designed by Fred. So a picture of us together was mandatory. Fred's the designer of the 414 shirt and hat. Whenever I wear mine people ask one of two questions: either "What's 414 mean?" Or "Where can I get one of those?" The 414 is the Milwaukee area area code. It used to be a much larger zone covering the entire Eastern side of the state, but as the number of phones and numbers increased, it contracted to become unique to the Milwaukee area. As for where you can buy one, Fred's got a shop in the 3rd ward and is omnipresent at any number of festivals, but the simplest way is just to Google "Too Much Metal." That'll lead you to a place where you can buy one online (http://toomuchmetal.com/). Easy peasy.

Hangin' with Too Much Metal Fred

After touching home we made our way back to the World Sound Stage for David Myles' show. It was great and I'm really glad we met him and came back for his music. He described it as "bluegrassy," but to me it had a very familiar tone: it sounded a lot like the more up-beat versions of Justin Townes Earle's songs. It was very enjoyable and you can see that David and his band have honed their stage craft over 10 years of touring. Interestingly, their touring has been primarily in Canada and Europe with very few forays into the US. They're just starting to tour the US now. I'm not sure why it took them so long, but I wish them all the best. They're a good bunch.

Brett Newski on the Miller Stage

After Mr. Myles, we were near our exit from the grounds, but then, as the saying goes, shit happens. We discovered that Milwaukee's own Brett Newski was playing at the Miller stage and as we made our way for a final beer and the start of his set, we ran into my old colleague and now friend, John, and his wife,  Jenny. This means we wind up watching Brett's entire set and we enjoy at least one more beer more than planned. Brett's show was fun, but the big stage seemed huge for him and this 3-piece band (himself included). I was glad we were close and up-front. It made his lyrics more accessible and he's a good song-writer. His songs are laced with humor and a peculiar take on the world.

A lakefront encounter with David Myles and band

By the time Brett was done, darn it if you didn't know it was time for Whitney to play back over at the World Sound Stage. This was the show that I had my eye on because I listened to their debut album a lot. Back to the Johnson we went, but this time, of course, the seating area was packed and all were standing on the benches. So seeing the band well was not an option. We elected to stand on the south side of the stage and who did we wind up standing right next to? Why, David Myles and his bandmates! Seems I was destined to discover this guy. After a few songs by Whitney, my wife came back from a short walk around the stage and said, "You guys have got to see the moon rising over the lake right now. It's incredible." And she was right. We made our way to the lagoon shore and ooh'd and ah'd over the most perfect full-moon rising. The color palette was Easter, with an array of pastel blues and pinks filling the eastern horizon. It was really cool to see this with David and his band -- I don't believe I've yet mentioned they are from Nova Scotia -- who really seemed impressed with everything Milwaukee. At that moment, it was hard not to be impressed with our city. It was beautiful.

Okay.  Finally it was time for a little more walking and a ride home before the crazies all came in. As it was, it was later than I wanted to stay, but it was worth it to see that gorgeous moon-rise. We still made it home with faint strains of sunlight in the sky.

Today's the final day. I'll go late and take it easy. If things go according to plan, I'll meet with a reporter from Milwaukee's Fox 6 TV station at 6:00 and be on the news at 9:00. I have no idea what I'll say, but let's hope I don't make a bigger fool out of myself than I already do. ;)

Summerfest Day Nine Recap

Walking to the Fest after a City Lights Ale

For day nine of Summerfest we chose an alternative mode of transportation to get to the fest: walking. I mean, everybody in some form or another walks to the fest, but we walked from our home in Wauwatosa. The route distance was about 8 miles. One benefit of the route was that it passed by City Lights Brewing where we thought we'd take a little break and enjoy an Orange Wheat Ale before continuing our journey.

At the fest we saw Brothers Collective, a 3-brothers group out of Los Angeles. They performed at the Johnosn Controls World Sound Stage. They were an energetic and entertaining bunch with catchy songs. Even though we'd never heard them before, it was easy to find your toe tapping along to the beats.

Friss, Always Entertaining

From there we hit the Miller Stage for State Fair stalwart, Bobby Friss. Bobby is one of the most entertaining rockers on the festival scene today. I am an unabashed, unapologetic, and unrepentant fan of Friss and his "good" band. They're not a cover band, they are the consummate party band and total pros. It's nearly impossible to not have a good time at a Bobby Friss show. A lot of original music artists could learn a few things about stage craft by watching Friss. He's engaging with the audience and the members of his band enjoy themselves. I mentioned Friss' "good" band. What I mean by that is Bobby's band often has different members. When he has guitarist Jerry Riggs with him, you'll hear pitch perfect renditions of lead guitar strains from rock classics. Jerry's a total pro. The other members of Friss' good band professional perfectionists too. They're playing again at the Miller stage today. With perfect weather on tap, I bet his crowd will be huge. Go see him if you're going today. You'll have a good time.

We waited up front after Friss to see Milwaukee's own Tigernite fronted by Molly Roberts. Tigernite plays straight-ahead rock songs with fun and glam-y stage presence. Molly always puts on a show with her glittery athleticism and roaring voice. Unfortunately Tigernite's performance was dampened by rain, and sometimes quite heavy rain. We toughed it out though. Remaining up front wet and cold and tell they kicked us out at 7:30. "Kicked us out" got you confused? We were standing in an area in front of the stage that requires "credentials" after 7:30. I thought with the rain and the dearth of people waiting to enter the reserved area, they might let us stay there until the end of Tigernite's set, but nope. They made us leave right at 7:30. I think Tigernite was only able to play two more songs after 7:30, but it was a good time while it lasted. I'd go see them again today if they were playing.

Getting wet with Tigernite

It wasn't all misfortune that came from us being asked to leave at 7:30. When we left the reserved area we ran into friend and neighbor, Dean, who was just about to leave the fest and head for home. "Dean, mind if we catch a ride back with you?" and Dean said, "No problem!" Perfect. Since we walked to the fest, we needed a ride back and were likely to Uber unless we found a pal like Dean. And the extra bonus was... instead of going back to our home, we went to Dean's where he made us whiskey sours and we watched the Brewers beat the Yankees in New York. Amazing that they could win after committing five errors, but Jesus Aguilar's seven RBI's including a grand slam sure helped. 49-40 with a 4.5 game lead over the Cubs. Can the Brewers hang on?

Summerfest Day Eight Recap

Nineteen Thirteen are Victor DeLorenzo  and Janet Schiff

Day 8 of Summerfest for me was all about seeing Milwaukee area bands. Unfortunately we arrived a little too late to see D'Amato, but we've seen their dynamic performances elsewhere around town. We did, however, see our friends Nineteen Thirteen at the BMO Harris Pavilion. This is a great venue to see them perform. Nineteen Thirteen makes the kind of music I wouldn't know that I liked until I heard it. The melodies are often trance-like punctuated with sharp jabs of precisely timed percussion. Often the things I like most about simple rock 'n' roll can be found in the strains of their songs. It's particularly fun for me to see them because we know their music so well. They only played a few songs that were new enough that I did not know them. Great stuff, check them out. I think they're playing next weekend at Bastille Days too. (Yep. They are. I just checked. They're at the Cathedral Square Stage between 5:00 and 6:30 on Sunday, July 16th.)



Just a word here, too, about the BMO Harris Pavilion. Is this not the best stage at the fest? It is by far. It's the only one without those miserable aluminum benches. The viewing angles are great even from far away. It's covered, so the incessant threat of rain is defeated. Another bonus is the views of the city and Lake Michigan from here are fantastic. The only bad thing I see about the stage is what it does to the adjacent American Family Insurance Amphitheater. Much has been written about the noise from the BMO flowing over into the Amphitheater. Last week I had the displeasure to experience this myself when Paul Simon performed one of his quieter songs from his Simon and Garfunkel days. Next door at the BMO, House of Pain's beat stomped all over his song. If this is distracting to a fan, imagine how distracting it is to the performer! I saw this happen to Neil Diamond a few years ago when The B-52's played next door. there was one moment I could clearly tell that Neil was irritated.

The BMO Harris Pavilion

NO/NO's Cat Ries

As soon as Nineteen Thirteen completed their set, in haste we made our way to "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Bands to Watch" at the Uline Stage. Three bands selected by the Journal Sentinel's Piet Levy. The bands were Faux Fiction, Bo & Airo, and NO/NO. I completely missed Faux Fiction, which bummed me out, but I caught the last half of Bo & Airo's set and NO/NO's entire set. NO/NO was the band that I really wanted to see because I've been listening to their latest record on Spotify. Bo & Airo was good and they were entertaining, but their music isn't my thing. It's hip-hop loaded with profanity. Coming directly from Nineteen Thirteen, hearing a song where the primary lyric is MF'er something something, it's a jarring contrast. Nonetheless, they've got mad skills and I wish them well. Bass player Bo Triplex is particularly masterful of his instrument. (The drummer is Airo Kwil, hence the name 'Bo & Airo'.)

NO/NO's brand of captivating synth-pop was great. Their website describes them as "Milwaukee’s most evolved electro pop band, pairing new wave sensibilities with the fuzzy, dreamlike quality of shoegaze." I can totally see that. But what I did not know is that this band was formed from remnants of The Delphines, another Milwaukee band whose music I enjoyed. Check out NO/NO's latest on Bandcamp: https://nonoband.bandcamp.com/

Direct Hit! rocks the Harley stage

Next we caught Milwaukee's most enegetic pop/punk band Direct Hit! over at the Harley Stage. These guys are veteran rockers and are really good at it. My wife and I both agreed that this exactly the kind of energy we have been missing at Summerfest this year. Direct Hit! brought it big time. This was good.

And after Direct Hit!, it was time to leave. I gauge my departure time on when people start standing on benches. Once they do, it's time for me to leave.

Looking forward to stalwart rocker Bobby Friss today followed by one of my favorite Milwaukee bands: glam-rockers Tigernite. I hope to get there early enough to get a good seat at the Miller stage.

Summerfest Day Seven Recap

Attending Summerfest every day is beginning to feel like a job. Yesterday was as close as my attend-all-11-days pursuit felt like punching a clock. Don't get me wrong, it's still fun, but yesterday approached mundane  closer than any other day. Perhaps it was the exhaustingly named promotion "Sentry Foods and Dean's Milk & Ice Cream Children's Fest Day with Today's TMJ4" letting all in for free between noon and 3:00 PM that made yesterday a little more irritating than usual. Too many people too soon.

But it was a glorious Summer day. Likely Summerfest's best of 2017. It was warm and sunny with little threat of rain. That was nice. Nearly every day prior weather had an impact from torrential downpours to unseasonably cool temperatures.

To take full advantage of the nice weather, I pedaled my bike from my home in Wauwatosa to the festival grounds. The distance is about 7.5 miles and there are numerous possible routes. When choosing to bike or walk to downtown Milwaukee, there are numerous considerations to make. It's not always about taking the shortest route. Nonetheless, it was nearly the shortest route that I chose: from my house to the north end gate down Wisconsin Avenue. I took the same route home. And let me tell you this: this was a bad idea. But more on this later.

Upon arriving the park I was completely unaware that the awkwardly named promotion was going on, but I immediately recognized that something was up as the throngs to enter at the north gate were
huge. I heard an authoritative man yell to the ticket takers at a few minutes after 3:00 "Let 'em all in!" I guess he figured that all standing in line were there to take advantage of the promotion and that the only way to reset was to let all in the long lines in. Dang. I had my 11-day Power Pass and I was a paying customer! There ought to be a special queue just for Power Pass holders. Just sayin'.

One of OnMilwaukee's 100 Things to do at Summerfest:
Buy a soda from a massive root beer barrel!

Upon entry into the festival I made it my mission to visit every stage. Using the day as an opportunity to find something new and interesting was the goal. Unfortunately, Sentry Foods and Dean's Milk & Ice Cream Children's Fest Day with Today's TMJ4 doesn't offer very progressive music options. Most stages had performers that veered towards blues and jazz. Not that there's anything wrong with blues and jazz, but to me it's music for clubs and bars of a more intimate setting. It's not a good fit for the "World's Largest Music Festival." Also very fitting for families was Spoof Fest at the Big Backyard Stage. Spoof Fest is a number of bands that mimic famous bands and performers in a comedic manner. Cute and theatrical, yes, but again, it doesn't float my boat.

I was able to enjoy two original Wisconsin acts though: Roxi Copland and Kyle Megna & The Monsoons. Roxi's smooth as silk at the piano and she's been a long-time Twitter friend of mine so it was nice to see her play. Unfortunately I was a little late and only caught her last two songs, but it was nice. Megna & The Monsoons were over at the Miller stage and put on an energetic performance. I can't quite describe their music so I went over to their website to see if they had a term or phrase that describes it. Theirs was "dark-indie-blues-folk-rock feel." I guess so, but there's something missing there too. They use a lot of horns. So it's got a lot more of a jazzy-soul thing going on too. They were cool and the best thing I saw July 5th.

Kyle Megna

One interesting thing occurred to me while I was at the fest. A Milwaukee TV news station contacted me and stated that they were aware that I was attending all 11 days and blogging about it. They asked if they could meet me at the fest on Sunday and do a little story on me. "Sure!" I said. This sounds like fun. They're to meet me at 6:00 PM, Sunday. Now the big question is... How many beers will be in me by 6:00 PM? You'll just have to tune in to find out! (WITI, Fox 6 - Milwaukee)

After a short visit to every stage it was time to head for home. Remember that I described my route down Wisconsin Avenue earlier? Well that's the way I took home too. But this time, I narrowly escaped death by an inattentive (read: asshole) driver. As I was passing Walgreens at 35th and Wisconsin, a car exiting the Walgreens parking lot accelerated to beat oncoming traffic. The problem was, I was directly in its path! The driver didn't care to look for bicycles or pedestrians. In a moment, I had to make the quickest decision I've ever made: accelerate or brake -- in either case, hard. I chose the former. With all the might I could muster, I pressed down on the right pedal. (I don't know why I recall that it was the right one, but I'm sure it was.) I made it past the front right fender of the care with barely a millimeter to spare. The ass-hat never once slowed. Thank God. After he shot across Wisconsin Avenue my heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears. That was close. Thank goodness, too, that I chose to accelerate instead of brake because I think braking would have left me in the car's path where I certainly would have been mangled.

Two times earlier this week I mentioned that I was lucky. I was lucky to be invited to see Paul Simon and I was lucky to find my lost eyeglasses in a park. Today I'm just lucky to be alive.

Day 8 will be a full-day at Summerfest. The dearth of progressive acts from Day 7 will be shattered by D'Amato at 3:00, my friends Nineteen Thirteen (4:30 at BMO), and the "Bands to Watch: Summerfest Firsts" festival within the festival kicking off at 5:00 at the Uline stage. I'm particularly looking forward to NO/NO. Their sound's reminiscent of 80's English new wave and synthpop like Flock of Seagulls and Missing Persons.

Summerfest Day Six Recap

My nephew at the parade

After a day off, Summerfest reopened on the 4th of July. Before heading to the fest we spent the morning with family attending the Bay View 4th of July parade. We've gone to this parade nearly every 4th of July for the last six or seven years because that's where my sisters and their families live. It's rather odd, though, because we live just a few blocks south of North Avenue in Wauwatosa where the tosa parade occurs at the exact same time. Some day it will be fun to get the family to attend our local parade instead. But until that day, Bay View it is. That's okay -- it's always fun.

After the parade and some family time, we headed towards Henry Maier Festival Park, but before reaching it, we decided to grab a bite and have a little fun and, boy, did we find it at Barnacle Bud's! It seemed we weren't the only only ones looking for fun because Bud's was packed. They had two musicians performing out on the front deck: a singer/guitarist and a washboarder/percussionist. The guitarist I recognize immediately from nearly 25 years ago when he performed with Hat Trick, a band that specialized in the sounds of New Orleans. We were big fans of this band and saw them often. (I see there is a Hat Trick band still performing around Milwaukee, but I have no idea if it is an iteration of the same band that we enjoyed decades ago.) Anyway, the band needed a little extra percussion and they recruited Kay to join them with a washboard, and then later with a cowbell. Kay really hammed it up and it was great. All in attendance seemed be enjoying themselves too.



After Bud's we made our traditional pre-Summerfest stop to O'Lydia's for a beer or two. The theory is, have drinks off of the festival grounds where they're a lot less costly. The problem with that theory is, once you're a little tuned up, you make bad decisions at the fest and buy expensive beers anyway.

CADE

There was no act on the grounds that seemed enticing. And after a walk around the grounds, my CADE. Performing with only his brother -- a DJ who occasionally beat on an electronic drum -- he was fun to watch for a little while, but it really didn't float my boat. I need guitars for it to be real music.

There was no act on the grounds that seemed enticing. And after a walk around the grounds, my thought was proved correct.. Most stages were manned by DJ's. And try as I might, I just don't get millenials' enthusiasm for DJ's. I mean, they're not the real artist and the house, dance-beat style is so formulaic. At every stage you could hear the DJ cohorting "1, 2, 3... GO CRAZY!!" or something similar.

Mowgli shooting Polaroid

I did meet one particularly unique fellow at CADE's show. Mowgli Miles, photographer and founder of Interracial Friends -- a clothing store and brand dedicated to the mission of defeating racism. What I thought was unusual about Mowgli -- there's a few things actually; he's not an easy man to pass by unnoticed -- was that he was shooting CADE with a Polaroid camera. I didn't even know that Polaroids were still available! While he was shooting, I asked him, "Hey, do you mind if I take your picture while shooting with that camera?" He said sure and after I snapped a pic or two, we talked briefly. His work with his Polaroid has even gotten him a free media pass from Summerfest. I've got to look into getting one of those. Every time I bring in my entry-level Nikon with an inexpensive zoom lens into the fest I feel like I'm breaking the rules. Sometimes they give me grief about it but usually let me pass. On the Summerfest FAQ it only says that small cameras are allowed. That's subject to a lot of interpretation!

Katie Mack

We found the closest thing to real rock and roll at JoJo's Martini Tent where Katie Mack and the Moans were playing. Katie and company are a local cover band that aces the bluesier classic rock hits by bands like The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Tom Petty, The Doobie Brothers, Black Sabbath, Cinderella, and Joe Walsh. On this day they covered at least three Joe Walsh songs and that was okay with me. I'm a Joe Walsh fan. I wasn't always, but since bumping into him, literally, on a stairway in Sydney, Australia, I've listened to his catalog a lot more and find his playing style utterly unique. No one sounds quite like Joe, but the Moan get awfully close.

With that we decided to call it a day and head back home to Wauwatosa to enjoy the fireworks display with friends and family. My wife's occupied today, but I'm going to make my way to the grounds this afternoon. I've got my eye on Kyle Megna & The Monsoons, an original music Wisconsin band that's a big hit at Mile of Music.

Summerfest Day Five Recap

For the first time ever that I can remember, we were inline to enter the grounds before 12:00. Why? My friend, Tracy, was playing the drums for Heather LaNasa who was playing at The Ground Floor Stage starting at noon. We had plans for later in the day and knew that if I was going to get my self-imposed mandatory hour in, it would have to be early.

Hanging with Tracy before she plays

The lines to enter at the mid gate were long, so we took a local's knowledge and walked to the north entry gate figuring the queue there would be shorter. We were right -- they were much shorter. We were on the grounds at 12:02. By 12:05 we were at the Ground Floor Stage where we chatted with Tracy a bit before they began to perform. Even though they were supposed to start at noon, a few minutes are permitted to allow Summerfest's patrons a few moments to get through the gates and find their way to the stage.

At the performance's beginning, the weather was glorious. There were blues skies swirled with white clouds and the temp's were near 80. However, a dark blue-gray cloud to the north threatened. Sure enough, about five songs into Heather's set a cold gust of air blasted the stage from the north nearly knocking over one of Tracy's cymbal stands. Only moments later, torrential rains fell terminating the show. We dashed into the Johnson Controls World Sound Stage to take shelter.

Oh oh. 

Here's where things got peculiar.

When I got dressed in the morning, I threw on my Seasaw t-shirt. Seasaw is a Folk-Pop duo from Madison. We discovered them at Mile of Music 3 and I saw them again at last year's Fringe Fest in Milwaukee. At that fest, I bought the t-shirt and met Eve of the band (Meg's the other member). When we ran for shelter under the Johnson Controls World Sound Stage's roof, who was the band performing? You guessed it... Seasaw! I thought that it was my fate to see Seasaw that day. 1) Put on Seasaw t-shirt. 2) Get to the Henry Maier Festival Park at noon. 3) Have a wicked storm roll through forcing us to take cover under roof at the Johnson Controls World Sound Stage where Seasaw was performing. By the way, I did not know they were playing Summerfest when I got dressed in the morning. In fact, I never even looked at the schedule.

With Eve of Seasaw in my Seasaw tee

By the time Seasaw's set ended the skies had cleared up to the extent that the rain was no longer falling. We went for a walk southward and caught 33RPM -- a local cover band that absolutely nails songs by Heart. They were fun to see.

Ms. Independence Day

Walking around we ran into the most spirited woman who was fully decked out in her 4th of July costume. I loved her spirit and, particularly, the little Summerfest logo dyed into her hair.

We departed the park by 2:30. Even though our visit was short it was eventful and memorable.

Finally today, Monday, July 3rd, is a day off. Summerfest's gates will not open until Independence Day at noon and I'm ready for this break, but I'm also looking forward to the remaining six days. Let's go!

Summerfest Day Four Recap

My visit to Day 4 of Summerfest was a bit of a challenge, but all for good reasons. First we had family from Appleton come down for a visit, then we attended a high school graduation party for my college buddy's son. It was great to see so many old friends at the party. Even though I hadn't seen many of these people in nearly two decades, conversation flowed easily and I quickly felt like not a day had passed, however, the wrinkles were deeper, the hair thinner, and the follicles were a little whiter, but the laughter and smiles were still purely from the soul.

After the friends and family gatherings we rode our motorcycle right to Summerfest's front gate. I cannot tell you how much easier a motorcycle makes going to the the festival every day possible. The Harley-Davidson sponsored lot is right up front and in the middle. Bonus: it's free. You can't beat it.

Our arrival time was about 5:00 PM and the lines to enter were immense. The Big Gig really seemed to be living up to its moniker this day. Once we passed through security it was just as obvious -- the grounds were packed.

Our first place to visit was the Miller stage where we arrived a little too late to see the beginning of the performance by The Naked and Famous, an indie electronic rock band from Auckland, New Zealand headlining the stage starting at 5 o'clock. We were able to squeeze in towards the front and catch about two-thirds of the show. They were awesome. All band members were wearing all black clothing (Hmm... isn't the New Zealand National Rugby team the All Blacks? I just realized this.) and the lead singer, Alisa Xayalith, is a captivating and energetic performer. The best thing, though, was their sound. They played perfectly and the songs that I knew sounded almost identical to the recorded versions. Their big song that got everybody going? Young Blood. I'm not sure where I've heard this song so any times, but I joined in on the Ee-yeah-ee-yeah-ee-yeah! chorus with enthusiasm. This was another great selection by the Summerfest entertainment staff for a matinee show.



From there we caught a few songs by Michigan Rattlers, a guitar and bass duo from Petoskey, Michigan. It was engaging Americana music that I liked, but a little too small for the big Johnson Controls World Stage. I bet they'd sound incredible in a smaller venue that would allow their acoustic instruments and voices to fill the space.

Chicagoland Friends

I found out my former colleague and friend was up from Chicagoland attending the fest with his son and fiance. We caught up to them as they were just about to enter car #2 on the Ferris wheel. Of course I had to take the obligatory video of them circling past while they made "I'm scared" screams. This is a must when one's on a Ferris wheel, isn't it?

We heard the beginning strains of what sounded like some pretty good rock 'n' roll coming from the Uline stage so we walked over there to check out who was next. Dang, I sure was not disappointed and I don't think my friends were either. We discovered veteran rockers Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers. Upon hearing their hook-laden straight-ahead rock crunch, I was embarrassed to admit that I did not know this band earlier. This is the kind of stuff I really like -- a no-frills rock 'n' roll punch in the gut. It was obvious that I was in the ignorant minority, as the crowd around me joined Roger in singing nearly every song. Finally, though, I got my chance when the band played a oldie but a goodie -- one that I bet you know: Banditos. Still don't know it? How about if I also told you that the chorus is “Everybody knows that the world is full of stupid people." Now I bet you know it. Roger Clyne's previous band, the Refreshments, also wrote and played the theme song for the TV show, King of the Hill. They put on a great show.



Following The Peacemakers we started to walk along the lakefront. We only took a handful of steps from the Uline theater when my wife went to snap a few pictures of the cool bridge connecting Lakeshore State Park to Discovery World. Here a fellow noticed her and said, "Hey, I follow you on Twitter! Would you like a free ride on a paddle boat?" And us, not being able to pass up anything that's free and fun, replied, "Yes!" We fully introduced ourselves to the fine fellow, Tim -- the owner of Lakeshore Paddle Sport Rentals -- and he equipped us with life preservers and sent us off. It was very nice pedal-paddling around the lagoon, but surprisingly tiring. It was a great night to cruise around this sedate part of the Lake -- the weather was perfect for pictures -- but as luck would have it, our camera battery died while we were touring. We still got a few cool shots.

Andi Heath

Off the peddle-boat, we discovered Milwaukee artist Andi Heath at the Ground Floor stage. We only stuck around for a bit, but we heard her perform the song she wrote about her home, Milwaukee. The song is called MKE and I love it. You can check it out on Soundcloud (link). If you're from or very familiar with the 414, you'll enjoy the lyrics in this song. It was quite obvious that I was not the only one who like the song because as she performed it, the dollar bills flowed into her open guitar case like rain. Well done, Andi Heath!

We walked south along the lagoon and ran into our new friend, Eric, and his girlfriend, Amy. A nice guy and couple. You can follow Eric as Bert Lauderdale and his YouTube show "Weather You Like It or Not." Funny stuff.



Left the grounds just as they were really becoming packed. After too many days of Miller Lite and MGD, I had a hankering for a good beer and we went to Steny's for a Three Floyd's Gumballhead. Mmm...

Today, Day 5, should be with visiting family (I hope). And then there's the chance that I'll go see Car seat Headrest at the Johnson Controls Stage with some buds, but truthfully, I'd really like to see P!nk. She's got to put on an incredible show, right?

Summerfest Day Three Recap

Nice to see the Voors festing

Day three of Summerfest was planned to be a quiet one. I figured I'd visit for a few hours, check out a few bands and head home early. I arrived the grounds alone, but my wife was going to join me after she finished up her 'Milwacky' tour -- a tour with people that included some of Milwaukee's more off-beat places. I took my Harley to the fest and boy, does it come with benefits. Between my motorcycle and the main entrance gate there were only three other motorcycles. Much closer and I would have been parked on the grounds!

Started the afternoon by wandering a bit. My first stop was at the Johnson Controls World Sound Stage where I caught the last song by Madison's Wheelhouse. They crescendoed with a rousing version of 'The Devil Went Down to Georgia.' Funny, we caught this band playing in the street in Wisconsin Dells a month ago and they played to an audience of about twenty people max. But yesterday they packed the venue and the crowd was enthusiastic and rowdy. Wheelhouse really walloped them with Americana precision.

The Devil Met Contention

Shortly after leaving the World Sound Stage I ran into Dan and Leah Voors and their beautiful baby girl, Liana. What a cute and curious little one. She had that knowing I'm-just-taking-it-all-in-while-mom-and-dad-push-me-around-in-this-stroller smile. Almost with a wink and a "Don't tell them I know how to walk already" message.

I walked south with the Voors and caught up with them outside of what we see from each other on Facebook. Then I boogied back to the World Sound Stage to catch one of my favorite new Milwaukee bands: The Devil Met Contention (TDMC). TDMC plays a version of Americana music that is infused with a rock 'n' roll  vibe and often their songs include a blazing guitar solo or two. I particularly like that they wear nicely tailored suits to perform in. Good thing for them it wasn't too hot yesterday.

After TDMC, I met up with my old colleague and now good friend, John, and his wife Jenny. If there's one thing we have in common it's the love of a cold beer. Doesn't necessarily matter what type -- as long as it's cold and in a glass, we like it. As I was sharing a libation with them, my wife arrived. At this point I thought we'd stick around for a bit and then head home before all of the crazies arrived.

Unexpectedly heading to see
Paul Simon with this
motley crew. 

But, no. Instead, we got the text, "I've got two Paul Simon tickets. If you want them, they're yours" from a friend. And we wanted them. So, just like that, we were now going to see the legendary Paul Simon at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater (this name is not sticking -- I still want to call it the Marcus Amphitheater).

It was a great show. Whenever you get a chance to see an icon like Paul Simon you gotta take it. His catalog of songs is so enormous he could play all night. In his roughly two-hour show he played songs from all over his career, but only two or three from his days with Art Garfunkel. It's funny, here's an artist who has hit the top more than once. First in his days performing as a folk duo, and then years later with his African-vibed 'Graceland' album. And at 75 years old, he still looks like he could go on easily for another decade or more. His voice and playing style were as smooth as ever and I'm really glad we got the chance to see him play.

Paul Simon in Concert

Attending Paul's show reminds of a screed for another day and that is cell phone usage at concerts. I cannot believe the inconsideration folks have for others with these devices in their little grubby hands. The woman next to me practically facebooked the entire night and I can't believe the number of people who were videoing not just the stage but the television monitors of what was going on on the stage! Ridiculous. Nobody wants to watch your grainy video from 42 rows back from the stage. Just put down your effin' phone and enjoy the concert. 'nuf said. (P.S. -- I do admit to taking out my phone or camera and snapping a shot or two, but just for a moment and only long enough to capture the event for my rapidly fading memory.)

We finally left the grounds but not before seeing the final song by British siren Joss Stone. Man, her voice I tell ya. It's unmistakable from 100 yards away. It was good to see and hear her, only if for just a few minutes.

All in all, another great day at the fest. Today's going to be a challenge. We've got another event to attend and family's coming in from out of town. Plus it's Burnheart's Pabst Street Party today too. One way or another I'll get there for at least an hour and once I do, who knows what'll happen!

Summerfest Day Two Recap

Mosley in the Splash Pad

Day two of Summerfest was all about friends and family. Billed as Throwback Thursday, I'd say it was a huge success for Bob Babisch and company (Bob's the VP of Entertainment for Summerfest). And the bands were not the only thing that made Throwback Thursday a success -- throwing back the prices of beers made throwing back a few a lot easier on the wallet. The sudsy libations were half-priced until 6:00 PM, but the lines to buy one became interminable as 6:00 approached.

I was pleased to be able to spend the afternoon with my two sisters and my youngest sister's kids -- nephew Mosley and niece Evie. Of course with kids, it's less about the music and more about the playground and splash pad where we amused ourselves until The Church took over the Uline stage. Our goal was to try to catch at least one song from each of three acts: The Church, Berlin, and Soul Asylum. Apparently a lot of us kids of the 80's had the same idea because the venues were packed with others in our demographic.

Soul Asylum's Dave Pirner through
the crowd

I'm a big fan of these matinee shows and I imagine the performers are too. The Church sounded exactly as they did 25 years ago. We didn't hear their big hit 'Under a Milky Way,' but we did here 'Reptile' and it took me back. That echo-y, jangly guitar sound immediately brings me back to my college years. Over at the US Cellular stage where Berlin was performing was a huge throng. Too large for us to be comfortable with the kids, so after only catching a glimpse of Terri Nunn -- she looked fantastic! -- we moved on to the Miller stage to see Soul Asylum. Here, too, the crowd was immense, but the sprawling seating area of the Miller stage allowed us find a comfortable zone to stand and keep an eye on everyone. As usual, those darn benches remain the curse of Summerfest. Everyone stands on them and completely obliterates the view of the band unless you watch them on the monitor. Gosh I wish they could change this. It's got to be a liability, too, because I've seen many a person take a digger of these aluminum benches of death. Nonetheless, Dave Pirner and band sounded great. We heard them perform their smash 'Runaway Train' -- which is just okay to me -- but I was gleeful to hear 'Somebody to Shove.' I loved rocking to that track back in the day.

The Regrettes

After Soul Asylum, sis and kids departed leaving me with my other sister who was ecstatic to be out partying without her kids (thanks to her good husband who took over the responsibilities for the late afternoon/early evening). And thanks to the recommendation of my friend, Joe, we saw my favorite band of the day: The Regrettes, whose members likely weren't even born when 'Runaway Train' was a hit, but they've got rock 'n' roll chops. Lydia Night, the lead singer of the three women and one man band (the dude's the drummer), is a confident and enigmatic performer. This is a band to watch -- they're too good not to be a greater success. Check 'em out.

Margaret Butler of
GGOOLLDD

Cool, too, that the guy who recommended them was also able to join us. We stuck around that stage, the Johnson Controls World Sound Stage, through Milwaukee's GGOOLLDD too, but we screwed up by leaving our bench spot after The Regrettes. We were left to stand on our tiptoes off to the side of the stage where we occasionally caught a glimpse of GGOOLLDD's captivating frontwoman, Margaret Butler. From what I could tell, they looked super, but at the very least I could tell this: they sounded great. Things are looking up for GGOOLLDD. You'd better catch them while you can!

After GGOOLLDD we headed towards the Harley stage where the gunslinging rockabilly guitar God, Brian Setzer, was about to play. I parted from my friends only to run into another fellow who I've known for at least three decades. Instead of going home -- which was my plan after saying goodbye to Joe -- I stuck around with pal, Dave, and we caught a good chunk of Setzer's show and the Big Bang fireworks display. Finally took an Uber home and was in time to get a good night'ssleep and do it all over again today!

Setzer's Still Got It

I haven't even looked at the schedule, but as always, as long as I get there, I'll find something that entertains me. Who will I discover today? Got any recommendations? Let me know!!

Summerfest Day One Recap

414 Golden Tee

Day One of my quest to attend Milwaukee's Summerfest for at least an hour per day for all eleven of its days is in the books. Unfortunately weather was not Summerfest's friend and rain continually threatened the festival. No sooner would we take off our plastic ponchos then the sky would start dropping water again. We left the fest around 6:30 PM and, good thing, because after that the really strong storms rolled in. I cannot imagine what it must have been like in the lawn seats at the amphitheater because the rain was coming down in buckets. We pulled into our driveway around 8:30 and the rain was coming down so hard that our house's gutters were overflowing. It was torrential.

For our first day we spent time discovering what's new. For the most part, not too much, but here are a few highlights.

The new Miller stage is quite nice. I particularly like their little pavilion to the right of the stage. I know it's all advertising, but I do like that Miller highlighted Milwaukee so much in the design of the pavilion (including Too Much Metal's 414!). I also prefer to buy my Miller products here. It's seven bucks for a big cup and you can use a credit card. I'm not sure how much beer is in the "big cup," but I'd guess 20-ounces. It seems like a much better deal than the normal cup that's six bucks, or the 16-ounce aluminum bottle that's $7.50.

TMM's 414 Represent!

Also at this Miller pavilion one can walk right to the front of the stage. It's standing room only and after 5 o'clock you'll need a pass to access this area, but it's good to know if you're at the festival before five.

Speaking of beer, there are not many choices outside of Miller-produced products. However, Lakefront Brewing has a significant tent roughly at the centter of the grounds. For $6.50, you can get a Riverwest Stein, IPA, East Side Dark, El Wisco lager, Lakefront Pils, or New Grist (gluten-free pilsner). For an additional $3 you can upgrade to a Clutch Cargo Double IPA or Daily Firken (on day one it was Hullmelon - a single hop ale with strawberries). Outside of Lakefront the only other "beer" that I saw was Leinenkugel's.

RHCP's Chad Smith
Introducing Denim Matriarch

One funny highlight of the first day was my wife seeing a guy she recognized while I was making a pit stop. Some guy arrived at the Johnson Controls World Sound Stage in a golf cart. An assistant pulled apart the gate and the guy entered. My wife thought it was unusual the way it was done and thought that she recognized the guy as a member of Milwaukee's 'Johnny On Washday' -- a ubiquitous summertime band that would rove the streets of Milwaukee's festivals in the 90's. But only a few minutes later did we discover that the guy she recognized was introducing Denim Matriarch. He was Chad Smith, the drummer of Red Hot Chili Peppers, whose band was headlining the amphitheater later that evening. Haha. Johnny on Washday, Red Hot Chili Peppers, same thing! We had a good laugh about this throughout the day.

Summerfest also has an upgraded merchandise tent where I scored a new Summerfest '50' baseball cap. One particular piece that I think will be popular is Too Much Metal's Summerfest golden anniversary tee. It's eye-catching and when we visited the merchandising tent, it was getting a lot of oohs and ahs.

New Summerfest '50' Cap

Heading back today for Throwback Thursday. There's lots of bands from 80's highlighting the venues but I've got my eye on Soul Asylum. They're taking the Miller Stage at 5:30 and they were a stalwart member of my 1980's soundtrack of life.