Slurp up these festival stories packed with vitamins, minerals and everything you need to spike your summer fun. The Summer Festivals Guide is brought to you by Punch Bowl Social. Come on in – it's time we all win at adulting.
On the left bank of the Milwaukee River this weekend you’ll find the inaugural Fresh Coast Jazz Festival, hosted by the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, 929 N. Water St.
The three-day event features live performances and other events that put live music in the spotlight.
You can get tickets here, and we’ve got five reasons why you don’t want to miss this debut summer event.
1. Local talent
Two iterations of the Home Town All Stars take the stage in Uihlein Hall, assembling a pair of groups of Milwaukee talent. On Friday, the group includes Grammy winning trumpeter Brian Lynch, pianist Dan Nimmer, Streetlife saxophonist Warren Wiegratz and house band WeSix, while on Saturday, you can hear hornsmen Augie Haas, Nelson Devereaux and Lenard Simpson, and singer Samantha Rise with WeSix.
2. A tribute to Al
On Friday, at 2 p.m., The Pairing weds wine and song as Goodie Gourmet serves up wine and snacks and singer Lynne Jordan and The Shivers perform the music of Milwaukee native Al Jarreau in the Marcus Center’s Vogel Hall.
3. Cap it off
At 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, hit The Lobby Bar at the St. Kate Arts Hotel across Kilbourn Avenue for music and cocktails.
4. Cruisin’
The Fresh Coast Cruise, on Saturday, 12:30 p.m., finds Marcus Adams performing on board the Edelweiss Harbor Lady, while you spice up the music with a catered lunch and wine. The cruise departs from the Edelweiss Port, 205 W. Highland Ave.
5. Big, smooth names
If smooth jazz is your bag, a host of top-name talent can be seen all weekend inside the Marcus Center in Uihlein Hall, including guiarists Lee Ritenour, Raul Midon and Norman Brown; singers Lindsey Webster and Chris Crain; saxophonist Ronnie Laws; and Jazz Funk Soul, a group featuring veterans Jeff Lorber, Everette Harp and Paul Jackson Jr.
For more on the Fresh Coast Jazz Festival, visit freshcoastjazz.com.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
