OT: Somewhat of a risky gig

[mrpackerguy]

So we're playing this Saturday 9/1 at a downtown Madison, WI institution, the Essen Haus, from 8:30-12:30 - never a cover.

This one is going to be interesting. We're the first non-polka band to play there in eons, but the manager wants to change things up a bit. He knows what he's getting because he came and heard us when we played on the Capitol steps this summer for a summer concert series.

Essen Haus is Madison's official oompa hall, and the usual crowd is about 60% college kids drinking boots of beer, the remaining 40% being regulars from the nearby neighboorhood, and then some polka officianados (if there is such a thing).

We might be a little outta place there with our classic rock and classic country covers. But we play a few polkas, and I even bought an accordion and learned a couple more. What we have going for us is a club that'll be packed with drunk UW college kids, regulars and tourists. It's the Badger football home opener, the weekend before UW classes start and on top of that, a festival going on downtown near the Essen Haus, "Taste of Madison" that's going to attract tens of thousands to the area. I think we'll be fine. In fact, we're booked back there 10/13, so we better be fine.

 

[Dr Stankface]

Well, it's always fun to be something a little different for a club. I played recently at a club that is generally a metal/hard rock venue. The cover band I play in does mostly alternative and blues stuff (The Fray, O.A.R., John Mayer Trio) along with your standards such as Mustang Sally, Have You Ever Seen the Rain and, (unfortunately) Sweet Home Alabama. Everyone LOVED us and it was quite a fun venue to play.


Hopefully things will go the same with you! It should as long as you play your DD.

 

[Aussie Mark]

60% of the audience will love you, which is a great start.

 

[Sigmunds Couch]

Work up Motorhead - Ace of Spades as a polka.

I got tired of hearing "dya no inny kuntry" at gigs so we turned Ace of Spades into a country tune. Two steppin' to Lemmy - now that's entertainment...

 

[bassmancb]

Our hard rock band played a gig last week and did nothing but blues and country. The crowd loved it. I've got to say it was different but fun none the less.

 

[DTG]

Work up Motorhead - Ace of Spades as a polka.

I got tired of hearing "dya no inny kuntry" at gigs so we turned Ace of Spades into a country tune. Two steppin' to Lemmy - now that's entertainment...

"dya no inny kuntry"
very funny.........

Years back my band did the same to AC/DC whole lot of rosey !!

 

[Jim_F]

"Years back my band did the same to AC/DC whole lot of rosey !!"

Hayseed Dixie are making a career out of hillbilly country versions of ACDC tunes - worth checking out

 

[Sigmunds Couch]

There's a YouTube video of Hayseed Dixie's take on Ace of Spades...

 

[adouglas]

Sounds like a fun gig.

Don't forget to erect the chicken wire screen in front of the band first.

 

[mrpackerguy]

Sounds like a fun gig.

Don't forget to erect the chicken wire screen in front of the band first.

Yea, otherwise it's Rawhide and polka versions of Mustang Sally all night.

 

[JBFLA]

Sounds like fun to me. Enjoy!

I miss MadTown (except driving University during an ice storm). Lived on E. Johnson for awhile before moving to Middleton.

Played with Lynette Marguilles(?) in an original band called "Love, Mom". Usually Grant gigs (City Entertainment Grant of some sort) in an outside space/plaza on State Street mid-way between the "U" and the Capitol. That was 20 years ago - memory is a litlle fuzzy. It was across the street from an Irish bar. That part I'm sure of. Also played at a place I think was called "Club de Wash", part of the Hotel Washington. I have no idea if it's still there.

Thanks for the memory jog, and have a great gig!
Jim

 

[PzoLover]

Ping:Canajun East Coasters

So we're playing this Saturday 9/1 at a downtown Madison, WI institution, the Essen Haus, from 8:30-12:30 - never a cover.

This one is going to be interesting. We're the first non-polka band to play there in eons, but the manager wants to change things up a bit. He knows what he's getting because he came and heard us when we played on the Capitol steps this summer for a summer concert series.

Sounds like a prime destination for some Newfoundland "Rock Stars " ... greatmarket potential for "newfie disco" if the CBC hasn't sold it all out to some nyc 'mericans in polyester zootz

Essen Haus is Madison's official oompa hall, and the usual crowd is about 60% college kids drinking boots of beer, the remaining 40% being regulars from the nearby neighboorhood, and then some polka officianados (if there is such a thing).

We might be a little outta place there with our classic rock and classic country covers. But we play a few polkas, and I even bought an accordion and learned a couple more. What we have going for us is a club that'll be packed with drunk UW college kids, regulars and tourists. It's the Badger football home opener, the weekend before UW classes start and on top of that, a festival going on downtown near the Essen Haus, "Taste of Madison" that's going to attract tens of thousands to the area. I think we'll be fine. In fact, we're booked back there 10/13, so we better be fine.

/PL

 

[bovinehost]

I say "Play with stuff and have fun!"

We had a very loose gig last week and decided to try "Are You Experienced" as a country song. I think it sort of worked.

I remember showing Luke how "Whole Lotta Love" could be played as a root-five thing and him saying, "Stop that! Stop that right now!" But he was laughing.

We have this tendency to try each new song as a waltz, a sh*tkicker, a polka, SOMETHING to make it anything other than what it was supposed to be.

Otherwise, put some money in the damned jukebox, you know?

Jack

 

[Victobass]

Well MrPackerguy, How did the gig go?

I'm somewhat familiar with the area you played in. My wife's sister lives in Mt. Horeb and we go to the Madison area at least once a year. Seems like a decent music scene in Madison.

 

[martin shane]

I filled in with a band last night>>>lol...and we started country boy can survive by hank jr. and the singer decided to sing the words to war pigs instead .....

it was entertaining.....

 

[martin shane]

ps ... we used a roland 2480 as a mixer...so i should be able to get an mp3 up in a week or so ...

 

[mrpackerguy]

Success!

We stuck to our guns and did our regular show...sort of. We played a LOT more polkas than normal, traditional good 'ol Wisconsin beer hall polkas and a number of tunes that are polka-danceable. It was kind of tough resisting the urge to exhaust our polkas in the first set. We'd hear "Play a Polka!" every so often from the crowd and in our three sets, we probably played 3-5 polkas per set, 2-5 more than we normally play.

Packed jacked up crowd after the Badger football win over the Wash. State and some drift in crowd from the Taste of Madison going on, on the Capitol Square. The crowd was borderline nuts and a mix of college, middle aged and tourists as we anticipated. Lot of boots of beer being drank from.

Got some nice compliments from the venue's General Manager and on the way out two of the bartenders said they really enjoyed it and that it was great having something different in the German style beer hall.

So all in all, a success. We're back there 10/13 and feeling good about it. Lot of Badger red in these pictures. Of course, the StingRay performed flawlessly.

 

[bovinehost]

I love the girl with the tambourine.

 

[Aussie Mark]

College kids polka dancing is one of the most bizarre things I could ever imagine.

 

[Freddels]

I love the girl with the tambourine.

I was thinkin' the same thing.