Freebird!

Last night I went with some friends to the High Noon for the Madison Music Project show. We missed the first performance, but arrived in time to see Adem Tesfaye's set (with the Soul Rap Movement). I liked it a lot - a really cool combination of hip-hop, jazz, and rootsy rock. Next up were The Kissers, a Madison staple. I hadn't seen them since they played at Der Rathskellar more than three years ago. Since then "Pete the Kid" has apparently become "Peter", they're minus one female bass player, but not much else seems to have changed. Celtic rock with plenty of accordion, fiddle, banjo, what have you. Almost more entertaining than watching the band play, though, is watching the crowd in front go absolutely crazy with the dancing. It's a Celtic hoedown featuring a diverse crowd that looks like it might contain folks bused in from the nearest Renaissance Faire and/or sci-fi convention. But don't get the wrong idea - every single one of them is awesome. It's a million times cooler than a crowd of kids rooted to the spot and trying their best to look hip.