Forward Music Fest!

Last November, the good people of UW-Madison put on another edition of Madison Pop Festival with the likes of Bon Iver, Malajube and Murder By Death. I was there as a student and organizer, enjoying everything that I thought the Madison music scene could offer. Well, post-graduation we figured there had to be a way to get more involved in the city, not just campus, and reached out to scene stalwarts like Dane101 and JustSayinIsAll to see what we could do. Turns out they already were cooking up something fierce and we jumped on board.

Then, I moved back home to the Chi and focused on other things, but the Madison gang never missed a beat. Not surprising, though, as I have been known to be easily replaced (just ask every ex-girlfriend I’ve ever had). But where I usually burn every romantic bridge in my geography, the people that would become the Forward Music Fest staff are true friends, all bonded together around the idea that music can send us positively forward. This tendency towards friendship has blossomed into a collaborative effort among many organizations, LMB now included, that will produce a very unique festival September 19th and 20th in Madison, Wisconsin.

The headliners are epic, the local scene is nicely represented, and the prices are low. For as little as $25, you can have access to every show, but to obtain guaranteed admission to the headlining shows, you have to upgrade your ticket $10 for every show. This is all better explained on their ticket page, but basically to keep costs down you purchase a pass and then choose the headliner you want to see that night and fork over a bit more. And they spaced them out so if you want to see every band it’s actually possible given the small scale of the city of Madison. So here are the basics:

Friday, September 19
Bob Mould – Majestic Theatre (6pm)
Neko Case – Orpheum Theatre Main Hall (8pm)
Dan Deacon + Leslie and the LYs – Majestic Theatre (9pm)
Bloodshot Records Showcase featuring Detroit Cobras and Scotland Yard Gospel Choir – High Noon Saloon (9pm)

Saturday, September 20
All Day Punk Rock Showcase featuring Dillinger Four – Location TBD (Noon-7pm)
Killdozer – High Noon Saloon (8pm)
Shearwater – Majestic Theatre (8pm)

Now, let me just say that if you aren’t familiar with Killdozer, it’s because they broke up a few times in the early nineties and reformed for a reunion tour in 1996 before The Pixies made reunion tours cash cows. Now, they are reforming to play a home town show! How cute, but this is the band that exposed Butch Vig’s work to Nirvana and The Smashing Pumpkins and even satisfied the insatiable Steve Albini. They take noise and combine it with everyday things affected by noise. It’s complicated to respond to the modern world with noise rock, but to be effected by the modern world and still respond intelligently is beyond my brain. The band is Killdozer, people, make sure you get Killdozed.

We at LMB are involved with the fest because “we like festivals,” but no money has passed hands or anything like that, and we hope to become more involved with festivals in the future. Combine that attitude with this modest, yet accurate mission statement, and we get peace and love.

The Forward Music Festival (FMF) is a two-day music event that will be held in downtown Madison on September 19th and 20th 2008. The event will highlight what the diverse local music scene has to offer, attract regional and national attention to Madison as a vibrant arts community, and build support for local music charities.

There will be more updates to come, as the bill is not entirely filled up yet, so stay posted and check out their website. If you want to get involved in this very DIY endeavor, send them an email and get your karma going.