Heading to Freakfest this weekend on State Street Saturday night?

It’s a far cry from Halloween celebrations a few years ago, which sometimes ended with vandalism, and police bringing out the pepper spray. The mix of live entertainment with a more controlled environment and an admission charge seems to have done the trick in making for a party that’s fun without getting too crazy.

Tickets are $8 in advance and $12 at the gates, which open up at 7pm.

There’s a big costume contest as well, with judging next to the North Frances Street stage between 11pm and midnight. A word of warning from police..all dangerous props will be confiscated. So that means leave the swords and Ninja throwing stars at home.

The music lineup this year includes Neon Trees, Locksley and All Time Low. Here’s a preview.

You may have noticed some construction barrels and “Do Not Enter” and “One Way” signs on Willy Street this summer..and may have worried what that would mean for the Willy Street Fair. Well worry no more!  The fair is on this Saturday and Sunday! Bob Queen with the Wil-Mar Neighborhood Association says you won’t have to wear your hard hat..but white shoes might be the worse for wear afterwards.

If you’ve never been to the Willy Street Fair, you’ve really got to check it out. It’s a bittersweet thing, because it means the end of summer. But it’s a party like no other.  There will be entertainment on ten stages over two days, plus food and beverage vendors, street performances, and a parade that could only happen on Willy Street!

For the 3rd year, the Willy Street Fair teams up with the Wisconsin Union Theatre and the World Music Festival to bring acts from around the world to Madison on Saturday.  New this year..free Greyhound bus shuttles from campus to the fair on Saturday.

Here’s the entertainment lineup for 2011:

Saturday, September 17 / 1:45 pm to 9:00 pm, 900/1000 block of Williamson Street

Main Stage
1:45 Luisa Maita
3:30 Marco Calliari
5:30 Sergent Garcia
7:30 Bomba Estereo

3:00 & 5:00 pm Dragon Knights Grounds Parade

Folk stage
2:00 Blake Thomas and Josh Harty
3:30 Eric Schwartz
5:30 Cris Plata

Madcat Electronic/DJ Stage
2:00-7:00 Local/Regional Electronic/DJ Performers
7:00 East Coast/West Coast Legend, Dr. Dunks

Sunday, September 18 / 11:00 am to 7:00 pm, 800, 900 and 1000 blocks of williamson street
Willy street fair parade: 11:00 am

Main stage
1:00 Emmettville
2:30 the Midwesterners
4:00 Bumpus
5:45 the Kissers

Kid’s Stage
1:00 Mad Rollin’ Dolls Demonstration
2:00 Wil-Mar Teen Fashion Show
3:00 Madgadders
4:00 EMCC BreakDancers
5:00 Truly Remarkable Loon
6:30 Willy Street Fair Raffle

Culture Stage
11:45 Yid Vicious
1:00 Cajun Strangers
2:00 Sadira and the Riad Dance Company
2:45 An Blas Quartet
3:50 Xtring
4:55 Atimevu Drum and Dance
6:00 Charanga Agosa

WORT Underground Stage
12:00 Whitney Mann (& Band)
1:10 Roboman
2:20 the Shabelles
3:30 Venus In Furs
4:40 Weapons of Mass DeFunktion
5:50 (From Toronto, Canada) The Sadies

Folk Stage
12:00 Small Potatoes
2:00 Bret & Frisk
3:30 Bill & Kate isles
5:00 Moonhouse

Queenie & The Blue Cats

What are you doing on Sunday afternoon? Head to the High Noon Saloon to catch some great live music, and support the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Dane County.

Here’s an interesting twist–each of the bands performing at the Rock ‘n Blues concert has one member who works in the Meriter Hospital Adults Psychiatry Unit.

Here’s the lineup:

1pm Mud Room, a rock band featuring Dr. Tyler Rickers singing and playing lead guitar

1:30pm Queenie & The Blue Cats, blues and funk featuring Bill Cheadle, a Meriter Adult Psychiatry Clinical Specialist on drums.

4pm Bonobo Secret Handshake, socially motivated rock funk and blues, with Meriter Adult Psychiatry Mental Health Specialist Teresa Nyholt as singer. Two doctors add to the mix as well, David Melnick and Scott Meskin.

5:30pm:  Jam session!

It’s just $7 for tickets if you buy them in advance, or $10 at the door.

More info here.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness is the nation’s largest grassroots organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness, and was founded right here in Dane County. NAMI Dane County provides free support meetings, educational meetings, a resource library and more.

Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore released his third solo record Demolished Thoughts just 6 weeks ago. The record was produced by Beck and includes Mary Lattimore on harp, Samara Lubelski on violin, and Bram Inscore on stand-up bass. Beck’s production creates a warmth and depth that compels you to hang out for awhile. The layered acoustics feel like a lazy summer afternoon. Think Beck’s Sea Change meets Daydream Nation.

The opening of the video for Circulation features what looks like a young Patti Smith. Moore has long been a fan of Smith’s. Check out this 1996 interview he did with her. It gives some great insight on both artists.

Thurston Moore performs at the High Noon Saloon tomorrow night. Hush Arbors, signed to Moore’s Ecstatic Peace label open the show at 9:30p.

You’ve gotta hand it to the folks with the Marquette Neighborhood Association..they’ve put together a great lineup for this weekend’s Waterfront Festival.

I’m particularly exited about two of the acts–Robbie Fulks, who plays Sunday afternoon at 2:45, and the Bottle Rockets later on at 6:15.

Robbie Fulks is a gifted singer-songwriter who is just twisted enough to keep it interesting.  I’ve never seen him live, so I’m really looking forward to it.

I’d say the Bottle Rockets are going to end the festival with a bang (because of their name)…but that sounds a bit trite. So I’ll just say this is rock and roll…wait here’s a line I can steal that sums them up perfectly. The Spartanburg Herald says “If Uncle Tupelo is the Beatles of the alt-country movement, the Bottle Rockets are certainly the Rolling Stones. Featuring a brash, in-your-face sound with as much of a Lynyrd Skynyrd influence as Gram Parsons.” I’m not sure where Spartanburg is, but I love the quote! I saw the Bottle Rockets twice..once they opened for John Fogerty in Milwaukee..and the second time I saw them at the Annex in Madison and I’m a big fan.

The Marquette Waterfront Festival is this Saturday and Sunday (June 11th &12th) at Yahara Place Park, on the shore of Lake Monona where it meets the Yahara River..just a couple blocks off Williamson Street. It’s the first of a lot of great Eastside festivals..with plenty of food and beverage vendors. They depend on sales of beer to break even or hopefully make a profit..so don’t bring in your own beer. That’s just lame.

See the full schedule here.

Here’s another chance for you to enjoy some great music, and help somebody at the same time.

You may have heard that Donna Linderman,  the wife of blues harmonica player Westside Andy, is going through a major health battle..and although they do have insurance, costs are mounting. Local musicians are holding another benefit this Sunday at the Harmony Bar.

Suggested donation is $10..which is a steal to see these great bands: Cash Box Kings, the Midwesterners, Frankie Lee, Mel Ford, Billy Flynn and Glenn Davis. The music goes from 3-9pm.

To get you fired up for the show..check out this great performance from Cash Box Kings at the House of Blues.

This year’s event is slated for Saturday, October 30 on State Street in downtown Madison. Gates will open at 7:00 PM with tickets available at the gate for $10.

$7 advance tickets are available now at the Coliseum box office, Ticketmaster, or at several businesses in the State Street area.

The business ticket outlets will be selling tickets through Friday, October 29 and there is no service charge at any of those locations (only service charges on tickets sold at Ticketmaster outlets).  Participating businesses are designated with special multicolored posters with the Freakfest logo and the words “Freakfest Tickets Available Here”.  Tickets on the day of the event will be available at booths near the entrances beginning at Noon and continuing through the end of the event or when the street reaches capacity.  Additional information is available at the official Freakfest website: http://www.channel3000.com/freakfest

Freakfest 2009 drew a record number of people with an estimated 55,000 people enjoying the music and costumes on State Street.  Once again the city was able to cut back on costs and there were fewer arrests as the event continues to run smoothly and become more successful.  As the event continues to grow in popularity, it is definitely recommended that people purchase their tickets in advance or get to the event as early as possible to purchase their day of event ticket and insure admittance.

I don’t know about you guys but I can barely put into words my excitement to see Matt and Kim live at the Majestic Theater TONIGHT!

If the band’s name didn’t give you a hint, Matt and Kim is a two piece band that hail from Brooklyn, New York.  Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino met at school while attending the Pratt Institute.  They never really made a concrete choice to start up a band but around 2004 picked up some instruments that they didn’t know how to play and ended up playing some local gigs.  Both artists contribute to vocals while Matt takes over the keyboard and Kim is all about the drums.  Come on people what is cooler than a female drummer?  The duo took on a do-it-yourself attitude about their music and booked shows and toured as much as they could until the release of their first self titled album on the iHeartcomix label.  After that they went back on the road playing festivals like Lollapalooza and gathering an even larger fan base.  Since the release of the band’s second album, Grand, the pair has only seen their popularity explode.  They have been working on a new album entitled Sidewalks which is set to be released November 2nd.  If you want a sneak peek at their latest stuff check out their website here: http://mattandkimmusic.com/

Matt and Kim first hit me when I heard they’re most famous single Daylight on a Bicardi commercial.  As soon as I heard that commercial I pretty much ran to my computer and got to googling.  Props to you people at Bicardi.  After listening to that track a couple hundred times that day, I decided to go for it and just buy their whole Grand album.  What a right decision that turned out to be.  I even changed them to my ringtone, which let me tell you, is no easy achievement.

You can’t help but fall instantly in love with their catchy drum heavy electro-rock/punk tracks.  Every song ignites an urge to have a huge happy dance party.  If you don’t feel like getting off your feet and jumping around to this album, then you must be dead. I would give you an example of a similar sound but to be honest nothing comes to mind.  They aren’t your average band.  They have a totally new sound and their own way of doing things, and I love them more for it.

Now this is not a show you will want to miss.  Fans of Matt and Kim absolutely rave about their live performances.  I, myself, have never seen them before but based on some clips I’ve seen this is about to be one hell of a show.  They always look like they are having an absolute blast and have an excitement and fervor for being on stage.  If you’re looking for a great rock out night then come to the Majestic tonight!!

Buy your tickets! http://www.majesticmadison.com/index.php/calendar/detail/matt_kim_092210

-Emily Cartwright