FARMAPALOOZA III

Review, Retro and Introspection

Greetings Brodazoffans,

I have a confession to make. Forgive me Zoffa for I have sinned! It has been many years since I’ve written a review. I just got to the point where I lost my motivation to do so. There are only so many ways, words, and metaphors to describe vocals, guitars, drums, or basses. Powerful, screeching, thundering, deep. I have a thesaurus. It’s a paperback dinosaur. However, I was inspired by an emotional connection with a vocalist that hath brought me to tears. More on that later…

I apologize in advance for this long-winded review. I know attention spans these days are short. This is far too long to be a blog. It’s more of a feature article or novella. An introspective wrapped in a retrospective. I’m not going to delve deep into tech talk about instruments or equipment. No discussion of song titles and meanings. Just general observations and insights to keep it simple, considering how long this piece is. If reading isn’t your thing, I could try my hand at an audio version if anyone is interested. Or a video of me reading it, but who really wants to see that?! It’s far too long for my brain to memorize. LOL Just let me know.

One last thing before I begin…

I want to thank all of the sponsors, vendors, bands, and fans. Especially, Ben Frost from Ben-Jamin Frost Sound for a phenomenal job on sound and lights! BRAVO my friend!

Steven RedBeard Vertz and Cathy Vertz from Wizards of Real Estate need to be knighted for their continued support of The Brodazoffa. May Lord and Lady Vertz live long and prosper! Cheers to the Largest Beard in Real Estate!

Becky Lanzel from Revrrb Clothing Company for keeping our kingdom clothed!

Marty at Plan B Kaukauna for giving us a home away from home for us to drink and be merry!

Gregory VandeHey at the Vaudette in Kaukauna for hosting our band of merry minstrels and bards from The Brodazofffa Roadshow!

I know I’m forgetting some of you and I apologize in advance for the omission. There are many others I could tag as well.

Now on with the show…

FRIDAY, JUNE 7th, 2024 at FARMAPALOOZA III:

An hour before the show, I found myself at the Darboy Kwik Trip getting gas, ice, and other needed supplies. It had rained recently, but now the sun graced us with its presence, dragging a rainbow across the sky. I looked up and the rainbow appeared to end above The Brodazoffa. During my drive back towards the proverbial pot of gold, it dissipated before I reached my destination. In hindsight, it was a sign to come. Friday was a big day for the festival. There were two special events within the event, so to speak.

BUD from Oshkosh kicked off the evening at 6 pm. These self-deprecating, Pot Punk/Drunk Rock veterans of the valley, played an enjoyable set to get us ready for what was to come.

Next up were The Roving Skallywags playing their last show ever. After a decade of their Irish Punk permeating the Fox Valley, they have decided to call it a day. After a rousing hour set, they retired to their pot of gold to applause from their fans who showed up to support. Long live The Roving Skallywags! We would love to host your reunion show!

Clawing the stage next came Green Bay Pop Punk turned Hard Rock with a metal edge, the Trash Pandas! They asked The Brodazoffa to host their CD Release party at FARMAPALOOZA III. Their “gaze” came out in their colors ready to trash the place. It was cool that they took out all of our garbage for us too. LOL They played a tight set that had the crowd going and proved why they are one of the house bands at the farm. Here’s to the “nursery!” (If you don’t get the references, Google raccoons!)

Found “hidden deep along the river bends of Eau Claire, Wisconsin,” Motherwind stole the show with their “70s-bred roots and alt-groove sound that has left the floors of rock clubs and bars tremoring. Their concoction of psychedelic riffs and hair-raising chord progressions always leave their audiences stirred.” I couldn’t have said it better myself so I stole it from their bio and changed the wording a bit. Although, maybe I did say it better myself. LOL

Headlining the show were Green Bay Garage/Blues influenced Rock ‘N Roll Kings Sons of Kong. They capped off the night perfectly with a sizzling set! As always, the bonfire nightcap blazed until dawn. Not me though. These days, my wisdom keeps me alive. I know when I’m ready to cease the day, so I usually obey.

SATURDAY, June 8th, 2024:

Opening the festivities Saturday at high noon were Green Bay Alt-rockers The Coves. Ranging in age from 18-20 years, these young guns delivered. It’s a tough spot for most opening bands, but they were tight and professional and gave 110%. I was impressed. They can only get better with age! They will be back and climbing the set time ladder next year.

Appleton-based Alternative Rock/Metal-tinged Beautimore, brought their “roaring twenties” look to the stage next. Their pinstriped vests, fedoras Mafia wear teleported us back in time to when Al Capone ruled an empire of crime in the Windy City. Their guitar-driven riffs blasted the early afternoon crowd like a Valentine’s Day hit, many still clouded from the dregs of sleep and possibly something stinky. These Mobster-core hitmen definitely left a hole in my heart and will be back next year.

Blue Moon Assault from Milwaukee swooped in, to cleanup after the hit with their Post Grunge Stoner Rock. I want these dudes back again!

From the Bay of Green commeth the lads of Sweetalk, led by the WAMI and BAMI Vocalist of the Year award winner Jamie Koebe. It’s the flowing mane man! The power trio rocked the tent and have become one of our favorite house bands here at The Farm.

Grim Waters washed away the blood left from the hit earlier. Their Alt Rock sound has gotten more metal over the years as they tore through a tidal wave set flooding the crowd with sound. These Fox Valley favorites have played several shows here and are one of only a handful of bands handpicked for the Brodazoffa Road Show.

Next up was the elephant in the room. It will not be discussed publicly by me. I apologized to everyone I could personally and it was embarrassing and humbling. During the aftershow bonfire chat, many said it made the event unforgettable and will be a legendary tale in the annals of Brodazoffa history and lore. It will be sung by future bards around the bonfire for years to come. Just remember “We Built This City” and smile. I leave you with one last thought on the debacle…Ladies and gentlemen. Elvis has left the building.

Evernoir. Epic. Ven, their goddess on vocals, spoke about suicide awareness and mental health. Then she sang about suicide. I suddenly started crying. Holding back the sobs, I arose from my lawn chair and walked up to the front of the stage. I looked over at my friend Lloyd to my right and he witnessed me breakdown. I walked closer to center stage and looked up at Ven. I put my hand across my heart as tears continued to well up in my eyes. She grabbed my hand for just a moment as our eyes met and we connected on another plane of existence. It was a moment I’ve never experienced before. I have gotten goosebumps at many concerts in the past, but never at this magnitude with a singer. I’ve felt emotional and teared up and cried for many songs during my lifetime, especially after a relationship ends, someone special dies, or when life is kicking me, killing me, or when I’m depressed. But crying in public isn’t the norm for me. I did send Ven the first draft of my experience and we exchanged several messages. She was so gracious and apologized. I wasn’t sure why so I asked. I hope she doesn’t mind me sharing a portion of her message. I will keep the personal stuff private.

“I mean it when I say I’m so glad we made an impression. We weren’t feeling our best yesterday, and I knew my voice was rough. We actually had to make a quick pit stop so I could vomit into a Kwik Trip garbage can. (The whole band cheered every time I heaved. It was very comical rofl) Food poisoning on the road is no bueno. I knew something was off about halfway through that sandwich but I was so hungry. ahhhh such is life.”

Then the sky here turned orange as fans scrambled outside during their set to take pics. It looked apocalyptic as Evernoir played on. Then the rain started. You could see it coming down in sheets across the fields like an invading force. The wind picked up and flowed through the tent, driving those outside inside under its protection. Brody and a pit crew of volunteers speedily put up the sides of the tent as bands and vendors raced to grab merch tables, pulling them under the tent. It was madness and chaos and oddly biblical. Their set took a lot out of me.

Unfortunately, my body was dragging and my L5 was pulling out of my spine, so I made the trek back up to the house to rest my back and eat a sandwich. I was in need of fuel. I took an hour to refocus and ended up missing my favorite Madison Prog/Power Metal Masters, Queen of Dreams. I was there for their first gig when they played in Appleton at the Cold Shot a few years ago. It’s a great place to scout bands I’ve never seen. I apologized profusely to singer Lnz after hearing they delivered the goods with a royal set, including a light saber, matching shades, a tremendous key-tar solo by Ally and her blinking shoes, blazing guitar hero licks from Caleb and Tom, and thundering bass lines from Sky amidst Dan’s drummegeddon. I heard it ruled and was not to be missed. Had I not seen them so many times in the past couple of years, I wouldn’t have made the sacrifice. I already know they will be back to battle here again.

And finally, the band that owns the land. The Lord and Lady of the farm and the minions of Mindz Eye! I made sure I was stage-front. Being the scribe of the tribe, it was my duty to not miss the Minstrels of Melodic Rock. They held high court and entertained their subjects with songs of debauchery and death, sovereignty and sacred earth, altar gods and cats eyes, 11:11 and the end. I am so proud of these bards. Thank you Kelly for your heartfelt and powerful vocals and your rhythmic guitar prose. To Brody and his bass licks. To Ryan and his guitar prowess and screaming solos. And lastly, Merrick and his magical beats.

What an epic weekend! I am spent. Oddly enough, it is 11:11 pm as I complete my tale. The Brodazoffa is a special place. Things happen here. It’s a rescue farm of sorts. A sanctuary for lost souls. The proverbial island of misfit toys. Join the farm family and you too can share in the experience. Be you. Dress like every day is Halloween. Be a character. Costumes are encouraged. Steam Punk, Renaissance, Superhero, monster or furry. Whatever is clever as Brody likes to say. Please join us! Where the weather is just part of the fun and is always fine. Just don’t come to snuff the roosters…

P.S. They rescued me from the darkness. Music is life. I would be dead without it.

By: Jason Mansavage

Finished on June 11th, 2024 at 11:11 pm