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.

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.

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.

Does the Bradley Center Stage Move?

I don't really care that the Jonas Brothers are coming to Milwaukee. Why I'm posting about them is because I overheard a coworker discussing her attempt to purchase tickets with another employee. The Jonas Brothers were selling their Bradley Center Tickets through various sponsorship events. My coworker was trying her best to buy some tickets for her 12 year old daughter. The Jonas Brothers shows do not feature your traditional "end stage" setup. They have built a stage in the center of the venue. That's what they call "in the round." They can optimize all seating if they perform in the round.

Sometimes the center portion of the stage will spin when it is in the round. The world famous, and what some would say, "greatest singer in the world," Celine Dion had a rotating stage.

I don't think that The Jonas Brothers' stage will rotate, but you never know. What was amusing to me was the comment by my coworker. She asked the ticket salesperson "does the stage move?" I could tell that the ticket salesperson on the other end had no idea what she meant. I could also tell that her reply was something like, "No ma'am, stages stay in one place. That would be dangerous."

Ms. Sara & The Help - Fortune Flower

Sometimes the best music you discover is not hyped by the corporate machine. Let me back up and say that MOST of the best music you discover is passed on to you from a friend. Fortune Flower by Ms. Sara & The Help was literally passed on to me over my back yard fence. It's big.

The first three numbers are powerful. There is plenty to listen to in those songs. Each band member gets their chance to shine. There's no tripping up, or propping up for that matter. The band is top-notch. Sara's vocal strength doesn't distract from the band either. It's right in the pocket. Big powerful songs are a bit easier to play, sing, etc. The test of any great vocalist is how they handle the low, light songs. Dirtybird, (cut number four) shows that Sara's got what it takes. Yes, even Dirtybird ratchets up a bit during some parts, but you won't mind that a bit.

9-5 has that radio friendly feel. That's perfectly fine, because we should be hearing it on the radio soon enough. I almost think that this could be a contemporary country number. All it needs is a touch of steel guitar, and a couple drawl hooks from Sara, and there you are. That's not a rip, I'm just hearing it like that.

Working my way down the the last four songs, I'm hearing a reggae number that lets Sara hit some sweet highs. I must admit that the song could drop right into the mix of the pop top 20, but is that a bad thing? Forgive me for saying this, but I hear Lilly Allen there.

Anabel Lee drops way down to a grey, deep, and dark world. Jimmy Dynamo is deep into the cd, and I'm happy about that. Sara's vocals are too good to be working that angle too hard. Rapid fire rock styling is something she need not waste her time on. Last To Tell Ya is a stripped down, rainy day on the bayou with a woman who's got "a straight razor in her right hand and bubble gum in the other".

I'm not a music critic, and I don't pretend to be one. But when someone gives you something sweet to listen to, you have to pass it over the fence. I will be passing this one on to my friends for sure.