Waterfront Wednesday August 25th!
Missed a show, didja? Check out Waterfront Wednesday Revisited!
Outside alcohol is prohibited. No coolers, no glass or pets allowed in the event area of the Harbor Lawn and the adjacent children’s play area. For more information, please call 814-6518.
These United States (approx. 9:00pm)
Straight from playing Lollapalooza, These United States take the waterfront stage in celebration of their new release, What Lasts. Written during the summer of 2009 after surviving a near drowning on Lake Michigan, songwriter Jesse Elliott’s themes take a decidedly darker turn from the band’s 2009 release Everything Touches Everything. Memories of departed friends and loved ones, Elliott’s own near-death experiences, and the collective melancholy that befalls a band rolling on an endless highway all inform the album’s storyline. A few weeks after completing demos for this new release, Elliott’s laptop was stolen on tour in Los Angeles, and with it, almost 300 songs, including all of what became this album. The only song to survive the theft, thanks to a well-timed email to a long-lost friend, seemed a fitting title track.
What Lasts is a melting pot of folk, psychedelic, pop, and early rock-and-roll. It is the sound of five friends – Jesse Elliott on guitars and vocals, Robby Cosenza on drums and harmonica, J. Tom Hnatow on pedal steel and guitars, Justin Craig on guitars and keys, and Colin Kellogg on bass and vocals – playing hundreds of shows together.
Honor Amongst Thieves from These United States on Vimeo.
Dan Mangan Band (approx. 7:30pm)
Recently signed to Arts & Crafts, the trail-blazing indie label that brought us Broken Social Scene, Feist, and Stars, Dan Mangan is the first on their roster from the Pacific Northwest. Though Vancouverites once envied the thriving music scenes of Montreal and Toronto, Mangan’s rain-soaked hometown has since developed a potent scene of its own – in recent years, its eclectic and supportive musical community has produced the likes of The New Pornographers, Ladyhawk, You Say Party! We Say Die!, Black Mountain, and Japandroids. Mangan is yet another native son of this emergence.
The American release of Nice, Nice, Very Nice comes in the wake of its release in Canada, which saw the good natured and unassuming songwriter skyrocket to critical and fan acclaim. A tidal wave of accolades landed Dan on the covers of publications from coast to coast, and his career went into serious over-drive.
Read more bio at the official website
Audra Mae (approx. 6pm)
Audra Mae is a natural treasure. Once the Oklahoma native opens her mouth and lets loose with that voice, pure and strong, with a hint of country twang and a twinkle of good humor, you realize this is what she’s meant to do… Stand in front of an audience and entertain, not just with her singing, but a distinctive songwriting voice, one that’s capable of relating fully developed characters and stories, all of which can be heard on her debut, The Happiest Lamb.
Signed to L.A.-based label SideOneDummy, known more for rock groups like Flogging Molly, The Gaslight Anthem and Gogol Bordello than Americana roots singer-songwriters, Audra Mae is not as out of place as it would seem. After five years working her way through the local L.A. club scene, Audra found exactly what she was looking for in the fiercely independent record company.
Learn Audra’s connection to Susan Boyle and who her very famous aunt is in this Sunday Times article
ABOUT WATERFRONT WEDNESDAY
Waterfront Wednesday is presented by 91.9 WFPK and Waterfront Development Corporation with support from Friends of the Waterfront. This months sponsors include Commonwealth Bank and Trust, Goose Island Brewing Company, Stoll Keenon Ogden and Hornitos Tequila. The show is on the Harbor Lawn at Waterfront Park and FREE to all! Gates open at 5pm. Start times are approximate.
Outside alcohol is prohibited. No coolers, no glass or pets allowed in the event area of the Harbor Lawn and the adjacent children’s play area. For more information, please call 814-6518.
