Briggs Stage Battle of the Bands for Summerfest

If you are a fan of contests, Briggs and Stratton has one for you. The Briggs stage will feature the winner of "The Battle." It's round two, on the Briggs Facebook page, and the three contenders are Slamabama, A Hero en Route, and from Greenfield Wisconsin, Matthew Haeffel. Currently in the lead is Slamabama. Haeffel is a close second. I do like the song He Left Me for That? by Slamabama. It's going to be tough to beat that band.

Britney Spears at Marcus Amphitheater Summerfest

Britney Spears will fill the July 9 Marcus Amphitheater spot for Summerfest 2011. She's promoting her latest work titled Femme Fatal. Some say that the album is the best in years. It's a darker type of disk, that's for sure. It's not without songs that you can dance to, but certainly a shade of Britney that we have not seen before. Tickets go on sale May 21.

Cascio Groove Garage 2011 Headliners

I consider the Cascio Groove Garage to be the best place to take a break from the bigger stages, while still getting a chance to hear some great music. For 2011 the headliners have been booked, and here they are. The bands listed below are scheduled to start at 9pm every night. As always, there will be many other acts playing the Groove Garage. Stay tuned for further details for a full list of performers.
The Right Now opens the fest on June 29. I'm pretty sure that this link is to the correct band, but they don't have their Summerfest date listed on the site just yet.

On June 30, we're looking at The Jeanna Salzer Band. I'm playing a sample of their music as I write this, and I must say that she's an impressive artist, and the band is solid. Yay for Milwaukee! We have one very creative band and singer in Jeanna Salzer. July 1 is when the band I'm Not a Pilot hits the stage.

The Invaders play on July 2, The Uptown Savages perform July 3, and the Fatty Acids will headline on July 5th.

Who is Brighton, MA, and where are they from? Those questions will be answered on July 6th, at 9pm. I did a Google search of Brighton, MA, and found them among the expected search results of maps, things to do in Brighton, etc. I suggest a name change before they get famous, but who am I to judge?

Here are the four final headline acts for the Groove Garage. See you at the fest!

• July 7, Mark Mallman


• July 8, John the Savage


• July 9, Fresh Cut Collective


• July 10, Surgeons in Heat

Rock Stage Lineup at Summerfest Milwaukee

The Summerfest Rock Stage lineup for 2011 is set, and it looks like some repeats are on the bill. This stage is situated at the very north entrance to the Henry Maier festival grounds. The stage faces out to the lake, so look out Michigan!

This Summerfest Rock Stage 2011 lineup includes some 8pm shows. All dates listed that have two acts will start at 8pm.

June 29: Saving Abel
June 30: Jackyl, with Blackberry Smoke at
July 1: Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, with Civil Twilight at
July 2: Hinder
July 3: Fuel, with Urge Overkill
July 5: My Darkest Days
July 6: Sick Puppies
July 7: Finger Eleven, with Pop Evil
July 8: Sevendust
July 9: Buckcherry
July 10: Hollywood Undead, with 10 Years

Summerfest to Purchase Land from Charter Wire

It's doubtful that Summerfest's purchase of land from Charter Wire is the biggest announcement of the year, but it's worth noting here. Buying up the Charter Wire site will at the very least add more parking to the Marcus Amphitheater area. If a time comes when Summerfest would care to expand, they need acreage. That's what's happening here. Four acres make up this site, and it's just west of the southern grounds. It's not like this spot will become the 12th side stage, but at the very least, Summerfest is turning an old industrial site into something nice.