Marquette Waterfront Festival

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Devon Williams

Sierra Green and a mic.

Sierra Green

Fest season in Dane County has been gradually starting earlier in spring and going later in fall. The Marquette Waterfront Festival has moved up before the official start of summer but for many east siders it still feels like the official start of the season. You have your outdoor events opening each day (Dandelion Dash on Saturday; Fools' Flotilla, from Tenney Park, on Sunday), your local business vendors, your kids' games. And, of course, two music stages, kicking off on June 7 with a special fest edition of the Harmony Bar’s SheCase Showdown hosted by Kelly Maxwell and featuring Tzera, Meghan Hamilton, SophieRose Kangethe and Lesley Goff. A panoply of other regional performers follow, with evening headlining sets by Minneapolis rapper Nur-D (Saturday) and New Orleans soul stars Sierra Green & the Giants (Sunday). Find the full schedule below and updates at facebook.com/MarquetteWaterfront.

media release: The Marquette Waterfront Festival is the official curtain-raiser to the eastside’s glorious season of summer music festivals. The festival celebrates its 35th year in 2024 the weekend of June 8 and 9 at Yahara Park, mixing hot local talent with touring national acts on two stages.

Saturday, June 8: Dandelion Dash 11:30 am; Main Stage: SheCase Showdown with Tzera, Meghan Hamilton,SophieRose Kangethe, Lesley Goff, host Kelly Maxwell noon, Samba Novistas 1:30 pm, Adem Tesfaye Band 3 pm, Michael McDermott 4:45 pm, Nur-D 6:30 pm; Cottonwood Stage: Anna Vogelzang 1 pm, Moon Gypsies 2:30 pm, Adrian + Meredith 4 pm, Johnny Campbell Band 5:30 pm.

Sunday, June 9: Fools' Flotilla paddle, registration begins 9:30 am Tenney Park (or preregister online by 6/7: https://secure.everyaction.com/rzghKrHnTkGdKOnHCGvQOw2); Main Stage: Combo Noir noon, Pink Halo 1:30 pm, Don't Mess With Cupid 3 pm, Trapper Schoepp 4:45 pm, Sierra Green & the Giants 6:30 pm; Cottonwood Stage: Spine Stealers 1 pm, Three Hours 2:30 pm, Snowbirds 4 pm, Tony Castañeda Latin Jazz Band 5:30 pm.

Marquette Neighborhood Association is calling all who are interested in being a bartender, photographer, T-shirt seller, face painter and more. Secure your volunteer spot now and be part of the festival fun on June 8-9!

More on the performers below:

Main Stage Saturday, June 8

Noon The festival starts out with the return of the SheCase Showdown. A favorite semi-regular rotation of local women artists sharing their original work in the round. Special thanks to the Harmony Bar for loaning the concept to the festival!

1:30 p.m. Samba Novistas are a five piece band that plays a wide variety of Brazilian and Brazilian-influenced music including samba, pagode, bossa nova, samba-reggae, lambada, sertanejo, coco and forro, as well as originals and interpretations of Anglo tunes. Emotional, sensual, irrepressibly danceable and reaches beyond language. Samba Novistas is led and inspired by singer Ana Paula Johnson. Ana Paula is a Carioca – a native of Rio de Janeiro. Her musical soul combines her grandmother’s macumba and the samba schools of Rio with her love of American blues and funk.

3:00 p.m. Adem Tesfaye Band. Tesfaye is a Madison native who’s also worked and lived in Seattle and New York City. Emcee, songwriter, Hip-Hop guitarist, and music producer, Tesfaye draws from Marley, Hendrix, Tribe Called Quest, Gang Star, and the Roots. Sexy, rich, heartfelt and wise.

4:45 p.m. Michael McDermott (Chicago). According to author Steven King, “Michael is one of the best songwriters in the world and possibly the greatest undiscovered rock n’ roll talent of the last 20 years.” McDermott will be up from Chicago with his full band, an act that never fails to pack Windy City clubs.

6:30 p.m. Nur-D (Minneapolis). By popular demand, back from last year’s over-the-top Orton Park performance. Nur-D rolls together the soulful sounds of Bruno  Mars, the power and force of Chance the Rapper, and the pop culture punchlines from an episode of “Community.” Nur-D was awarded Best Musician in the 2022 Twin Cities Collective.

Sunday, June 9

11:30 a.m. Day two kicks off with the annual Fools Flotilla family paddle down the Yahara River. Boaters will be greeted from the Main Stage on their arrival to Yahara Park by the River Rats, the Official Floating Band from the flotilla made up of some of the Marquette neighborhood’s most talented musicians.

Noon Madison’s Combo Noir makes groovy, loungy, swinging and soulful music and features vocal stylist and front-woman–and Marquette neighbor–Anna Purnell.

1:30 p.m. Madison indie-pop band Pink Halo dishes funky 70’s disco-bass lines, neon-infused 80s synth tones, and pay tribute to a medley of contemporary indie pop giants.

3:00 p.m. Led by the charismatic Kevin Wilmott singing the songs of Otis Redding, Don’t Mess with Cupid has become a Madison mainstay of soul, funk and big band mischief.

4:45 p.m. Trapper Schoepp (Milwaukee) recorded his latest album Siren Songs in the late Johnny Cash’s cabin in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Huffington Post calls him a “master storyteller.”  “Rootsy, cinematic rock that charms as it soars” is NPR Music’s description. Schoepp will appear at the festival with his full band right after a critically acclaimed European tour.

6:30 p.m. Sierra Green and the Giants (New Orleans) headline the final day of Waterfront 2024. Born and raised in New Orleans 7th Ward, Sierra Green started singing in her church choir at the age of 8. The 7th Ward is the home of a host of NOLA greats: Jelly Roll Martin, Alan Toussaint, rapper Mannie Fresh and many others. As a teen, Sierra began busking on Frenchman Street, one of the musical centers of the Crescent City. This taught her how to keep an audience. That led to twice weekly gigs at the Frenchmen Street House where all the best players in the city gravitate…which they eventually did around Green. These are Sierra Green’s Giants.

Cottonwood Stage Saturday, June 8

1:00pm Anna Vogelzang ( Chicago) Anna Vogelzang has proven herself the emerging musical force behind this age-old belief. Anna — a melody-driving, songwriting, multi-instrumentalist — has spent her formative years spread across the country, learning the musical languages of the Midwest, West Coast, New England and all that lies in between.

2:30pm Moon Gypsies (Madison) Featuring Robert J. along with Chris Wagoner & Mary Gaines the Moon Gypsies blend their well traveled talents to create the best of Americana music.

4:00pm Adrian + Meredith (Nashville, TN) Always having been ones to march to their own drum, Adrian + Meredith make a different sort of roots racket.  Since the release of their debut album “More Than A Little,” the duo has been pounding the pavement and putting their own spin on Americana music.  Their live show will have you on your feet dancing, clapping, and stomping along with music that has the spirit of punk, the twang of folk, the flavor of Polka, and the bounce of swing.

5:30pm The Johnny Campbell Band (Nashville, TN) Despite music-infused blood that runs four generations deep, Johnny Campbell Band are anything but your grandpaw’s bluegrass band. Hailed as “Good Time Johnny,” the band’s front man Johnny Campbell is a decorated fiddle player who loves moonshine and is notorious for bringing the party to every stage he commands. While many contemporary bands have taken a modern approach to the music, Johnny seeks to copy traditional bluegrass melodies, note for note.

Cottonwood Stage Sunday, June 9

1:00pm Spine Stealers (Madison) The Spine Stealers are a Wisconsin-based folk band influenced by the northwood pines, 24/7 truck stop diners, heartbreak and dark lakes. The duo formed around late night bonfires in their shared hometown during the height of the pandemic where they learned guitar together and wrote songs inspired by their experiences of heartache and nostalgia.

2:30pm Three Hours feat. Ced (Madison) "Three hours is a fingerstyle guitar and drums Madison based singing duo. A 180min jam between Ced Ba'etch' and Robert Murphy gave birth to the band, its name and an all original LP. The one and only Chris Wagoner joined Three Hours on the album as he will for this live performance."

4:00pm Snowbirds (Appleton, WI) The Snowbirds are a solid platter of country tinged indie rock with mellow undertones and a smashing pop sensibility.  “A highly melodic and heartfelt slice of pop-flavored Americana…”  Their sound has been compared to bands like The Jayhawks, Big Star, and the Wallflowers.

5:30pm Tony Castañeda Latin Jazz Band (Madison) Wisconsin’s premire Latin Jazz Band for over 20 years, Tony Castañeda and his band have been honoring and keeping alive the music of what some call the Golden Age of Latin Jazz.  Winner of 14 Isthmus Madison Favorite Jazz Band annual awards The Tony Castañeda Latin Jazz Band has opened for legendary latin jazz artists such as Poncho Sanchez, John Santos, Giovanni Hidalgo and John Benitez.