Jimmy Buffet on July 19th at Alpine Valley Wisconsin

Parrotheads unite! Has it been one whole year since Jimmy Buffett graced the stage at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin? They will gather in the parking lots. They will drink fruity drinks in his honor. Some will attempt to pace themselves in hopes of seeing only one Jimmy Buffett on stage at Alpine Valley. Double vision is a bad thing when it comes from all the rum you drank in the hot, hot sun of south-central Wisconsin. The pool, made from the back of a man's pick-up truck will surely be full of babes. The vomit will rise, but you must keep it down. Sun burned, rum soaked, and sweaty, you must file into the venue to bow down in parrothead unison. For your god is Jimmy Buffett. Your overlord sings just a tinge off-key, but no matter, he has more cash than the earth has ocean water. You relish the moment, with your espadrilles flecked with mud and grass, and your eyes squinting in the setting sun. Jimmy Buffett plays Alpine Valley July 19th 2008

Sacred Order, Milwaukee punk from the 1980's

Way back when, there was this great Wisconsin punk band named Sacred Order. I say way back when because the original line-up featuring Jay Tiller, Mike Podolak, Chip, and Beezer were the top-end Sacred Order. Chip moved on to The Crusties, Jay Tiller started Couch Flambeau, leaving Beezer and Mike to rotate other mates into the mix. Damien Strigenz, and Don Nelson moved into Sacred Order in the later years. Those are the guys you will hear on the 2004 Last Rites DVD/CD from WMSE and Push Button Gadget. I don't know what line-up will be on the stage at The Miramar Theater on November 10th, but I am certain that it will crush.

Ozzy Osbourne Bradley Center December 13th

It's not Ozzfest, it's OZZY!! I have this friend (yea, a friend not me) who loves Ozzy, lives for Ozzy etc. He goes to every Ozzfest Wisconsin show. This time, he's even more fired up. He called to tell me that he's ready for Ozzy tickets to go on sale at The Bradley Center. It's months away, but my friend has lined up already. At least in his mind, he is in line for Ozzy tickets.

John Mellencamp in Madison

John Mellencamp plays the Coliseum at Alliant Energy Center in Madison Wisconsin on Tue, Nov 6, 2007. Jack and Dianne, Our Country, Scarecrow, all radio friendly stuff. John Mellencamp used to smoke four packs a day. I think he had a heart attack, and that scared him down a bit. He says that he's got no problem selling his songs to car companies and such. At least he's honest.

Rock and Roll in pictures from Pat Graham

Check this entry out from the Line Out blog. Silent Pictures is going to be released soon. Great pictures of indie bands are what you will find.

According to Line Out - " [PatGraham] is responsible for many of the iconic early nineties shots of Dischord bands Fugazi and the Nation of Ulysses / Make Up, as well as documenting Modest Mouse tours from the nineties through today." Yes, the west coast is far, far away from Wisconsin, but Rock and Roll is universal. I like Ron Schneider's work from Wisconsin. He captured some great shots of the local Wisconsin scene. (picture above)

A little known music fest featuring Country music

Country Fest? What's that? It's a well kept secret outside of Wisconsin, but...

"Country Fest fans wouldn’t be there if they weren’t excited about the entertainment, but the buzz this year isn’t even about an act that’s there. People are already talking about who’s coming next year.The crowd was told in a stage announcement Friday night that the Saturday night headliner for Country Fest 2008 would be Kenny Chesney." - Chippewa.com

Country Fest has gotten bigger each year. When I first heard about it, I blew it off as some BYO, stand in the hot sun, potential washout. I was dead wrong about Country Fest. It's big.

Speaking of Country, Toby Keith, not my favorite "musician", is playing The Marcus Amphitheater during the Summerfest run on July 8th. He will "perform" his mix of patriotic, pro-war, big stick music to what I would guess are like minded, pro-war fans. You have to wonder if Toby is feeling duped, just like all the other Americans who bought what Dick Cheney was selling. Sorry, this is a music blog, I'm getting way off track.