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.
Another week closer to Summerfest 2018, and we’re excited to add another 3 days to our ongoing preview of which lesser-known free stage acts you definitely should put on your own itinerary. Below, days 4-6:
Day 4: Saturday, June 30
Expect to see plenty of cowboy boots thanks to Florida Georgia Line, but those boots will be dancing outside the amphitheater too:
newvices (6:45 PM @ Johnson Controls World Stage)
Funky power-pop straight from Milwaukee, newvices is making waves all over the Midwest. Likened to The 1975 recently, expect driving guitars and vocals backed by an electric beat.
Sidereal (5:30 PM @ Johnson Controls World Stage)
Find your beach on the Summerfest grounds with the island vibes of Sidereal. Wait for the inevitable playing of “Lazy Saturday”, crack open a cold beer, and get your sandal’d-groove on.
Altered Five Blues Band (2:00 PM @ Harley-Davidson Roadhouse)
Another hometown favorite, the powerful boys of Altered Five Blues Band actually took home a WAMI award this year for Song of the Year. Make an afternoon of it this year, showing up early for some hard head boppin’.
Day 5: Sunday, July 1
DMB moved their college-rock crowd from Alpine to Summerfest this year, but don’t let the smoke clouds stop you from seeing these others acts:
lovelytheband (8:00 PM @ Uline Warehouse Stage)
Their first hit still fresh on the airwaves, lovelytheband (what’s up with no one capitalizing anymore?) is everything a big-time single needs: catchy hooks, fun to sing lyrics, and some actual meaning behind it all. I’m excited to see what else is in their setlist.
*repeat repeat (5:30 PM @ Johnson Controls World Stage)
Moving deftly between garage rock, mid-century west-coast pop, and campfire singalong, the family band *repeat repeat (does the Shift button exist anymore?) is bound to keep the crowd on their toes.
Hannah Mrozak (6:45 PM @ Johnson Controls World Stage)
Hitting the national scene thanks to a long run on The Voice, Milwaukee’s own Hannah Mrozak is back in town to serenade the local crowd. Whether singing originals or covers, there are few in the city that can hit the deep and high notes Hannah can.
Day 6: Tuesday, July 3
Celebrate America’s Independence Day with Bill Pulman’s classic speech and some Red, White, and Bluegrass music. Just be careful of any and all fans going “just for the fireworks”.
half•alive (5:30 PM @ Johnson Controls World Stage)
Seriously, what is up with all these lowercase band names? Anyway, half•alive is bringing about a new Gen Z rock sound, replete with guitar rifts and the inevitable electronica elements. Raw energy exudes from this young troupe.
Drax Project (8:30 PM @ Miller Lite Oasis Stage)
These Kiwis came all the way from New Zealand, and Drax Project is ready to get your feet moving. It’s original club music, with a little more substance than what you might find stateside.
Foster The People (10:00 PM @ Miller Lite Oasis Stage)
Foster The People hit it big years ago with Pumped Up Kicks, the first single off an impressively-complete freshman album. Now they’re back with another record filled with catchy hooks, like the years that passed were spent polishing what they already had.
Don’t forget to come back next week with a preview for Days 7-9. Find Days 1-3 here.