MAMAs on the Terrace – Saturday, July 25 @ the Memorial Union Terrace

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MAMAs on the Terrace

We had a great time at the second annual MAMAs on the Terrace on Saturday night.  The raindrops were effectively dodged and the turnout was spectaular. Local Sounds TV was also on hand so look for an edit of the event there soon.

VO5 really lit up the night with their funky Kool & the Gang-syle of disco covers.  You’ve got to hand it to these guys even if you hate disco – which I do. They can sing! I believe there were six vocalists in all, although it was a little difficult to see over the bouncing pink bunnines. No shit, there were bouncing pink bunny people. I knew leaving my Orange Sunshine at home was a mistake. My favorite dude has to be bassist Drew Szabo who stood about seven feet tall including his platforms.  The group is led by former members of The Merkins Catherine Capellaro (vocals, trumpet) and Andrew Rohn (vocals, keyboard), authors of “Walmartopia.” Rohn appears to be the maestro and the group covers several tough numbers including “Thriller,” a song I have never heard a band cover.

 

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Sunspot also turned in an inspired set. These guys never cease to amaze me. I’ve seen them numerous times and I can’t think of a band that works harder, is more prolific and has more fun. They played several songs from their new release, Singularity, a full-length album that includes a DVD with videos for each song. Now that’s ambition! Bassist/vocalist Mike Huberty caught me on video doing a disco dance complete with self-inflicted reacharounds so hopefully that won’t surface online somewhere.

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 Danielle Brittany, winner of the Female Vocalist of the Year award, put on an energetic set that drew a good response from the audience. She was so excited because Brittany, now 23, had a goal of playing the Terrace someday. Her popalicious sounds went well with the setting sun and the lake breeze. Brittany has a band assembled for the occasion that included Matt Nelson, guitarist for the Dorothy Heralds.

Gladstone got things rolling with their brand of pop/rock; a good start to the festivities. They go down easy and the highlight of the band is their ability to sing multiple harmonies. Gladstone won the New Artist of the Year award and the Pop Album of the Year award for Paper Sky. Their set featured these selections mingled with a few covers by U2 and Coldplay.

← The Sunday Jams Reunion @ the Alchemy Sunday, August 2, 2009 Arp of the Covenant / All Tiny Creatures / Somni @ Cafe Montmartre June 19, 2009 →

About the author

Rick Tvedt

Rick is publisher of Local Sounds Magazine, formerly Rick's Cafe, Wisconsin's Regional Music Newspaper. He is also the Executive Director for MAMA, Inc., a non-profit organization that produces the Madison Area Music Awards and raises funds to promote youth music programs.

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