Station Blog

- Win $1,000: A Grand In Your Hand

Blogs

(Recommended) Willy Street Fair this weekend

by concertgoer , posted Oct 25 2011 5:42PM

For a lot of people..the Willy Street Fair is bittersweet. It's one of the city's best, most unusual neighborhood festivals, but it also marks the end of summer.Â If you've never been there..it's hard to explain. Mix in some tie-dye and political activism with great live music, food and beer, and throw in some bubbles for good measure, and that might give you a bit of an idea. Saturday, the Willy Street Fair features 3 stages with a variety of live music options on the 800 block of Williamson Street.Â This year, the Fair is continuing its relationship with the Madison World Music Festival to bring some really outstanding entertainment our way. Click here to see the entire World Music Festival schedule. (It actually gets underway Thursday at the Wisconsin Union Theatre). As I looked at the list, one act really jumped out at me as one to see. Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars are a group of musicians who escaped the horrific violence of Sierra Leone's civil war, landed in a West African refugee camp and formed a band to keep their spirits up and their hopes alive. You can catch their performance Saturday at 7:15pm.

Sunday the fun continues on the 800 to 1000 blocks ofÂ Willy Street, starting off with the world's coolest parade at 11am. This is not your typical "bring out all the fire trucks and Shriners' kind of parade. In fact, any one can join this rag-tag assemblage! Look for Triple M's Gabby Parsons and some lucky Triple M listeners waving to the crowd from a super-snazzy convertible. There are five stages filled with a wide variety of acts on Sunday. Here are my picks: The Jimmys 4pm on the Main Stage. Led by Triple M's favorite rock and roll farmer, the newly married Jimmy Voegeli on keys, the Jimmys are guaranteed to get our mojo working! Wayne Baker Brooks 5pm on the Main Stage: Wayne continues the rich heritage of his dad Lonnie Brooks, with a "liquid fire" guitar style and passionate vocals. Purgatory Hill w/Pat MacDonald + Melanie Jane. 5:50pm on the Underground Stage. Yes, that Pat MacDonald, whose future was so bright he had to wear shades back in his Timbuk3 days. But don't expect to hear that song. This band's music is described as "a shocking reinvention of blues and rock music." That's just a tiny sliver of what you can experience on Saturday and Sunday. There's also a kids stage, a folk stage and a culture stage.Â See the complete schedule here. The Willy Street Fair is a benefit for Commonwealth Development and the Wil-Mar Neighborhood Center, so you can have a good time and know you're doing good at the same time. See you there! --Kitty Dunn..Willy Street Fair attendee, 20 years and counting! (Thanks to Gabby for the pics)

	(2) Comments
Tags : Social : Madison World Music Festival, the Jimmys, Wayne Baker Brooks, Willy Street Fair

Ride and rock for a cause

by Kitty Dunn , posted Oct 25 2011 5:26PM

Calling all our motorcycle riding friends! There's a benefit ride for Donna Linderman this Saturday. Donna's the wife of Westside Andy and she's been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. The fun starts with a motorcycle ride and is followed by a pig roast, and live music from two bands..the Westside Andy- Mel Ford Band at 4 and Peter Egan & The Defenders at 7. Camping is available as well. The event starts and ends at Rick's Garden Center, 714 Taylor Lane in Stoughton. Rick and Deb say you don't have to take part in the ride to attend the party afterward. More info here.

	(1) Comments
Tags : Social : Westside Andy

Three cheers for beer!

by Kitty Dunn , posted Oct 25 2011 5:26PM

Do you like beer? Do you like drinking it, learning about it, exploring new flavors? Then Madison Craft Beer Week is for you! It goes from April 29-May 8, and features all kinds of beer related tastings and events. I perused the website and these are some of the ones I found to be most compelling. Learn how to make beer based cocktails, Saturday April 30 at Underground Kitchen. It says they run the gamut from apertif to dessert.Â I generally like to have cocktails and beer on completely different days, but this sounds interesting. Biking and beer! On Sunday May 1 you can go on a New Belgium bike ride, starting at Dexter's Pub at 1pm. They'll have a bunch of New Belgium beers on tap and giveaways as well. After you've tried a few, pedal over to Ivory Room, Madhatters and Memorial Union for 1 hour stops at each place. And you thought the only thing New Belgium had to do with biking was the Fat Tire logo! Create some Bedlam! Ale Asylum celebrates the re-release of Bedlam! IPA, and invites you to design a teddy bear to represent your darkest inner bedlam and you get a free pint of this hoppy beer. Starts at 4pm Sunday. Monty Python's Holy Grail Night at The Cooper's Tavern, from 5-11pm Thursday May 5th,. Dress as your favorite character from that wild movie and your first pint is on the house. Best costume gets a $50 gift certificate. For me, every week is Craft Beer Week, but this week it appears I have some extra reasons to raise a glass. Cheers! More info on Craft Beer Week here.

	(0) Comments
Tags : Social : Madison Craft Beer Week

Think Pink: Women Rock for the Cure

by Kitty Dunn , posted Oct 25 2011 5:26PM

You probably already know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, with plenty of events going on to support the cause. Tonight, you can help out by checking out some live music during the annual Women Rock for the Cure event, with live music at seven different venues, and proceeds going to Susan G. Komen for the Cure in Madison. Many of the bands are made up of women or have female members. Highlights include Project M contestant Beth Kille at the Brink Lounge at 7:45pm, and a little later on in the evening you can catch Blue Beyond at 11:15 at Hemingway Lounge. Click here to see the full schedule...which also includes some establishments with food and drink specials benefiting Komen.