The Cascio Interstate Groove Stage has done more to bring local, original music to the Summerfest masses than any other stage before it. And with last year’s design and location upgrade, more Summerfest goers than ever are being exposed to some of the best band’s the city has to offer. This dynamic was on full display last night throughout great performances by Elusive Parallelograms, Canyons Of Static and Collections Of Colonies Of Bees.
Elusive Parallelograms
The one drawback of the Cascio stage is the level of background noise it
receives by being situated between the Summerfest Rock and U.S.
Cellular Connection stages. But the moment EP hit the stage at 6 p.m. and tore into its first song,
the wall of sound they produced ripped right through the cacophony of
sound emanating from the other stages.
The afternoon heat (with temperatures hovering around 90 degrees) seemed to take its toll at times on the band, but they did not let it bring down the energy level. With a marketing assistant in amongst the sweaty crowd throwing out EP shirts and wristbands, the band ripped into its frantic set. Alternating between old and new material, and featuring a few tracks of the band’s latest Spaces, EP gave the crowd all the high-intensity alternative rock they could handle. And seemingly all in sub-three-minute intervals.
Between Set Entertainment: Walked over to new BMO Harris Pavilion (gorgeous) and ate 1/3 pound sausage (horrible idea)
Canyons Of Static
As the sun receded from the sky and the lake breezes made the temperature much more bearable, West Bend’s instrumental space-prog rockers Canyons Of Static took the stage. I was more nervous about how the background noise would affect a band like this that depends so much on quiet breakdowns to set the stage for dramatic climaxes. But though some of the ambiance was lost during the slow builds, the overall strength of the band translated well.
The obvious comparisons to Explosions In The Sky or Mogwai are warranted, but COS definitely brings its own variation to the style. The guitarists (both stellar in this band) take a lot of the spotlight in instrumental groups, but for me you can’t have a successful post-rock instrumental band without a stellar drummer. And COS’s Nathan Gaffney (who was celebrating his birthday) served as the backbone to an amazing set, which lasted only about a half hour but was highlighted by the standout track “Drift.” Closing out the set, guitarist Ross Severson reassured the crowd that the last song would by “not short and doesn’t have any words.”
Between Set Entertainment: Checked out The Walkmen and Jaill (both good)
Collections Of Colonies Of Bees
What can be said about COCOB that hasn’t been said a hundred times? Out of this world arrangement, musicianship and overall sound quality have always been the band’s trademarks, and they were all on full display last night in front of a huge crowd. The best part of the show was the timing. Starting at 9 p.m., COCOB benefited from a lull in the action on the surrounding stages, leaving the night air clear to fully experience every breathtaking subtlety and nuance to the band’s amazing set.
