NEWS
20
2005January
MILWAUKEE BANDS HAVE A CHANCE TO SHINE
Emergenza Festival arrives in Milwaukee this week for the first time, pitting a number of area bands of all styles in a competition that will advance the winners on to regional and, perhaps, national and international stages.
Vnuk's in Cudahy will host 16 first-round gigs between Jan. 20 and the end of February, with anywhere from two to eight bands on the bill at each show. Eight semifinals in March and April will lead to a May final. The winner of that will face the winner of the Buffalo, N.Y. event in a show in Detroit. Ultimately, the top U.S. winner will head to a competition in Germany.
The first U.S. finals -- at Chicago's Metro and in Boston -- drew audiences of nearly 2,000 each, quite a feat. A number of Milwaukee bands began submitting to take part in the Chicago event, which led organizers to consider adding Brew City, which has a good reputation in Europe, thanks to the ongoing popularity there of the Violent Femmes.
Milwaukee has always been somewhat of a reference point for the music scene in Europe. It's seen as a place with emerging trends and a fine home for the new wave. Emergenza is really looking forward to seeing the talent in this city, and has got some great venues to help experience the sounds in the optimal conditions.
For the bands, the lure is clear. For most bands, the $70 entrance fee is a small price to pay for the potential exposure the contest provides, at home and abroad.
"I came across the Emergenza site last year by mistake I was searching for another festival," says Tom LaBrosse of Marashino (in picture), a local band taking part. "The deadline for registration, was already up. So, I made sure this year we got in for sure. It seems to be run pretty well.
For Marashino, signing up has already made a difference for the band in Milwaukee, says LaBrosse. "We were just looking for some exposure (and) I think it has worked because this is the fourth interview the band has done in three days."
With that kind of attention occurring before a single note has been played at one of the Milwaukee gigs, Marashino expects to get its money's worth from Emergenza.
"It would be awesome to play some venues out of state that we haven''t played before. Also we hope to meet new contacts that would be able to help the band out more."
But LaBrosse has no illusions that getting to the semifinals will be a cakewalk.
"There's a lot of great Milwaukee bands that will be performing, I think this festival will be extremely challenging, we hope we can go far in the competition!"
(courtesy of www.onmilwaukee.com)