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How to get the most out of your Forward Music Fest wristband

The Capital Times  —  9/18/2008 9:30 pm

(If you're on Twitter, tweet your Forward Music Fest experience to #77forward to contribute to the coverage on twitter.com/77square. Send pictures to 77square@gmail.com)

If you got your wristband for the Forward Music Festival (see "Forward to the music festival!") for the early bird price of $25, that amounts to fewer cents per band than what you'd spend on a postage stamp. The current $40 wristbands -- available at www.forwardmusic.com or in person at The Frequency and High Noon Saloon -- break down to 55 cents per act. That's a per-act cost of two Little Debbie snacks and a third of what you'd spend on your morning cup of coffee. Just sayin'.

You won't be able to hit up every band, of course. But if you plan strategically, you can maximize your entertainment dollar accordingly. Here's a guide to just a few of the acts:

Minneapolis band Husker Du inspired a generation of '80s punk rockers. Since the group disbanded in 1987, singer Bob Mould (Friday, 6 p.m., Majestic Theatre) led alt-rock band Sugar in the '90s and has released eight studio albums, ranging from electronica to guitar rock. His song "Dog On Fire" is the intro theme for "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" (as performed by They Might Be Giants).

Chicago independent label Bloodshot Records is throwing a special showcase with three of its bands: Scotland Yard Gospel Choir (Windy City indie pop -- not British, not gospel), Dex Romweber blues/rockabilly out of North Carolina) and the Detroit Cobras (garage rock doo wop, really from Detroit). Bloodshot co-founder Nan Warshaw will be spinning songs between sets under the DJ name "Stand By Your Nan." Madison alt-country rockers the Blueheels open up the set (Friday, 9 p.m., High Noon Saloon).

On Friday at 10 p.m. at Cafe Montmartre, Nick Jaina of Portland, Ore., puts together a rich, piano-driven folk sound with his seven-piece band. It was voted one of the top 10 new bands of 2008 by Willamette Week, a newspaper in Jaina's native Portland.

PWRFL Power is a sweet one-man act (Kazutaka Nomura) full of acoustic guitar picking and quirky lyrics (Friday, 9 p.m., Project Lodge). While you're at the lodge, check out Matt Reedy's "guided meditation" art show, "Beyond Bulbs." It involves film projections that will most likely continue running throughout the music acts.

Local band Brainerd closes out the Corral Room on Friday starting at midnight, with a grinding set of metal and rock of the sweatiest, dirtiest and foulest kind.

The Dead End Rejects sound like a good way to shake off the hangover on Saturday (noon, Orpheum Stage Door). The Madison punk band lists Minor Threat, Body Count, Bad Brains, the Milwaukee Brewers and beer as musical influences on its MySpace page.

Mount Horeb native Jentri Collelo sings smoky alt-country heartbreak songs with a talented backup band, opening for Mason Jennings (Saturday, 6 p.m., Majestic Theatre).

Yea Big and Kid Static out of Chicago do a set of frenetic rhyming sandwiched in between two Madison hip-hop acts (Rob Dz and Dumate) and a former Madisonian, El Guante (Saturday, 10 p.m., The Frequency).

The Capital Times  —  9/18/2008 9:30 pm