Bastille Days This Week!

I take pride in the fact that I know what The Bastille is, and have known for most of my life now. I owe this knowledge to my mother, who, before becoming a French teacher for the last 20 years, was merely obsessed with everything about the country.

What I did not know, however, was that the people who stormed The Bastille weren’t initially storming it to free its meager seven prisoners. No, their first priority was to take the weapons cache (and stash of gunpowder) stored inside.

Now, assuming this Wikipedia entry is as accurate as a history lesson can possibly be, this is the single most hilarious thing I’ve ever read. Not only because an official decision was made to store guns and ammo inside a prison that contained live prisoners (more than likely being held due to their religious beliefs, as were most prisoners at The Bastille), but also because the people who rioted and stormed said prison weren’t there for the prisoners. They wanted the guns.

Fear not, though. This week’s Bastille Days festival (July 10 – 13, Cathedral Square Park) here in Milwaukee comes gun-free, unless you’re concealing, you sneaky little rascals!

Our Bastille Days festival is all about the 5K run, the Waiter/Waitress battle, the food vendors, and the music. There will be a giant Eiffel Tower replica. Alliance-Francaise will be there, selling some excellent French wares. And then there’s the music.

Over the course of the fest’s four days, you’ll be able to see/hear a variety of bands spanning a varitey of genres, from both here and abroad. Among the Milwaukee acts taking the stage are WAMI award-winner Robin Pluer, reunited punk rockers Those X-Cleavers, and the incomparable Paul Cebar (see above video). And among the acts traveling TO Milwaukee to perform are Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, and The Iguanas (both from New Orleans), as well as Brazzaville (who, technically, partially come from Spain), which I’m convinced makes some of the sweetest, most beautiful music on Earth. Period.

Not bad for a neighborhood festival, my friends.

For a complete list of performers and show times, click here. And for info on every single facet of Bastille Days, visit their Web site.

Three-thing Tuesday!

Apologies for all three of you who regularly read our fine electronic publication. We had some brief, yet excellent things to talk about yesterday, but apparently even the mighty Google (who hosts this Blogger Beast) has to call the I.T. Department once in a while.

Not to worry, though. I’m here to fill you in on what you missed:

1. IS THAT 88.9 IN YOUR POCKET?
My good friend Justin from MKE’s Blog Party (who’s currently freaking out because The Black Keys are coming to Turner Hall this Fall, and he’s never seen them) reported on this over the weekend. (Who reads on the weekend?) 88.9 FM RadioMilwaukee is offering up these adorable little “Summer Passports” for you to take around town this Summer. It’s equal parts self-promotion, and motivation to get you out and about. Show up at anything they’re hosting a booth or table at, get your passport stamped, then, at the end of the— wait. Why am I telling you this, when I can just link to Justin’s original article here, and refer you to 88.9′s actual Web site here?

2. WE’RE TAKIN’ OVER!
Well, not “we” as in “Fan-belt,” but “we” as in “Milwaukee.” Milwaukee bands, to be exact. At Summerfest.

You already knew about Cascio Interstate’s Groove Garage stage, co-sponsored by both WMSE and Shepherd Express, and chock full of amazing local bands. But today, I noticed some of the best acts in town are getting major stage shine.

Go to Summerfest’s site and see for yourself. Freshwater Collins, Scarring Party, Growing Nation, THE FRICKIN’ GLAMOUR! They’re all there. Check out the Summerfest Web site, and figure when you need to be at which stage to cheer them on.

3. AND NOW, I OFFICIALLY BEGIN TO GEEK OUT RIGHT ABOUT…NOW!
If you made it out to the Bay View Bash last year, and stuck around for the final musical act of the night, you know how perfect a night it wound up being. David Brown (of Brazzaville) came all the way from Spain to play a handful of Midwest dates, and his stop in Milwaukee was a big reason for the trip. (You can read all about why here.)

For the uninformed, Brown makes the kind of music you hear in your head when you’re standing on the beach at night, staring at the stars. Or when you’re sailing on a raft in the middle of the ocean, eating fruit, watching little red birds settle in all around you. The kind of music that comes from the faraway lands that exist inside you.

Maybe that’s why the entire crowd was so enchanted by it all, Bossa Nova-ing along to the music, beers in one hand, dance partner in the other. At one point, I remember getting twirled by my favorite Russian Rollette thinking, “This might be my favorite festival in Milwaukee.”

What can I say? I get caught up in the moment.

Anyway, Brown’s returning to Milwaukee this Summer for not one, but TWO shows. And one of them’s FREE! I know, right? My head exploded, too.

The free one is at Bastille Days, on Thursday, July 10. (Click here to download the full event schedule.)

The not-free one is at Cactus Club the following Sunday, July 13. Look for me at both of them. I’ll be on cloud nine. As you should be after reading this long a post.

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