Photo by Taylor Photography via Bay View Bash
Acrobatic stunts at Bay View Bash
Bay View Bash on Kinnickinnic Avenue in Milwaukee.
For some, the Bay View Bash chimes as an unofficial end of summer. Every year, the third Saturday in September means the sprawling street festival takes over Kinnickinnic Avenue from Potter Avenue to Clement Avenue.
From its debut in 2004 the one-day street festival has presented music, food, art, crafts, books and booths from community organizations. Five stages will offer dance, a drag show, DJs, a kids’ stage and plenty of live music. Kids activities, include face painting, games, coloring sheets, journals, jewelry creation stations, temporary tattoos and more.
Things kick off at 11 a.m. with the Shape Up Shoppe “Stretch & Strength” Class. Music includes Mortgage Freeman, Floor Model, Sleepersound, The Championship, Emmitt James and The Crosses.
Chicago punk legends The Effigies headline the Rush-Mor Records stage at 9 p.m. At 5 p.m. Milwaukee’s Alligator Gun reunites. From 1991-’97 the band rocked hard and would reunite in 2006 and 2014.
Alligator Gun Rides Again
Photo via Discogs
Alligator Gun
Alligator Gun
Guitarist-vocalist John Kucera chatted about Saturday’s gig. He said the reunion idea kind of came around organically and through some sad circumstances. When a friend, Mike Chubbuck, passed away suddenly in January, they all attended the memorial and wake.
“We were all happy to see each other and catch up even under those sad circumstances, our conversations seemed to pick up right where they left off, just normal friend stuff,” Kucera says.
“Within the next week or so texts started going back and forth and we floated a few ideas, nothing big—and for me personally I was just looking for an excuse to jam again with these guys.”
Kucera credits Mark Solheim nudging the band to play “and we were all in agreement as long as it wasn’t disrupting everything else people had going on.”
The next thing he knew Alligator Gun was set up for Bay View Bash “and a couple other things coming up, soon to be ‘officially’ announced.”
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The last time the band played was in 2014 at the Pablove Benefit and prior to that was 2006 with Compound Red and Loomis. “Wow, the last time the band recorded was for the Over and Out record (1999) I guess? I was out of the band by then.”
Music and project wise, Kucera says they have all been active. “Craig [Johansen] has a band called Ghost Cuts right now. Bill [Couture] is still playing a lot, but I don’t think he has any active projects other than this right now. Scott [Schoenbeck] has been the long tenured bass player for Dashboard Confessional and is always up to something and I have been in the band Black Belt Theatre since about 2012.”
What does the future hold for Alligator Gun? “Who knows? We’ve kicked around the idea of writing a song or two and maybe re-recording a couple things that deserve it. I’m not sure how much punk angst we can summon, maybe some ‘get off my lawn’ songs,” he laughs. He also suggested more live performances, schedules permitting.
More info here www.bayviewbash.org/entertainment
