What would holidays be without family?

The Christmas holidays have always been a special time, just as every other holiday throughout the year. The one constant with every holiday is family. Our own personal level of enjoyment changes as we grow up. As children, we enjoy the mystery of Santa Claus and the excitement of opening presents. As teenagers, the gifts may change from toys to cool gadgets and clothes. When we are grown and there are no more little children to spoil and no more little smiley faces to light up the room, the gifts don't matter as much. Family is what matters. Whether you live close and spend every holiday and most other days with your family, or if you live far away and only see them a few times a year, the holidays are always special when you are with family.

Everyone's family has a certain level of dysfunction and mine is no different. But I love them all the same. I left my home town, and my family, more than 15 years ago. I have traveled the world and have lived in many different places. I do make it back home from time to time...maybe not often enough. My family and I may not know each other as well as most, but that doesn't mean I love them any less. Knowing they are there for me...for each other...can be comforting.

This year's Christmas was going to be special. You see, my family was planning a big Christmas party and we were going to gather all of the family that we could and celebrate with my grandfather one last time. My grandfather, if you've been following, is the 94 year old Pearl Harbor Survivor that I wrote about earlier this month. The plans were in place. I was coming home. My aunt was coming from New York. It was going to be great...   Only my grandfather didn't make it.  He passed away the weekend before Christmas. (If you'd like, read this article about him in the local newspaper). He went quickly and painlessly from what I was told. He has been finally reunited with his wife, who left him 12 years before. While his passing is sad, I am happy for him. He is a hero, a local celebrity, and an important part of our family...an important part of my life. He has lived a very long and full life. Hell, I hope I live to be 94 and be as capable as he was at that age. So my family's Christmas plans had changed, but we were still together. I had the honor and privilege of being a pall bearer. My brother and I, both military veterans, folded the American flag that was draped over our grandfather's casket and then I presented it to my dad. A moving moment to say the least and probably the most emotion I saw out of my dad. The holidays continued only with one less seat at the table, but we were still together.

Whether your family is close or if they have drifted apart, enjoy the time you do have together. Cherish those moments. Make efforts to connect with new family members or reconnect with those you've lost touch with, even if it's only for a few minutes. Put aside your differences and any negativity and enjoy each other. You never know when that holiday might be the last one with them.

Two years later, things are looking good!

I was just reminded (not sure how I could forget) that it has been two years since I really took control of my life and really started to live it for myself. I ended an unhealthy relationship that was holding me back and making me miserable. Since then, the last two years have been, for the most part, all about me. Not in a completely egotistical selfish way either. I've been going down a path of self-evaluation and self-improvement. I've spent a lot of time getting to know who I was, what I enjoyed, what my passions were, and what made me happy. I have focused on continuing my education and plan to graduate in Spring 2011. I'm discovering what some of my hidden talents might be as many of my friends are pointing out things they think I do well. I have a big heart and I'm passionate about helping others and giving back. I try to do that as often as I can, but know I could do more.  My life is moving forward and I like the direction it is headed. There opportunities out there for me, and even more will open up next Spring. Although I may not know where my path is taking me, I do know that the decisions are mine. I like that!

Remember Pearl Harbor

Today is December 7, 2010, the 69th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. My family and I happen to be very lucky and proud to have a Pearl Harbor survivor in our family, my grandfather, Andrew Barylski, Sr. He is 94 years young and can recount that fateful day as if it happened yesterday. He's something of a celebrity back home in Putnam, CT. He participates in parades, has had the occasional speaking engagement, and has had numerous articles written about him and other Pearly Harbor survivors and WWII veterans. Here is an article published in today's edition of the Norwich Bulletin.

I am very fortunate to have been able to hear firsthand accounts of this amazing historical and infamous event in history. I am very proud!

There are only about 3000 Pearl Harbor survivors alive today and the number of WWII veterans lessens each year. If you happen to meet one of these veterans, please shake their hands and say 'Thank You'. These are real heroes!!

Thank you Gramps! Love you!

Andrew Barylski Sr. with my brother Army Sergeant First Class Dennis Barylski

I can appreciate a good acoustic performance

The last two shows I've seen have been acoustic shows. Normally, which is like 99% of the time, I'm attending shows with stacks of amplifiers and speakers so loud the bass reverberates in your chest. As a lover of music and live performances, I can enjoy a good acoustic show as well.  How well a band can perform and sing without being able to hide behind thrashing electric guitars and thundering drums is a real testament to just how good they really are.

On October 23, 2010, I saw Aaron Lewis at The Pabst Theater. Some of you may know Aaron Lewis as the lead singer of the band Staind. Aaron has an amazing voice. This was really my first full acoustic show. The show turned out to be more of a jam session. Aaron sang many of the favorite Staind songs such as "It's Been Awhile", "Outside", and "So Far Away".  He mixed in requests for covers from the audience.  The crowd got to be a little annoying with all of the requests for Aaron to sing other people's songs. In the end it was a good show.  Here are pictures from the Aaron Lewis show.

More recently, on Tuesday, November 30, 2010, I had the privilege of seeing Shinedown perform an acoustic show at The Riverside. This was going to be interesting. I already knew the lead singer had a great voice and thought an acoustic show would showcase his vocal abilities. I was right. Fantastic show! Let's be clear though...It's not an unplugged show. It was an acoustic show but they were plugged into amps. Definitely a step or two down from a full on metal performance.  They did not disappoint either.  

The show was kind of like those Storytellers shows on VH1 where the band tells a story about the songs they sing. Each song was introduced with a bit of an explanation about the song and what influenced it. It's interesting to note that sometimes what you think the song may be about is not what it is about at all. By far my favorite song performed was "Devour". On the album this song is fairly fast and heavy with lots of guitars. This night they had two acoustic guitars, a bass, drums, and two guys banging on boxes to get a deeper bass sound. It was dark and moody. Excellent!

Setlist:

• Heroes
• Save Me
• If You Only Knew
• Sound of Madness
• Shed Some Light
• 45
• I Dare You
• Times Like These (Foo Fighters cover)
• The Crow & The Butterfly
• Devour
• Burning Bright
• Call Me
• Fly From The Inside
• With A Little Help From My Friends (Joe Cocker cover)
• Simple Man (Lynyrd Skynyrd cover)
• Second Chance

Check out pictures from the Shinedown show.

Climbing for a Cure

Last night, for the second year in a row, I participated in the Climb for a Cure event to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The event consists of climbing 47 floors - 94 flights - 1034 steps up the U.S. Bank building in downtown Milwaukee, WI. When I did this event last year, I had no idea what I was getting into and it turned out to be one of the most excruciating events I have participated in since Marine Corps Boot Camp. There is really no way you can train for this. Even weeks on a stair stepper or elliptical machine didn't help much. My one major mistake last year was starting off way to fast.  This year's motto was "Slow and Steady".  Well I have to say that I beat last year's time by almost one minute, finishing in 12 minutes and 11 seconds. Once again we had a small team of us (four this time) from my workplace and each one of us made it to top successfully. Next year we hope to grow our team to continue to support this great cause.

The main reason I, and my other friends, support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and participate in events such as this one, is because of our close friend and coworker, Nicki, who has CF. Here is a woman who was diagnosed at the age of 6 months and has battled this disease her entire life. For the seven or so years that I have known her, she has never asked for preferential treatment, never asked for help, and always thinks of others before herself, even while not being able to breath normally. She is truly an inspiration.

Last year, in August 2009, Nicki received a double lung transplant. Last night, Nicki climbed 47 floors - 94 flights - 1034 steps. Truly amazing! Something she would not have been able to do before surgery. She even passed a firefighter coming up the stairs.  Sure he was wearing his full fire fighter gear, but that doesn't matter.

Here is our mighty little team. From left to right - Nicki, Me, Crystal, and Carey.

Happy 235th Birthday Marines!

I'm registered as an American

I believe in my country. I believe in the Constitution and everything that it give us, the People, the power to do. I believe in change. Throughout our nation's history, change has been constant. We have changed. We have grown. We have developed into one of the finest, strongest nation's in the world. Yet the change we need most, no one seems to want. We need to stop the infighting. We need to stop beating ourselves up.

Over the last couple of years, I have seen changes withing our two major political parties. There was a time when one was all the way to the left and the other was all the way to the right. That's not the case anymore. The lines in the political parties have become more and more blurred, yet things seem to get worse. It seems more and more people are finding themselves closer to the middle than ever before, yet we still fight.  While I am registered with one of the two major political parties, I too find myself down the middle on a lot of issues. In conversations I have had with colleagues and strangers, I have found that I agree with many things on each side. So where does that leave me?

There is so much negativity and public bashing that it is often disgusting to think that these elected officials represent us in government. If one party has complete control over Congress and the Presidency and chooses not to work with the other party, is this truly a Democracy? Or is this some sort of authoritarian dictatorship run by a group. There was a time when having a multi party political system worked. Maybe that needs to change.

Do we really need two major political parties?  Are we not all playing for the same team? Don't you think we could get a lot more accomplished if we all just registered as American?

I don't understand why it gets so ugly around campaign and election time. The finger pointing, the name calling, the bashing...it's all very juvenile. I've seen 5th graders act more appropriately. I'd like to see more politicians and/or political parties as a whole take responsibility for their mistakes. Man/Woman up people! Admit you screwed up. Have some integrity. No matter who makes the mistake, the finger is always pointed at the person who last filled the seat. I would have a lot more faith and respect for someone who took responsibility for their own actions and misdeeds and those of their party. That is leadership.

One thing I do know is that being a politician is a thankless job. It's a dirty job. It's a job I do not want. Hats off to anyone who runs for office. A great thing about the Constitution is that it gives us the right to make changes. We'll see if the changes made on Tuesday have a positive effect. If not, then we'll make more changes in two years and keep making changes until we get it right.

Before I ever decided to register with any party, I registered as an American!

The Big 4...well 3 out of 4 isn't bad

You are probably wondering what I'm referring to when I write 'The Big 4'. For music lovers and thrash metal fans all over, The Big 4 refers to the four bands that are credited with starting the whole thrash metal genre. Those four bands are: Anthrax, Megadeth, Metallica, and Slayer. You see, it all started in the early 1980's and I can remember when I first heard these bands...

I believe the year was 1984. A friend handed me a cassette tape and told me that I needed to listen to this band. I looked at the cassette and on it was the band's name, 'Metallica'. Pretty cool name, I remember thinking. I get home and immediately put the tape in my cassette player and pressed play. From the speakers I heard sounds that I had not heard the likes of before. It was fast. It was loud. It was different. It was metal! I LOVED IT!! Now up until that point, probably the heaviest, hardest music I had listened to was most likely Black Sabbath or AC/DC. This music was on another level. Not long after hearing Metallica for the first time, I was introduced to the other three bands, each with their own unique sound. These bands would play a pivotal role in the expansion and shaping of the music that I yearned to listen to. That was 1984.

Fast forward to 2010 and the very reason why I write this. Over 25 years have passed since The Big 4 hit the music scene. These four thrash metal pioneers decided to tour together for the first time in history. The first leg of the tour included all four bands - Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax - and toured primarily in Europe. The second leg of the tour saw only three of the bands continuing. The Jagermeister Music Tour, featuring Anthrax, Megadeth, and Slayer, came to The Rave in Milwaukee, WI last night (October 16, 2010) and it was sold out. I knew going into it that this was going to be one awesome show and I was not disappointed.

One question a lot of people wondered was, 'With all these great bands, who opens? who headlines?" Great question, but does it really matter? I was about to get my butt kicked by three of the greatest thrash metal bands of all time!

The night's emcee was Jim Florentine. He's a comedian who also stars on VH1's That Metal Show. I got to meet him after the show.

Opening act was Anthrax. Anthrax really hit it big starting in 1985 under lead singer Joey Belladonna. He had left the band in 1992, but now he was back with Anthrax. Anthrax was one of the first metal bands to crossover when the collaborated with rap artists Public Enemy in 1991 on a joint version of "Bring the Noise".  Last time I had seen Anthrax was at the University of Connecticut when they were on tour with Public Enemy.  Yeah...long time ago. No collaboration tonight. Just a short seven song set featuring some of their best songs:

Anthrax Setlist

Next up was Megadeth. Little fact for those who aren't familiar with these bands. Dave Mustaine, lead singer and founder of Megadeth, was once the lead guitarist for Metallica. He had gotten himself kicked out of Metallica and started his own band, Megadeth. Everything happens for a reason, right? Had that not happened, the world might not have been introduced to Megadeth. This was the first time I had seen Megadeth live, having missed out on other opportunities through the years.  Definitely did not disappoint. Megadeth is a bigger, more successful band than Anthrax and thus played a longer set:

Megadeth Setlist

Headlining for the night was none other than Slayer. Again, each band has its own sound, Slayer being no different. My first time seeing Slayer live also. No disappointment either. Slayer killed it!

Slayer Setlist

I mentioned that each band has it own distinct sound that you either love and respect it or you just plain hate it. I've met metal music fans who are really picky about what bands they will listen to and which they will not. For example, many Megadeth fans really hate Metallica, most likely because of Dave Mustaine being kicked out of Metallica. Anthrax has gone through so many lineup changes over the years that they seemed to have lost momentum. With Joey Belladonna back on vocals and a new record in the works, perhaps they will regain prominence once again. Megadeth has had nearly 20 different members of its band, but the one constant has been Dave Mustaine. With Dave at the helm, Megadeth has put out 12 albums and have maintained their place in thrash metal dominance. Other than a few changes on drums, Slayer's lineup has been unchanged over their career with eleven albums to their credit. 

As I write about the band member changes, it has made me think just how important the lead singer is to a band's sound. I can't think of one band that, after a change of its lead singer, has been the same band with the same success. Anthrax and Skid Row come to mind and there are others. Would Megadeth be the same without Dave Mustaine?  Would Metallica be the same without James Hetfield? What about Iron Maiden without Bruce Dickenson?  In my opinion, the lead singer can make or break a band.

I had already seen Metallica live more than 15 times, but it would have been awesome to see The Big 4. Maybe they'll make a US tour.  Metal Rulz!!

Brew Madness

I like to think of myself as a beer connoisseur. I enjoy trying all different kinds of beer and ale, especially the local brews and micros. When I travel, I always try out the local beer. There are a lot of good ones out there. Last night, I attended a fund raising event for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. It was called Brew Madness Prost to a Cure! Now, for a beer lover and someone who enjoys giving back and helping out with great causes, this was a perfect event.

There were many booths with beer and ale from all over. Many brewed right here in Wisconsin. Milwaukee isn't nicknamed "Brew City" for nothing you know.  Along side the beer booths were food stations; cheese and meats and many other fine Wisconsin-made food products. A live cover band for entertainment. There was also raffle tickets and a silent auction. I put my name down on one or two things, but didn't have the winning bid. All proceeds from this event go toward the mission of the CF Foundation: to cure and control cystic fibrosis (CF), a life-threatening, genetic disease. Great beer, great food, and a great cause!

At the start of the evening, I set out to sample at least one beer from every booth, and succeeded. Not only were most of these beers really good, but some of the name's of them are pretty clever. At the end of the evening, I was going to pick out my Top 3 favorites. Here's a list of some of the one's I tried:

• Louie's Demise, Milwaukee Brewing Company (Milwaukee, WI)
• Sofie, Goose Island Beer Company (Chicago, IL)
• Hefeweiss, Sprecher Brewery (Milwaukee, WI)
• Ranger IPA, New Belgium Brewing (Fort Collins, CO)
• Wisconsin Amber, Capital Brewery (Middleton, WI)
• Belgian White, Point Brewery (Stevens Point, WI)
• Painted Ladies Pumpkin Spice Ale, Tyranena Brewery (Lake Mills, WI)
• Best Brown Ale, Bell's Brewery (Kalamazoo, MI)
• Hopdinger, O'so Brewery (Plover, WI)
• The Big O, O'so Brewery (Plover, WI)
• Snake Hollow IPA, Potosi Brewing (Potosi, WI)
• Cave Ale, Potosi Brewing (Potosi, WI)
• Dragonfly IPA, Upland Brewing Company (Bloomington, IN)
• St. Patrick's Best, Strangford Lough Brewing Company (Northern Ireland)
• Legbiter, Strangford Lough Brewing Company (Northern Ireland)
• Tail Waggin' Double White Ale, Grand Teton Brewing Company (Victor, ID)
• Victoria IPA, Sonoran Brewing Company (Scottsdale, AZ)
• Abita SOS, Abita Brewing Company (Abita Springs, LA)
• Kruiken, Brouwerij de Molen (The Netherlands)
• Hop Nest Monster Extra Pale IPA, Pangaea Brewing Company (Neshkoro, WI)
• Pulling Boat Pale Ale, Pangaea Brewing Company (Neshkoro, WI)
• Black Douglas Ale, Broughton Ales Ltd. (United Kingdom)

And at the end of the night, I had to choose my favorites. In no particular order, my Top 3 are:

• Tail Waggin' Double White Ale, Grand Teton Brewing Company (Victor, ID). Brewed in the Belgian style, using malted barley, wheat malt, candy sugar and unmalted rye. An excellent addition to any wheat beer lover's beer catalog.
• Black Douglas Ale, Broughton Ales Ltd. (United Kingdom). A dark brown bodied ale with a hint of caramel and burnt toffee.
• Sofie, Goose Island Beer Company (Chicago, IL). A pleasant surprise. A tart, dry, sparkling ale with a hint of citrus almost like a cider, but not. An interesting, champagne-like ale. Very good.

Other favorites not quite making the Top 3: Milwaukee Brewing Company's Louie's Demise, Point's Belgian White, Tyranena's Painted Ladies Pumpkin Spice Ale, and Bell's Best Brown Ale.

All in all a great evening for a great cause!   Cheers!!

School is in session

The Fall semester officially started for me yesterday. I'm taking two classes this semester towards my Bachelors degree. I'm happy to say that I am just 3 classes away from completion. Two classes this semester than I'll take one more in the Spring. I'm excited that it's so close to being finished.

I've been taking college classes since 2003. First attended Waukesha County Technical College where I took classes at night. Now I am attending the School of Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and I've been doing the entire curriculum online. Let me tell you that taking online classes takes a different kind of discipline. No time and place to be at each week, just due dates for assignments and posting comments and material online. 

Like I mentioned, I only take two classes each semester. I think that is about all I can handle with a full-time job. I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself. I over analyze and over-think the assignments and end up putting way more into the classes than I really need to. It will all pay off in the end. It will definitely feel great to finally be done.

On a different note, but related...I had a crazy thought the other day. If I had any inclination on trying to go back on active duty in the Marines, I could be a Marine Corps Officer.  Just saying

One time at Band Camp...

Yesterday I went to JJO Band Camp for the first time. No, this isn't the silly band camp for high school marching bands. This is a one-day rock concert held annually in Madison, WI. But it's more than a rock concert...it's a metal concert and it was awesome! A friend offered me free tickets to attend and I went. So glad I did. For the last several years, I've checked out the lineup but never went. Now I know what I was missing.

The bands alternated between two stages and there was never more than 5 minutes without live, loud music. Not a bad band among them, though my least favorite is Buckcherry...just not a fan.  I arrived about 1pm. Shaman's Harvest was playing. The next band was 2 Cents. Funny little story...the lead singer stopped right in the middle of a song and yelled to some kid in the front, "Are you f*&king texting?! Are you kidding me?! Why don't you stick that up your vagina!"  Hilarious!

Seasons After, Dope, Janus all rocked...Dope was way cool! Sevendust came on about 4pm. They always put on a great show. Then Soil played. I can't believe they have another new singer. I think I've seen them 4 or 5 times in the last several years and this is the third new singer for them. How can they expect to make it big if they keep changing singers? Buckcherry was next. Like I said, I'm not a fan of them.

Anew Revolution rocked it. I saw them at Summerfest in 2008. They were even better this time around. Great show! Final act of the evening was Godsmack. I've never seen them live before. What a show! Played all of the favorites and some new ones from their new album, The Oracle. Sully and the drummer, Tommy Stewart did a double drum kit jam that was out of this world. For those who didn't know, Sully played drums for 20+ years before starting Godsmack. They both wailed!

Band Camp was definitely a great experience. Two rows of vendors that you would expect to see at a rock show like this...tattoo artists, t-shirts, custom motorcycles. They were doing air brush tattoos. Let me just say there were lots of ladies who were just sporting the artwork. They also had a booth for Miss Pole, a gym dedicated to exotic aerobic exercise classes.

I didn't take a lot of pictures, but you can check out some of the one's I did take here.

I'm looking forward to next year.

Proud to be a United States Marine

The other night I was invited to dinner with a friend. She had a friend in from Arizona who also would be joining us. As it would turn out, we were also joined by her friend, who was in town for business. So we headed to dinner at Harry's Bar & Grill in Milwaukee, WI. We commenced with small talk for a few minutes when this guy had revealed that he served in the Marine Corps. That's all it took and for a majority of the rest of the evening, he and I shared stories and talked about things that only Marines know how.

I have always been amazed at the strong bond that Marines share, regardless of when and where they served. A true brotherhood and I have not experienced anything else like it. The bond that Marines share is as strong, if not stronger, than family. When Marines meet each other for the first time, it's like they've known each other all their lives. I hear the Marine Corps Hymn and my chest fills up. I see the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor and I beam with pride.

This year marks 10 years since the end of my active service. Not a day goes by that I don't think about my experiences in the Marine Corps. The Marine Corps has shaped me into the man that I am today and has prepared me for life's challenges. I often think about my decision to leave the Marine Corps and whether or not it was the right one. Hindsight is always 20-20 they say. My Marine friends, active and retired, tell me that it is not necessarily the Marine Corps that I miss, but the camaraderie of my fellow Leathernecks that I miss most. Perhaps they are right. I thought and toiled for a long time before making my decision to leave and I accept that I made the best decision at the time. My years in the Marine Corps are some of the best of my life and one thing is for sure...Once a Marine, Always a Marine!

Semper Fi!

It's August

It's been a couple weeks since my last post, which was right after my 20-Year high school reunion. Cool thing about that is my classmates and I are still talking about the great time we had. Maybe there will be a 25th. Have to wait and see. Life and time march on though.

Today is August 1, the first day of the month in which I was born. Not just me though, my dad and my grandfather also celebrate birthdays in August...actually both my grandfathers celebrate birthdays in August, but my mom's dad is no longer with us. My brother is hopefully scheduled to return from Iraq in August. My cousin is also coming back from Afghanistan for a short break. Unfortunately, he has to go back.  My thoughts and prayers are with both of them. I hope they each know that I would put on a uniform and join them if I could. Family are trying to put together another big party to celebrate birthdays and welcome home my brother and cousin. I will do my best to make it out there. Would be great to see them.

August also means that we are on the back half of Summer. I have often felt that Summerfest was the middle of the Summer. Since Summerfest and my reunion, I've been trying to enjoy as much of the weather as I can. For me, that means as much golf as I can get in. I'm in a golf league on Tuesdays.  This past Tuesday, my partner wasn't there and I nearly single-handedly beat the golf pro and his partner. Yes my handicap evened it out, but I played well enough that they needed to win the last hole to secure the victory. To say the least, I was pleasantly satisfied with my round. There will be golf today too, as there is every weekend.

August also means that I need to register for Fall classes. Since 2008, I've been attending the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in pursuit of a Bachelor's Degree in information systems and technology. I only have three more classes left to take - two this Fall and my senior capstone next Spring. I'm very excited to be this close to finishing. Working full time and taking classes can be a lot to take on, but I make it work. I have also been extremely fortunate to have been able to use the Montgomery GI Bill education benefits afforded to me from my military service. These benefits will have paid for all but one class for both of my degrees (I have an Associates also).

Lots going on in August. Lots to do and lots to prepare for...work, school, and the future. But since the sun is shining today, it's time for me to hit the links.  Hope you are enjoying your Summer too!

Can't believe it's been 20 years!

One of the primary reasons for my trip to CT this week was to attend my 20-year high school reunion. I was unable to attend the 10-year due to military commitments. I remember writing a letter back then to the committee wishing everyone the very best. I found out this weekend that they actually read my letter at the reunion. Here's a ten-year-old Thank You for that!

A few of my friends and coworkers in WI had told me that their 20th was the most fun of all the previous reunions. You figure after twenty years that most everyone has settled down in their lives and have put away the cattiness, the jealousy, and the prejudice. They were right. Even though I had not attended any previous reunions, I wasn't going to miss this one...and I'm glad that I didn't! I had such an awesome time reconnecting and talking with everyone who was there. I'm pretty sure I got to every one too. If I missed anyone, call me and we'll talk.

I had an absolutely great time!! I was in awe! The location was breathtaking. It was held at Tyrone Farm, a 160 acre country estate that was established in 1749. Gorgeous views of the area! I thoroughly enjoyed hearing about everyone's life travels, what they are up to, and how they got there. I had no idea we had so many teachers in our class. There were so many, they could have staffed an entire school themselves. Thank you to them! Teachers often have thankless jobs, so Thank you. You are an integral part of our country's future.

Business owners, lawyers, doctors, teachers, and musicians...we've got it covered. But it really doesn't matter what you do. It only matters that you enjoy what you do and that you enjoy the people in your life. Each and every one of us at the reunion, and all the others who were not there, all traveled different paths to get to where we are today. Some realized their childhood dreams. Others realized dreams they created later in life. And some are still working on it. Put me in that category. I'm not there yet. I'm not even sure what my dream is. I have learned a lot of life lessons over the years. I've learned to appreciate friends and friendships while you have them, because you never know how long it will last. I've learned, and still trying, to appreciate life. I don't care much what I do in life, only that I am happy living it.

To all of my classmates ~ Time may have passed...Our paths may not have crossed in twenty years...but we will ALWAYS remain connected by the years we spent together growing up in a small town. You are all AMAZING people! I love you all!

Here are some pictures from my time in CT 

Great times with family and friends!

This trip to CT has been nothing short of a great time so far for me. Arrived last Thursday and spent a couple hours with a friend and his wife. Friday was a little more relaxed. I visited my 94 year old grandfather and had a couple of beers with him. Took him a few minutes to remember who I was, but he did. He still loves to tell his stories about Pearl Harbor and his Hawaiian girlfriends. I took a nostalgic drive around the neighboring towns and areas that I grew up in. So much has changed. So many great memories though. Visited another friend Friday night that lived just down the street from my parents house. This is a funny story about how much I have really forgotten around here as far as roads and how to get around. I asked my friend where she lived. She said "Cleveland street." I told her that I didn't know where that was. So she asked me where I was. I told her "my parents' house on Breault Street." She replies, "You jackass, I'm just around the corner, you can walk." I laughed really hard at that.

Saturday there was a big family party at my cousin's house. Just about everyone was there. One glaring exception was my brother, who is in Iraq at the moment. "Brother, I had a couple beers for you!" The party was a celebration of my twin aunt's 60th birthday, my cousin's 40th birthday, and her daughter's 18th birthday and high school graduation. It was really great seeing everyone again. Was hotter than two squirrels doing it in a wool sock though. Beer was cold.  Grandpa was there, but the heat got to him and we had to take him home. I definitely got a firsthand experience in geriatric care. Thank you to everyone for a great time!!!!

Saturday night I met up with some classmates at a restaurant that I used to work at in high school, Someplace Special. They recently remodeled it and it looks amazing. One of the guys who worked there with me in high school now runs it. Had a few beers. Reminisced. Caught up with each other. Then we headed to the Lake Tavern to see Copperhead perform. I'm friends with the drummer and his wife, whom I graduated with. That was a lot of fun.

The fun doesn't stop there though. Today is my 20-year high school reunion and the main reason for this particular trip to CT. It is going to be so cool seeing everyone again. Stay tuned for pictures, they are coming.

You can go back, but things may not be the same

It's been twenty years since I've lived in CT. Sure I've visited here and there over the years. Seems like every time I come back, something has changed. I remember the heart of Putnam, CT being the K-Mart shopping plaza, a strip mall of sorts. A few restaurants here and there...Center Pizza, Athens, Someplace Special, PJ's Donuts, Ma Frosty's and a few other mom & pop places. Then the antique stores started popping up all over downtown Putnam, which was good because it brought a lot of visitors to Putnam. Putnam is now an antique shopping hot zone.  I can remember in the early 90's when they built the first McDonalds in Putnam on Route 44. At about the same time they built the Walmart that is across the street from it. Putnam now has a lot of thriving stores and the development has done wonders for the city. When I was growing up, there wasn't anything for kids to do. Most of the places to shop were in other towns or in MA or RI. I barely recognize anything. I have forgotten more since I left twenty years ago than I remember. I used to know these roads through Putnam, Thompson, Danielson, etc., like the back of my hand. Last night I had to ask my parents how to get to the Raceway Lounge at the Thompson Speedway. Of course, as I drove there, it all started slowly coming back. 

It was great meeting up with Scott and his wife last night. Rehashed some old memories, told some new stories, and just caught up with each other. Things have changed and the people have changed along with them. I suppose that's what we are supposed to do, right?  But my last memories of Scott and all of my longtime friends that I will run into during my stay here are all twenty years old. We've all grown up (at least I hope we have). We've gone to the winds after high school graduation. We've taken different paths to build the lives that we now enjoy. Some have come back to settle down in northeastern Connecticut, in the area we grew up in. Some have moved to other states. No matter what route we took. No matter what our status is. No matter where we live or what we do for a living. We will always be connected by the great years spent together growing up. 

This weekend, many of my fellow classmates will meet for our 20-year high school reunion. Many have seen each other often over the years. I will be seeing most for the first time since graduation. I am very excited about seeing everyone again...at least those that can make it. This is going to be a blast!

Heading Back East

Summerfest may be over, but that doesn't mean the fun stops. Summer is full of all kinds of activities, events, and festivals here in Milwaukee. Last Friday, I checked out Bastille Days for the first time. Bastille Days is North America's largest outdoor French themed festival held in downtown Milwaukee. Other than watching a contortionist fold himself up and fit himself into a small acrylic box, I wasn't impressed at all. In my opinion, it's a festival geared toward women. Most of the vendors were selling handbags and/or dresses. What about the French food?  Well...what about it?  Anyways, that was just one evening in between significant events in my Summer of fun.

But this weekend I travel to my home town of Putnam, CT for an extended weekend stay.  The big event this weekend is my 20-year high school reunion. This should be really interesting as I haven't seen most of my classmates since graduation. The most interaction I have had with my fellow classmates has been on Facebook. After graduation, I attended the University of Connecticut for two years. I joined the Marine Corps in 1993 and haven't been back to CT for any longer than a few days at any one time. Facebook has enabled me to reconnect with a lot of the people I went to high school with. People change over the course of time. We all grow up, in one way, shape, or form. After high school graduation, it seemed as though everyone went to the winds. I guess after college, a lot of my classmates moved back to, or near, our home town of Putnam. Others never went back, including me. Now, twenty years later, I will get to see many of them in person. 

Summerfest 2010 - The Rankings

As I've previously mentioned, my friends and I normally do some sort of post-Summerfest ranking of the bands that we saw. Mark decided to 'be like Mike' and blogged his rankings (there's a link to his blog from this blog). Chad emailed his minuscule rankings for the last weekend. Joe decided to update his rankings as each day passed, but I think he forgot his final rankings. So where are mine?, you ask. I actually have a hard time ranking all of the bands that I see, mainly because they are from different genres and I listen to and enjoy them differently (or not at all). For example, it's difficult for me to compare the Scorpions to the Silversun Pickups.

Well, in what is becoming traditional Mike-fashion, I am doing something just a little bit different this year. I am NOT going to rank all 34 bands that I saw. You've read my daily recap for each of the bands that I saw. I thought I would try something a little more fun this year and award my first-ever Summerfest Superlatives. You remember those, don't you?  From high school? Well, here they are:

BIGGEST DISASTER
12 Stones - In 2009 they spent a majority of their 6:30 performance yelling at the crowd, telling us how to cheer. In 2010, they didn't bother to show up. Probably a blessing in disguise.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT
The Last Vegas - I had touted this band as my 'must see' of Summerfest 2010 based on their album, which I like. Turns out they are a band that is better on cd than in reality. Go back to the 80's.

BAND THAT PISSED ME OFF THE MOST
Beatallica - Seriously, this band angered me. I love the Beatles and I love Metallica. Mixing them together was a musical travesty.

UTTERLY FORGETTABLE
Terrible Things - Band name says it all
Shorelines End
The Blakes
Niki Barr Band - Except for the 7-foot tall bass player

BUCKETLIST BANDS (SAW AND NEVER NEED TO SEE AGAIN)
311 - Just not into, nor greatly familiar with their music. Glad I got to see them
Flyleaf - Another good show, but didn't do much for me

BANDS THAT EVERYONE SHOULD SEE
Lovehammers - I finally saw their complete show and was not disappointed. I would definitely see them again
Pepper - Opened for 311. Lot of energy and lots of fun
Here Come The Mummies - Even if only for the costumes, props, and hilarious lyrics

BANDS WITH MOST POTENTIAL

Paper Tongues - Great album. Great live performance

Cinder Road - Good sound. Good luck

American Motherload - Good heavy rock band

BIGGEST SURPRISE and BEST PERFORMANCE

Skillet - They are the biggest surprise because, well, Mark and I were not prepared. We did not have nor listened to any of their newer material (older stuff isn't that good). They also get the top award, beating out every band I saw at Summerfest to date. Never have I seen such a tremendous stage show on one of the free stages - smoke, flames, fireworks, lights, banner, elevators, energy, and a HOT FEMALE DRUMMER!! I'm a Skillet fan now!

Okay, maybe a quick Top 5...

TOP 5
5.  Hawthorne Heights
4.  Red
3.  The Offspring
2.  Papa Roach
1.  Skillet

BEST OF THE REST
Chevelle
Scorpions
Lovehammers

But wait, I did promise you pictures, right?  If you are my friend on Facebook, you have already seen these. For the benefit of those who are not, check them out.

PARTING SHOTS

There is a definite correlation between how much you enjoy a concert and how close you are to the stage. I will absolutely make a better effort to get closer seats for all future shows. Showing up last minute is not acceptable. Also, taking pictures at concerts can be difficult, especially in the evening and when the bands have back lighting or use a lot of red lights. I take a lot of pictures just to get a few good ones. I'll get better. I'm working on it.

Summerfest 2010 - That's a Wrap!

That's a wrap people! Summerfest 2010 is officially over! As I mentioned in my previous post, it definitely is bittersweet. Summerfest is such a great time! Live music. Cold beer. Good food. Great friends...and Memorable times!!!

11 Days and 34 bands later, I have completed what I set out to do. To those who said I couldn't do it, or wouldn't do it..."How You Like Me Now?"

These last 11 days have been so amazingly fun! Always a great time! I have such a passion for music and a love for live music that Summerfest has been like my mecca ~ an annual pilgrimage to a place that feeds my heart and soul and allows me to escape reality and recharge my mind.

I have to give a hearty Thank You to the crew of awesome friends, and friends of friends, I had the opportunity to share in this experience with...THANK YOU to Mark and Pam, Hillary, Dusty, Heather, Chad, Joe and Jaime, Nicki, Rick, Kevin and Amy, Angie, and Mark. Also a Thank You to some new friends I made...Pam, Melissa, Joe, and Carla.

Some notes from the last 11 days that may or may not have made it to any blog entries:

• Good to see the bands and stages using more banners, lights, and effects than in years past
• U.S. Cellular Stage - Based on the sound of Silversun Pickups last night, Chevelle might have just sucked...though I do think they need to upgrade that sound system
• Did not hear Todd Rungren's Bang The Drum All Day ("I don't want to work, I want to bang on the drum all day")...It was always a fun way to end the night.
• It was a year for HOT female rockers, but maybe I just paid more attention this year. Skillet's drummer, Jen Ledger, is smokin' hot!  
• Being up close is so much better
• Guitar picks are cool, but only if they have the band's name/logo on them
• Only one round of golf this year for me
• The "streak" is over, Barry - I kept it going as long as I could. It was a valiant effort though and fun
• High Fives are FREE

I believe I mentioned in the beginning that my friends and I do post-Summerfest ranking of the bands that we saw. I highly doubt that I will do a traditional ranking based on the number of bands I saw, but I may do a Top 5/Bottom 5. I may also do something a little different. My friends know that I've added something new just about every year. It started when I did my first Summerfest Review w/Pictures. It's grown since then and now I have this blog. Stay tuned for the rankings. Pictures are coming. Today is my day to relax.

Once again, Thank You to those who shared in the Summerfest experience with me and Thank You to those who followed along by reading this blog.

354 days until Summerfest 2011!!!

Summerfest 2010 - Day 11, Sunday, July 4

What better way to celebrate Independence Day than to spend it at Summerfest listening to great music? Day 11 was bittersweet. Bitter because it was the last day of Summerfest 2010. Sweet because I had accomplished what I set out to do, "run the gauntlet"...attend all 11 days of Summerfest.

As you might imagine, the last day, for me anyways, was more relaxed than previous. Arrived about 6:00pm. Headed over to Major Goolsby's for a great cheeseburger, stopping at the Summerfest Store along the way. No purchases this year. I already got my Summerfest tshirt and bought a sweatshirt on one of the cooler nights.

Made my way over to the U.S. Cellular Connection Stage and claimed a seat on the bleachers. 6:45/7:00pm The Henry Clay People took the stage. They are part of the Emerging Artists Series. Played a couple of original songs then took requests from the audience. They refused to play Freebird though...HAHAHA! They played Neil Young's Rockin' in the Free World instead. I think it's a sign of a pretty good band that can play pretty much any song on demand like that.  They were good.

After toiling whether or not I would go to THECOOLTV Rock Stage to see Sick Puppies, who I saw at the Big Snow Show back in December 2009, I decided to stay where I was and check out Against Me! for the first time. I think I made a good decision. I wasn't very familiar with Against Me!, only knew a few of their songs. Thought they were really good. Kind of a punk band the likes of Rancid or Dropkick Murphys. Well, that's the best comparison I can make at this time. Really good show. Good decision on my part. Another band checked off the list.

The 10:00pm band was Silversun Pickups. Saw them at Summerfest back in 2007 as an 8:00pm opener. I really like both of their albums, with the edge going to their newest one Swoon. Awesome show. I highly recommend seeing them live if you like their music. Solid show. The female bass player looked like she had been plucked off the streets as she was wearing some kind of flowery sun dress. Looked odd. The drummer is fun to watch. Seems to make the same head banging motions the entire time. The singer could definitely jam on the guitar. After playing Lazy Eye, I left to check out the end of Halestorm at THECOOLTV Rock Stage.  My friend dumped it trying to cross the bleachers. Saw them play I Get Off then we headed for the exits.

A great ending!

Summerfest 2010 - Day 10, Saturday, July 3

After attending the first nine days of Summerfest and making it to the last weekend, it's really all downhill from here. Day 10 was much more relaxing than previous days. The crew I was hanging with dwindled to three. Summerfest still rocked on though.

Headed down to the grounds after dropping a couple friends off at the airport. For the first time I actually walked past the Harley-Davidson stage to the south side of the park. Saw the new Saz restaurant and the new layout for the M&I Classic Rock stage.  Lot more space with the new setup. Only about 5:00pm and people are already lining up for the fireworks.

First stop was JoJo's Martini Lounge for a couple of martinis. Always a great place to relax and enjoy a drink or two.

Continued walking around, past the Briggs & Stratton stage, a stage I have NEVER been to. Then a new, small, very small stage...Cascio Interstate Music Groove Stage. Enough bleachers for about 100 people maybe. Seemed like it was a stage for bands that are just starting out...garage bands. Moving on...

Over to the Miller Lite Oasis to check out Here Come the Mummies. SO glad we stopped by! These guys were dressed as mummies and their songs were HILARIOUS!!  Lots of sexual innuendos and funny costumes and props. With song titles like Libido Knievel, Horizontal Mambo, Boom Boom Room, and Attack of the Weiner Man. Definitely haven't seen anything like that before.  I'm going to try to get their songs. I got my picture taken with one of the mummies.  Pictures coming soon, promise.  Though I did make a huge mistake by forgetting my camera at the house this day. Had to rely on my cell phone and other people's pictures.

Somewhere around 7:30pm, settled in at THECOOLTV Rock Stage waiting for Framing Hanley. Newer band and wasn't sure what to expect. Album I listened to was decent. Live performance not so much. Their look didn't match their sound. They have more of a rock sound, but an emo look, like Fall Out Boy. Listened to about four songs and left.

Fireworks started after 9:00pm...not sure of the exact time.  Fireworks are fireworks and they are always cool. These were no different. Before the fireworks, an Army veteran who had just returned from Iraq had sung the National Anthem at the M&I Classic Rock Stage.

Made it through the massive crowds back to THECOOLTV Rock Stage in time for the band that I was there to see, Flyleaf. Saw Flyleaf at Summerfest back in 2007 when they were an 8:00pm act. Headliners this year. They were a great show then and I thought they were better this year. Guess you should expect bands to get better after time. I normally don't care for rock bands with female lead singers, but Flyleaf is an exception. Love the energy! Singer belts out the lyrics and twirled. Lead guitarist kept zipping back and forth across the stage. The bass player was climbing and jumping off of speakers and amps all night long.  Then the other guitarist just stood there on the right side of the stage.  Great energy!  Great show!

Today is Day 11, the last day of Summerfest.  Not going today would be like running a marathon and stopping at mile 20. Two bands on tap for tonight, Sick Puppies at 8:00pm and Silversun Pickups at 10:00pm.  Different stages so not sure how it will work. If the crowd is as insane as it has been, just may skip the Sick Puppies and catch Against Me, who are on the same stage as Silversun Pickups.

One more day! One more day!

Summerfest 2010 - Day 9, Friday, July 2

The ninth day of Summerfest is brought to you by Lakefront's Monkey Wheat Ale and Wong's Wok. Well, that's what I had for dinner last night anyways. Beautiful weather and another fantastic day at Summerfest. Lazy day before going down to the grounds. A few rounds of frolf (backyard frisbee golf) and a few beers. Arrived about 7:00pm I believe and the stage was once again insanely packed with people. I had anticipated the Scorpions to be a huge draw for fans based on their popularity, longevity, and this is their farewell tour. Found some seats in the back just in front of the sound tower. 

The warm up band was a cover band called Johnny Wad. They were okay but not as good as The Barbeez from Thursday. Definitely an older crowd tonight. We took turns going to eat. This is where things took a little different of a turn. When I left to eat, I went to Wong's Wok as mentioned. Then I walked around a little bit. It was about 8:00pm so I walked over to the U.S. Cellular Stage to try to see/listen to The Heavy.  They sing the song called How You Like Me Now which is featured in a Kia commercial.  That stage was insanely packed too.  Didn't stay very long there. I walked around some more and then made my way back to the Harley-Davidson Roadhouse.  Guess I shouldn't have left because I could barely move. Closest I actually got to where my friends were sitting was about 50 yards to the left. No worries.

The Scorpions put on a great show! They played all of their classic hits - Holiday, The Zoo, Bad Boys Running Wild, and my personal favorite Big City Nights. Their encore songs were No One Like You, Winds of Change, and Rock You Like a Hurricane. They didn't move around stage like they did when I saw them back in 1988, but they were good. Fulfilled my retro requirement for Summerfest.  Usually see at least one older band.

Let me tell you about something interesting. Let me tell you about the shirt I was wearing. I was wearing a shirt with the word "GIVE" on it. The GIVE shirt was created by a friend of a friend to try to spread the word about giving to others without asking for anything in return...the emphasis is on others and not yourself. I encourage you to check out the website at www.thegiveshirt.com. All proceeds from the sale of this shirt are given to charity. So, as I was saying, I was wearing my GIVE shirt last night and it garnered attention that I hadn't expected. Several people asked me about the shirt and I got into some interesting conversations about giving. This one woman came up to me, tapped me on the shoulder, and asked me "What if I asked you to give me your shirt?." Hahahaha. I wasn't expecting that. Kind of caught me at a loss for words. Then she asked me about switching shirts, but I told her that I wouldn't look good in ruffly shirts. 

Today is Day 10. My Summerfest crew is dwindling. Just me and one other guy heading down tonight. Though I'm sure that thousands of my other friends will be there. Tonight I see Framing Hanley and Flyleaf at THECOOLTV Rock Stage.

Thanks for reading!!

Summerfest 2010 - Day 8, Thursday, July 1

Eight days into my quest to 'run the gauntlet' and the end is just around the corner. Last night brought me and my friends to a different stage, the Harley-Davidson Roadhouse. I hadn't been at this stage yet this year. This is probably the newest stage and second largest (as far as crowd capacity). The Miller Lite Oasis is by far the largest in terms of number of people. The sound quality at this stage is far superior to the U.S. Cellular Connection Stage, which is probably the oldest stage and in the most need of an upgrade.

Got to the stage at about 6:00pm. The Barbeez were playing. They are a cover band and played songs from Journey, Styx, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Metallica.  Cover bands always make for good background music and the occasional sing-a-long to an oldie. The group of guys to my left were obvious fans of the wacky weed and had a joint that rivaled Cheech & Chong. Hilarious! Funny to watch the 'scouts' too. Scouts are the lone people who walk up and down the rows to try to find open spots to sit.  Keep moving. Another group of five guys were seen playing some weird game that was quite disturbing. All five were grabbing each other in the junk...some odd nut-grabbing game. Why?!  See what I mean? You see ALL kinds of things at Summerfest!

On the paper schedule, the 8:00pm band was TBA.  Not really sure I like TBA, but they didn't show up anyways. In their place was a brand new band called Terrible Things.  Foreshadowing of what was to come? Perhaps. The drummer was from the band Coheed and Cambria. The singer was from the band Taking Back Sunday...I had been wondering why I hadn't heard anything from them in a while. Now I know. Turns out it was a foreshadowing. They were terrible. How many bands do you know that write a song about their own band name? Their first song was called Terrible Things.  Good luck guys!

Terrible Things didn't play long at all and finished about 8:30. A sad half-hour set.  That left us an hour and a half wait for the main event...The Offspring!  The Offspring made their second consecutive Summerfest appearance, having played the Miller Lite Oasis last year. Crowd was insane then and it was once again insane last night. One of the guys was taking bets on what song they would open with. I didn't join in, but my suggestion was spot on. They opened with You're Gonna Go Far, Kid. Minus the on-stage theatrics they had last year, another solid show!! A lot of their favorites were played and even a couple I wasn't familiar with. The Offspring is awesome!!

Guess I didn't mention that the last couple of days we got our very own Rock Band back together. The name changed to Burnt Jelly, but we definitely rocked the house. Last night was no exception. Returned from SF and rocked to some classics of our own. Played guitar on Wednesday. On vocals for a bit last night. Rock on!!

A quick message to my friend Barry in Phoenix - The streak is in jeopardy! Only 3 days left.

Today is Day 9 and tonight I see a band that I last saw on September 13, 1988 (nearly 22 years ago. Crazy that I remember that?). Tonight it is time to enjoy some Big City Nights as we Rock You Like a Hurricane...SCORPIONS! This is their farewell tour.

Summerfest - More than just music

For the last seven or eight days, I've been writing about Summerfest and the many bands I've seen. But there is more to Summerfest than just music. There are shops. There are vendors selling all kinds of things from artwork to clothing and jewelry to home improvement products. Each of the branches of the military are represented. And the food...did I mention the food?  I know I previously mentioned that I hadn't sampled much of the food, but I have now.  The food is plentiful and delicious!  Of course, being in the Brew City, the beer is plentiful as well. Miller is obviously a huge sponsor, but other Wisconsin breweries are also on the grounds - Leinenkugel, Lakefront to name a couple.  All good. I actually prefer the microbrews to Miller.

With all the people at Summerfest, the people watching is fantastic. You can see people from all walks of life. Some wearing things that would make a priest blush. Others wearing clothes they definitely should not be wearing in public. White guys with afros. Eight in multi-colored mohawks. Emo haricuts.  And MULLETS everywhere. Could fill up an entire photo album with pictures of outstanding mullets. The bands aren't excluded. The lead singer from Paper Tongues had a 'jheri curl' mullet. The singer for Neon Trees had a mohawk mullet. Sweet!

This year we have been noticing a large contingent of 'douchebags'.  Well, of course d-bags are everywhere. There was a big d-bag in front of us at 311 last Friday, dancing like a tool and raising his fist and elbow to his girlfriend's face. They really are everywhere, we just really started to pay more attention to this breed of Summerfest goer. So much so, that we've thought about putting together a photo collection of 'Douchebags and Mullets'. Might not do that until next year, but we got a good start this year. Some real classics.

The women wear some of the craziest clothes, from short-short-shorts to 6 inch stilletos. Mini sun dresses are very common. Lots of examples of what not to wear. There are those who can pull of the short dresses and small boobilicious tank tops and there are those who should just cover up. One wrong move and they are coming out! There was one girl in a short sun dress the other night. She sat in the row in front of me. She was fairly well endowed and proceeded to pull not 1...not 2...but 5 little nip bottles of vodka from her cleavage. That's talent.  Wonder what else she had in there? Then she stuck two of them in her bra...one on each side. Yes, I got a picture of that.

Some people even showcased other hidden talents too. Such as the group of guys who built about a 6-foot tower of beer cups on the bench. Very nice! Got a picture of that too.

So there are hot girls and not-so hot girls, douchebags and tools, young people and old people, bikers and college students, good looking people and those missing teeth.  All kinds of people from all walks of life. Great for people watching.

Pictures? You are probably wondering where all the pictures are, aren't you? I have been taking pictures every day. I just haven't had the chance to post any of them yet. I will upload them to Facebook. Patience please.

Summerfest 2010 - Day 7, Wednesday, June 30

Greetings everyone. My quest to "run the gauntlet" is becoming more clear as each day passes. Last night was Day 7 of 11 days of the World's Largest Music Festival. I had free tickets, but needed to be at the grounds by 4:00pm. Got there at 4:07 and got in just fine. Cutting it close though. Head over to the U.S. Cellular Stage to claim 3rd row seats. A bit early but camping out at a stage and listening to band after band after band is always a good time...except when the bands aren't that good.

Now the U.S. Cellular Stage sponsors the Emerging Artists Series between 3 and 7pm. This series focuses on new bands trying to make a name for themselves. Some are really good, while others are not. Arriving at 4pm, we saw three bands from the Emerging Artists Series.

As we arrived at 4:15pm, we saw The Blakes. Now, to be honest with you, I don't remember much from this three-piece act, except that the drummer looked like a spaz. Looked like he was trying way too hard. Possibly due to lack of upper body strength or talent...or both.

Next up at 5:30pm was Shorelines End. Again, not a whole lot to remember. Weren't that good and only played a 30 minute set.

Right around 7:00pm, the last of the Emerging Artists for this day took the stage, Cinder Road. This band had promise. I heard a song or two from them. Had a decent rock sound. Lead singer reminded me of Chris Robinson from the Black Crowes. The band, as a whole, reminded me of the surfers from the movie Point Break, except these guys were a band and not bank robbers. The bassist actually looked like Turtle from the movie North Shore.  With all these comparisons and no talk about their music, you get the hint that they weren't high on my list...but better than the previous 2 bands.

The 8:00pm band was The Nikki Barr band.  Can you say TERRIBLE.  Female lead singer who couldn't really sing. She spent some time talking about how "rock music has gotten too much pussified" and other sexual references. Next!

10:00pm brought on one of my favorite bands...Chevelle! These guys have never failed to put on a great show! Saw them and met them at Summerfest in 2007. Saw them again within the last year with Buckcherry at The Rave.  Great show!!  Sound quality was lackluster as the vocals were again drowned out by the rest of the band...BUT I don't put that against Chevelle...the sound at the U.S. Cellular Stage has been weak all weak long. They should definitely invest in some upgrades. Music was killer. Performance was awesome! Bass rocked it hard!!!!

Today is Day 8. Started with golf at Silver Spring Country Club.  Tonight...The Offspring.

Rock on!!!!

Summerfest 2010 - Day 6, Tuesday, June 29

Greetings followers, readers, and fellow Rock fans!! More than halfway through Summerfest now. Day 6 is in the books. Great day. Beautiful weather...though a bit on the cool side again and because of that I am now the proud owner of a new Leinenkugel's sweatshirt. Should serve me well.

The day began with 18 holes of golf at Fairways of Woodside in Sussex, WI.  This is a beautiful course. Tee time was at 10:00am. Clubhouse paired us up with another couple of guys but had us playing behind four older ladies. Holy cow!! Their farthest drive off the tee was 20 yards.  Going to be a long day...UGH. Change of plans...going off the the first tee (Clubhouse had everyone starting off the 10th).  Play was steady and good.  Solid play on the front 9 shooting 45. Back 9 turned out to be a lot more difficult ending up with a 50. Nearly didn't make the turn as one of the greens keepers lost a finger in a tragic lawnmower accident. This perplexed us though...Isn't there a warning sticker on mowers that tells you not to put your hand in there?

On with the shows...

Arrival at Summerfest about 6:30pm and straight to THECOOLTV Rock Stage. Settled in about 8 rows back from center. I did have food there. It was a delicious chicken parmesan sandwich, but couldn't tel you the name of the restaurant/booth I got it from.  I'll try to pay more attention next time. Again, beer was flowing nicely. Little Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat and some Miller Lite.

First band to perform was Some Hear Explosions. Supposed to start at 6:30pm, but was closer to 7pm. Three piece band with a female lead singer. Apparently she is originally from Wisconsin but now calls Los Angeles home. Her mom or aunt was sitting behind us. Said she was also in Papa Roach video for their song Hollywood Whore. Sat through, somewhat painfully, the first three songs before going for a walk to get my previously mentioned chicken parmesan sandwich and Leinenkugel's sweatshirt...and a beer. Lead singer was cute, which may have elevated their rankings just a tad, but the music wasn't that good. She was also the reason for my Facebook status' last night..."This next song is about f#*king."  Their last song was the best song. :-)

Some time after 8:00pm, The Last Vegas took the stage. These guys had been my "must see" band of this year's Summerfest. Mostly because I really like their album. They were pretty good live. They kind of remind me of an 80's hair band, minus the make up. Maybe L.A. Guns? They also have that 80's sound which is pretty cool. Volume on the vocals was low. The lead singer's voice was drowned out by the band a little. Overall a good show.

Met a new friend, sort of. Some really drunk kid who kept buying me beer.

The headliner for Tuesday, June 29 was Papa 'freakin' Roach. Saw them last at Summerfest in 2007. A great show then and another awesome show last night!! Outstanding!!!  Kicked azz and rocked out on most all of my favorites including Getting Away With Murder, Lifeline, Forever, Last Resort, and Kick in the Teeth. Papa Roach never fails to deliver a high energy show!!

Today is Day 7 and the headliner tonight is Chevelle. Always a great concert. Today is also the World's Largest Happy Hour between 5:00pm and 7:00pm.

Raise your glasses!  Cheers!

Summerfest 2010 - Day 5, Monday, June 28

Day 5 is in the books and another great night at Summerfest. Well, what would you expect anyways?! Great music, great beer, and thousands of your closest friends. What's not to like about that?! Someone suggested that I write about the food there too. Well, I really haven't sampled any of the food from the many great places to eat at Summerfest. We've barbecued and eaten before going down and then heading straight to the stage. I will be sure to write about the food when we do eat down there.  The beer on the other hand is cold and plentiful. Just what you would expect in Milwaukee, WI, a.k.a. "Brew City."

Weather down at the lake front was cooler and windy. Had to wear a long sleeve shirt. Certainly didn't detract from the good times to be had. Straight over to the U.S. Cellular stage to grab seats on the bleachers. Row 4 again. Heard/Saw the last one or two songs from The Alumni Club. Nothing special there. Not even paying attention to them. Thought the lead singer looked like Jani Lane of Warrant. When my friends and I review bands, we have  rule that we have to hear/listen to at least three songs to consider them for the post-Summerfest rankings.  Yes, each of us rank the bands we saw from worst to best. My rankings this year will be a lot longer than in years past.

The 8:00pm band was New Medicine. I had nothing to go on these guys. Never heard any of their music. Went in blind and deaf to this one, because we were mainly there to see the headliner. New Medicine was pretty good though. Not good enough to make me want to buy their album, but didn't put me to sleep either. Did a cover of John Fogerty's Fortunate Son.

10:00pm rolls around and the main event for this stage comes on stage...Hawthorne Heights. These guys are an alternative/punk/rock/screamo kind of band. I have all their albums and really like them. Their last two albums not as great as the first two. However, the live performance of the songs from those albums turned out to be much better! Played all of my favorites, including Ohio Is For Lovers. The only major drawback was their incessant self-promotion in between each song...asking the crowd to buy their cd and a tshirt. Though they did say the high fives were free. Other than that, a great show.

Hawthorne Heights ended at about 11:00pm, yet other stages were still rockin'. So we headed over the THECOOLTV Rock Stage to catch the end of Saliva.  Pleasant surprise as we weren't really expecting to see them at all.  But, hey, why not?!  Caught the last three songs of their set... Ladies and Gentlemen, Always, and Your Disease. Sorry, I'm still not impressed with Saliva. Somewhere along the way they got really soft, but those three songs are probably three of their best.

Today is Day 6 for me. Golfed 18 holes today. Beautiful day for golf. Tonight's lineup consist of the one band at Summerfest 2010 that I want to see most, The Last Vegas at 8:00pm and Papa Roach at 10:00pm.

Rock on!!

Summerfest 2010 - Day 4, Sunday, June 27

As the quest continues, Day 4 brought a different genre of music - alternative/pop/rock/funk - a definite change of gears from previous days, but a welcome change. Rain earlier in the day brought in some humidity, but a cold beer always helps keep you cool. Tonight's beer of choice was Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat.

Arrived at the Summerfest grounds about 6:00pm. Settled in row 4 just right of center for the night's festivities. On tap was three very new alternative bands - Civil Twilight, Paper Tongues, and Neon Trees - each with only one album released.

Civil Twilight was just a three piece band from South Africa. They have had some of their songs featured on TV shows such as One Tree Hill and House. Probably their most popular song is Letters From The Sky which was featured on One Tree Hill. Good 6:30ish warm up for the night.

The 8:00pm act was the band that I wanted to see most this night, Paper Tongues. I really liked their album. Good stuff. I do recommend checking them out. Lot of guys on stage...drummer, 2 keyboardists, bass player, 2 guitarists, and a singer/rapper. Paper Tongues performed with a lot of energy. Excellent show. Everyone dancing and singing along. Felt bad for one of the guitarist who was fixing his guitar for the first three songs. Paper Tongues didn't miss a beat though.

10:00pm headliner was Neon Trees. Now I didn't like their album as much as Paper Tongues, but they made up for it with a powerful, energetic concert. Lead singer had on some weird white jumpsuit with neon lights wrapped around the arms. Love the mohawk-mullet too! Another female drummer. Have I mentioned that female drummers are Hot?!! Day 4 was successful. Did not disappoint.

Day 5 will bring on Hawthorne Heights, an alternative rock scream-o band.

Summerfest 2010 - Day 3, Saturday, June 26

Greetings music fans! It's been a great Summerfest so far and I expected nothing less from Day 3. As mentioned in my post from yesterday, Day 3's lineup was supposed to consist of 12 Stones, Red, and Skillet. I've seen 12 Stones at Summerfest in 2008. While I thought their albums were good, their live performance was less than stellar. Here is my review of them from 2008:

"Ahhhhhh come on! So much promise. I really liked their album and was looking forward to this show. But, alas, I was disappointed. Why did the leader singer have to be such a dweeb? Completely ruined it for me. Spent more time telling the crowd how to cheer. Shut up and sing!"

Needless to say, we weren't expecting much from them and were hoping to heckle them a little. But alas, that was not to be. 12 Stones cancelled. Put them on the list of bands that I never need to see again. So they got a band that had just finished at another stage to come and play again on THECOOLTV Rock Stage. The band was called The London Soul. They had a classic rock, funk sound to them. They were good. Hey, they got paid twice.

Probably the band I was there to primarily see was up next at 8:00pm...Red. I've seen Red in 2007 and 2008 and they never disappoint. Their two albums rock! Great show!! Music was great! Stage performance was awesome! They did play most of my favorite songs from them. For those who don't know them, the bass player and lead guitarist are twins. The were throwing their guitars around and spinning them around. The drummer did a very cool drum solo that was different than most. He drummed to popular songs from the Black Eyed Peas, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, and Eminem. Was very cool! Then they started jamming some AC/DC...Back in Black, You Shook Me All Night Long. Red finished strong and once again did NOT disappoint!

Headlining Day 3 at 10:00pm was a band that, I have to admit, I wasn't too high on...Skillet. Had listened to some of their older stuff and wasn't that impressed, so I had no expectations. But the crowd was INSANE! Reminiscent of the crowd at The Offspring last year. So I figured I was definitely missing something that Skillet had this big of a draw. A very young crowd too as was evident when I walked through the aisle with a beer and all the kids oohing and ahhing and saying 'that looks good'. Had to laugh. Adults too, but lots of teenagers. Anyways...on to the show...and what an awesome show it was! I was very very surprised! Their performance and music kicked a$$!!! Never had I seen so much smoke, fireworks, and pyro at a side stage! And I never have seen elevators on stage at SF either! You only see that stuff at the big arena shows. Was really awesome!! Skillet has a female guitarist/keyboardist and a female drummer...both HOT!! Think I'm in love! HAHA The drummer could wail!!! Drum solo was awesome! Another guitar solo! And just what might be the first time I have ever seen a rock band have both a violin solo and a cello solo! Very cool!! Skillet even came out and did an acoustic cover of Metallica's Enter Sandman. That was awesome. Many of the young kids didn't know what was going on. Great show!!! Definitely the surprise performance so far.

But there are 8 more days to go in my quest to "run the gauntlet". Day 4 is tonight. A little change of pace tonight. I started the week with some rock n roll. Day 2 brought music with more of a reggae, rap, dub genre. Day 3 was more rock n roll. Tonight I see three new bands...Civil Twilight, Paper Tongues, and Neon Trees. I really like Paper Tongues and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing them.

Have a great day everyone. Rock on!!

Summerfest 2010 - Day 2, Friday, June 25

When the Summerfest schedule was released, I saw enough bands listed in the lineup to think this was going to be a good year. Maybe not a great year as far as bands I have not seen yet, but a good year as far as bands that I enjoy or wouldn't mind seeing again. Nevertheless, Summerfest is a great time!

Well, I had commented to some friends that I 'could go every day' and they challenged me. They said I would never go all 11 days of Summerfest. They said it couldn't be done. That was it for me...the challenge was set. I am now heading into Day 3 of "Running the Gauntlet"...all 11 days of the World's Largest Music Festival.

Friday night was Day 2. On tap was 311 at the Miller Lite Oasis Stage. We get there and the stage was jam packed with people. Reminiscent of Judas Priest and The Offspring from last year. We managed to find some seats close, but not front row like I had on Thursday.

The 8:00pm band was a band called Pepper. They are originally from Hawaii and play a mix of reggae, dub, and rock. They were really good. I enjoyed them a lot. A very entertaining and fun show.

The headliner, as mentioned, was 311. Now I wasn't sure what to expect from 311. I was hoping that their live show would be a lot better than some of their albums. I had hopes that they would surprise me. They started off good, playing upbeat songs and many of their more popular songs. This is where it went downhill for me. The drummer performed a drum solo, which was a bit long, then the other guys came out and they all joined in on the drum solo. That turned out to be cool. But then the guitarist had to do his solo. Then the bassist had to do his solo. Then they all did some sort of a jam session/instrumental. Throw in two encores, which the last one they came out and played two songs I wasn't familiar with. A less than stellar performance for my standards. I was certainly expecting a bit more. Maybe if I was more of a 311 fan I would have enjoyed it more? Who knows? As it is, I'll check the box on another band that I have seen and add them to the list of bands I do not need to see again. Pepper, on the other hand, I would see again.

Backyard frisbee golf today. Getting ready to head down for Day 3. Tonight's lineup consists of Red and Skillet.

I'll check back in tomorrow with a recap of Day 3. Rock on!!

First night of Summerfest 2010

First night of Summerfest was really good. Got in the gate about 6pm. Grabbed a cold Blue Moon and headed to THECOOLTV stage for some good rock n roll! Well lookie here...seat for me in the front row. Great seats to enjoy the shows.

First band up was American Motherload at 6:30. American Motherload is from Chicago. Apparently they had taken a couple years off since there last appearance at Summerfest in 2007. This is a really good heavy rock band. Hope they stick around. I look forward to seeing them again. Did a cover of Led Zeppelin's Communication Breakdown.

The 8:00 show as Beatallica. Now I had seen their name here and there but never had an itch to listen to them. Talking to some of the fans there to see them, they said that if you took the Beatles and Metallica and mashed them together, you get Beatallica. I thought "Interesting"..."I love the Beatles and I love Metallica, this should be interesting". Reminds me of that episode of Friends where Rachel mixes up the recipes for Shepards Pie and a Truffle and when Joey eats it, he says, "What's not to like? Meat? GOOD! Jam? GOOD!" HAHAHA.......ANYWAYS...Beatallica absolutely BLOW!!! I actually HATED them for completely screwing up my Beatles songs and my Metallica songs!! I found myself not knowing what to do. I was glad when it was over.

Opening night fireworks. Very surprised at the lack of people. More than half the bleachers were still open. I can remember opening night with Drowning Pool a couple years ago and it was packed. Oh well...I was in the front row!

Headliner was the Lovehammers. I really like this band. Some of you may remember Marty Casey (Lead singer) from the television competition Rock Star: INXS when the band was searching for its next lead singer. Lovehammers have been around for a while. They put on a great show! Marty jumped into the sparse crowd, as he usually does. Great energy! Great show!

Today is Day 2. On tap for tonight...311...or...The Gracious Few (a band comprised of members of Candlebox and Live, including Candlebox' Kevin Martin on vocals). Have to wait and see which one I see.

Stay tuned...

The Big Gig Begins Today

I moved to Wisconsin just ten years ago, but it wasn't until 2005 that I was introduced to the greatest music festival that I have ever been to, Summerfest. After serving eight years in the Marine Corps, I had forgotten just how much I loved live music. In 2005 I only went one night, but it only took that one night to get hooked.

Summerfest has become an annual event with me and my friends. A couple of us take the entire week off. We golf during the day, barbecue in the afternoon, and enjoy great music down at the lake front. Each year, the number of days I have attended has increased. Eight days last year. This year, I'm attempting to 'run the gauntlet'...all 11 days! There are plenty of good bands to see and at least one I want to see every night.

My lineup for tonight includes: American Motherload and the Lovehammers (You might remember Marty Casey from Rockstar: INXS)

So let the fun begin! Summerfest begins tonight!