Music Notes

There’s really no sense in competing with the massive black hole that is Summerfest, which as you surely know lasts until Sunday. The bigger—and perhaps smarter— venues have learned to hold off on shows until after The Big Gig sells its final, artery clogging pizza cone, rather than face abnormally weak attendance. But, dammit, since some of the smaller, nobler clubs go ahead with their local music schedules anyway, so will we. (Stand tall, brothers!) If you’d like to stay as far away from the Summerfest Grounds as possible or just quickly tire of all the people-watching and alcohol-induced drama…

     When Outkast reunited at Coachella in April, reviews of the hip hop duo’s comeback performance were mixed, with critics citing a lack of theatrics and musical tightness as underwhelming. But really, the rappers couldn’t live up to critics’ unrealistic expectations, who all but anticipated a religious experience from the Atlanta duo. And while the first onstage reunion of Andre 3000 and Big Boi’s since their heated break-up would have been notable, it’s better that Outkast notched a few gigs on their belt and fully got back into the swing of things before headlining a raucous Summerfest performance last night.…

After a couple cooler, misty days, the weather finally broke at Summerfest, making last night’s festivities the most enjoyable so far. The turnout for Vic and Gab’s 6:45 p.m. slot at the U.S. Cellular Connection Stage easily doubled the Best Coast attendance the night before. The standoffish trio—fronted by the two sisters, you guessed it, Vic and Gab—took advantage of the larger stage and opened up to the audience a bit. Midway through their set, like any good crowd pleaser, the group started throwing t-shirts into the crowd (“Who wants a free shirt?” guitarist Victoriah Banuelos glibly remarked). Those that didn’t…

                                                            Best Coast photo by David Black. The traffic jams and routine bumping into other attendees – who all inexplicably travel in different directions and varying speeds –  can be a frustrating constant at Summerfest. But on the festival’s slower days when crowd accumulation isn’t as suffocating, the comfort in knowing that one can travel between stages without fear of crashing into someone paying little attention is reassuring. So while a second day of foggy conditions and cooler temperatures definitely drove attendance down, the smaller size wasn’t all that bad. But as jumping from one stage to another became…

                                                                Homepage photo of Arctic Monkeys by Erin Gosch. Summerfest began last night in an underwhelming fashion, with the city still hazy and damp from the lingering fog and unusually chilly for a June evening. The collective attitude among attendees seemed to be an arms-folded response, but they begrudgingly soldiered on. The cool temps didn’t stop the crowds from amassing, however, and amassing early. And the unseasonable weather may have b   Kids these days: Arctic Monkeys fans sit through earlier acts at the Miller Lite Oasis. een a blessing in disguise. For organizers fearful of another overcrowding situation…

The band rocked Summerfest on its opening night.

 Photo courtesy of Turnpike Troubadours  It wasn’t the Tumbleweed in Stillwater, Okla., but Turnpike Troubadours rocked the venue just as hard. The Oklahoma red-dirt country band made its way to Sturtevant’s Route 20 Outhouse on Tuesday night, filling that hardwood floor with one heck of a two-stepping crowd. With a scuffed-boot-wearing audience, the house was full of tapping toes, especially when the band played “Long Hot Summer days” and “Gin, Smoke, Lies.”     Red-dirt country has that feeling of non-commercialism and spontaneity, and in mid-song, the group might start stomping their boots, break out a harmonica or take a…

There’s really no sense in competing with the massive black hole that is Summerfest, which as you surely know starts this Wednesday. The bigger—and perhaps smarter— venues have learned to hold off on shows until after The Big Gig sells its final, artery clogging pizza cone, rather than face abnormally weak attendance. But, dammit, since some of the smaller, nobler clubs go ahead with their local music schedules anyway, so will we. (Stand tall, brothers!) If you’d like to stay as far away from the Summerfest Grounds as possible or just quickly tire of all the people-watching and alcohol-induced drama…

Monday, June 16: Jeff Tweedy with The Handsome Family at The Pabst Theater, 6:30 p.m. ($45) After a few indispensable alt-country records near the turn of the century, lately Wilco has been chided for growing into weary “dad-rock” musicians by its detractors. That crowd will definitely roll their collective eyes at frontman Jeff Tweedy’s upcoming record under the moniker TWEEDY, on which he literally plays dad to the drummer, his 18-year-old son Spencer. Don’t expect a whirlwind of old Tweedy standards when the group stops in Milwaukee—the tour kicked off in Detroit last week and the outfit played 14 new…

Tuesday, June 10: Elvis Costello at The Riverside Theater, 7 p.m. ($44.50-$60) In the late 1970s the literate, bespectacled singer-songwriter Elvis Costello gave literate, bespectacled music critics a rock hero that looked just like them. Throughout an impressive career that includes essential albums My Aim Is True and This Year’s Model, Costello has also been to do something that eludes many life-long musicians: remaining well-respected while growing gray. His latest record, a collaborative effort with The Roots, garnered positive reviews, as the Jimmy Fallon backing band provided a similar touch to Costello’s singing that they do on weekday evenings. Costello…