Atwood Summerfest - 2013

Hello everyone and welcome to the 31st annual Atwood Summerfest, Madison’s favorite smallest, big, local, free, live music festival. It happens every year on the 2000/2100 blocks of Atwood Avenue in Madison on July 27 & 28. Besides live music, the event is family friendly (featuring the all new Kidfest) as well as eating and shopping at the many vendors that will line the street. Proceeds from the event benefit the Goodman Community Center.

Both stages kick off at 2pm each day and we put together a sampling of descriptions to help you plan your musical journey through Atwood Summerfest 2013.

2:00 PM - Richard Weigel/ Frankie Lee Band (Madison) A quartet that rides the borders between Rock and Classic Country, this premier Roots Rock ensemble has performed with Delbert McClinton, Marcia Ball, Asleep At The Wheel, Jr. Brown, Cowboy Mouth and others.

3:10 PM - Piper Road Spring Band (Madison) An acoustic bluegrass group, Piper Road Spring Band has blended Irish fiddle tunes with American country, big band, novelty and space-aged Grateful Dead inspired jams. Their smooth harmonies and toe-taping tunes will make you swear you’re an extra on the set of a movie like “O Brother Where Art Thou?”

4:20 PM - Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo (Madison) Jammin’ blues, rockin’ guitar, catchy beats, and sexy, soulful vocals that will get you dancing before you even realize it!

5:30 PM - Primitive Culture (Madison) This funky, bluesy, reggae-tastic, Latin-groovin’ percussive ensemble blends several genres together into an upbeat and ultimately danceable groove.

6:40 PM - Cash Box Kings (Madison) This Rockabilly blues band with a sexy backbeat will transport you to a smoky dive bar in the deep south, with the lead singer’s gritty-sweet-smooth vocals layered over punchy harmonica and and distorted guitars wailing away.

7:50 PM - Cris Plata with Extra Hot (Madison) Cris’ vocals are reminiscent of Steven Page from The Barenaked Ladies, but with a barbecued southwestern vibe. CP & Extra Hot plays tunes that are guaranteed to make you move to their spicy sound and make the ladies want to get bare naked with their lilting country-pop progressions and probing, serious-minded lyrics.

2:00 PM - Colorphase (Madison) a “good, loud, irresistible rock band.” With an unshakably solid rhythm section, soaring guitar leads, and a beautifully intense female soul vocal, this Madison-based band has crafted a unique sound unrivaled in its mix of energy, technique, and soul.

3:00 PM - I am Dragon (Madison) Inspired by rock legends such as the MC5 and Thin Lizzy, hook-laden guitars combine with ripping keyboard lines over a heavy rhythm section. They mix electronic elements into their work to create quirky and super groovy tones and cut the air with big-time riff rock, sing-along choruses, and hook after hook of rock and roll debauchery.

4:00 PM - Subatomic (Madison) A powerful, jam-oriented power-trio with thunderous, funky bass grooves…driving, tasty drumming…heavy, riff-laden guitar…and solid, insightful vocals. While influences and song styles may vary greatly, making the music hard to label, there are a few things that remain constant - the sound is huge, the music is powerful and honest, and whether or not you have a shred of rhythm, your head will bump and nod with the grooves.

5:00 PM - Lova Nova (Milwaukee) Way-out groovy rock with a 70s funk vibe, Paul “Evil” Kneever’s pounding keyboards layered over sliding guitars layered over a funky drum beat, Lova Nova are a Milwaukee party staple.

6:00 PM - Mojo Radio (Madison) With emphasis on ripping guitar lines, solid rhythm backbone, and punchy, soulful vocals, Mojo Radio aims to usher in a new approach to music that’s reminiscent of the great rock ‘n’ roll and blues techniques that have stood the test of time. Drawing heavily from the influences of bands like The Black Crowes, Humble Pie, Free, The Faces, as well as blues artists like Muddy Waters, Freddie King, and Sonny Terry. Mojo Radio creates music that commands attention by way of an undeniable blues-rock groove and pure musical mojo.

7:00 PM - VO5 (Madison) Madison’s very own Supergroup playing classic disco! VO5 will feature a 12 piece band this year, the lights come on after dark, and Kenny from Scorpion Shot will have a big surprise to kick it up a notch and make Atwood Summerfest “Wisconsin’s largest dance party”!! Bring good shoes.

2:00 PM - Miss Meaghan Owens (Milwaukee) Meaghan Owens offers songs that are glimpses of America—-always insightful, sometimes funny, and sometimes sad. Her sound is Indie.  It’s Country.  It’s Folk.  It’s filled with subtle connections to Jazz and the Blues. She seeks out the songs that live way down in our dreams and despairs. The lyrics are filled with glamour and grit.

3:00 PM - Katie Scullin Band (Madison) Imagine if Amy Winehouse, Ann Wilson and Gotye’s Kimbra got together (in another dimension) for an hour of laughs and heartfelt tunes. Wisconsin-native Katie Scullin wraps up this unseemly trio with her powerful, classic voice each time she gets behind the mic. But there is something else—a gut-wrenching refrain here, a playfully voiced electro-riff there. Katie has a way of wrapping you in her rhythm, surprising you with a jab here and a soft, elegant whimper there. She has turned the indie-pop ballad on its head, and continues to craft an impressive arsenal of original songs planted firmly in her own style.

4:00 PM - The Material Boys (Madison)  The seven-piece combo plays high-spirited acoustic bluegrass versions of Madonna’s best-known songs and other ’80s pop hits in addition to old time classics and original bluegrass music using all the usual instruments one expects in a rock band and then takes it to a whole new level with a washboard, fiddle, and upright bass.

5:00 PM - The Mad Polecats (Madison) A family band that continued through the generations, The Mad Polecats combine upright bass and fiddle with washboard, banjo, acoustic guitar, and layer all that over sexy brass instruments, piano, and solid drumbeats, and top it all off with deep melodic vocals reminiscent of times gone by.

6:00 PM - Wheelhouse (Madison) Groovin’ bass, funky guitar, honey-smooth vocals over rump-shakin’ drums, The Mighty Wheelhouse is a Madison favorite featuring former members of the Lucas Cates Band and the Mighty Short Bus.

2:00 PM - Eric Sommer (Boston)  Mr. Sommer has developed a combination of techniques that are unique and their application “on-the-fly” is exploratory in the audio sense: varied tuning alterations while playing, sonorous double string drones, octave overtones with enhanced feedback manipulations, volume and tone adjustments and above the fret board tones as well as lap-slap guitar in a cyclone of sound and movement that is almost gymnastic.

3:00 PM - One Last Run (Madison) Fronted by femme fatale Morgan Rae, One Last Run is energetic rock n roll with a dash of pop, smidgen of metal, and a sprinkle of punk.

4:00 PM - Sexy Ester (Madison) Sharp, smart, and deadly accurate with their hook laden Post-Modern Power Pop. Sexy Ester, is infused with so much John Hughesian charm a movie soundtrack couldn’t contain it all.

5:00 PM - Sky Road Fly (Madison) Sky Road Fly is a four-piece rock band from Madison, WI. They combine the groove consciousness of 1972, the musical curiosity of the mid-80’s underground, and the fierce sounds and energy of the early 90’s, to create a unique sound that commands attention.

6:00 PM - The American Dead (Madison) The American Dead are an Alt-Country band with plenty of whiskey soaked twang and punk-tinged style. Their songs are a ton of fun and consistently good.

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