My partner in Local Music Podcast, WSME's Brent Gohde, and I volunteered to work the WSME booth at the Cascio Interstate Music Groove Garage for the better part of Thursday, July 3.
Although the stage hosts a litany of local bands each of the 11 days of the Summerfest, yesterday's lineup was marked by greatness, loudness, community and, perhaps most of all, the stark contrast between its audience and that of Tim McGraw's, who were forced to file past us on their way into the Marcus Amphitheater show.
Nevertheless, the whole experience highlighted the spirit of Summerfest's range, all within the shared confines of the Marcus and its surrounding grounds known as "the Amp."
Cougar Den drummer Kelsey Kaufmann booked seven solid hours of rock of all varieties, from the playful indie pop of Cowboy Motif to the metal mayhem of Get Rad. The small stage occupied a meager amount of space between the spread of McGraw T-shirts and Miller Chill vendors, but the fans, friends and family members -- an impressive number of band mom and dads were in attendance, standing on picnic tables, taking pictures and buying merch -- packed it with energy, support and, at times, an oval shaped mosh pit, "resembling McGraw's hat," quipped Get Rad.
As Cougar Den's vocalist Bobby Reitman pointed out, the Cascio stage is a celebration of Milwaukee and brought bands and fans who wouldn't typically get invited to play / attend a Summerfest gig.
Get Rad's Dave Rudnik announced, "We thought this was going to be the stupidest thing we've ever done. But, it turned out to be awesome."
And the skepticism makes sense. The Big Gig hasn't traditionally been the most welcoming or supportive venue for a hardcore band whose rowdy fans like to thrash about in wide-reaching pits of sweat and energy. The typical fest-goer as well, as demonstrated by several concerned / terrified faces we saw walking in to the McGraw show, usually isn't interested in what Milwaukee's musical underground has to say.
But this stage very well might change that perception. Sure, there was one break-out fight, but other than that, it was a wonderful demonstration of Milwaukee's talent at its own biggest music festival.
Here was the official lineup:
3 p.m. -- Cowboy Motif
3:45 p.m. -- Novel
4:30 p.m. -- Render Voiceless
5 p.m. -- Red Knife Lottery (which has a new 7-inch called "Hip Bruisers")
6 p.m. -- Farwell to Twilight
6:45 p.m. -- Cougar Den
8:15 p.m. -- Get Rad
8:45 p.m. -- The Barrettes
9:30 p.m. -- Guido's Race Car
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
