Verge Music Festival preview: Red Knife Lottery

As I've mentioned quite frequently over the past month or so, we'll be heading down to the Verge Music Festival in Milwaukee the first weekend of June, and couldn't be more excited.

It's been a while since we've had a chance to catch a show, especially one with the likes of She & Him, Cold War Kids, Eagles of Death Metal, Weezer...the list goes on. Lollapalooza its not, but it is a welcome sign that the Milwaukee area is looking to expand the summer music festival scene beyond Summerfest, something that Chicago has put itself on the map with thanks to Lolla and the Pitchfork Music Festival.

One of the nice things about the Verge Music Festival is that it looks like a lot of local talent is going to be showcased. And since I haven't heard of many of the bands on the festival docket, I thought it'd be a good idea to profile the festival lineup in the days leading up to the event to bring myself up to speed, starting out with the first band on the schedule, playing 5pm on Friday June 4th: Red Knife Lottery.

Red Knife Lottery at Summerfest 2009 (photo by stacey marie ferguson)

Milwaukee's Red Knife Lottery will undoubtedly draw comparisons to other female-vocal lead rock groups on the scene today, such as The Gossip or Heartless Bastards, but with a bit more edge. Lead vocalist Ashley Chapman's raw vocals blend well with the band's punk-rock feel. Even their tracks on Youtube sounds loud and in your face. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing them open up the festival.

More info available at http://myspace/redknifelottery.com