Jacob Jones Plays On Prom Night

If I lived in Nashville, I would certainly be heading down to the Electric Western East Side Prom Night. This sounds like the prom of all proms. For a measly five bucks, you get to sweat it out in your best polyester frock, and rock. Jacob Jones is back in time to be a guest artist. Yes, Jones is on the road all summer, but he's no fool. He's going to the prom!

The very fresh Jacob Jones website is all you need for updates and Jones tracking. He gets as close to Wisconsin as Chicago this July 6th, so take that 90 minute drive down south and support this worthy artist. Heck, drive eleven hours south of here and go to the Electric Western Prom night!

What Happened to Punk Rock In Milwaukee?

What happened to Punk Rock in Milwaukee? I was recently approached by a promotional company based out of Chicago. They wanted to point me in the direction of one of their "Milwaukee based punk bands." OK, I'll bite on the bait. After all, I was a punk drummer for nearly twenty years before moving on to Detroit rock, chick rock, and music that cannot be described very easily.

Milwaukee was home to Die Kreuzen, Sacred Order, The Crusties, Oil Tasters, The MotherF*ckers, and many more. They were punk. What I heard on this Milwaukee based punk band's Myspace page was that typical sickly sweet, Sum 41-sound-slowed-down so the singer could touch upon things like the sun going down, and how much he loves his girlfriend. Nope, not punk, not even close. This was a band that claimed that they went through multiple line up changes, break ups, and now they found their sound? Yes, they found a sound on Youtube, but it's someone else's sound. I'm hearing 2002.

Cascio Groove Garage Summerfest 2010 Headliners

As we see the sun for the first time in four days, we think of The Cascio Groove Garage headliners. This oasis of local talent, surrounded by what could be described as a sea of musical acts that range from the up and coming, to "has beens," is one of my favorite spots to rest and relax. The gravel under the bleachers will make your shoes dirty, but it's worth the dust. The stage is still tent-like, but as of last year, they did improve it quite a bit. It's on higher ground, there are more lights, and there is a drum riser, as far as I can recall. The music starts at 1:30 each day, but here are the headline acts.

June 24 Collections of Colonies of Bees

June 25 The Vega Star

June 26 The Wildbirds

June 27 Kid you'll move mountains

June 28 The Etiquette

June 29 John The Savage

June 30 I'm Not A Pilot

July 1 Fable & the World Flat

July 2 Worrier

July 3 The Invaders

July 4 Whiskey Bound

Summerfest 2010 Milwaukee Tickets | A Reason To Fight The Crowds at Marcus Amphitheater

Summerfest 2010 Milwaukee tickets are in hand because they booked a band that I must see. Yes, it has been 32 years since I first saw them. Yes, I am that old, but in my defense, I first saw DEVO when I was 12 years old. Do the math. They played the Uptown Theater on North Avenue in Milwaukee, and the venue was about 3/4 full. What do I remember about that show? Pink Pussycat, and Swelling Itching Brain. I also remember the videos that opened the show.

Three years later Devo was on tour supporting their Freedom Of Choice album. They were about to "jump the shark" with their next album, but on the Freedom Of Choice tour, they reached the apex of their street cred. PM Magazine came to film the crowd lined up outside the Oriental Theater. They approached me and asked an inane question. Just as I was to answer, someone spit on me. Punks were demanding that PM Magazine leave us alone. I guess I was a traitor for talking to the press.

That night the DEVO show was a disaster in the making. Their video projector broke down after the first minute. There was a small electrical fire on stage, and half the p.a. system never powered up. Boogie Boy came out and apologized to Milwaukee. This was their first tour date in America, after travelling all across Europe. Bumps in the road were expected. Too bad for us. They played at the Aragon Ballroom two nights later, and I'm sure it was all good.

Devo would release New traditionalists in 1981, and with that, they jumped the shark. Sure, the songs Working In A Coal Mine, and Beautiful World were on that album, but the pop loving, late-to-the-party audience totally missed the point that they were being called out for not understanding the message that Devo was bringing to the masses. That tour was a bulky, keyboard laden mess. True fans walked away in droves.

Still, Are We Not Men, and Freedom Of Choice are two of the best albums ever. Devo is tops in my book for those albums, and I give them three stars for Freedom of Choice. They will draw a huge crowd at the Miller Light Oasis on July 4th. I'll be there.