Brew City Sludge - June 2008

Klozier here
Summer’s coming. And so is Summerfest.

A lot of people may not even know that the Big Gig is the largest outdoor music festival in the world. This is usually about the time I start ranting and raving about how more focus should be paid to local talent. However, I have good news on that front.

This will be the second year for the Cascio Groove Garage Stage. The stage will feature local and regional original bands and is sponsored by Cascio Interstate Music and WMSE. I spoke with Elliott Hill of Cascio Music who has been one of the top pioneers of the endeavor. “We’re really excited about giving the city a chance to see so many bands every day that they might not be able to see in any given year. We worked hard at looking at all genres from young punk bands to established acts. We feel that the city has a vast amount of talent in so many areas and that our stage gives a great representation of that fact,” he said. The talent pool is indeed well-represented with bands ranging from acts that are all teens to players who are seasoned veterans of the scene. One thing I want you all to keep in mind that no bands are being paid for their performance, so, when you head down to the fest to visit this stage (and I know you will) pick up a CD or a t-shirt that anyone might be selling to say thanks to these pillars of our musical society. For all info go to www.myspace.com/groovegarage and check the listings.

If you plan to head north this month, you might want to check out the Steel Bridge Songfest in Sturgeon Bay. The whole event is a benefit with proceeds going to save the historic Michigan Street Bridge. This is the event’s fourth season and will take place June 12 through the 14. For a mere $25 you will get an all access pass to dozens of venues featuring live music as well as many other events that are taking place. I am mentioning this in my Milwaukee scene column because there will be many Brew City bands playing. Our own melaniejane is one of the top dogs (kittens) on the project and has, along with many others, put in hundreds of hours to keep the bridge standing. If only our State “government” were this diligent. Oh well… go to http://www.steelbridgesongfest.org/ for all the info.

That’s all for now my Sweeties.

Remember: Behind every funny clown’s painted face…lies the face of a possible mass murderer.