ACTS
July 23
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and the Summer Nights Teen Battle of the Bands
Before enjoying the Gene Wilder classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, come see local bands battle it out. The winner of Friday night's contest will be the first opening act for Saturday night's concert.
July 24
Concert: A Rocket to the Moon
Looking back now, it's difficult to believe that A Rocket To Moon all started in Nick Santino's bedroom three years ago when he harmlessly posted a few songs on the Internet. However what began as an electro-tinged sonic experiment quickly snowballed into a full-fledged band that's toured with acts like 3OH!3 and Cobra Starship, played festivals like the Vans Warped Tour and Bamboozle and gained fans all over the world. "I never actually intended for A Rocket To The Moon to get this far," Santino admits, adding he couldn't be more thrilled about the current incarnation of the band. "I always wanted to take it to the next level and put a couple of guys in the act instead of having all the focus on me, so after Bamboozle '08 we started performing as a full band and right now the sound is perfect."
The current incarnation of A Rocket To The Moon-Santino, guitarist Justin Richards, bassist Eric Halvorsen and former The Receiving End Of Sirens drummer Andrew Cook-have put their collective experiences into the band's full-length debut On Your Side, an instantly infectious collection of upbeat pop music that was produced by Matt Squire (Panic! At The Disco, Boys Like Girls). "We had never recorded a full-length before and we learned so much from working with Matt," Santino explains, adding that On Your Side was recorded in a scant seventeen days-a fact that only adds to the album's sense of urgency. "We did it really quickly but we didn't feel any pressure because we spent so much time preparing before we went into the studio," he continues. "Justin and I are big country fans, so it's got that feel to it mixed with a '90s pop-rock kind of vibe; it's just an all-round fun album that doesn't fit into one genre."
From heartfelt piano ballads such as "Like We Used To" to energized radio-friendly rockers like "Dakota" and electronica-inflected tracks like "Sometimes," On Your Side is an exercise in versatility that shows how much the band have evolved as musicians and songwriters over the past few years. "There are so many different styles of music on this record, but I think Matt Squire helped us pull it off tastefully so it definitely all still sounds like A Rocket To The Moon," Santino says. "One of my favorite songs is "Like We Used To" because it has a lot of pedal steel and banjo on it, which is something that's totally new for us," he beams. "What can I say? I'm a sucker for a good love song."
July 24
Concert: State and Madison
Brought together by their mutual passion for music, Chicago natives Nickolas Blazina (vocals/guitar), Jonah Kort (drums), Anthony Martino (bass/vocals), and Mark Tatara (guitar/vocals) bound to form STATE AND MADISON in 2005. The band quickly pronounced their stylistic hybrid, as they displayed a knack for penning hook-filled melodies set to infectious rhythmic pulses and forging rock energy.
STATE AND MADISON's exponential talent is a real showcase of their musical development, which among them spans a range of genres and experiences from musical theatre to fledging garage bands and jamming in the church. It's this mesh of backgrounds that make the band's blend of sounds so unique.
2010 has the band spending most of the year on the road, taking breaks occasionally to write and record new singles for release throughout the year. During 2009, State and Madison had released numerous singles which are finding their way into placement into much of MTV's current show lineup, as well as being well received by music critics and fans alike. Previous releases, "Become The Not Found" (2008), "Consider This A Confession" (2007) and "Simplicity Is The Name Of The Game" (2006) - set the stage for the band's blast through the midwest music scenes, introducing listeners to their danceably unique blend of indie-meets-alternative. Throughout their constant touring, writing and recording, the band's organic and energetic growth blossomed while picking up fans along the way
