Photo Credit: Allen Halas
Mini music festival Ayre in the Square returned this summer to Catalano Square only to have Saturday’s final installment cut short thanks to a downpour. Milwaukee duo Fellow Kinsman’s self-described “land lock surf rock” offered a big sound to listeners and dogs assembled in the cozy Third Ward park.
“Do I have time to go to the bathroom?” Caley Conway asks the soundman as she completes her brief sound check. Mission accomplished, she walks back to the stage in a red formal dress, red shades and straps on her red Telecaster, seemingly without a care in the world.
By the time she warmed up with a few older songs, the weather became a concern, with radar showing rain headed from the west. Conway’s folk songs swerve with unexpected jazz chords. By the time she got to a new one, a long-distance cowrite “That Day Was Unforgettable,” festival organizers moved on their contingency plan—positioning a red (natch) canopy over the small stage. Conway soldiered on but it soon became apparent the rain was too heavy and her set was cut short.
Photo Credit: Blaine Schultz
Meanwhile, there was still time to trace Lake Michigan north to Manitowoc where the 42nd annual Metro Jam ended with an explosive set by headliners Son Volt under a rising full moon. Since the split of Uncle Tupelo, leader Jay Farrar has piloted the band through a sting of acclaimed albums.
Ever restless, Farrar and Son Volt blend artistry with the grit of Woody Guthrie’s poetic social sentiments, often fueled by electric guitars and loud amplifiers. The bandshell at the downtown Washington Park was the right venue. A crystal-clear sound mix, a light show that projected onto nearby trees and an ascending full moon couldn’t have been better planned.
“Walking down Main Street getting to know the concrete, Looking for a purpose from a neon sign,” Farrar sang in the set-ending “Tear Stained Eye.” The lyrics could have been an observation from his point of view onstage. Son Volt closed with a cover of The Who’s anthemic “The Seeker,” which was part mission statement and part see-you next-time.
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Photo Credit: Blaine Schultz
Several years ago, The Tritonics began playing regular Sunday matinees at Tonic Tavern in Bay View. Co-leaders Dave Bolyard and Jeff Stehr realized they’d hit a perfect recipe for the band’s demographic—a relaxed way to close out a weekend with a drink and a few sets of rock steady, ska and reggae music. It was a musical laboratory where the group could experiment.
This, then, was the end of an era. In 2020, Bolyard passed on from pancreatic cancer. Stehr decided to book a handful of dates including one at the band’s home base. An overflowing audience spilled out to the sidewalk as dancers filled the floor of the open-air tavern, grooving to the Jamaica-centric sounds punctuated by the horn section. The Tritonics also play the Vista King Concert Cruise on Friday, August 27.
