The Summerfest Blog
Welcome to the Summerfest Blog. Your exclusive access to playlist recommendations, what it takes to plan the festival, and personal insights from guest writers from the local Milwaukee music community.
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Andra Day
Posted on May 17, 2016
It’s no surprise that this week’s featured artist has garnered some major critical acclaim for her debut album Cheers to the Fall. With a voice like Andra Day’s, soulful and uplifting, the listener has no choice but to pay attention. Combine that voice with her retro style and affinity for vintage jazz singers, and you have an artist who is as contemporary as she is deeply connected to the “old soul” classics.
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Kane Brown
Posted on May 10, 2016
You'll be hearing a lot more about Kane Brown, the country singer-songwriter who gained attention for his music through the power of social media. After auditions for American Idol and X-Factor, Brown took to Facebook with covers of popular country songs and gained over a million followers after his cover of a George Strait song went viral. He released his first EP, Closer, in 2015 after raising funds on the crowdfunding site Kickstarter. The latest EP, Chapter 1, came out in March 2016.
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Making Noise With Rockonsin
Posted on May 5, 2016
We all know that the 11 days of Summerfest can offer up some major musical talent. But, our headliners aren’t the only ones bringing their skills to the stage. We also (literally) set the stage for some of the most promising up-and-comers to play “The World’s Largest Music Festival,” and they just happen to be 7th through 12th graders.
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Black Violin
Posted on May 3, 2016
This week's featured act is Black Violin, a duo out of Florida who bring together the unlikely combination of classical and hip hop genres to form a very distinctive style. Black Violin features Kevin Sylvester (Kev Marcus) on the violin and Wilner Baptiste (Wil B) on the viola. The latest album, Stereotypes, adds social activism to their instrumental prowess, challenging the listener to give up preconceived notions of how their appearance affects their sound.
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Hippo Campus
Posted on April 26, 2016
We're bringing you a band from our not-so-distant neighbors in Minnesota this week on Fest Finds. Hippo Campus is an energetic indie rock band that presents a dance pop sensibility with their catchy songs. The quartet has opened for artists such as My Morning Jacket, Walk The Moon and Modest Mouse. South, their sophomore EP, was released in October 2015.
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Staff Picks: Favorite Prince Song
Posted on April 21, 2016
Over the span of almost four decades, Prince has been a major force in the music industry. His unique artistry and unwillingness to conform to certain standards have made him an icon who redefined genres. His passing on April 21, 2016 at the age of 57 is a devastating loss for those who were impacted and mesmerized by his musical genius. We asked the Summerfest Staff to share some of their favorite Prince songs in his honor.
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Elle King
Posted on April 19, 2016
This week’s featured artist is pop/rock’s bad girl Elle King, who’s debut single “Ex’s and Oh’s” took mainstream radio by storm when it went platinum, broke into the Billboard top 10 and earned her two Grammy nominations.
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Cam
Posted on April 12, 2016
This week on Fest Finds, we're featuring country darling and singer/songwriter Cam. Before breaking out on her own, Cam started her career as a songwriter for artists including Miley Cyrus. Her most recent album, Untamed, was released in December 2015 and features her wildly successful and Grammy-nominated song "Burning House."
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Staff Picks: Favorite Summerfest Show
Posted on April 7, 2016
Seeing your favorite artists live is an experience that many music fans never forget. There's nothing quite like singing along to your favorite songs surrounded by thousands of people who feel the exact same way. We asked members of the Summerfest Staff to share with us their favorite Summerfest show over the years!
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Diane Coffee
Posted on April 5, 2016
This week’s featured artist is Diane Coffee (a.k.a. Shaun Fleming), former Disney voice actor and touring drummer for the band Foxygen, whose glam rock alter ego is as entertaining as it is thought provoking.
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Son Little
Posted on March 21, 2016
This week we’re kicking things off with Son Little, the soulful alter ego of Aaron Livingston. The Philadelphia-bred artist released his debut EP Things I Forgot in 2014 before releasing his first full-length self-titled album in October 2015.