Thursday, April 30, 2009

Bob Dylan to Play Summerfest

Bob Dylan, with Willie nelson will perform at the Marcus Amphitheater on July 1st. Both men bring with them an enormous catalog of music. How these two guys ended up on the same bill, I don't know. I like the mix though.

Willie Nelson has a voice that you just fall into. It's so easy to find yourself hanging on his every word. I don't call it hypnotic, it's more about his rasp. Who else has that rasp?

As for Bob Dylan, too much has already been written about him. I don't need to add my two cents to that massive mountain of musings. Let's just say that co-workers much younger than I really like this guy. His fan base is old, young, black, white, and they will come from far and wide.

Two headliner spots have yet to be announced. If I could make a suggestion, let it be a band that attracts a younger crowd. The same could be said for the side stages. Will we see some cutting edge musical acts this year, or the same old junk? Take a page from Bumbershoot Mr. Smiley.

Here are just a few bands booked for that Seattle Music festival.
Sheryl Crow, Modest Mouse, The All-American Rejects, Katy Perry, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Franz Ferdinand, Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan, De La Soul, Raphael Saadiq, Brett Dennen, Os Mutantes.

Let's compare this to the headliners booked for Summerfest 2009.
Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Robin Trower, The Offspring, Barenaked Ladies, Buddy Guy, Jason Aldean, Whitesnake, Kevin Rudolph.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Spoof Fest 2009 Fast Approaching

Liquor Sweets will host Spoof Fest 2009. This year, there will be two stages. The music will alternate between stages, with only five minutes break between acts. So many musicians signed up for the show that the event is now spread over two nights.

The acts range from Motorhead, to Britney Spears to Binky Tunny playing Alice Cooper.
Friday night, I would certainly make it there in time to see Alanis Morrisette. No Doubt, King Crimson, and others will be "Spoofed."

Liquor Sweets is located on 3000 S. 13th in good old Milwaukee. This event used to be held at V'nuks, but they have an old hair band booked for that night.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Kansas and "The Symphony" Play the Pabst Theater


I asked my neighbor if she's going to play her violin for Kansas and the The Symphony. She usually gets to play at those touring shows. When The Moody Blues, or Styx come to Milwaukee, she gets the call to play the violin parts for the band. Usually she plays along with a group of ten, or up to thirty violinists. This time, if she wants to see the band, she will have to buy a Pabst Theater ticket. She did not get the call to play. When I asked her about it, her husband smirked. Apparently, everyone has been asking her about it.

Kansas will be playing with a Symphony Orchestra. The Pabst Theater is a small venue. I would expect to see the symphony at the back of the stage. They will probably put them on risers too.

Kansas should have great acoustics when they play at the Pabst Theater. The venue is almost round in nature, instead of being rectangular. Even when you sit in the balcony, you feel like you are directly above the artists on the stage. The date for that show is April 11th. Just think, you could start your day off at Miller Park, and then head over to the Pabst Theater. It's sad to think that she won't be playing the cool violin part to Dust In The Wind.