The Squeaky Curd is prepping for Summerfest 2018 by previewing a few hand-selected musical acts our readers should not miss. For the day by day recommendation breakdowns, make sure to check back here each Tuesday of June leading up until the festival on the 27th. If you’d rather let your ears do the choosing, follow along with our curated Youtube Playlist, found right here.
It’s here. It’s finally here. Summerfest 2018 starts tomorrow! Our ongoing preview of which acts to see comes to a close today (Days 1-3, Days 4-6, Days 7-9), and we’re ready for each and every one of them to rock our ears right off. Boogie shoes, engaged:
Day 10: Saturday, July 7
Leave The Weeknd and Big Boi to the spelling-failures and amphitheater big spenders, and instead head to these free stages for Summerfest’s last Saturday:
Jonny P (8:00 PM @ Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard)
Last year we also recommended Jonny P, and here a year later his silky smooth tunes are still fantastic and under the radar. Get prepared for getting groovy.
The Wild Feathers (8:00 PM @ U.S. Cellular Connection Stage)
Hitting it big a couple years back, The Wild Feathers is still grinding as hard as any other nue-alt rock band out there. Perhaps the lakefront will be cool enough for me to sport my jamming-flannel…
Mayer Hawthorne (10:00 PM @ Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard)
Mayer Hawthorne must be the hardest-working, most influential non-household name in R&B over the last decade. Good on Summerfest for getting him a headlining spot, and good on you folks for going to listen to his clever and infectious baby-making music.
Day 11: Sunday, July 8
Arcade Fire closes out things big, with these supporters bringing Summerfest 2018 to a solid finish:
Corey Pieper (8:00 PM @ Miller Lite Oasis Stage)
He may be Hawaiian, but he’s all Milwaukeean: local rapper Corey Pieper has been grinding hard for years in the underground scene, but recently has been hitting it big with national-name collaborations.
Early Eyes (5:30 PM @ Johnson Controls World Stage)
They’re sure young, but the boys of Early Eyes have a mature, polished indie sound that’s both familiar and refreshing.
Walker Lukens (8:00 PM @ Johnson Controls World Stage)
Don’t even try to pigeon-hole Walker Lukens into a genre; it’s futile to try to typify the soulful, welcoming, driving, and frankly interesting music coming from this Texan. Try something new for your ears.
We will be seeing you all later this week at The World’s Largest Music Festival. Look for us wearing our suhhwwwhheeett media passes:
All photos by Joe Powell for The Squeaky Curd.
Free high-fives to all music lovers.